Nebraska Running Back Has Quiet Success
Jan 2, 2002
By DOUG ALDEN
AP Sports Writer
LOS ANGELES (AP) – When Frank Solich was recruiting Dahrran Diedrick to playat Nebraska, he had a little secret for the running back from Canada.
If Diedrick signed with the Cornhuskers, he wouldn’t be playing for coachTom Osborne. He’d play for Solich, who was about to get promoted from assistantto coach when Osborne announced his retirement the next day.
“He told me that coach Osborne was retiring, and he thought that mightaffect me wanting to come to Nebraska. I just told him I want to come thereeven more,” Diedrick said. “If he’s the guy who recruited you, he has to haveseen something that he liked.”
Solich has seen a lot more of it this year.
As a recruit, Diedrick was really already sold on Nebraska and itspower-running game that produced such backs as Mike Rozier, Roger Craig andmore recently, Lawrence Phillips and Ahman Green.
And although he’s hardly been noticed because of the success of HeismanTrophy winning quarterback Eric Crouch, Diedrick is living up to the NebraskaI-back standard.
This was Diedrick’s first season as a starter, and he ran for 1,299 yards,the third-highest total for a Nebraska back in the last 10 years. Green’s 1,877yards in 1997 and Phillips’ total of 1,722 in ’94 were higher.
And Diedrick did it despite being the No. 2 threat in the backfield, whichis unusual for a Nebraska I-back. The Huskers’ offense is built around Crouch.
“We have a lot of guys on offense that can get it done and a lot of guys ondefense that get it done. It’s really easy to get overshadowed a little bit,”Diedrick said. “It doesn’t bother me at all as long as we get it done.”
Diedrick will start his 12th game when the Huskers (11-1) play top-rankedMiami (11-0) in the Rose Bowl on Thursday night. The winner takes at least ashare of the national title.
“I’ve never been so excited to play in a football game,” he said.
Diedrick, bothered early in the season by a sprained ankle, didn’t practiceMonday for precautionary reasons. He returned for part of Tuesday’s workout andwill be ready to go Thursday, Solich said.
Diedrick doesn’t have the flare of some of the former Cornhuskers’ backs,but hasn’t really wanted it. Although he doesn’t have the speed or slick movesof Crouch, the 6-foot, 225-pound junior from outside Toronto moves the ball inhis own way.
“My running style is just get up in there and do whatever it takes. I’llmake a move if I have to. I’ll run over you if I have to. I’ll catch the ballif I have to,” Diedrick said. “I prefer whatever works.”
Diedrick led the Big 12 in rushing this season and was second on Nebraska intouchdowns with 15, three fewer than Crouch. He averaged 5.6 yards and, just assignificantly, was enough of a threat on the option that defenses couldn’tfocus only on Crouch.
Diedrick’s runs have mostly been up the middle, and he didn’t break a lot oftackles and produce highlight material, but he has been solid and durable.
Diedrick, Nebraska’s first scholarship athlete to come from Canada, came toNebraska in 1998, redshirted and spent the next two seasons backing up DanAlexander and Correll Buckhalter before finally taking over as the starterbefore this season.
He missed the season opener because he was arrested when he refused to leavea disturbance outside a Lincoln bar. Diedrick told Solich to suspend him as anexample, paid a $100 fine for failure to disperse and got back to football.
In his first game, Diedrick ran for 177 yards on 25 carries, with threetouchdowns, to lead the Huskers past Troy State 42-14.
“He’s had a great attitude and certainly is as tough as they come,” saidSolich, who was Nebraska’s running backs coach for 15 years.
“We’ve had a lot of great running backs in our system. A lot of them findways to make it work, and Dahrran has done exactly that. He uses his strengthand quickness.”
Thursday will be Diedrick’s first game since he fumbled twice in Nebraska’s62-36 loss at Colorado on Nov. 23. He coughed up the ball in Nebraska’s secondseries of the game, then again on the Colorado 1 in the third quarter as theHuskers were desperately trying to rally.
Good fortune and the Bowl Championship Series have given Diedrick and theHuskers another chance.
“You won’t be a good running back if you can’t let things go away. You letit keep plaguing you, you won’t be able to accomplish what you want toaccomplish,” he said. “We’re going to go out there and let people know thatwe belong here. We’re a great football team and we’re going to be nationalchampions.”
