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
