Score by khm| t oTT'o
quarters n UJM±
Nebraska Flowers 12 run (Barrios kick)
OSU FG Blanchard 35
Nebraska FG Barrios 31
Nebraska Joseph 39 run (Barrios kick)
Nebraska Mitchell 3 pass from Joseph (Barrios kick)
Nebraska Hicks fumble recovery in the end zone
(Barrios kick)
First clowns 12 17
Rushes-yards 50-161 50-266
Passing 66 51
Rstum Yards 20 82
Comp-Att-tnt 6-17-2 6-14-1
Punts 5-39 5-40
Fumbtes-Lost 6-3 5-1
Penalties-Yards 5-35 5-35
Tima of Possession 33:57 26:03
Source: Associated Press.
STATISTICS
Rushing_
Oklahoma State
Hudson 17-47
Ford 19-77
Wilson 11-41
Nebraska
Flowers 21-138
Joseph 9-60
Brown 4-20
Passing
Oklahoma State
Ford 6-17-2 66
Nebraska
Joseph 4-9-0 26
Grant 2-5-1 25
Haase 0-1-0 0
Receiving
Oklahoma State
Kirksey 4-53
Walker 1-7
Mayfield 1-6
Nebraska
Mitchell 2-11
Bostick 1-13
Hughes 2-20
By Paul Domeler
Senior Reporter _
October will end next week, and
the Nebraska Comhuskers still
haven’t shown how good they
are.
But docs it really matter?
Nebraska was good enough
to win Saturday, defeating the Oklahoma State
Cowboys 31-3 at Memorial Stadium.
The 7-0 Huskers once again arc in position
to move up in both national polls. Victories
over Iowa State, Colorado, Kansas and Okla
homa would put Nebraska in contention lor the
top spot.
The offense started slowly, again, against
the Cowboys. At halftime the Huskers had
seven points and 142 yards.
But docs it really matter?
The Huskers could become the first national
champion of the 1990s with a very old-fash
ioned team. Every week Nebraska is looking
more and more like a team from, oh, 1970 or
1971, winning with defense, special teams and
a persistent running game.
“The kicking game was probably the big
gest difference today,” Nebraska coach Tom
Osborne said after the Oklahoma State game.
Biggest were two fumble recoveries in the
second half. The first, on a Cowboy punt re
turn, led to a Nebraska touchdown. The sec
ond, on the ensuing kickoff, was recovered in
the end /one by Nebraska’s Robert Hicks lor
the final Husker score.
The Huskers relumed three punts for 51
yards and two kickoffs for 74 yards and held the
Cowboys to five yards on one punt return and
56 yards on five kick returns.
Nebraska’s average possession started on
the Husker 46-yard line, while the Cowboys
averaged out to begin on their 18.
That was just part of a trend, Osborne said.
“I think there was one game so far this year
when I didn’t think we were a clear-cut plus in
the kicking game,” he said.
The defense held Oklahoma Stale to 227
yards, 78 in the first half. Most of the yards on
the Cowboys’ one scoring drive came on a 52
yard quarterback draw by Kenny Ford.
Cowboy tailback Gerald Hudson, who had
been gaining 135 yards a game, rushed for 47
yards on 17 carries.
Nebraska’s three down linemen stoppedany
Cowboy surge. Left tackle Joe Sims and middle
guard Pat Engelbert each had eight tackles and
right tackle Kenny Walker had 11 tackles.
“We knew' their strength was in the running
game,” said Engelbert, who had two tackles for
losses.
Ford, primarily a running quarterback, ran
for 77 yards, but completed 6 of 17 passes for
66 yards and threw two interceptions.
Nebraska’s offense had almost as much
trouble early, and it wasn’t because of any
Cowboy tricks.
“We can’t say they surprised us,” Osborne
said. “We, for the most part, worked on what
they did.”
Lcodis Flowers scored Nebraska's first
quarter touchdown. Flowers gained 138 yards,
his fifth straight game with more than 100
yards.
Oklahoma Stale stymied Nebraska with
constant blitzing. Huskcr quarterback Mickey
Joseph said the Cowboys blil/ed on every play
he ran except about two.
“Going into the game, we thought we were
going to be able to run right into it,” Joseph
said. “We had to make some adjustments at
halftime.”
Once the adjustments were made, Nebraska
went for 117 yards and 10 points in the third
quarter, often threatening to break the big play.
Nebraska broke down the Cowboys once, in
the third quarter. Joseph, reading a Oklahoma
Slate blit/ coming from the right, audibled to
an option left and kept the ball for a 39-yard
touchdown run.
Joseph rushed for 60 yards and completed 4
of 8 passes for 26 yards and a touchdown.
The touchdown was a diving grab by fresh
man tight end Johnny Mitchell in the comer of
the end /one on the first play of the fourth
quarter.
Osborne said the game was a physical one.
For Nebraska, fullback Omar Soto strained his
knee, laddc Steve Engstrom suffered a turf toe
and outside linebacker David While suffered
an injured shoulder.
Oklahoma State held the ball for 34 minutes
of the game, which was played in 57 degree
temperatures with a strong north wind, plus a
cold mist for much of the second half.
“It was just a day when it was going to be
hard to put up a lot of points,” Osborne said.
Clockwise from top right:
Nebraska freshman tight end Johnny Mitchell catches a 3-yard touchdown pass
from Mickey Joseph.
NU l-back Leodis Flowers jumps over defenders in a first-quarter 12-yard
touchdown run.
NU’s Matt Penland, right, celebrates with teammates after Husker cornerback
Robert Hicks, bottom, recovered a fourth-quarter fumbled kickoff in the end zone.
Nebraska cornerback Tahaun Lewis intercepts a Kenny Ford fourth-quarter
pass.
NU’s Mike Petko and Kenny Walker wrap up Oklahoma State quarterback Kenny
Ford.
Kicking game boots Cowboys
Shaun Sartin/Daily Nebraskan
I
Shaun Sartin/Daily Nebraskan
-- " ' *
Al Schaben/Daity Nebraskan
Al Schaben/Daily Nebraskan