Lincoln Journal Star from Lincoln, Nebraska • 29

Home, 11 Money, 13 Sunday Journal-Star APRQ4, 1988 Recruit Jensen already popular i uummu I I ml I -rim, i li i hiuji.i i i i 1 1 1 mi. raM i ill ff 'lf if 'A u- Mike Babcock Columnist Dave Jensen was kept busy signing autographs Saturday afternoon. That's how he spent most of the Nebraska football team's annual Red-White intrasquad game, in fact Even though he wasn't wearing a helmet and shoulder pads, Jensen was easy enough to pick out. He wore a white windbreaker, with "Killer" in blue script letters on the right front and "State Champs, 1985, 1986, 1987" on the left At 6-foot-5 and 266 pounds, Jensen cast a large shadow over the young fans. vJLvt rame often comes early at Nebraska.

Jensen is a senior at Omaha Creighton Prep. He signed 9 letter of intent with Nebraska in February, but he won't become a Cornhusker until the fall Jensen, the Sun Davejentm I RANDY HAMPTONSUNDAY JOUflNAL-STAH White team quarterback Jerry Dunlap (10) breaks the tackle of Red cornerback John Custard (28) en route to scoring the game's first touchdown on a 1 5-yard run in the first quarter. Kodgers9 shift helps Red rally day Journal-Star high school "Defensive Player of the Year" and a Bally Coaches Ail-American, could be part of the solution to a problem that faces Nebraska going into the fall Tackle or middle guard Hell have an opportunity to play with the varsity as a freshman in the defensive line, either at tackle or middle guard. Earlier this spring, defensive coordinator Charlie McBride indicated that Jensen might be asked to spend a season at tackle and then move to middle guard the way former Cornhusker All-American Danny Noonan did. Jensen's future is probably at middle guard, according to McBride.

And the comparison to Noonan is appropriate in more ways than that Jensen has similar potential. He's an excellent college prospect perhaps the best in a solid recruiting class. The door certainly is open, for Jensen and maybe 6-3, 265-pound Kevin Ra-maekers, an incoming freshman lineman from Norfolk Catholic. McBride, who was looking for defensive tackles to replace Neil Smith, Tim Rother and Lee Jones when spring practice began, is still looking for replacements now that it's over. And the problem was compounded when Lawrence Pete, a returning starter at middle guard, recently decided not to play his senior year.

By Ken Hambleton ter (hip pointer) and that left us with one of our top four I-backs with Rodgers," he said. "Rodgers is the one guy who held up and had the best spring." Tyreese Knox and Leodis Flowers missed the spring game and Clark had one rushing attempt and two kickoff returns. The Cornhuskers were just as thin at quarterback. Redshirt freshman Mickey Joseph was injured on his second play of the game and joined starting quarterback Steve Taylor and backup Gerry Gdowski on the sideline. on 25 carries, was the leading rusher for both teams which were short-handed at the front-line I-back position.

"I can tell you that this was a true game situation on both sides," said Rodgers, who was redshirted last season. "There was some serious hitting from both sides. It doesn't feel any different than a game to me right now." Rodgers, who scored on a five-yard run in the third quarter, was one of the -top survivors this spring, Nebraska head Coach Tom Osborne said. "Ken Clark was hurt in the first quar "It was hard to get continuity on offense with the top three quarterbacks and three of the top four I-backs out," Osborne said. "But .1 thought Tom Haase, Jerry Dunlap, and at times Kei-than McCant, did reasonably well at quarterback.H Dunlap, a sophomore from Ventura, scored the first touchdown of the game on a 15-yard run to give the Whites a 7-0 lead.

He hit wingback Dana Brinson on See SPRING on page 6D Terry Rodgers said he couldn't say no when he was asked to play I-back for both teams in the annual Red-White Nebraska Intrasquad Spring Game Saturday at Memorial Stadium. While at least a tenth of the crowd of 30,000 made a halftime pledge to "just say no" to drugs, Rodgers was saving "yes" to switching teams. The change helped as the Reds (the first and fourth units) rallied to a 37-14 victory over the Whites. Rodgers, who finished with 105 yards llllplliili A' Orioles-continue losing ways despite changes on, off field "I don't think I could name a first-team defensive line right now," McBride said after the Spring Game. Well Mike Murray will be the No.

1 middle guard. That much is clear. But the top four tackles and the No. 2 middle guard? Take your pick. Jensen could be among them, if not for the Kickoff Classic Aug.

27, then perhaps by the Big Eight opener against Kansas Oct 8. Hell need some time. Ordinarily, even outstanding freshmen have to wait their turn at Nebraska, but the Cornhuskers' defensive line remains unsettled. And "the difference between a good team and a great team (in the fall) is probably getting a good combination at defensive line, with a little depth," Coach Tom Osborne said. Four weeks of spring practice didn't resolve much.

"We're still feeling our way along there," said Osborne. Ray Valladao, the only experienced defensive tackle, was held out of all but a week of spring practice, and none of the other defensive tackles really asserted themselves on a consistent basis. Talent is there That isn't to say they won't Willie Griffin, Paul Brungardt and Kent Wells all could come on strong in the falL The position isn't devoid of talent Neither is middle guard, where Jim Wanek, Pat Engelbert, Brian Edgren and Junior Monarrez are competing for the No. 2 spot behind Murray. Until someone steps forward, though, the defensive line has to be considered a major concern.

No matter how good the rest of the defense is and it should be outstanding if the interior isn't solid, opponents will be able to run right at Nebraska. And that in turn, will open up everything else for the offense. The Cornhuskers' offensive success over the years is dramatic evidence of. the effectiveness of that approach. That's why Osborne described the defensive line as a "worrisome area" Saturday.

He wasnt exaggerating. NU wins 10 events in Relays By 8taff Writers and New Services LAWRENCE, Kan. The Nebraska track teams combined for 10 first-place finishes Saturday to finish with 12 victories at the Kansas Relays. For the men, Jody Fischer won the run with a time of 14:24.81, more than four seconds faster than the second-place finisher. Jacques van Rensburg won the 1,500 run, finishing in 3:49.06.

Nebraska's Ha-raid Graham placed third in 3:52.20. The Cornhusker men's 440- and 880-yard relay teams also captured first places. The 440 team, composed of Bill Trott James Morris, Mark Perry and Bob Jelks, finished 210ths of a second ahead of Arkansas with a time of 40.50. The 880 team Trott Dale Burrage, Perry and Jelks won in 1:23.30. Burrage also won the 400 hurdles in :51.81.

Sharon Powell paced the Husker women's team by winning the invitational 400 with a time of :52.9a Michelle Milling, also of Nebraska, finished second with a time of 53.28. In the 1,500 run, Juliet Prowse finished one second ahead of runner-up Becky Ives of Kansas State. Prowse was clocked at 4:37.38. Nil's Sabrina Eames won the javelin with a toss of 1574 while Nebraska's Renita Robinson, competing unattached, won the triple jump with a leap of 43-5. The Husker? mile relay team of Beth Webster, Lisa O'Connell and Powell also won in 3:43.61 Two ex-Huskers also were victorious.

Terry Goods, running unattached, won the men's 800 in 1:50.51. Rhonda Blan-ford, competing for the San Diego Track Club, won the 100 hurdles in 13.22. Other Nebraska men's results included Joe Kirby's second-place finish In the steeplechase with a time of Frank Graham's third in the Glenn Cunningham 1,500 in Morris third in the triple jump with a leap of 51; James Blackledge's fifth in the high jump at 6-11 and Jeff Hooper's fifth in the discus at 180-1. Among other places for the NU women were: Sammie Resh second to the 3,000 in 9:35.04 and third in the invitational L500 in Michele Marthaler fifth in the, 3,000 in Tammy Thurman sec-', ond in the high Jump at $-10 and Lynne Frey fourth at 54; Michelle Miller third in the 100 at Frey third in the javelin at 142-9; Other winners included Pinkie Suggs, holder of numerous Kansas State track records, who successfully defended her titles in the if hot put and discus, 'j t. 1:: if By Associated Press The Baltimore Orioles tried a new lineup and even a new set of managers.

They wound up with the same old result their 17th straight loss. "They played welL I saw some plusses," Manager Frank Robinson said after the Kansas City Royals beat the winless Orioles 4-3 Saturday at Kansas City, Mo. Kurt Stillwell's one-out RBI single in the bottom of the ninth inning extended Baltimore's season-opening losing streak. "I've always said that as long as they played hard, I have no problem with that" Robinson said. "But a loss is a loss." Robinson, who exploded at his players after Friday night's 13-1 loss, got ejected in the second inning for yelling at the umpires about their second balk call against Baltimore starter Mark Williamson.

Coaches Minnie Mendoza, Herm Starrette, Terry Crowley and John Hart ran the team in his absence, yet they could not do what Robinson and the fired Cal Ripken Sr. failed to do win. Robinson inserted five new starters, including Williamson, who made his first start of the year. The moves looked good for a while as Williamson worked seven strong innings and Ken Gerhart homered. The Orioles three times held one-run leads, but could not prevent their fourth one-run loss of the season.

"We did everything to win the game but win the game," said outfielder Fred Lynn. The Orioles extended the major league record for season-opening defeats and continued their club-record losing streak. "I feel kind of bad for them," Royals Manager John Wathan said. "It's unfortunate. They've got too good a ballclub to go through something like this." All of the losses have hurt, and this one' was no different With one out in the ninth, Bo Jackson hit a fly ball to right field that he "thought was a routine popup." Instead, the ball carried in the wind and hit the top of the fence, above Lynn's leap.

"I started going back and thought I was going to get it" Lynn sail "Then, it kept going and I said, Oh no, it's going to be a home run." Jackson wound up at third base with a triple. Reliever Doug Sisk intentionally walked pinch-hitter Thad Bosley and Still-well then hit the first pitch up the middle for the game-winner. Sisk, who entered in the eighth inning, dropped his first decision. Ted Power pitched four innings of scoreless, one-hit relief Streaking Pirates win in rare national TV appearance. Page 3D.

and earned his first American League victory. The Orioles, outscored 111-33 this season moved closer to the major league record of 23 straight losses by Philadelphia in 1961. The American League record is 20, done three times. Baltimore, batting just .113 with runners in scoring position, went in front 3-2 in the fifth when Billy Ripken doubled with two outs and Rene Gonzales followed with an RBI single. Cal Ripkeri, hitting only .125, followed with a double that sent Gonzales to third, but Eddie Murray filed out to end the inning.

Kansas City made it 3-3 in the sixth on leadoff singles by George Brett and Danny Tartabull and Mike Macfarlane's one-out RBI single. Williamson avoided further trouble by getting Jackson to ground into his first double play this seasoa Athletics 3. White Sox 2 Right fielder Ivan Calderon's two-base error on Mike Galle-go's fly ball enabled the Oakland Athletics to score the tie-breaking run in the 10th inning at Chicago. Unbeaten Dave Stewart went the distance, allowing seven hits to become the major leagues' first five-game winner this season. Indians 1 0, Twins 2 "'J Joe Carter had two three-run homers and a double at Minneapolis as the Indians handed the world champion Twins their sixth consecutive loss.

Carter, who hit a grand slam in Friday night's game, homered in the first and sixth innings. He nearly had another homer in the third inning, but the ball curled just outside the left field foul pole. Third base umpire John Hirschbeck called it a home run, but the call was reversed by home plate umpire Nick Bremigan. Blue Jays 3, Yankees 2 Toronto's John Cerutti and four relievers combined on a seven-hitter and Kelly Gruber, Manny Lee and Tony Fernandez had two-out run-scoring hits in the second at New York. Tigers 7, Rangers 6 Darrell Evans' three-run homer keyed a five-run seventh inning at Arlington, Texas.

Ex-Nebraska standout Pete O'Brien -hit his fifth homer for Texas. ASSOCIATED PRESS Baltimore Manager Frank Robinson and third base umpire Drew Coble go head to head after a balk call in the second inning. Robinson was later ejected. Shrine Bowl Coed softball players now required to state their tournament intentions Page 2D Sleepers rare In NFL draft Page6D ByPaulHammel To play tournaments or not play tournaments? That's the question posed to Lincoln city coed teams this spring. Vern Hass, program coordinator with the city Parks and Recreation Department said the 210 city coed teams were asked this year to make a choice play In a so-called competitive league complete with a post-season tournament or play in a purely recreational league, without a blood-letting at the end.

In previous years, Hass said some coed teams would sign up, but not participate in the year-end tournament As of last week, Hass said only 30 teams had opted for non-tournament play, while the vast majority chose to play on. There's a catch, said Hass the "competitive" teams must now comply with the Amateur Softball Association (ASA) rule governing alignment of the sexes on the field. That rule says a- that outfield and infield positions must be equally divided between the sexes, and that the pitcher and catcher must be of opposite sex. "Competitive" coed teams must also, for the first time, start and end games with 10 players on the field. Coed teams get a chance to try on the new rules when play beginsMayL City men's and women's teams begin play Monday, and Hass said that overall rule changes were few this year.

A total of 689 city rec teams will take the field this season, 23 more than last year, Hass said. Two complexes, Holmes and Sawyer-SneD, received underground sprinkler systems in the offseason, but Sawyer-Snell probably will not open for use this season, Hass said. It doesn't have adequate grass yet be said. The improvements were compliments of the Capital Improvement Program (CIP) fee of that is charged to every Lincoln city rec softball player. Marathon activities added, expanded Page 7D Sharks, carp both fair game Page 9D.