Lincoln Journal Star from Lincoln, Nebraska • 16

sa' HUSKERS Lincoln Journal Star Sunday. October 22. 1995 Page design: KarlVogel 7 TTHwT' V- NUHuskers respond to a challenge Huskers' Jacltson gains confidence 1 vi 1 BY STEVE SIPPLE Lmootn Journal Star Z. Nebraska tight end Sheldon Jack- Jackson also caught a pass for a 7-yard gain Saturday and now has four receptions for 39 yards on the season. He said his playing time is steadily increasing.

"I feel like I'm doing OK. but I have a lot to learn," he said. "It's a serious game it's not for the weak at heart 'Hopefully, before the season ends, I'll be a go-to receiver a player the coaches can count on in Continued from Page 1B downs, 46 rushing attempts, 190 rushing yards, 63 total plays and 338 total yards. Nebraska's defense made up the difference. NU's blitzing linebackers and stunting defensive linemen smothered any dreams of an KSU upset, as outside linebackers Grant Wistrom and Jared Tomich batted KSU quarterback Matt Miller around and defensive tackles Christian and Jason Peter caved in the Wildcats' offensive line.

4 "He (Miller) wasnt moving so good after Wistrom got him on that first sack," Tomich said of the second play of the game, when Wistrom dropped Miller for a 4-yard loss. "He was hurting. He was getting up slow. I may have asked 'How ya and he did not respond too much." Miller didn't have much of a chance to respond. Nebraska's pressure defense impressed Osborne.

"That has to be a little bit unnerving when you are hit almost every play, whether you release the ball or not," he said. Miller left the game after the next-to-last play of the third quarter. "I could have stayed out there but I was a little woozy," Miller said. "Defensively, they put their licks on me. I got dinged up a little bit," Nebraska finished with nine quarterback sacks for 82 yards in losses.

The Huskers held Kansas State to minus 19 yards rushing, giving the Wildcats a total of minus 26 yards rushing the last two years against NU. Meanwhile, Frazier was hypno from Frazier to tight end Sheldon Jackson. Two minutes later, Frazier passed to Damon Benning on a 23-yard play and two plays later shoveled the ball to Green for a 10-yard score. "Tommie Frazier is every bit as good as you or I or everybody else thought he was," said Snyder. "He's a difference-maker." By the end of the game, Frazier had two shovel passes out of the shotgun formation to Green for touchdowns, the touchdown pass to Jackson and another to Vedral Nebraska was held without a rushing touchdown for the first time in a regular-season game since a loss at Iowa State in 1992.

"Some games we've had way more yards than points and today we had way more points than yards," Osborne said. "We didnt run the ball as well as I'd have liked to. Maybe it was a combination of Kansas State has a very fine defense and maybe we didn't execute quite as well as we should have." The Husker reserves had plenty of trouble against the Wildcats in the fourth quarter. Things became desperate enough that the Nebraska starters on offense and defense had to return to the field for the final 5:56 after Kansas State scored on a 73-yard passing drive, tacked on another 63-yard passing drive and blocked a Nebraska punt for a touchdown in an eight-minute span in the fourth quarter. "I really would rather not have had to do that (put starters back in)," Osborne said.

"On the other hand, I guess it's really nice to play a good football team and be able to pull your first team out for a bit Usually you play a game like this and you never take them out at all. "We may have just substituted a little too early and it backfired on us," he said. Frazier explained that Kansas State may have been better prepared for the second half. "They came ready to play in the second half and we didn't," he said. "That will wake us up for next week in Colorado.

We're going to go expecting to win. I approach each game the same. We won the game today, and now it's time to move on to next week." son is a young player trying to prove Ho himself he can play big-time football 'J fRight now, I just have to con-quer my nerves and convince my-Tjelt over and over that I can play at this level," said Jackson, who shares Hthe third spot on the Cornhuskers' -depth chart with Vershan Jackson. Saturday, Sheldon Jackson no gelation to Vershan helped boost -his ever-increasing confidence by hauling in an 11-yard touchdown -pass from quarterback Tommie grazier with 9 minutes, 46 seconds left in the second quarter. Jackson's second collegiate touchdown grab gave Nebraska a "21-6 lead, and the second-ranked Huskers went on to earn a 49-25 triumph against No.

8 Kansas State at Memorial Stadium. Jackson, a 6-foot-5, 220-pound red-shirted freshman, said the play was a bootleg to the right. He was the third option for Frazier on the pass play, but the other Husker receivers covered. Frazier, rolling to his right and throwing off his back foot, hit Jack- son in the end zone near the sideline, completing the pass over a smaller Wildcat defensive back. "I felt my momentum carrying me out of bounds, but I tried to get my left foot down, and I did," said Jackson, a native of Diamond Bar, Calif.

Last week, Jackson caught a 6-yard TD pass in Nebraska's 57-0 win against Missouri on a throw that him "right in the numbers." he Saturday's scoring catch appeared more difficult. rf "To me, it was a routine catch," Jackson said. I "st. -J fit i iioo iBjiioifiLL-j. j.

key situations. Jackson was a go-to tight end at Damien High School in Diamond Bar, where as a senior he caught 18 passes for 238 yards and four touchdowns despite playing only seven games because of a knee strain. He took official recruiting visits to Oklahoma, UCLA and Arizona before accepting a scholarship from Last season, Jackson took his lumps playing on the scout teams, getting battered by former Husker standouts Dwayne Harris, Donta Jones and Troy Dumas. "Harris, Jones and (current Husker) Jared Tomich tossed me around like a rag doll," Jackson said. "I have a lot of respect for those guys." He said his redshirt season helped develop his toughness.

"I think it makes you tough and makes you realize what you need to work on," Jackson said. "I thought I could run with those guys, but I wasn't physically strong enough." Jackson said he still needs to improve on his blocking. Asked to grade his blocking ability, he gave himself about a D. In high school, he said his blocking mostly amounted to simply getting in the way of defenders. In college, he has to use much more technique, he said.

tizing the Kansas State defense. He converted three key third-down plays of an 9-yard option run, a 19-yard screen pass to Green, and a scramble for 3 yards on a broken play to set up Nebraska's first touchdown. The Huskers scored when Clinton Childs fumbled at the goal line and teammate Vedral pounced on the ball after it squirted out of the hands of KSU's Mario Smith. After Christian Peter stuffed one play and Nebraska's Terrell Farley and Tomich broke up another two plays, the Nebraska offense took over again. The Huskers scored on an eight-play, 61-yard drive that included two runs for 27 yards by Frazier and an 11-yard touchdown pass RANDY HAMPTONLmcoln Journal Star A Nebraska tight end Sheldon Jackson (88) gets above a Kansas State defender to haul in a second-quarter touchdown pass.

IVedral starts badly, finishes well Scoring summary BY CURT MCKEEVER Lincoln Journal Star During that possession, Vedral also was involved in a penalty, but this time, a Kansas State defensive back was called for grabbing his facemask. Vedral may have also got his hand on a facemask, but didn't get called for a penalty." I was just blocking and this guy was throwing elbows left and right," he said. "I knew it was 90-10 him and not me." Vedral's dead-ball penalty wasn't his first at Nebraska. But he said he's not worried about getting a reputation as being an overly aggressive player. "The guy jumped on my head and I was going to get back up and block him, and just happened to hit him in the face," he said.

"I like to battle out there. I like to give it my all every play." That approach paid off big for Vedral Saturday. substituting freely thereafter until Kansas State scored three straight touchdowns to close to 42-25. The Wildcats then attempted an onsides kick, but Vedral snared Martin Gra-matica's pooch kick to give Nebraska the ball at the K-State 44. "It bounced a lot of times and I just told myself to look it all the way in," said Vedral, who earlier this season had an onsides kick by Washington State carom off his leg and get recovered by the Cougars.

"That ball (against Washington State) was screaming. I should have let that go. I was just glad to come through this time." Vedral's snag set up the final score, as with its No. 1 offense inserted back in the game, Nebraska clinched the outcome by driving for a touchdown. I-back Ahman Green went the final 12 yards after taking a shovel pass from Frazier.

coming inside looking for somebody, saw the ball squirt out and just instinctively jumped on it," said who arrived just after the ball rolled through the hands of Kansas State's Mario Smith. "I pretty much knew I had it." Vedral got into the end zone again in the third quarter this time in a more conventional way. On a second-and-7 play from the Kansas State 32-yard line, quarterback Tommie Frazier faked a handoff, rolled to his right and lofted a pass to Vedral, who was striding down the K-State sideline uncovered. "The defense just broke down," he said of the play that gave him an easy touchdown. "They bit on the play-action and I was wide open." Vedral's catch, his third TD reception of the season, put Nebraska ahead 42-6 with 1:46 left in the third quarter.

The Cornhuskers began I You could say that Jori Vedral turned around an inauspicious tart to Saturday's game against Kansas IState. The Nebraska wingback was for an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty during the Cornhusk-ers' second offensive' series, but, I fortunately for NU, he got back in spotlight a few more times during the Huskers' 49-24 victory, "Things worked out pretty well for me, in that regard," Vedral said, smiling: "On the same series as he committed his infraction, Vedral was Johnny on the spot and recovered I-back Clinton Childs' fumble in the end zone for a touchdown that put Nebraska ahead 14-6. "I was running around blocking, KSU-NU How scored Tun left FIRST QUARTER 0-7 Mike Fullman 79 punt return 10:29 Set up by James Garcia low 44 punt. Conversion: Kris Brown kick. 6-7 Kevin Lockett 18 pass from Matt Miller 7:23 Drive: 49 yards in 8 plays.

Set up by Jimmy Dean 30 kickoff return to NU 49. Highlighted by Mike Lawrence 16 run, Kevin Lockett 12 pass from Matt Miller. Conversion: kick failed. 6-14 Jon Vedral fumble recovery in end zone 0:02 Vedral recoverd fumble after Clinton Childs mishandled handoff. Drive: 75 yards in 15 plays.

Highlighted by Clester Johnson 12 pass from Tommie Frazier, Frazier 9 run on 3rd-and-8, Ahman Green 19 pass from Frazier on 3rd-and-14, Green 33 run, Jeff Makovicka 6 run. Conversion: Brown kick. SECOND QUARTER 6-21 Sheldon Jackson 11 pass from Tommie Frazier 9:46 Drive: 61 yards in 8 plays. Highlighted by Green 1 1 run, Frazier 15 run on 3rd-and-7, 12 run, Brian Schuster 10 run. Conversion: Brown kick.

6-28 Ahman Green 10 pass from Frazier 5:21 Drive: 50 yards in 5 plays. Set up by KSU punt catch interference penalty. Highlighted by Damon Benning 23 pass from Frazier, Green 1 2 run. Makovicka 5 run. Conversion: Brown kick.

6-35 Luther Hardin 3 interception return 5:09 Hardin catches shovel pass tipped by Chad Kelsay. Conversion: Brown kick. THIRD QUARTER 6-42 Vedral 32 pass from Frazier 4:31 Drive: 49 yards in 4 plays. Highlighted by Mark Gilman 11 pass from Frazier. Conversion: Brown kick.

FOURTH QUARTER 12-42 Mitch Running 7 pass from Brian Kavanagh 13:07 Drive: 73 yards in 7 plays. Highlighted by Mitch Running 5, 9, 18, 17 passes from Brian Kavanagh. Conversion: pass failed. 19-42 Lockett 10 pass from Kavanagh 7:33 Drive: 63 yards in 10 plays. Highlighted by Running 7, 22 passes from Kavanagh, Mario Smith 12 pass from James Garcia on fake punt, Lockett 14 pass from Kavanagh.

Conversion: Martin Gramatica kick. 25-42 Clyde Johnson 6 blocked punt return 5:59 Johnson recovered Gordon Brown's block of a Bid Lafleur punt. Conversion: pass failed. 25-49 Green 12 pass from Frazier 3:43 Drive: 44 yards in 7 plays. Set up by Vedral recovery of onsides kick, return to KSU 44.

Highlighted by Green 9, 4 runs, KSU 13 face mask penalty. Conversion: Brown kick. Fullman puts a thrill in NU's special teams BY CURT MCKEEVER Lincoln Journal Star Individual Statistics "Basically, all I saw was a bunch of red jerseys knocking out a bunch of white jerseys. "I guess everybody got pumped up." Kansas State answered with a touchdown on its next possession, but Fullman's punt return seemed to have a snowball effect on the Cornhuskers, who rolled up a 42-6 advantage before cruising to the finish. "I would say we're basically solid (on punt returns)," said Fullman, who has gotten more chances since Kenny Cheatham was injured in a practice the week after the Washington State game.

"We had a few problems fielding the ball, but we adjusted." One of those changes has been to send an extra receiver back when the punting team has a spread formation. Saturday, Fullman returned three punts for 90 yards. "Coaches emphasize around here special teams may be key to a game," said Fullman, who helped block on punt returns at Rutgers. "The most important thing is fielding the ball. If you don't, it could take a wacky bounce and go 30 more yards.

After that, I just try to get to the wall." As Fullman showed Saturday, the results can be thrilling. had his eyes upfield trying to figure out how to get past defenders near the Cornhuskers' sideline. "About midfield, there were three guys on the sideline I don't know how I got out of there," said Fullman, who came close to stepping ouspf bounds. "A lot of guys said I stepped out, bat I said I didn't." Once Fullman got past the players at about the 50, he had a clear path to the end zone. But just before he got there, he changed his gait from a full gallop to a slow strut, which drew a 15-yard penalty for excessive celebration.

"I guess that's the new rule, so there's not much I can do about it," Fullman said. "But I was happy. "Right before the game, the coaches said let's make a big play on special teams. I kind of took it into my hands to return the first one I got because the offense didn't do much the first time out." Nebraska was forced to punt after three downs on its first series, but the Cornhuskers' defense returned the favor to force Garcia's first punt. "It was an average kick.

The wall just formed," Fullman said of Garcia's 44-yard kick. It wasn't too long ago that Tom Osborne was happy just to see one of the deep receivers on Nebraska's punt return team catch the ball Saturday, Mike Fullman kept the thrill in the NU punt return, but his contribution ignited the Cornhuskers. The sophomore, who started at Rutgers in 1993, then sat out last season and attended Southeast Community College-Milford, returned the first punt by Kansas State's James Garcia 79 yards for a touchdown. It was the Cornhuskers' first punt return for a TD since Morgan Gregory went 64 yards against Kansas in 1988. The return also was NU's longest for a TD since Irving Fryar rambled 82 yards against Florida State in 1981.

"I give all the credit to the guys who were blocking," said Fullman. who attended Abraham Clark High in Roselle, N.J., the same school that produced former NU cornerback Barron Miles. "I just got to the wall, and the rest was history." On the play, Nebraska's Mike Rucker delivered a highlight hit on K-State's Joe Gordon, whose helmet went flying from the contact. Full-man didn't see the jarring collision because he Ave. 49 60 3.5 5.0 23 30 0.4 PI 0 0 Yds.

41 18 32 23 12 11 11 Yds. 22 3- Nebraska Offense Rushing No. Yds. Ahman Green 22 109 Tommie Frazier 6 36 Jeff Makovicka 6 21 Brian Schuster 2 10 Clinton Childs 4 9 James Sims 1 3 Damon Benning 5 2 Passing No. Co.

Yds Tommie 16 10 148 Matt Turman 10 0 Receiving No. Ahman Green 3 Sheldon Jackson 2 Jon Vedral 1 Damon Benning 1 Clester Johnson 1 Mark Gilman 1 Ritey Washington 1 Interception returns No. Michael Booker 1 Luther Hardin 1 Defense Tackles UT AT Terrell Farley 6 3 Grant Wistrom 5 0 DougColman 2 2 Michael Booker 4 0 Jared Tomich 3 0 Christian Peter 1 2 Mike Mlnter 2 1 Octavkxis McFarltn 2 1 Jamel Williams 1 2 Luther HarrJn 2 0 Jason Peter 0 2 Jon Hesse 2 0 Leslie Dennis 2 0 Chad Kelsay 1 0 Erie 1 0 Mike Rucker 1 0 Ryan TerwiMiger 0 1 Damon Benning 1 0 MlkeFuHman 1 0 Tyrone Williams 1 0 Sacks No. Terrell Farley 2 Jared Tomich 2 Doug Cdman 2 Grant Wistrom 2 Mike Ruckers 1 Fumble returns No. Jon Vedral 1 Special teams Punting No.

Yds. KOSCfl IHIHMNIUHIHMII 3 91 1 0 Kickoff returns No. Yds. Clinton Childs 3 56 Jon 1 2 Punt returns No. Yds.

Mike Fullman. 3 90 Kansas State Offense Rushing No. Yds. Ave. ErlckHickson 6 26 4.3 Mike Lawrence 6 15 2.5 Brian 2 -22 -110 Matt Miller 12 -38 Passing No.

Co. Yds PI MattMier 24 10 109 2 Brian 21 12 136 0 James Garcia 2 2 30 0 Receiving No. Yds. Mftch Running 10 110 Tyson Schwieger 4 58 Kevin Lockett 4 54 Mike Lawrence 3 1 ErlcHlckaon 1 .22 Dedenck KeHy 1 18 Mario Smith 1 12 Defense Tackles UT AT TT Mario Smith 19 10 Chuck Marlowe 4 6 10 Travis Ochs 5 4 9 Tim Colston 3 3 6 Dirk Ochs 1 5 6 David Damon 1 5 6 Joe Gordon 2 4 6 2 3 6 Chris Canty 3 2 6 13 4 Perce Gaskint 2 2 4 Bay Eagle 0- 2 2 Andrew Tlmmons 0 2 2 DavtdComey 1 13 Steve Hanks 0 2 2 Jarrett Grosdidler 1 0 1 Joe Bob 0 1 1 Mitch Running 1 0 1 Special teams Punting No. Yds.

Ave. James Garcia 6 266 44.3 Kickoff returns No. Yds. Jimmy Dean 2 40 Mlk LflWI 1 St ErtcHtckwo.M 1 13 Punt nrtums No. Yds.

1 25 Nebraska notes 9 5 4 4 3 3 3 3 3 2 2 2 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Yds. -22 -21 13 -10 18 Yds. 0 from 1972-74. Frazier, 28-3 as a starter, needs to direct one more victory to move into a tie with former Nebraska quarterback Steve Taylor for most in school history. Saturday, he passed quarterbacks coach Turner Gill on the all-time career yards chart.

Frazier is at 4,667, 616 short of the NU record set by Jerry Tagge. Starting I-back Ahman Green had his fourth 100-yard rushing performance on a single-game high (for any NU back this season) 22 carries. Nebraska injuries I-back Ahman Green (left ankle sprain), tight end Sheldon Jackson (hip pointer), tight end Mark Gilman (bruised hip), offensive tackle Chris Dishman (knee and thigh bruise), split end Brendan Holbein (neck stinger), offensive guard Jon Za-techka (hamstring muscle pull). weaknesses on offense. NU has the No.

2 scoring average in the pretty sure we do," Frazier said, "but I'm not going to tell you what they are." NU outside linebacker Grant Wistrom, who had two sacks and five tackles, including four behind the line, said it was only natural for him to have a good game. "I always have good games against Kansas teams, even when I was in high school (Webb Mo.) and we were playing against Pittsburg (Kan.) High. They even wore purple." NU Increased its nation-leading streaks to 32 regular-season wins, 20 overall. Frazier, with 37 touchdown passes, is just four shy of the NU school record held by Dave Humm make a run at another national championship. "It was a good test to see where we're at.

I'm sure people had questions about us; hopefully we erased a lot of those," Vedral said. "I'm comfortable with our football team. They still have a great defense our offense just played well." Coach Tom Osborne agreed. "We're glad to get out of it with a good, solid win and move on to Boulder (where NU plays Colorado next week)." I think this is a very good team we played today. Our defense, even though we gave up some points mainly with the second units, really played well.

I see some signs of growth there." Quarterback Tommie Frazier wasn't exactly candid when asked if he thinks the Cornhuskers have any Nebraska freshman Mike Rucker, 3 at right outside linebacker, called his crunching block on Mike Fullman's 79-yard punt return for a touchdown the best hit of his young career. "I've only got One other like that this year and it wasn't as good as that one," said Rucker, whose blow took the helmet off Kansas State's Joe Gordon. But "I was just doing my job. It wasn't anything personal." Rucker said he watched the replay on the HuskerVision screen. "I didn't put all of my force into it, but when I saw the replay it really looked like I was bringing the wood." Nebraska wingback Jon Vedral said Saturday's convincing victory has him believing the Cornhuskers have what it takes to Ave.

303 0.0 Sli -I ii 4.