Lincoln Journal Star from Lincoln, Nebraska • 32

SEPTEMBER aM9M'' 8UNOAY JOURNAL-STAR 80 1 HUSICEHS NU 'wmtjt exploit Texas MttiMion nroerams at SMU. TCU and Texas began. Mike Babcock Columnist tern for evaluating linemen. Lamb was the Cornhusk The Dallas Times-Herald recently telephoned Steve Pederson, Nebraska's football recruiting coordinator, to ask if the Buskers' recruiting in Texas would be affected by the negative publicity Southwest Conference schools like Southern Methodist and Texas Christian are receiving following allegations that high school players have been bought i Nebraska might benefit, but it wouldn't be because the Cornhuskers tried to exploit the situation." "We bavent made a habit of capitalizing on other people's Pederson said. "We don't feel like the only way we can succeed (in recruiting) is if somebody else doesnt do weU." As a result, "we're going to work just as bard as we always have." Texas high schools, of course, are filled with prospects, and Nebraska has made the state a recruiting priority.

Three coaches have been assigned to recruit the area, which includes Louisiana. In addition to Jack Pierce, Nebraska's on-the-road recruiter, and Milt Tenopir, who handles west Texas, Gene Huey is now recruiting Texas. Last year, Huey recruited part of New Jersey and northern Florida, territory now handled by Frank Solicit Decision made last spring The decision to send Huey into Texas, particularly the Dallas-Fort Worth and Houston areas, was made last spring, after Nebraska's successful recruiting in Texas high schools a year ago. The Cornhuskers left the state with four scholarship recruits John Roschal and Broderick Thomas from Houston, Kris Lamb from Waxahachie and Bill Bob-bora from Amarillo. Thomas, a defensive end, was the Houston Post's prep defensive player of the year.

Roschal, picked as the outstanding lineman in. his district, and at the top of the list, based on Nebraska's sys- Last weelC Texas Christian running back Kenneth Davis, a Heisman Trophy candidate who was suspended after admitting he had accepted money from an alum, tokt the Dallas Times-Herald that be had made a mistake by not honoring the Big Eight Conference letter-of-lntent he had signed with Nebraska. Davis is from Temple, Texas! "A lot of schools would have taken that article and sent it to recruits all over the country said Pederson. "That could have some influence on young players, but we think Nebraska already has enough to sett. We know what we've got to The Cornhuskers would make the same sales pitch, regardless of the problems in the Southwest Conference.

"We're putting one more guy (recruiter) in there and going full-bore, as hard as we can. We're jumping in with both feet," Pederson said. Nebraska' scholarship recruits from Texas high schools durinfl Tom Osborne's tenure as htad coach, 1979-19SS: 1985 Bill Bobbora, Amarillo; Kris Lamb, Woxo-hachle; John Roschal, Houston; Broderick Thomas, Houston. 1984 Wendell Wooten, LaMarque. 183 none 1982 none 1981 Ken SheoAPIono.

1980 JWork Behnlno, Denton; Turner Gill, Fort Worth; Ricky Greene, Seminole; Scott McLaughlin, Houston. V. 1979 Robert Alven, Dallas; Nate AAason, Greenville; Ricky Simmons, Greenville. 1978 none 1977 Maurice McCloney, Beaumont; Sammy Sims, Lubbock. 1974 Lee Atkins, San Angelo; Junior Miller, Midland.

1975 Richard Berns, Wichita Falls; Keith Bishop, Midland. 1974 Kelvin Clark, Odessa; Tom Soriev, Big Spring. 1973 Chucky Baker, Port Arthur; Jason Justice, LaMarque. ,4 611 ers No. 1 choice as a fullback.

Interest in( Nebraska was so high that "Jack (Pierce) just couldnt get to see a lot of kids," said Pe- "derson. "He was spread too thin." Pederson has considered a change in Nebraska's out-of-state recruiting emphasis the last three years. "Things go in cycles," he said. For example, the Cornhuskers have gotten some outstanding players from the East Coast in the past, but lately, "we're find-, tag a lot who dont want to leave there." When Pederson replaced Jerry Pettibone as recruit- ing coordinator in 1982, Nebraska was having a difficult time getting players out of California. George Darlington was working just as hard then as he is now, but the results have been dramatically different Last year's recruiting class included five scholarship freshmen from California as well as Cleo Miller, a transfer from Taft Calif, Junior College.

interest determining factor Nebraska's recruiting emphasis isn't based entirely on the number of players who eventually sign letters-of-intent with the Cornhuskers. "We look at the number of players who are interested in visiting," Pederson said. That's another reason Nebraska's efforts to Texas intensified long before the controversy surrounding TCU 10 i Nebraska safety Chris Carr (45) returns an interception 31 yards in the second Quarter. Can's second interception in as rnany games name on a flea-flicker pass from split ena icon noiman. Cornhusker quotes Kevin rarsons, unenacKer "I don't know whether we played that well, or played that badly, but they seemed intimidated.

We- were pretty convinced going in that they were a good offensive team But they get their running game going and that hurt them." their money. "They'd say, 'I'd better get my money or I ain't playing hard," said an unidentified former player, who transferred to TCU from a junior college in 1982. "That's why we didn't win -any games," the player said. "The ones that were getting paid were playing, and the otters were complaining." A number of players told the newspaper that the. payoffs were so prevalent under Dry that neither coaches nor alumni could stop it "Some of the guys, they'd use it like blackmail," the junior college transfer said.

"If the coaches didnt give them any money, they'd threaten to snitch them off to the NCAA." Lowe said the payoffs did not stop with Wacker's arrival after the 1982 season but continued without the new coach's knowledge. But Morris said he found it impossible to believe that Wacker did not know that some players were receiving payoffs." "All Wacker had to do was walk out to the parking lot and you can see who's doing what" Morris Morris said recruiting, Texas Christian was the only school that offered him money. "TCU was the only school that talked numbers," Morris said. "Everyone else would just say they would take care of you, and you would be comfortable. And there would be an alumnus standing -around looking like signs all over him" "The assistant coaches would collect the funds and distribute' them to the wrongfully recruited players." In an interview, Lowe said he asked Dry during the dinner meeting if he thought the payoffs were necessary to the recruiting program.

"He didnt say a word," Lowe told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram "He just sat there nodding Later, an assistant coach told me Dry didnt want to know What was going oa He just wanted to stay out of it" Morris said to his knowledge, Dry had nothing to do with the payoffs. At week's end, the Dallas limes Herald reported in a copyright story that Dry and a former assistant, Bob Junko, were implicated in a similar slush fund scheme at Tulsa before coming to TCU in 1977. Dry acknowledged receiving money, at Tulsa but said it was in the form of persoffal gifts from a booster and not used fdr improper recruiting. Probation scare In his letter of resignation, Lowe said he extended the monthly cash payments only because an assistant coach told him the players might othenyise transfer and turn TCU in to the NCAA. McFarland said he never received" money from coaches but a number of teammates told him that they did.

One player who graduated in 1984 told the Star-Telegram that some players" theatened alumni of they did not receive Morris said that he was given $600 a month which he spent on a van and a sports Morris said that when he was recruited in 1979, it was made clear to him that he would be paid. "It's hard to decide who approached who about the money," he said. "It was more like a group of guys together at the and them saying. This is what we do for our players. If you come here, you've got this, this and In the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, a story published Saturday said three-other former TCU players, who insisted that their names not be used, have admitted to receiving illegal payments, some of them directly from assistant coaches who worked for Dry, who was fired in 1982 and now serves as an assistant coach at Baylor.

The Morning News said the NCAA' questioned TCU players in 1979 but apparently was not able to substantiate that payoffs were being made. "When Dry was there, it was like that" said Mark McFarland, who quit the team after the 1984 season. "You couldn't ask your coach for a new (Camaro) Z-28, but you could ask your coach for a hundred bucks to get through the weekend," Wanted: clean program But Dry isn't there anymore, and Wacker wants a clean, honest program. He talked with the six players Egypt Allen, Gary Spann, Gearld Taylor, Darron Turner and Marvin Foster before suspending them the evening of Sept 19, then notified Athletic Director Frank Windegger and Tucker. The scandal subsequently claimed a seventh player, reserve tight end Ron Zell Brewer.

Lowe identified himself as the administrator of the slush fund and also implicated former Coach Dry. In a letter of resignation from the university's board of trustees, Lowe, a former TCU football player, said the seeds of the slush fund were planted at a dinner meeting with Dry and two assistant coaches before the 1980 recruiting sea-" son. Dick Low Letter teils air In.the letter, dated Sept 23 and addressed to Tucker, Lowe "At that dinner it was said by someone other than myself that everyone else in the conference was buying players and that the only way we could compete was to buy players also'. "The next day an assistant coach came to my office with two other alumni and a third joined us a little later to discuss methods "and people to wrongfully recruit in competition with those already doing it. "This meeting eventually led to a group to actually recruit the players and another that only supplied funds.

I don't think he saw me there. I had visualized my first interception for a long time. And it was always going up over a receiver to get it just like today." Marc Munford, linebacker On his interception: "I don't think he saw me, he threw it right to me. It looked like it was going to hit me in the head. It was an easy ball to catch.

"We're definitely going to continue to play well It takes a few games to get everybody knitted together. This is the first game as a whole team we've played every aspect pretty well "They probably thought they were going to be able to pass a little more effectively than they ended up doing. That's what knocking down balls can do for you. That's, what we're out there for, to deflate their bubble. I think we did a pretty good job oMt today." Roger Lindstrom, wingback On his called-back touchdown: "111 just have to see the films to make sure, but I don't think my knee was touching.

I slipped a little, but when I caught the ball I was on the way back up." Chris Carr, safety "Those four down linemen were after him (Oregon quarterback Chris Miller) all day. He didn't have time to pick out which one he was going to throw to. It seemed like if they weren't shutting him down, the secondary was shutting down the receivers." Todd Profitt, middle guard "Sacking the quarterback always feels good, but the main thing I want to do is improve. I just got moved to nose (guard) in the spring and I want to have no problems, no mental mistakes. YouH make some physical mistakes, but you make up for those by hustling." Bryan Siebler, safety On deflecting Oregon's first long pass of the game: "The receiver ran a hitch and go, which is a play where the slot-back goes six yards and looks back and tile quarterback gives a pump fake.

I just read my keys and knocked the ball down. I think that set the tone when we stopped them there and on the next play. "There is a natural tendency to relax when you seem to have the game in control. But if you want to win the right way, you have to keep concentrating and read your keys. We just wanted to stay on our toes because we didn't want them to make a comeback on Jim Skow, defensive tackle "That was a lot of (un.

When you are doing things right like we were, it gives voir a generally good attitude. I wasn't laughing at them, but I had a smile on my face most of the game. "I thought Oregon might get on a roil because that Cherry is really a scooter. Our offense is a machine when they are on a roll like this. You always go into a game with confidence not cocky, but a feeling that this is your turf and you are in charge." Brian Washington, monster On his first collegiate interception: "Actually, we were in the wrong defense, but it worked out We were supposed to be in a switch and instead we were in a three.

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