The Lincoln Star from Lincoln, Nebraska • 28

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 1993 LINCOLN JOURNAL-STAR 4 1 'A t' 1 OG HUSKERS TTT pn'ipi "it ii i n-ipi ijm.i i i mj i i i)n mi. it ii -f iw4rK c- A i 4. ''I'" Ui'i, Si'- V''-, i 1 2 i yl RANDY HAMPTONLINCOLN JOURNAL-STAR "Nebraska tight end Gerald Armstrong (95) kneels after catching an 11 -yard touchdown pass and beating UCLA's Shane Jasper (90) to the end zone to give NU the lead in the third quarter. It was Armstrong's ninth career TD reception. -v I i "i A.

I' braska offense had committed three turnovers and the defense hadn't allowed a point in the drives that followed those miscues. In the fourth quarter, after the Nebraska offense went three-downs-and-punt, the de-' fense returned the favor. was only the second time during the game that UCLA failed to pick up a first down on a possession. The Cornhusker offense then took over at their 40 with' 8:37 left and marched to a first down at the Bruins' 9-yard line. But just when jt looked like the worst thing NU would get was a field goal, wide receiver Corey Dixon fumbled after a short pass reception and free safety Tommy Bennett recovered for UCLA at the 14 with 4:34 to play.

Again, the Nebraska defense rose to the challenge. While quarterback Wayne Cook connected with split end J.J. Stokes for 14 yards on a third-and-. 12 play to keep the Bruins' drive alive at the 26, it would be their last gain of the day. Outside linebacker Dwayne Harris batted down Cook's next pass, Alberts tipped the next one for an in-completion before Cook threw an out-of-bounds attempt for Mike Nguyen.

1 a Nebraska freshman running back Damon Benning fumbles in the first quarter as UCLA defenders Shane Jasper (90), London Woodfin (66) and, Brian Tighe (44) move in for the tackle. The Huskers' offense committed four turnovers in the game. Alberts, NU defense perform in clutch yards before Bjorn Merten missed a 44-yard field goal attempt as time ran yyy "They were doing a little blocking scheme that we're not used to seeing, so we had to adjust at halftime," said Alberts, referring mainly to the Bruins running a lot of cutback draw plays that freshman Skip Hicks feasted on. "We were trying to get up-field and get sacks when what we should have been doing was helping with the run." Hicks rushed for 148 yards and one touchdown on 19 carries the second-best single-game performance by a UCLA true freshman before he sprained his left ankle at the end of a 23-yard gain on the first play of the fourth quarter. While the Bruins pulled to 14-13 on Merten's 27-yard field goal at the end of that drive, they only gained one first down thereafter.

"The thing that I'm most proud of was when it was on the line we came through," Alberts said. "We only had about a quarter of a tank left, but every once in awhile we're going to have to do our part." Saturday, the Cornhusker defense played the lead role. Through three quarters, the Ne- TEP KIRKUNCOLN JOURNAL-STAR NU freshman running back Lawrence Phillips (1) sprints away from UCLlA defenders London Woodfin (66) and Brian Stewart (95) for a second-quarter first down. BY CURT MCKEEVER Lincoln Journal-Star PASADENA. Calif.

A close call in the Rose Bowl had Trev Alberts soul searching Saturday afternoon. "I found out a little about myself today and what I found out was I want a shot at a national championship," Nebraska's senior outside linebacker said after playing a key role in the Cornhuskers' 14-13 victory against UCLA. While the result was not anywhere near being the walkover that many had predicted for Nebraska, it was enough to let Alberts hang onto his dream. "We're 3-0, and we're still rolling," he said after a 10-tackle, two-sack performance earned him the honor of being chosen ABC's NU Player of the Game. It was hard to tell which direction the Cornhuskers were headed during the first half Saturday.

Thanks, in part, to sloppy tackling, they trailed 10-0 with 6:06 remaining before half-time. And even after an 80-yard drive drew Nebraska to 10-7 with 2:54 to go. the Bruins shredded their way through the defense for 58 quick Xt TED KIRKUNCOLN JOURNAL-STAR Nebraska's Mike Anderson (48), Terry Connealy (99) and Bruce Moore (90) close in on Bruins' quarterback Wayne Cook (15). T0 KIRKUNCOLN JOUHNAl-STAR UCLA then chose to punt and a first down by the Cornhuskers allowed them to run out the remaining 2 23. "I didnt have any doubts," said Alberts of stopping the Bruins on their final possession.

"You look over all the big games over the years and we get it done. "The Blackshirts got it done today UCLA's final offensive yardage total was 326 just 18 more than the average Nebraska had allowed teams -in its first two games. "We're going to have games like this," Alberts said. "This is good. You think we're going to go to Colorado: and score 70 points?" He then thought about that prospect and joked, "Well, we might." Since UCLA wasn't about to allow anything close to that number, the Cornhuskers had to bail themselves out with an equally resilient defense.

"It was a good football game that enjoyed. You've got to understand, this is like a bowl game to them," Alberts said of the Bruins, now 0-2. "This is their season." In terms of having a shot at a national championship, Saturday's 1 game meant the same to Alberts. ft St TED IQRKUNCOLM JOURNAL-8TMI a 'Jy CyiiH' 1 7 i 1 I 4- i i 4: 7 jt Henrietta Muhammad (in red shirt with white 27), mother of NU's AbdJ Mutiamrnad fanify is from the suburban Los Angeles city of Compton. TtO KIRKUNCOLN JOURNAL -ST AA Muhammad, joins 155 family members cheering for her son.

The NU'S Barron Miles (14) and Trev Averts bring down UCLA running back Skip Hicks (20) late in the first quarter..