The Index-Journal from Greenwood, South Carolina • Page 41

FootMi EdMon, ID Mu-Jounul, Omnwoo WC, Thura, August 1M 21 College Cornhuskers riding high going into 1996 i 2,954 yards and 22 touchdowns, can't wait to get going. Florida is at Tennessee on Sept. 21 in one the season's first big matchups. "I don't want to leave as the guy who had great numbers but his team never did anything," Manning said. "Our main goal is to be in New Orleans." The Seminoles, ranked third in the preseason, have the ingredients to challenge for the Sugar Bowl, this season's top alliance game.

Even with Danny Kanell gone, coach Bobby Bowden says Thad Busby, 6-3, 220 pounds, is ready to take over at quarterback. "The thing Busby hasn't done is he hasn't been under pressure," Bowden said. "He hasn't carried a team on his shoulders. If he handles that OK, I feel like his tools are there." Warrick Dunn, the first Seminole to rush for at least 1,000 yards in each of two seasons, is back after averaging 7.5 yards per carry in '95. Watch for Busby-Andre Cooper connection; Cooper averaged over six catches per game and topped the receiving mark.

At Gainesville, the plan is simple. "All we've got to do is win every game. There is no room for error," Florida coach Steve Spurrier said. "We've gone 12-1. The next step is to win them all.

Of course, that's what a lot of teams try to do, and very few have done it, especially with our schedule." The Gators were awesome in '95, beating opponents with authority until the Fiesta Bowl, where they were clobbered 62-24 by the Huskers. Wuerffel returns for another season after completing 65 percent of his passes for 3,226 yards and 35 TDs. There are big changes at South Bend. Powlus is set to run Irish coach Lou Holtz's Blarney offense. The plan is to spread out the running backs, tight ends and receivers and open up the offense.

But unless the Irish come up with a standout receiver, the new game plan may not get much use. Led by Autry Denson, who had 695 yards as a freshman last season, the running game should be much improved. Kn ight-Ridder photo Nebraska defensive back Riley Washington (3) tells everyone in the stadium who is No. 1 after the Cornhuskers beat Florida 62-24, in the Fiesta Bowl. By The Associated Press It's a funny game, college football.

A few years ago, Nebraska coach Tom Osborne couldn't win the big one. Now he can't lose. Guess what? His Cornhuskers are going for an unheard-of third straight national title and he's still being criticized. "You do what you can," Osborne said. "You take your shots.

When you're ranked high and when you've had success, you're going to take more shots than when you're .500. I'm not complaining about it, that's just the way it is." It seems the more things change in college football, the more they remain the same. Take the Big Eight and Southwest conferences. They're gone, swept up into the powerhouse Big 12, expanded WAC and the fledgling Conference USA. Guess what? The usual suspects, Nebraska and Colorado, are favored in the Big 12 North, and Texas and Texas are favored in the South.

Don't be surprised to see Nebraska vs. Texas in the league title game. After 20 years, UCLA is without coach Terry Donahue, Oklahoma has its third coach in three years and Georgia finally dumped Ray Goff. Guess what? The dramatic changes will do little to alter the fortunes of three glamorous programs in the doldrums. Over the summer, the bowl alliance gave birth to the super alliance, which will include the Big Ten, Pac-10 and Rose Bowl tor the 1998 season.

This way, it becomes even easier to match No. 1 vs. No. 2 in a bowl game. Guess what? There are still loopholes.

What happens if three or more teams are undefeated? If no teams are undefeated? And just when it seemed like he game itself was set, the NCAA rules committee voted for a tiebreaker in regular-season games. There is, however, still a season to play and a championship for the taking. Spike Dykes, coach at Texas Tech, had this view of Nebraska's dominance: "Somebody has to head them off sooner or later," he said, "Russia fell, but how long did that take?" Riding a 25-game winning streak, No. 1 Nebraska is loaded again. The biggest question is whether Scott Frost can adequate-'y replace the talented Tommie Frazier at quarterback.

"Hey, I'm not Tommie," said Frost, a Stanford transfer from Wood River, Neb. "People like to ask about him and how it feels to take over but the offense is geared the same for whoever is at BR emerge as a star at No. 7 USC. and give the Trojans a legitimate shot at a championship; and third-ranked Florida State is always on the verge of winning it all. Can a healthy Koy Detmer get No.

5 Colorado through a tough schedule that features games against 14th-ranked Michigan, No. 13 Texas No. 8 Texas and Nebraska? Is Donovan McNabb the quarterback to lead lOth-ranked Syracuse to the Big East title? Can Northwestern, led by running back Darnell Autry, come close to its dream season of a year ago? And what's up at Notre Dame, where Ron Powlus is still trying to become the great quarterback everyone predicted he'd be? Except for a second-half collapse against Florida last season, the Volunteers could have been playing Nebraska for the '95 title. And Manning, who threw for quarterback. It's up to us to run it." He'll have plenty of support.

Up front will be the usual array of 300-pound linemen, led by tackles Chris Dishman and Eric Anderson. Aaron Taylor has moved from guard to center. Sure, the Huskers lost Lawrence Phillips. But they have Ahman Green, who set a school freshman record with 1,086 yards last season. Defensive ends Jared Tomich and Grant Wistrom and linebacker Terrell Farley anchor a unit that allowed just 13.6 points per game in '95.

There are plenty of challengers, all with classy quarterbacks. Peyton Manning, son of Archie, is ready to lead No. 2 Tennessee on a run for its first title since 1951; Danny Wuerffel wants to avenge No. 4 Florida's humbling defeat to Nebraska in the Fiesta Bowl; Brad Otton could is a proud sponsor of the (DsaipaDHnimsa (EsumneaBcnxBllss football broadcasts Charlie Mac Alexander on WMTY, 103.5 FM. YOUR ONE STOP CENTER FOR FOOTBALL TAILGATING Call In your order ihMd and wa'M hava It waiting for you.

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