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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 18, 1991)
• t ' Nebraska profits from multifaceted offense > • __ lU/. U.irIrnrC>imV>!)n>Yl By Todd Cooper Senior Reporter Nebraska dominated most facets of the game in its 38-13 victory over the Iowa State Cyclones and, in tum, overcame a whirlwind of elements which included fog, mist, wind, cold and a sparse sellout crowd of 76,078 fans. While doing so, the Huskers used a multifaceted offense—counting on five different players for high yard age. And, in the end, the Comhuskers saved some elements for their Nov. 29 matchup with Oklahoma. “We were really trying to make this a game that we put everything together,” outside linebacker Trev Alberts said. “Earlier this week, we decided that we’ve got to start strong. We did that, but we didn’t finish as strong as we wanted to.” But by game’s end, Nebraska fin ished strong enough — outgaining the Cylones 525-267 in total yards, outrushing them 353-174 yards and oulpassing them, 172 yards to 93. Five Huskers accounted for most of those yards: • Quarterback Kcithen McCant ran for 83 yards and threw for 161, marking the third game during Big Eight play in which McCant threw and ran for more than 200 yards. • I-back Derek Brown had his eighth 100-yard game of the season, rushing 15 times for 107 yards. • I-back Calvin Jones picked up where he left off in his record-break ing performance last week, rushing for 121 yards and two touchdowns on nine carries. • Split end Jon Bostick caught two passes for 80 yards, including an acro batic 55-yard touchdown grab in the second quarter. • Tight end Johnny Mitchell caught three passes for 83 yards, including a 49-yard catch, the longest of his ca reer. That catch set up Nebraska’s first touchdown of the day. After Brown ran for 15 yards and Iowa State was called for a 15-yard personal foul, McCant found Mitchell to place Nebraska at Iowa Stale’s three-yard line. McCant scored from a yard out to make it 7-0. “I think we came out and executed the way we wanted,” light end Wil liam Washington said. “We scored and scored quick, so I think we set the tone for the game early on.” That tone didn’t change for the rest of the first half. After a Byron Bennett field goal and two stalled Iowa Slate drives, McCant rambled 42 yards to Iowa State’s 30. Brown look an option pilch 26 yards. Three plays later, Jones scored from eight yards out. By halftime, Brown, Jones and McCant had accounted for 173 of Nebraska’s 185 yards rushing, com pared to 66 rushing yards for Iowa State. McCant also threw for 143 yards in the first half, compared to Iowa State’s 64. But the play that padded McCant’s passing statistics rounded out Ne braska’s scoring in the first half. Af ter Jones rambled 25 yards to Ne braska’s 45-yard line, McCant lobbed a pass m Bostick s direction. Bostick outleaped Iowa State’s Shawn Walker, reached over him, stole the football and walked into the end zone. The catch, which put Nebraska up 24-0, was a surprise to the Memorial Stadium crowd, but not Bostick’s team mates Wingback Nate Turner: “I knew he had caught it. And 1 knew he was going to catch it. That s just me knowing Jon.” McCant: “Jon’s the type of person who will go after the ball. Nine times out of 10, Jon will make that catch. Washington: “He makes those kinds of catches every day in practice. It was no big thing to him — just another catch in Jon Bostick’s book.” Yet that first-half score didn’t close the book on Iowa State. After Ne braska’s next drive stalled, Iowa Stale’s James McMillion returned Mike Stigge’s punt 55 yards to the Ne braska 1 -yard line. Two plays later, Cyclone quarter back Kevin Caldwell rambled in from a yard out to make it 24-6 at the half. “The doggone punt return was kind of inexcusable,” Huskcr Coach Tom Osborne said. “We let them off the hook and let them get a little momen tum.” Nebraska tried its best to swing that momentum, stopping Iowa State’s first drive of the second half and scoring on a 40-yard march. But after Brown made it 31-6 on his 32-yard IUUU1UUW1I lUHf uiv * - to relax. _ . “We relaxed, we definitely re laxed,” Turner said. “We just kind of got lulled to sleep after that touch down.” Nebraska woke up when back-up quarterback Mickey Joseph fumbled a snap. Four plays later, Caldwell scored from 11 yards out to make it 31-13 with 12 minutes left in the game. “I was just concerned enough with the turnover and everything that we mighthavca problem,’’Osborne said. “They had a little momentum.” After stopping Nebraska’s next drive, Iowa Slate again moved the ball, this time 41 yards to Nebraska’s 24-yard line. Middle guard Pat Engelbert recovered Caldwell s fumble, snuffing any dreams of a late Cyclone rally. “I was just glad we were able to stop something before it got started, Engelbert said. “We rose when we needed to, and that’s always a good feeling.” Nebraska’s offense hasn’t peaked yet, Turner said, and that is a better feeling. “We haven’t pulled out all the stops,” Turner said. “I think it will come two weeks from now. We have plenty of time to prepare.” McCant agreed. “We might have been looking past a couple of these teams before, but we got through that,” McCant said. “So now it’s time to prepare for Okla homa. “And I think we’ll be ready.” Cyclone coach says NU sped to victory By Nick Hytrek Senior Editor Iowa Slate Coach Jim Walden was quick to admit that Nebraska’s speed on offense was the difference in his team’s 38-13 loss to the 1 lth-ranked Comhuskers on Saturday. “They’ve got great speed,” Walden said. “They’ve got backs that will make you miss. They’ve got guys that can get the backs into the area where they can make you miss. “They have a nice plan offensively.” Nonetheless, Walden hadn’t planned on Nebraska’s offense burn ing his defense for so many big plays. I he Huskcrs had eight plays re sulting in gains of at least 20 yards, including Jon Bostick’s 55-yard touch down pass from Kcithcn McCant, Derek Brown’s 32-yard touchdown run and a 61-yard touchdown run by Calvin Jones. “I sometimes wonder if the same people that watch Nebraska football arc watching the same Nebraska foot ball that I’m watching,” Walden said. “I keep hearing all this stuff about the pass. They’ve got the best big-play offense in college football. “If it gets any bigger-play than this I’m going to quit coaching because I don’t know what these people arc looking at because I’ve never seen a team score so many points, from so far out, so often.” Cyclone defensive tackle Matt Rchbcrg said it was those big plays that dampened hopes of a win. “They hil two- and thrcc-play drives,” Rchbcrg said. “They didn t [ drive it but they scored nonetheless. “Thai’s what killed us.” Rehbcig also said Iowa State mental lapses on defense had just as much to do with the final score as the Huskcr offense. “Intelligence-wise, we didn’t play very smart today and that hurt us,” he said. “It was our mental mistakes more or less and with all the speed they have they’re just going to kill you.” With a team that has been hit hard by injuries — especially on defense, where seven starters have been lost to injury — Walden made no excuses. “Overall, I thought our kids played with a lot of effort and I’m proud of them,” he said. “They’re just trying their best to play the best they know how and we’re just not good enough to beat (Nebraska).” If nothing else, Walden said, the injuries have made this season one of the most unusual he’s ever had. “This is the 1 Oth week,” he said. “I’ve coached 10 different teams. It’s not something you want to do but it makes things interesting.” Iowa State made the game inter esting in the fourth quarter. Trailing 31-13, the Cyclones drove to the Nebraska 24-yard line but quarterback Kevin Caldwell and run ning back Leonard Holmes fumbled a handofl and Nebraska’s Pal Engelbert recovered.__ .. Three plays later, Jones put Iowa State’s comeback hopes to rest with his 61-yard touchdown. “I think we were having a good time,” Walden said. It would have been kind of fun to get a score, just to see these Nebraskans get nervous. “They were nervous anyway be cause we scored 13 points." Caldwell seemed to think it was much earlier that Nebraska had the game put away. “It’s really hard to say if wc were really in the game at one point and time,” he said. FAR LEFT: Nebraska quarterback Keithen McCant is chased by Iowa State’s Mark DouBrava in Saturday’s 38-13 Nebraska win. McCant rushed for 83 yards and passed for 161. LEFT: Iowa State quarterback Kevin Caldwell is pulled down by Nebraska linebacker Darren Williams. Photos by Shaun Sartin/DN *