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'A dream come true' Arizona relishes shot to topple not-so-mighty Nebraska
Posted: Tuesday December 29, 1998 07:51 PM
SAN DIEGO (AP) -- Everybody took their best shot at Nebraska this year, and a bunch more teams than usual broke through. Texas A&M beat the Cornhuskers and jumped into the Top 10. Texas, unranked at the time, ended Nebraska's 47-game home winning streak. Kansas State went quite a bit further, beating the Cornhuskers for the first time in 30 years. Now it's the big-play Arizona Wildcats who will try to make their season by beating Big Red in the Holiday Bowl Wednesday night. The No. 5 Wildcats (11-1), who already have set a school record for victories, speak respectfully of the No. 14 Cornhuskers (9-3), yet their minds race with the thought of beating them. "It's been a wonderful season, but we feel there's an opportunity to take an even greater step," coach Dick Tomey said. "Beating Nebraska would be a dream come true because of the way they've always been such a great program." Keith Smith, who with Ortege Jenkins forms Arizona's exciting quarterback tandem, also would like to get that 12th victory by beating the Cornhuskers. "When you grow up, all you think about is the Florida States, the Nebraskas, Notre Dame, Fiesta Bowls, Orange Bowls," Smith said. "You go, 'Will I ever play against that team?' And now here it comes." This, of course, is nothing new to Frank Solich, who succeeded Tom Osborne as coach after 19 years on Osborne's staff. "That's one thing that we've understood for quite some time. We're everybody's mark," Solich said. "It was that way this year. Everybody wants to get the program built around beating Nebraska." Even so, these Cornhuskers haven't been confused with the ones who went on an NCAA-record 60-3 run from 1993-97, winning consecutive national championships in 1994-95 and finishing second in the AP poll last year. Nebraska used three quarterbacks and three running backs due to injuries, the biggest being the knee injury that has sidelined quarterback Bobby Newcombe. The Cornhuskers lost three games in a regular season for the first time since 1978, aren't in a traditional New Year's Day bowl for the first time since 1980 and are trying to avoid their first four-loss season since 1968. "We know we haven't had a real strong showing lately," tight end Sheldon Jackson said. "We want to jump on them early and keep ourselves up on them the whole game." On the flip side, Solich joined Osborne and Bob Devaney -- both of whom coached back-to-back national champions -- as the only first-year Nebraska coaches to win nine games. He could be the first to win 10. Nebraska fans don't seem to mind that they're not in Tempe, Arizona, or Miami. Bowl officials estimate some 9,000 tickets were sold to Nebraska fans before the official invitation went out on December 6. That's one reason the bowl stuck with Nebraska even though No. 4 Kansas State became available following its Big 12 championship game loss to Texas A&M. A sellout crowd of 70,500 is expected to watch what is potentially the best matchup in the Holiday Bowl's 21-year history. Speedy Arizona features the Smith-Jenkins quarterback combo and running back Trung Canidate. Jenkins had perhaps the play of the year when he flipped over three defenders on a 9-yard touchdown run with four seconds left to give the Wildcats a 31-28 road victory over Washington, which lost 55-7 at Nebraska on September 26. Earlier in that 80-yard drive, Jenkins caught a 22-yard pass from Smith. Smith made nine starts this year and likely will start the Holiday Bowl. Jenkins will also play in the first half, and whoever plays better will get the most time in the second half. "Starts don't mean anything," Smith said. "I started against Washington and he had the play of the year." Canidate averaged 7.3 yards per carry in rushing for 1,220 yards. He practically filled a highlight reel with a school-record 288 yards in a 50-42 victory against Arizona State, scoring on runs of 80, 66 and 48 yards. The Wildcats won't be alone in playing two quarterbacks, as Nebraska will start Eric Crouch and let Monte Christo run one series in the first half. Solich will decide who continues in the second half. Correll Buckhalter will start at tailback, with DeAngelo Evans expected to see equal playing time.
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