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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 17, 1994)
By Tim Pearson Senior Editor MANHATTAN. Kan. — Kansas State knew Matt Turman wasn't go ing to pass the ball much. The Wildcats also knew Brook Bcrringcr wasn’t going to run the ball at all. What they didn’t know was that the Nebraska defense would shut down the Kansas State running game and contain the passing attack of Chad May in the Cornhuskcrs' 17-6 win on Saturday. In front of a crowd of 42.817 at KSU Stadium/Wagner Field, the Huskcrs held the Wildcats to minus 7 yards rushing and 249 yards pass ing in a steady rain. Nebraska coach Tom Osborne said the defense won the game for the Huskcrs. “The defense played awfully well considering the firepower of Kansas State,” he said. The Huskcrs held May to 249 yards passing, a far cry from the 489 yards he had in last year’s game. Nebraska also stopped May's Big Eight-record 148 consecutive passes without an interception when Huskcr linebacker Troy Dumas picked off a pass in the second quarter. May said the rain affected his pass ing. “I don’t like to make excuses, but the rain was somewhat of a factor, especially on the long passes, it slipped a little bit." he said. “But I don't think it can be used as an ex cuse.” Osborne said the rain wasn't much of a factor in the game for the Husk crs. who only tried 11 passes all day. Instead. Huskcr l-back Lawrence Phillips shouldered the load, rushing for 117 yards Phillips scored the first touchdown of the game with 6:12 left in the first quarter to give the Huskcrs a 7-0 laid The 6-foot. 200-poundcr carried the ball 31 times. In the 54 plays Phillips was in. he handled the ball 33 times. Phillips also got the ball in 19 of the Huskcrs’ first 22 plays, which didn't bother him one bit. “1 figured we'd run right at them." he said. “I knew I'd get the ball a lot. They played a lot of people up on the line, and it was a lot tougher for us.” The Wildcats came back in the second quarter when May connected The top 25 teams in the Associated The top 25 teams in the USA Today/CNN Press college football poll, with college football poll, with first-place first-place votes in parentheses. votes in parentheses. ♦ - • . . - -•* ' ' . • • . • 7 ' . 7' Rank School Pts. Rec. Rank School Pts. Rec. 1 Penn St. (19) 1,487 6-0-0 1 Penn St. (22) 1,504 6-0-0 2 Colorado (15) 1,474 6-0-0 2 Nebraska (31) 1,498 7-0-0 3 Nebraska (25) 1,463 7-0-0 3 Cglorado (9) 1,458 6-0-0 4 Auburn (3) 1,402 7-0-0 4 Miami (Fla.) 1,283 4-1-0 5 Florida 1,196 5-1-0 5 Alabama 1,271 7-0-0 6 Texas A&M 1,188 6-0-0 6 Honda 1,254 5-1-0 17 Miami (Fla.) 1,131 4-1-0 7 Florida St 1,188 4-1-0 8 Alabama 1,130 7-0-0 8 Arizona 997 5-1-0 9 Washington 1,128 5-1-0 9 Texas 975 4-1-0 10 Florida St 1,021 4-1-0 10 North Carolina 935 5-1-0 I 11 Michigan 937 4-2-0 11 Colorado St. 927 7-0-0 12 Colorado St. 826 7-0-0 12 Michigan 914 4-2-0 13 Texas 817 4-1-0 13 Virginia Tech 745 6-1-0 14 Arizona 764 5-1-0 14 Syracuse 729 5-1-0 15 North Carolina 717 5-1-0 .15 Utah 623 6-0-0 16 Syracuse 561 5-1-0 16 KansasHt. 559 4-1-0 17 Virginia Tech 535 6-1-0 17 Duke 543 6-0-0 18 Utah 414 6-0-0 18 Brigham Young 499 6-1-0 19 Kansas St. 391 4-1-0 19 Ohio St. 424 5-2-0 20 Duke 316 6-0-0 20 Washington St. 328 4-2-0 121 Brigham Young 258 6-1-0 21 North Carolina St. 321 5-1-0 22 Boston College 227 3-2-0 22 Virginia 223 5-1-0 ! 23 Washington St. 209 4-2-0 23 Boston College 191 3-2-0 24 Ohio St. 102 5-2-0 24 Indiana 124 5-1-0 125 Virginia 95 5-1-0 25 Illinois 123 4-2-0_ rV K I with Mitch Running for a 29-yard touchdown pass with 14:55 left in the first half. But Dumas blocked the extra point attempt after holder Matt Miller bobblcd the snap “I just jumped up and there was the ball.” Dumas said On Kansas State's next drive, the Wildcats held the ball for almost six minutes, but Martin Gramatica missed a 37-yard field goal Dumas thwarted another Kansas State scoring attempt when he inter cepted May after the Wildcats moved the ball to the Nebraska 21 -vard line Dumas returned it 54 yards to the w Kansas State 29-yard line. M * — “I just saw (May's) arm.” Dumas said. “I was thinking (touchdown). I knew I could come real close.'* Bcrringcr. suffering from a par tially collapsed lung, then entered the game for Turman for the last drive of the half, but he couldn't lead the Huskers to a score. Kicker Darin Erstad missed a 35-yard field goal wide left. “Offensively we were handicapped a little bit.'' Osborne said. “I think they knew that Matt Turman wasn't 0 going to throw very much and that Brook Bcrringcr wasn't going to run the option.” The Huskers used only about half of their plays in order to protect Berringer and Turman, who made his first career start on Saturday. But the Huskers could have been handicapped more when Phillips left the game after injuring his thumb in the first half. He was taken to the hospital, but lie came back in the sec ond half. “It's a sprain or something." he said “They said if it was broken. I wouldn't come back." But Phillips did come back to run for 7.1 yards in the second half. He helped lead the Huskers to their sec ond touchdown in the fourth quarter. He gained 42 yards on the Huskers' scoring drive, which was capped bv fullback Jeff Makovicka's 15-yard touchdown run on a trap plav with 11:() 1 left in the game. “In the fourth quarter, they were gelling a little tired." Phillips said. “They were playing the option so the trap was wide open." Osborne said the Wildcats prob ably weren't expecting the trap play up the middle. “They were obviously putting a lot of attention on Lawrence Phillips.” See WIN on 8 Nebraska’s Terry Connealy and I the Wildcats. Smith was held t< Jon Waller/DN Nebraska’s Jon Vedral hits Kansas State fullback Dederlck Kelly on the kickoff after Jeff Makovlcka’s touchdown that put the Huskers up 14-6. • f H * 5hu*k Marlow* «nd Chris Chanty tackla Nebras *k#r? wln* Phl,,,P* rushed for 117 yards In the ga consecutive game In which Phillips has rushed for more than l