By wire services
Published June 19, 2005
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FORGET THE PAST
Today marks the first time Florida has met Nebraska on the baseball diamond. But it's not the first time the schools have met in a postseason. Or maybe Gator fans have repressed those memories. On Jan.2, 1996, Steve Spurrier led the unbeaten football team into the Fiesta Bowl ... and got crushed. Quarterback Tommie Frazier ran for 199 yards on 16 carries and Lawrence Phillips 165 yards on 25 carries to lead Nebraska to a 62-24 victory and its second straight national championship. And in the 1974 Sugar Bowl, the Cornhuskers scored 13 in the fourth quarter to beat the Gators 13-10. Tony Davis rushed for 126 yards on 17 carries, and Mike Coyle made a 39-yard field goal with 1:46 left to win it.
WHILE ON THE TOPIC
Gators leftfielder Gavin Dickey doubles as the backup quarterback. Last season, he appeared in five games, completing 5 of 7 passes for 56 yards. This spring was challenging for the sophomore, who some days went from spring football practice right to the baseball field. Instead of playing in the spring football game April9, he was in Athens, Ga., going 1-for-5 with a double, RBI and two runs scored in a 12-2 victory against Georgia.
QUOTABLE
"It's been more than I expected. This town really enjoys this and for us coming here and pretty much getting spoiled. This experience has been awesome."
- MIKE PETE, Gators reliever and Armwood High graduate on being in Omaha.
"ROAD' GAME
Centerfielder Jeff Corsaletti said he's happy to be facing what basically will be the host team. "It's going to be a war," he said. "There'll be 25,000 fans. And 24,500 will be their fans, and we'll have our 500. We've played in this environment before. I'm glad Nebraska won, and we wanted to play in this environment. We're going to give them all they can handle." Unless the game gets out of hand, Corsaletti doesn't believe the Gators can be rattled by the crowd. "We've been in front of some big crowds in the SEC," he said. "We're looking forward to the noise." More important, the Gators say, is the talent level of the opponent. "They're a great team, and they've got great fans," Corsaletti said. "It's going to be a war out there, and we're excited."
NEUTRAL-SITE GAME
Meanwhile, Arizona State and Tennessee meet today in the Series' first elimination game. Sun Devils coach Pat Murphy said he anticipates a calmer atmosphere than the one his team encountered Friday in a 5-3 loss to Nebraska. "It will be us and Tennessee," he said. "There will only be 46 fans who give a damn."
WELCOME BACK
Fifty-three years after he pitched in Oregon State's only previous Series appearance, Norb Wellman was back at Rosenblatt Stadium on Saturday to watch the Beavers fall 3-1 to Tulane. "This stadium and this event are quite a bit different," Wellman, 72, said. "I remember home runs going over the fence and there was nobody out there to catch them."