Strangers In The Fight Coaching Changes Widespread As Big Eight Faces Final Season

Mr. Simmons, meet Mr. McCarney. No, not McCartney, who has retired from coaching. And Mr. Neuheisel, meet Mr. Schnellenberger.

Introductions are in order this fall in the Big Eight Conference, which has four new head football coaches for only the second time since 1935.

Unfamiliarity is the theme for the final year of the conference in its current form; it becomes the Big 12 in 1996 with the additions of Baylor, Texas, Texas A&M and Texas Tech. Change also looms for Tulsa, which is playing its final season as an independent before joining the Western Athletic Conference.

Football in the plains figures to again be dominated by Nebraska, coming off an undefeated season (13-0) and a national championship. The Cornhuskers’ stiffest competition should come from Colorado, Oklahoma and Kansas State. The Huskers must replace most of their formidable offensive line, as well as the bulk of their defensive line and linebackers. But coach Tom Osborne welcomes back the quarterback tandem of Tommie Frazier and Brook Berringer and running back Lawrence Phillips, who ranked third nationally with 1,722 yards rushing last year.

Osborne professes not to be concerned about a quarterback controversy. After blood clots sidelined Frazier for much of last season, Berringer took over and didn’t miss a beat. When Berringer faltered in the Orange Bowl, Frazier came on to spark a 24-17 victory over Miami.

“We have two quarterbacks who are capable of winning,” Osborne said. “We feel very comfortable playing two in a game. If you’re going to run your quarterback, you’d better have two.”

On defense, the Huskers’ strength is their secondary, where cornerback Tyrone Williams and safeties Mike Minter and Tony Veland return. Minter missed most of last season with a knee injury.

Although Nebraska has only 10 returning starters, Osborne said, “We expect to be good, but I wouldn’t say we’re loaded.”

Rick Neuheisel is Colorado’s new head coach, having spent just one season on the staff as quarterbacks and receivers coach before being named to replace Bill McCartney last November.

The Buffaloes had 10 players selected in the NFL draft including Heisman Trophy winner Rashaan Salaam, quarterback Kordell Stewart and wide receiver Michael Westbrook - making a repeat of last year’s 11-1 season and No. 3 ranking improbable.

Still, Colorado has consistently had top recruiting classes, and the cupboard is not bare. Junior Koy Detmer, who set a school record by throwing for 418 yards on 33-of-50 accuracy against Oklahoma in 1992, replaces Stewart. He redshirted in 1993 and backed up Stewart last year.

Neuheisel calls Detmer “a natural” and says the skinny quarterback may end up calling some of his own plays despite his relative lack of experience.

Other key returnees include center Bryan Stoltenberg, guards Heath Irwin and Chris Naeole, defensive tackle Kerry Hicks and safeties Steve Rosga and Donnell Leomiti.

Howard Schnellenberger, who coached Miami to a national title in 1983, replaces the beleaguered Gary Gibbs at Oklahoma. The Sooners went a disappointing 6-6 last year, their first non-winning campaign since 1965.

Schnellenberger, who coached the last 10 seasons at Louisville, inherits a talented senior-laden team that has everything except a proven quarterback to direct his pro-style attack. Redshirt freshman Eric Moore may unseat senior Garrick McGee for the quarterback job.

Jerald Moore and James Allen head a solid running-back corps, and defensive end Cedric Jones and middle linebacker Tyrell Peters are among the best in the conference at their positions.

Can Kansas State, which gained bowl berths the last two seasons while Chad May was throwing for 5,253 yards, do it again without May? Two-year backup Matt Miller, a transfer from Texas A&M, may provide the answer.

The perennially losing Wildcats have compiled back-to-back nine-victory seasons, and coach Bill Snyder has plenty of talent remaining. KSU has the conference’s best receiving corps, led by Kevin Lockett and Tyson Schwieger, and all-conference tackle Tim Colston and cornerback Joe Gordon anchor the defense.

Kansas, a disappointing 6-5 last year, has two of the conference’s best running backs in June Henley and L.T. Levine, but the Jayhawks’ over-reliance on that mode of attack will mean more passing this fall. “Now when you think we’re going to run the football, we might pass it,” coach Glen Mason said.

Missouri (3-8-1) had its moments in 1994, but the Tigers’ fourth straight three-win season didn’t meet the rebuilding standards of coach Larry Smith, whose first MU team had difficulty adjusting from a passing to a running emphasis. Smith’s top priority will be to improve the run defense.

Oklahoma State (3-7-1), which hasn’t won a Big Eight game in three years, looks for a turnaround behind Bob Simmons, a former Colorado assistant. But with only 47 recruited players participating in spring practice, Simmons is woefully short of manpower. Tailback Andre Richardson is an emerging star.

Also new is Iowa State coach Dan McCarney, a former Wisconsin assistant who inherits a team that went 0-10-1 last year. McCarney has converted the Cyclones from an option to a pro-style offense, but will have a starting quarterback, Todd Doxson, who averaged only eight passes per game in 1994.

Tulsa (3-8) hopes for improvement behind quarterback Troy DeGar, who suffered a season-ending knee injury in the opener last year but had a promising spring. Junior tailback Solomon White rushed for 1,003 yards despite being slowed by an ankle injury.