Oct. 18, 2000

Editor's Note: Dave Campbell's column appears in each edition of the Baylor Bear Insider Report, available upon membership in the Baylor Bear Foundation. For information on joining the Bear Foundation, click here. For an archive of his other columns, click here.

In the 64 seasons that the Associated Press has been conducting the weekly major college football poll -- that's going back to 1936 -- the Baylor Bears have played 14 teams that were either ranked No. 1 in the land when the Bears played them or No. 1 at the end of the season. You can look it up.

Now the Bears are about to take on the 15th such team -- undefeated, untied, power-packed Nebraska.

Having just dispatched the Texas Tech Red Raiders in Lubbock this past Saturday night, 56-3, coach Frank Solich's onrushing Cornhuskers are playing like a team determined to make up for lost time. They only finished No. 3 in the final AP poll last season.

Well, every team must have a down year now and then, right? Alas, the Cornhuskers don't believe in having many of those.

Neither do their fans, who manage to fill every available seat at Nebraska's Memorial Stadium every time the Cornhuskers take the field for a home game. That stadium seats 74,031. The Cornhuskers have been packing it for every home game since Hall of Fame coach Bob Devaney's first year in Lincoln, which is going back to 1962.

In case you are counting, that's 236 consecutive sellouts -- far and away the NCAA record. Notre Dame currently is No. 2 for consecutive sellouts and the Irish are way back at 154.

Ominous news for Baylor: Nebraska is 210-26 for those 236 sellouts.

ACTUALLY, THE BEARS already are a part of that string. Playing before a capacity crowd in Lincoln in 1977, they lost, 31-10. In 1990, they opened the season there and lost, 13-0. In their first year of Big 12 Conference play, they discovered that the third time is no charm. They went down in flames, 49-0.

But Baylor has proved that Bears can win in Lincoln. In 1956, before the Cornhuskers started selling out every home game, Sam Boyd took his first Bruin edition to Nebraska and returned home with a 26-7 victory. As I recall, rapid Del Shofner had a big performance in that game.

That game also proved to be a turning point of sorts for Boyd's team. Always powerful on defense, it had been mostly huff and puff on offense. But against Nebraska it broke out in a rash of big plays, gained a lot of confidence offensively, and returned home to put away SMU, 26-0, in Dallas and Jess Neely's Rice Owls, 46-13, in Waco (the Owls were no slouches, either, they won the SWC crown the next season).

And then the Bears went to New Orleans and upset No. 2-ranked Tennessee in the Sugar Bowl, 13-7, surely Baylor's greatest post-season football victory in history.

SPEAKING OF TENNESSEE and its No. 2 ranking, that victory stands as Baylor's high-water mark for conquest of a highly-ranked team. The record book does not show a Bruin victory over any other team that was ranked No. 2 at kickoff time.

But in 1941 the Bears did tie Texas, 7-7, at Waco's old Muny Stadium, and that was a tie that was regarded in most quarters as a Baylor victory. Because coach D.X. Bible's Texas team at the time was ranked No. 1, the Longhorns had not had so much as a close game (the closest has been 34-6 against Colorado in their season opener, before they really got going), they were so good that Life Magazine put their picture on its cover, and Baylor's Bears were so bad that the Aggies had humiliated them two weeks earlier, 48-0.

The caustic sports editor of the Waco Tribune-Herald, Jinx Tucker, told fans not to be late for the game or they would miss Texas' first two or three touchdowns. He said it would be a 50-0 Longhorn stampede but he didn't have the stomach for it -- so he went off to cover the A&M-SMU game at College Station.

Too bad. He missed a Baylor "victory" that a few years later was voted the greatest upset in SWC history up to that time.

BUT IF THE BEARS should find a way to tie the Cornhuskers in Lincoln Saturday, that epic feat of the Bears in 1941 would pale in comparison. However, it is comforting to know that great upsets can occur on the football field. They still play with an oblong ball that can take funny bounces, don't they?

However, I must say the ball has not taken many bounces in Baylor's favor in those previous showdowns involving No. 1-ranked teams. Here are the teams that Baylor has played over the years that wound up No. 1 in the final AP poll (some of which also were No. 1 at the time they played the Bears:

1938: Dutch Meyer and TCU's national champions, led by little Davey O'Brien (first player from west of the Mississippi to win the Heisman) beat Baylor, 39-7.

1939: Texas A&M's national champions, coached by Homer Norton, beat Baylor, 20-0.

1963: Darrell Royal-coached Texas' national champions beat the Bears, 7-0 (and it was a near thing for the Longhorns, safety Duke Carlisle had to take a pass almost out of Baylor's All-America receiver Lawrence Elkins in the end zone in the final seconds to preserve the victory).

1969: Texas' national champions (Royal again) smashed Bill Beall's Bears, 56-14.

Also: Oklahoma's 1974 national champions, coached by Barry Switzer, outlasted a valiant Baylor challenge in Norman, 28-11, but it was still nip and tuck going into the fourth quarter, and that surprisingly-good showing (the Bears had been a 2-9 team the year before and had failed to win a single conference game) is largely credited with proving to the Bears that they had the right stuff to go far and do well -- which they did, winning the SWC crown for the first time in 50 years.

Also, 1979: Alabama's national champions, coached by Bear Bryant, smeared Baylor in Birmingham, 45-0, but it did not get out of hand until the second half, and Bruin linebacker Mike Singletary had a great game in defeat.

1984: Brigham Young's national champions, a LaVelle Edwards team, did likewise to Baylor, 47-13.

1997: Michigan coach Lloyd Carr's national champions drilled the Bears, 38-3.

Now here are the teams that were No. 1 when the Bears played them, but did not wind up No. 1 in the final AP poll:

1941: Texas 7, Baylor 7.
1955: Jim Tatum's Maryland team 20, Baylor 6.
1959: Paul Dietzel's defending national champions at LSU 22, Baylor 0.
1961: Royal-coached Texas 33, Baylor 7.
1970: Royal's Texas 21, Baylor 14.
1977: Fred Akers' first Texas production 29, Baylor 7.

As for Baylor's previous meetings with Top 20-ranked Nebraska teams, the Cornhuskers were ranked 14th when they beat the Bears in 1977, they were ranked 7th when they beat Baylor in 1990, and they were ranked 5th when they smashed the Bears in 1996.

CERTAINLY THE BEARS have played teams that were ranked No. 1 or would be ranked No. 1 on famous fields and amid special settings before. Example: Michigan's "Big House" (1997), where the crowds consistently surpass the 100,000 mark.

But Saturday's visit to Lincoln deserves special mention. Not only are the Cornhuskers ranked No. 1 but this is a homecoming of sorts for both Baylor head coach Kevin Steele and running backs coach Tommie Frazier.

Steele coached Nebraska linebackers for six seasons (they were national champions once while he was there, in 1994, and finished third the year before). And it was Steele who recruited the Florida-born Frazier for Nebraska.

Frazier quarterbacked the Cornhuskers for four seasons (1993-96), directing his teams to a 33-3 record, two national titles (1994-95 when he was a junior and senior, when he won MVP honors in both championship games). He was a virtual unanimous All-America selection as a senior, No. 2 in the Heisman voting, he won the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award, was named UPI's Player of the Year, he was named one of the 10 greatest football players of the CENTURY by SPORT magazine, and his No. 15 jersey was retired by the Cornhuskers in 1996.

It does seem ironic that in a season when the Bears are struggling so much at quarterback that they have one of the all-time great quarterbacks on their coaching staff. Tommie, are you sure you've used up all your eligibility?

In taking on Nebraska, the Bears are facing representatives of a school that has been to a record 31 consecutive bowl games, a coaching staff that has 132 years of experience AT NEBRASKA, a school that last year became the first in NCAA history to win 100 games in back-to-back decades, a team that has posted an NCAA-record 38 consecutive winning seasons, an NCAA-record 31 consecutive nine-victory seasons, and one that started the season having been ranked in the AP poll (at least the top 25) for 308 consecutive weeks, which is a continuing AP record.

AS IMPRESSIVE as all that is, it nonetheless is merely prelude. Here is the intimidating part: Nebraska had some problems early this season -- mainly because of some injuries on defense -- but now appears to be gathering steam.

Having escaped a ambush in South Bend with an overtime victory over Notre Dame (the Irish probably have the nation's best record of ambushing No. 1-ranked teams at South Bend) and outlasted a fired-up Iowa State team in Ames (it was still a close game going into the fourth quarter, but not close at the finish), the Cornhuskers are revving up for impending showdowns against high-scoring Oklahoma in Norman on Oct. 28, lethal Kansas State in Manhattan on Nov. 11 and improving Colorado on Nov. 24.

So Baylor will catch them with guns fully loaded.

"We're much better offensively than what we were at this time last year, and with our injured people getting well on defense, we're going to be all right there, too," said Cornhusker spokesman Chris Anderson.

Why so much better offensively?

"Our line is back now where we wanted it to be," Anderson said. Does it compare favorably with great Nebraska offensive lines of the past?

"Oh, yeah, oh, yeah," he said. And certainly much better than last year.

THE CORNHUSKERS ARE great where it counts -- up the middle. They have two outstanding guards and a center who may be the best in the nation, they have a quarterback who is on course to threaten even some of Tommie Frazier's marks, and a 250-pound senior fullback who can block like nobody's business.

All that makes it easy, of course, for I-backs Dan Alexander (senior, 6-0, 245) and Correll Burkhalter (senior, 6-0, 225) to grind out the yardage and enable the Cornhuskers to maintain ball possession.

Alexander and Burkhalter are good, no question about it. And they're experienced as well. Together, profiting from the blocking of fullback Willie Miller, they had already rushed for 937 yards going into last Saturday's game against Tech in Lubbock. By the time the Bears reach Lincoln the Cornhusker tailback position is almost sure to be beyond the 1,000-yard mark.

But the real strength of this team offensively lies in the flying feet, the savvy and the toughness of junior quarterback Eric Crouch, a Heisman candidate, the play of guards Toniu Fonoti (6-4, 330, sophomore) and Russ Hochstein (6-4, 290, senior) and center Dominic Raiola (6-2, 300, junior), and "the three best go-to guys we've probably ever had on the same time," said Anderson.

Those three receivers are senior split end Matt Davison (6-1, 185, fast), exceptional tight end Tracey Wistrom (6-5, 220, junior), and lethal wingback Bobby Newcombe (6-0, 195, senior, and also a killer as a return man).

Through five games Crouch (6-1, 200), a super run-pass option quarterback, had rushed for 478 yards and nine touchdowns and thrown for 666 and 8 scores. Wistrom was leading the Cornhuskers in receiving with 14 grabs for 247 yards and 4 TDs. Davison had 191 yards and 2 TDs and Newcombe 134 yards in receptions plus another 166 in punt returns.

"Each week Crouch gets better," observed Anderson. "He's such a leader, very tough, and he's making so much better decisions than a year ago. He's on a pace to break Tommie's records for yards per carry. And of course he's just a junior."

As for those three offensive linemen, "Raiola is having an All-America-type year, really playing well," said Anderson. "He will be up for all the awards (the Lombardi and the Outland). Hochstein is very steady, very experienced, very smart. And Fonoti is just phenomenal. He's 6-4 and 340 who played as a freshman -- very unusual for a lineman at Nebraska. He's a big one, but he was big when he got here." And where did the Cornhuskers find him? They found him in Hawaii, which is where they also found Raiola.

Nebraska also gets strong tackle play from junior Dave Volk (6-5, 290, junior) and Jason Schwab (6-1, 305, senior). A fifth-year senior last season, Schwab represents a bonus. He tore an ACL last season and had to sit out the entire campaign, so the NCAA granted him a rare sixth season.

DEFENSIVELY, NEBRASKA offers something different -- a new coordinator. Charlie McBride coached the 'Huskers on defense for 23 seasons and served as coordinator for 18 of the 23. But after seeing his defense stuff Tennessee in the Fiesta Bowl last season, he announced his retirement, opening the door for sixth-year coach Craig Bohl to take over. Bohl coaches the linebackers and Jeff Jamrog steps in as defensive line coach, replacing McBride in that capacity.

Sure, they miss McBride, the defensive signal caller for those 18 years. But once they get healthy, fans (and opponents) are not likely to see much difference. Incidentally, Baylor green and gold will be no stranger to Bohl. He was coach Fred Goldsmith's defensive coordinator at Rice from 1989-93.

The latest 'Husker defense features four superlative performers: tackle Loran Kaiser (6-4, 290, senior), rightside rush end Kyle Vanden Bosch (6-4, 270, senior), middle linebacker Carlos Polk (6-2, 260, senior), and left cornerback Keyuo Craver (5-10, 190, junior).

"Our outside backers are coming along well. Basically, we lost our four top people there, so we're not as experienced there as we are at some other spots," said Anderson. Soph Scott Shanle and junior Randy Stella are the new faces there, flanking middle man Polk.

Joining Kaiser and Bosch up front are junior tackle Jason Lohr (6-2, 275) and left side rush end Chris Kelsay (6-5, 255) or Demoine Adams (6-2, 235), two sophomores.

IN THE SECONDARY, Craver "is the great one, a returning starter with great speed (he's a track man when he isn't playing football)." In just two seasons of play he recorded 15 pass breakups. Where do the Cornhuskers find such talent. "Oh, he's one of your Texas boys," Anderson said of the Harleton product.

Two more transplanted Texans, Arlington product Joe Walker and Cuero schoolboy star Clint Finley, share the rover (strong safety) position. Junior Dion Booker is a returning starter at free safety and junior Erwin Swiney has returned to his cornerback position where he started in 1999 before sitting out last season with a groin injury.

The Cornhuskers are pretty much bullet proof in the kicking game. Placekicker Josh Brown has not missed an extra point in two years and is accurate from 40 yards out on field goals. Dan Hadenfeldt is a super punter. He's another of those sixth-year guys who averaged 44.9 yards per punt last season and was named on most of the 2000 pre-season All-America teams. He also handles the Nebraska kickoffs and most of those land in the end zone or beyond.

"Dan has good hang time, a very strong leg, and has a chance to put people in the hole," said Cornhusker kicking coach Dan Young.

Mercy, mercy. They do sound sound tough as a boot, don't they? But would you expect the nation's No. 1 team to be any less? I don't think Kevin Steele or Tommie Frazier would, and theirs is the voice of experience.

Editor's Note: Dave Campbell's column appears in each edition of the Baylor Bear Insider Report, available upon membership in the Baylor Bear Foundation. For information on joining the Bear Foundation, click here. For an archive of his other columns, click here.