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wednesday, november 2, 2011
Daily Nebraskan
PRACTICE NOTES FOOTBALL Wildcats competitive despite record Northwestern’s record is nothing to get excited about. After beating Michigan State, this is the kind of game that might be tough for Husker fans to wake up for. But that doesn’t appear to be the Huskers’ approach. Tight end Kyler Reed said the Wildcats are much better than their record indicates. “They play really hard,” he said. “They’ve been in a lot of their games and just haven’t been able to pull it out in the end. We’re very aware of what they can do. It’s going to be a good challenge.” Northwestern is 3-5 and 1-4 in the Big Ten. However, all but one of its losses have come by 10 points or fewer, and several came while quarterback Dan Persa was getting back to speed after suffering an Achilles injury last season. Its defense, offensive coordinator Beck said, is an opportunistic one that is very good at forcing the opposition into miscues. “They don’t make a lot of mistakes,” Beck said. “We’ve got to be patient and take what they give us. They’re a good football team, a lot better than their record indicates.” Marlowe taking advantage of playing time Jamal Turner may still be the Huskers’ leader in catches and receiving yards, but his playing time Saturday didn’t reflect that. Michigan State was just the second time this year Turner didn’t record a catch (Ohio State was the other). Receivers coach Rich Fisher said Turner’s performance in practice has led to reduced field time. Beck chalked it up to the true freshman’s inexperience. “A lot of it just has to do with being more experienced, just becoming a veteran player and realizing it’s not always just about talent,” Beck said. “There’s a lot more that goes into it. When we go into a ball game, we’re not really sure how teams are going to try to defend us. They have to be able to adjust and just handle all that. Some guys can and some
guys can’t. Usually for the younger guys it’s very difficult for them to do all that. It makes them play slower.” One player who has been stepped into that playing time is Tim Marlowe. Marlowe, a junior, has been a kick returner for the Huskers all season. But he’s been getting more playing time and more opportunities lately. He made a catch in both the Minnesota and Michigan State games and had a 39-yard run last week. “He’s very disciplined and runs great routes,” Beck said. “He’s a go-hard guy all the time. Even in practice, he’s a guy that’s just 100 miles per hour. He has a lot of toughness and has good speed.” Production down, spirits up Tight end Kyler Reed isn’t used to going for long stretches without a reception. Last year, Reed caught 23 passes and eight touchdowns. He has just eight catches this season and has yet to reach the end zone. Reed was a wide receiver in high school and was used to getting a lot of touches. He admitted that a dry spell like the one he’s had this season would’ve bothered him early in his career, but he is comfortable in his role now. “This year I really haven’t been bothered by it,” he said. “I’ve kind of settled into my tight end spot and I know I’ve got to block first before I run routes. It’ll come.” Reed has played in two games without recording a catch this season, including this past weekend against Michigan State. He had one opportunity in the end zone, but Taylor Martinez’s pass fell just outside his outstretched arms. So why doesn’t it bother him? For Reed, the answer is simple: the Huskers are winning. “If I can make a key block on a touchdown, I feel just as good as if I make a 10-yard catch,” Reed said. “We’re winning, so it’s easy to stay happy. I just try not to be selfish, because if you play selfish you start messing up. I’ve got to play for the guys around me, not myself.” — compiled by dan hoppen
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women’s golf
Huskers falter in third round J.C. Reid daily Nebraskan
Golf’s a peculiar game. One minute you can be golfing like a pro then the next minute your game resembles something similar to John Van de Velde’s disastrous finish at the 1999 British Open. Such was the case for the NU women’s golf team. On a warm Tuesday in San Antonio, Texas, Steffi Neisen shined in Nebraska’s final tournament of the fall. She helped g u i d e the Nebraska w o m en’s golf team to a fifthniesen p l a c e finish at the Alamo Invitational. What turned out to be a great day for Neisen wasn’t particularly the case for the team as a whole. After Monday’s second round, the Huskers were
ranked first overall, had broken the all-time school record for lowest round total and had three players ranked in the top 10. Not bad for a pool that consisted of six of the nation’s top-50 teams. Tuesday’s third round, however, was a completely different story. A few unbalanced performances by the younger team members and one extremely rare performance by senior Madeleine Sheils proved to be enough to dethrone Monday’s top team. “I think we were just trying too hard,” said coach Robin Krapfl. “We just need to learn how to be in that position.” Learning from Tuesday’s woes could be quite useful for future tournaments, seeing as the younger, more inexperienced Husker golfers suffered the worst results of the tournament. True freshman Shelby Martinek shot a frustrating 17-over-par 89, while sophomore Katelyn Wright posted a 10-over-par 82. The normally dependable Madeleine Sheils recorded a
rare 12-over-par 84. “It’s just a different type of pressure for you, being the No. 1 team,” Krapfl said. “The girls wanted to win so bad that they put too much pressure on themselves. Madeleine is obviously disappointed.” Don’t let one bad round fool you, though. Sheils has been consistent all year for the Huskers. The senior from Boise, Idaho earned two Big Ten Golfer of the Week awards, placed first overall at the Edean Ihlanfeldt Invitational and has had three top-10 overall finishes this year. Although Tuesday didn’t go according to plan for the Huskers, there were some bright spots in the performance. For starters, Kayla Knopik shot a 3-over-par 75. After recording her careerbest performance Monday, the senior from Papillion finished the tournament ranked 13th overall. Even more impressive than Knopik’s strong finish was the 3-under-par 69 shot by junior Steffi Neisen. Only once throughout
the three-day tournament did she record an over-par round. This steady play was good enough to position Neisen at second place, only one stroke behind the leader. “It feels great,” Neisen explained. “I played well the past three days. It’s just an awesome feeling. I really have been struggling with my iron, but today I hit my irons really well and gave myself a lot of chances.” Neisen’s final round was six strokes lower than her career average (77), and her best individual ranking before the Alamo Invite was sixth place. Her second-place finish was tied with Baylor’s Hayley Davis, the 29th-ranked golfer in the nation. Neisen and the rest of the team look to build on their strong performance and carry it over into the spring. “I think this will give us the experience to compete next spring,” Neisen said. The Huskers won’t compete again until Feb. 2 at the Lady Puerto Rico Classic. jcreid@ dailyNebraskan.com
green: from 10
file photo by mary-ellen kennedy | daily nebraskan
Nebraska defenisve back Andrew Green (right) attempts to take down Michgan State running back Le’Veon Bell Saturday at Memorial Stadium. Green finished seven total tackles against the Spartans. But he didn’t take his benchings lightly. Green fought back and gave himself an opportunity. When Jean-Baptiste’s minor injury flared up, he pounced at the opportunity. “I’m just going to continue doing what I’m doing in practice and try to get better,” he said.
Green’s play in helping lock down MSU receiver B.J. Cunningham was impressive Saturday, but so too was his play in run support. The 6-foot, 190-pounder notched seven tackles, including two for losses. Even after demonstrating drastic improvement, Green is far from a lock to
start this weekend against Northwestern. Jean-Baptiste will be in contention for the spot, as will Evans, who played well before leaving early in the Michigan State game with a minor injury. But Green insists there is no jealousy between the competing cornerbacks.
Other than Dennard, the cornerbacks are all sophomores or younger, so sharing insights can make up for the lack of experience. “We’re all brothers and we try to help each other out,” Green said. “We’re uplifting to each other.”
danhoppen@ dailyNebraskan.com
martinez: from 10 been easy for coaches. “It is still a challenge at times,” Pelini said. “He wants the ball in his hands. He has a lot of confidence in his abilities and that is part of the maturity of somebody, especially at his position, knowing when to and when not to.” Martinez’s throwing mechanics have come under fire as well. The sophomore is working on tweaking those, but not in any major way. Like Martinez as quarterback, his throwing motion is here to stay, said Pelini. “Everybody is not the same,” Pelini said. “Taylor has his style, but does that mean we can’t tweak it? It comes down to mechanics. We will help him within his motion to keep getting better.” Martinez has heard good things about his throwing motion from coaches and players alike. “I think I probably have one of the quickest releases in the nation,” Martinez said. “No matter how the ball gets there, your release is the main thing about your
file photo by Jon Augustine | daily nebraskan
Nebraska coach Bo Pelini said Taylor Martinez still has room to grow, but the quarterbacks maturation has helped the Huskers become the No. 9 team in the nation. throwing motion.” Changes aside, the head of the Husker offense is comfortable in his role, something he thinks really
started mid-September. “It was very tough earlier in the season,” Martinez said. “Now I’m kind of understanding what my role
on the team is – just to be able to manage the game and get us the win.”
Jeffpacker@ dailyNebraskan