Colorado blocks Cornhuskers from win
By Alan Phelps
Senior Editor
BOULDER, Colo. — The Nebraska
Comhuskers, after braving the bitter
cold, snowballs and an occasional
orange to try to get revenge on Colo
rado, went home a little disappointed.
“It’s a bad feeling when you don’t
win and you don’t lose,” fullback
Lance Lewis said.
The Huskers fought the Colorado
Buffaloes to a 19-19 tie Saturday night
at Folsom Field before a crowd of
52,319 and in a wind chill well below
zero.
But by the last play of the game,
Nebraska had a chance to ease the
fans’ chills with thoughts of a warm
Orange Bowl trip to Miami in Janu
ary.
With four seconds left on the clock,
Byron Bennett attempted a 41-yard
field goal to put Nebraska over the
lop but it was blocked in the midst of
a snowball and orange barrage from
Colorado fans.
“I’m not sure the ball got up very
good,” Coach Tom Osborne said of
the kick. “It was well inside of By
ron’s range and all he had to do was
get it up and it would have been a
good kick.”
Osborne said it was unfortunate
that crowd interference such as the
snowball throwing never gets called
by the referees.
“When you’re trying to kick the
winning field goal and you’ve got
about 10 snowballs and a couple of
oranges rolling in there, it didn’t help,’’
he said.
The section of red in the northwest
comer of the stadium had something
to cheer about when Husker I-back
Derek Brown ran up the right side of
the field for a touchdown on the sec
ond play of the game. It was called
back, however, because of an extra
man Nebraska had on the line, and the
Huskcrs were forced to settle for a
field goal with 11:20 left in the first
quarter.
Colorado was quick to answer.
The Buffaloes marched down the
field, piled up four first downs and
capped off the drive with an 11-yard
touchdown run by quarterback Dar
ian Hagan. With 7:20 left in the quar
ter, Colorado had taken the lead at 7
3.
The two teams took turns frustrat
ing each other for the next 10 minutes
of play until a 27-yard field goal by
Colorado’s Jim Harper put the Buffa
loes up 10-3 with 6:54 left in the
second quarter.
Nebraska returned fire late in the
quarter when a short punt by Colo
rado punter Mitch Berger set up a Jon
Bostick 49-yard touchdown pass from
Keithen McCant. The subsequent
extra-point attempt by Bennett was
blocked and Colorado linebacker Greg
Biekert scooped up the ball and weaved
his way through 85 yards of Nebraska
defenders for a safety. Instead of a 10
10 tie, Nebraska trailed 12-9 at
halftime.
The Huskers were quick to even
up the score in the second half; Ben
nett kicked a 35-yard field goal on
Nebraska’s first possession.
On Colorado’s next possession a
Nebraska personal foul gave Colo
rado a first-and-goal situation on the
Nebraska 10-yard line. After two runs
by running back Lamont Warren were
stuffed, Hagan went in himself from
four yards out to give Colorado the
lead back at 19-12.
Nebraska answered with 9:19 in
the fourth quarter after a 55-yard,
seven-play drive capped off by a 7
yard run by Brown.
Although Nebraska players were
disappointed with the tie, they said
the game still proved something about
Nebraska.
“We didn’t lose,” Huskcr wing
back Nate Turner said. “We proved
we can play in the fourth quarter with
anybody.”
Outside linebacker Travis Hill
agreed.
“Everyone who said we couldn’t
win, we couldn’t do anything, we
shut them up,” he said. “We’re still in
the front seat for the Big Eight cham
pionship.”
Turner said he felt Nebraska was
the better team, but it was “a little
sluggish coming out.”
“For a while we were beating our
selves,” McCant said. “You can’t do
that when you’re playing a team like
Colorado in their own backyard.”
Brown said he also thought the
team could have done better in the
first half.
“I don’t know if it was the cold, or
a lack, of confidence,” he said.
Osborne said he thought the Husk
ers played well throughout the game,
particularly in the second half.
“We’re pleased with the effort of
our players. Naturally, we wanted to
win, and I thought we could get it,” he
said.
Osborne pointed to the game ’ s two
blocked kicks as plays that hurt the
Huskers, especially the first block,
which led to a three-point swing after
Colorado’s defensive extra point re
turn.
Brown said the game also height
ened the Colorado-Nebraska rivalry.
“It’s war now, not just any game,”
he said. “It’s war between us.”
TOP: Nebraska quarterback Keithen McCant gets off a pass during Nebraska’s 19-19 tie with
Colorado.
ABOVE: Derek Brown bobbles the ball as he follows the blocks of Nate Turner (22), against Joel
Steed, and Lance Lundberg (77).
RIGHT: Colorado quarterback Darian Hagan is pursued by Cornhuskers Kevin Ramaekers (67),
John Parrella (92) and Travis Hill (93).
Photos by Jeff Brown/Special to the DN
NU - FG Bennett 27
CU - Hagan 11 run (Harper kick)
CU - FG Harper 27
NU - Bostick 49 pass from McCant (kick failed)
CU -Biekert 85 blocked conversion return
NU - FG Bennett 35
CU - Hagan 4 run (Harper kick)
NU - D. Brown 7 run (Bennett kick)
.a'
First downs 10 15
Rushes-yards 51-160 40-112
Passing 140 181
Return yards 56 20
Comp-Att-Int 10-23-0 8-20 0
Amis DaFrain/DN