Cornhusker victory
leaves coach puzzled,
By Jeff Griesch
Senior Reporter
The Nebraska football team had an
answer for every Kansas State touch
down Saturday.
But Nebraska coach Tom Osborne
had more questions after the
Cornhuskers’ 45-28 win over the
Wildcats at Memorial Stadium on
Saturday.
In a conversation with Wildcat
coach Bill Snyder before the game,
Osborne said he could never remem
ber being five games into the year and
not knowing how good his team was.
After the game, Osborne said he still
wasn’t sure how good the Huskcrs
were but he said that Snyder should
have a better idea of how good Kansas
State was.
“I hope today he feels like he has a
pretty good team, because if they’re
not a good team, then we’re in big
trouble,” Osborne said. “Honestly,
the score wasn’t indicative of the ball
game.”
Despite winning 45-zts, tnc musk
cr defense gave up 565 yards in total
o flense.
Led by quarterback Tommie
Frazier’s career-high 312 total yards,
the Huskcrs racked up 545 total yards.
Frazier led Nebraska with 158 yards
rushing and 154 yards on nine-of-19
passing.
Osborne said he fcltconfident about
the ability of his secondary coining
into the game.
But against the Wildcats, the sec
ondary was trailing Kansas State re
ceivers all day cn route to allowing
the second biggest passing total in Big
Eight history.
Kansas State quarterback Chad
May completed 30 of 51 passes for
489 yards, which broke the Big Eight
passing record of 480 yards set by
Kansas’ Mike Norseth in 1985 and
tied by Missouri quarterback Jeff
Flandy last season.
“Coming into the game, I felt our
pass defense had been excellent for
two or three games in a row, but today
we obviously had some busts,”
Osborne said.
Defensive coordinator Charlie
McBride said the Huskers also dropped
three interceptions that could have
ended Wildcat drives.
“They made some great plays,”
McBride said, “but we dropped three.
So, I don’t know, maybe we need to
carry baskets with us or something.”
While Nebraska had some broken
coverages, Osborne said, Kansas State
also made big plays.
“They couldn’t be any more ‘on
than they were today,” Osborne said.
“It seems like when we play these
guys, cither their quarterback plays
out of his head or he’s that good all the
time...but I didn’t see that guy throw
like that before.”
Behind May’s passing, Kansas
State tied the game twice in the first
half. The Wildcats came within three
with 7:44 left in the fourth quarter
before giving up two Huskcr touch
downs in the final minutes.
In what proved to be one of the
biggest plays of the day, free safety
Tyronc Will iams intercepted a pass at
the end of the first half.
With 45 seconds remaining in the
half, Williams, a sophomore from
Palmetto. Fla., picked off a pass from
Wildcat running back J.J. Smith in
tended for quarterback Chad May at
the Nebraska 4-yard-line.
Williams’ interception prevented
the Wildcats from scoring a sure field
goal and possibly a touchdown.
After a two-yard rushing play up
the middle by 1-back Calvin Jones,
Kansas State called timeout and Ne
braska moved into the hurry-up of
fense.
1. Florida St.
2. Notre Dame
3.Ohio State
4. Alabama
5. Nebraska
6. Miami
7. Arizona
8. Tennessee
9. Florida
10. Auburn
11. Texas A&M
12. North Carolina
13. Michigan
14. Penn State
15. Wisconsin
16. Colorado
17. Oklahoma
18. West Virginia
19. UCLA
20. Louisville
21 .Virginia
22.Washington
23.Syracuse
24. Michigan State
25. Washington Stc
Record Pvs
7-0-0 1
7-0-0 3
6- 0-0 5
5- 0-1 2
6- 0-0 6
4- 1-0 8
6-0-0 11
5- 1-1 10
5-1-0 4
7- 0-0 19
5-1-0 13
7-1-0 14
4- 2-0 18
5- 1-0 7
6- 0-0 16
4- 2-0 20
5- 1-0 9
5- 0-0 17
4- 2-0 22
6- 1-0 23
5- 1-0 15
4-2-0 12
4-1-1 24
3-2-0 25
i 5-2-0 -
DN graphic
Three Tommie Frazicr-Abdul
Muhammad rcccplions later, Byron
Bennett kicked a career-long 48-yard
field goal to send Nebraska to the
locker room with a 31-14 lead.
After the game, Snyder said that
calling timeout after the Husker run
ning play was a mistake.
“I did a silly thing then,” Snyder
said. “I thought that when they were
running the bal 1 we could use a couple
of timeouts and have a chance of a
punt return or maybe one offensive
down.”
Clockwise from right: Nebraska defensive tackle Billy Wade leaps over the block of Kansas
State s Eric Wolford while trying to deflect a Chad May pass during Nebraska’s 45-28 win over
Kansas State, l-back Calvin Jones takes off upfieid during the first half. Jones had 138 yards
and two touchdowns on 29 carries. Quarterback Tommie Frazier (left) pitches before getting
hit by Kansas State defensive end Nyle Wiren. Frazier tallied a career-high 312 total yards on
the day. Nebraska outside linebacker Trev Alberts charges May (right) while trying to get
arouna Kansas State offensive tackle Barrett Brooks.