Lincoln Journal Star from Lincoln, Nebraska • 34

CM T55KE snt Thp son 0 cy matchup i ByMikeBabcock You cant keep a good man down. That's why, less than two weeks after undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery, Marc Munford is back playing footbalL The junior linebacker expects to be in Nebraska's starting lineup Saturday when the Cornhuskers play resurgent Colorado at Memorial Stadium. Munford's remarkable recovery can be attributed not only to advances in medical technology but also to his desire to play against the Buffaloes. "I didn't want to miss this game," said Munford, who's from Littleton, Colo. "I wasnt going to sit out, regard-' Regardless of what? A slight ligament tear i QUARTERBACK Colorado would probably have an edge here if Mark Hatcher were healthy.

But Nebraska gets the edge, particularly it Allen Strait has to be pulled out of a redshirt RUNNING BACKS Colorado can't match the Cornhuskers at running back, but that aays more about Nebraska's quality than It does about the Buffaloes' lack of tame. RECEIVERS Having the surgery was like getting a 'tune-up," according to Munford. He seemed to be hitting on all cylinders before. Despite missing last week's game against Missouri, Munford still leads the. team ia tackles.

He's been credited with 23 unassisted tackles and 20 assists. iritlTJr'iilS I Though, they aren't being used much this season, Colorado's receivers are potential game-breakers. Tight end Jon Embree was Att-Big Eight CFrTKSrtfSUTCS According to Coach EiH McCartney. Buff guard Junior Hi is one of the beet college linemen bi me country. Nebraska to siS a ke banged up.

He's intercepted two passes. broken op two passes and re covered fumble. Marc Munford He's having an AH American dicate the rehabilitated knee was 90 percent as strong as the good knee. Five days after being scoped, Munford tested above 100 percent, which means the injured knee is now stronger than the good knee. Munford's teammates aren't surprised by his recovery.

"He's pretty amazing," said split end Rod Smith a red-shirted sophomore from Thornton, Colo. "It's in his will." Smith and Munford were roommates their first two years at Nebraska. "Marc's got the strongest desire to play I've ever seea He wanted to play Colorado, and I think that helped him heal," Smith said. "That was the bottom line." The bottom line is, Nebraska's defense is considerably better with Munford than without him, even though the Cornhuskers are deep at linebacker. Allowing Missouri to score three touchdowns last week hasn't set well with the Black Shirts, said Knox.

Nebraska goes into Saturday's game ranked 34th in the nation in total defense and 24th in scoring defense. Colorado ranks ninth and 20th, respectively. As a result, "we may be in for. a dogfight," Munford said. Td like to win decisively this week, more so than we did a week ago, because we've got some doubts.

We need a big win." Munford never really wanted to play football at Colo-rada His father, Jim, was born and raised in Lincoln, and Marc has always been a Cornhusker fan. As soon as Nebraska offered him a scholarship, "I wanted to go there," be said. "Then, Colorado said, 'Well, we couldnt have taken you anyway." Tbe Buffaloes told him he was too small and his grades weren't good enough, even though be was a 3.9 student in high school. And at 6-2, 23) pounds, he's tig enough for a linebacker. "I've always wanted to play wen against them because of the fact they didnl try to get me," said Munford.

He's convinced he's a much better player than he is a fan. Last week, Munford and defensive end Gregg Reeves, who's been sidelined with a dislocated shoulder, drove to the Missouri game and watched from the stands as their teammates escaped the Tigers' bid for an upset 28-20. "I haven! done that before, and it was tough," Munford said. "We'd do some things wrong, mistakes that happen a lot, but when you're sitting in the stands and you see those things happen, you think you could've done something about them if you'd been out there. "You want to be a part of iL" Munford remained seated throughout most of the game.

"I had a few moments when I got up and wanted to cuss and scream," he said. "But I think I held myself back pretty welL" There's no holding back this Saturday, not with Colo- -rado coming to town. "I think it's his personality," said Melton. "He wants to play, and he gets mad when I take him out of the game." Munford was down long enough. "I figured he might practice this week, and be hobbling around, and maybe he'd be able to play against Kansas State," Melton said.

"But he's going 100 percent "If I had known he was going to get well tills quick Colorado has on excellent tackle In sophomore Curt; Koch, while the play of Ne- I braska's defensive Interior I continues to be a strength. I UNESAocrns Nebraska might have slight edge here, but call even. Darin Schubeck. tarry Remington. Don DeLuaio and Dan McMillan have been the heart and soul of a good Buffalo defense.

SECONDARY Senior Lyle Pickens and junior Solomon Wilcots are the key figures In Colorado's defensive backfield. season," Nebraska's Bnebacker coach Joan Melton said. 'I sincerely think Munford's an Ail-American, and ten you why. There are a lot of linebackers who make a lot of tackles, right? But as soon as it's a passing situation, what do tbey do with them? They take 'em ouL" That's not the case with Munford. "He's on all our passing teams.

He's on all our run teams, and he'd be on our kicking teams, too, but I've got to rest him some time. I think Munford is as good as there is," said Melton. Munford, Nebraska's fastest linebacker, is also as tough as there is, according to strongskle linebacker Mike Knox, a senior from Castle Rock, Colo. "He's just mentally tough," Knox said. "He's not the type of person to miss more than one game, and he's got his heart set on playing against Colorado." Knox, who's second on the team in tackles, is as excited as Munford about playing the Buffaloes.

"You dont have to prove anything, but you want to show everybody back there you made the right choice, so you want to play as hard as you can," said Knox. "We try hard every game, but this one means a tittle more." Munford vowed he'd return to the lineup for the Colorado game. He was told rehabilitation would take two or three weeks. But I figured Td get back in a week or so," Munford said. "AH I had to do was get the knee above 90 percent and they could let me practice.

I was bound to get 90 percent, one way or the other, before Wednesday of this week be-. cause you've got to practice a day or two in order to play." A 90-percent test result on a Cybex machine would in KICKINQ A week ago, Colorado might have had a decided edge. But Dale Klein and Dan Wirv gard proved themselves against Missouri, dramatically so. IODrv tfecttho Buffaloes Record: 5-1, Big Eight unranked Key Players: quarterback Mark Hatcher (not expected to ploy), fullback Anthony Weatherspoon, tight end Jon Embree, offensive guard Junior III, inside linebacker Barry Remington, outside linebacker Darin Schubeck Strengths: the nation's No. 9 defense, a rushing attack which ranks fourth, the No.

1 net punting unit in the nation Weaknesses: youth, lack of a winning tradition, a pass offense that ranks 1 asth in the country Note Colorado to off to its best start hi seven years. The Buffaloes nave won three In a row for the first time since 1378. They havent played on national te4evision since Nov. 12, 1977, when they loet to Oklahoma Colorado has outscored its opponents 85-13 in the last nine quarters and controlled the ball over 60 percent Of the time during that stretch. Nebraska has 17 consecutive victories over Colorado since losing to the Buffaloes 21-16 In Lincoln In 1967.

The Cornhuskers won 24-7 last season attar trailing 7-3, after three quarters. Bottom 10 Missouri's anonymity encte Saturday, when the Tigers face Kansas State in the first match between Nos. 1 and 2 in the Bottom Ten since 1S83. Pages. The Line rZ.

Perm State, which has gone unbeaten in six games, but outscored it3 opponents by only 24 points, is projected to be a narrow winner over West Virginia. Pago 4. State College i Midland Lutheran College needs victories the next two weeks to earn the championship In the Nebraska Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. Pago 5. r' '-rr EXTRA POINT, a weekly football section produced by the Journal-Star sports staff, is edited by Dave Wohlfarth and Brian Hill.

Cover photo by Randy.