Tulsa World: Simmons Not Discouraged With OSU

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Simmons Not Discouraged With OSU

By Bill Haisten
Published: 9/1/1995
Last Modified: 5/16/2008 12:22 AM

STILLWATER -- Nebraska started 12 seniors who are veterans of a national
championship season. Oklahoma State started four freshmen, and four
additional rookies saw extensive playing time. The second-ranked Huskers'
obvious physical superiority, coupled with the Cowboys' inexperience and
poor tackling, resulted in a 64-21, made-for-TV mauling Thursday night at
Lewis Field.
Most of what ails OSU cannot be corrected on the practice field;
a cure must come through better recruiting. But first-year coach
Bob Simmons believes the Cowboys can improve now if they improve on
the basics of tackling and offensive execution.
``Every big play they had came off of a missed tackle,'' Simmons
said. ``I want to build a team similar to Nebraska's. You can't be
a team like that unless you can play with a team like that. I
wanted us to play much better than we did, but I'm not discouraged.
``We just couldn't afford the penalties on offense, and we
didn't tackle well in the secondary or with our linebackers.''
At the 13:09 mark of the second period, when a Kris Brown field goal gave
Nebraska a 9-0 advantage, the Huskers had 151 total yards. At the same
point, OSU had as many penalties as total yards -- four.
Husker tailback Lawrence Phillips rushed for 153 yards on 12 carries and
scored on runs of 3, 80 and 27 yards. On his 27-yarder, he used a casual
stiff-arm to shuck the tackle attempt of safety Trent Fisher. Phillips'
career-longest 80-yard sprint occurred two plays after O-State tailback
David Thompson ran 79 to set up an Andre Richardson score.
``Right before my run, I felt like it was time to do something,'' said
Thompson, who totaled 128 yards on 16 attempts. ``Their linebackers were
standing straight up; I knew they were winded. It was time to make something
happen.''
Cowboy inside linebacker Taber LeBlanc, a redshirt freshman,
said the speed and power of the Huskers was a bit overwhelming.
``You just can't imagine how fast the game is played,'' said LeBlanc, who
was credited with four tackles. ``Being a freshman, I'm just used to high
school players, and there's no one in high school that fast.
``I told coach Simmons before the game, `I know I'm going to
mess up, but I'll go all-out on every play.' I think the whole team
did that. We've already played probably the best taem in the
country. We'll just keep rising up from here.''
Said Simmons: ``I thought our game plan was pretty sound. I wouldn't
change a thing. It was just a matter of them executing better. Nebraska
didn't do one thing we didn't expect.''
By Bill Haisten

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