Shaun Sartin/DN
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Nebraska linebacker Dwayne Harris sacks Colorado quarterback Kordell Stewart on Saturday. Stef
ISO yards. Harris had two tackles for losses.
Nebraska rolls over Buffaloes
By Dwk Samson
Senior Reporter
The numbers that leap out in
Nebraska’s 24-7 victory over Colo
rado Saturday are 0 and 15.
That’s what the Buffaloes were on
third- and fourth-down conversions
— 0 for 15. And it helped cost then
No. 2 Colorado a possible Big Eight
and national championship in front
of 76,131 fans at Memorial Stadium
— the 200th consecutive sellout.
The Nebraska defense not only
shut Colorado out on third and fourth
downs but also pitched a first-half
shutout against an offense that was
averaging more than 40 points a
game.
Nebraska coach Tom Osborne said
the defense had stepped it up in the
last four games, giving up a total of
23 points.
“The defense played great foot
ball,” Osborne said. “I’ve been very
pleased with them, particularly in the
last four weeks. I thought the defense
was a huge factor throughout the
game.”
Nebraska took its first possession
45 yards to the Colorado 30-yard line,
but a bad snap sailed over quarter
back Brook Bcrringcr’s head, and two
plays later, the Huskcrs punted.
Darin Erstad's punt was downed
at the Buffaloes’ 3-yard line, and the
field position was set for the day.
“A factor that we really thought
was going to be important was the
kicking game,” Osborne said. “We
would probably estimate 10 to 14
points m the kicking game today.
When you look at field position and
what it did, the kicking game was tre
mendous today in our favor.”
After Colorado ran three plays and
punted, Nebraska cashed in on its
second possession.
Fullback Cory Schlcsingcr fin
ished off an eight-play, 51 -yard drive
with a 14-yara touchdown run.
Schlesinger, who finished with 65
Michalla Paulman/DN
Tommie Frazier, probably out for the season with a blood clot,
chats with Hall of Fame quarterback Roger Staubach before
the game on Saturday. Frazier tossed the ball around In warm
ups, but he didn't suit up for the game.
yards rushing, said the offensive line
was opening up big holes from the
first play of the game.
“They (offensive linemen) just
came off, and they exploded on the
defense,” Schlcsinger said. “The big
gest part is when you can drive them
back two yards, the running backs are
able to get at least three more yards
off it. The offense just came out and
took it to them.”
Nebraska’s 7-0 lead at the end of
the first quarter came with a time-of
posscssion advantage of 11:30 to
3:30.
On the first possession of the sec
ond quarter, Nebraska drove inside
the Colorado 10-yard line for a first
down.
But Nebraska had to settle for a
24-yard Tom Siclcr field goal after
Colorado denied Berringer a touch
down on third down at the 1-yard
line.
Colorado, which was held to 33
y ards in the first quarter, looked as if
it regained form after Siclcr’s field
goal
Rashaan Salaam, the nation's
leading rusher, ran the ball six times
for 28 yards on the following Colo
rado possession, which went 54 yards
to the Nebraska 26.
However, the Huskers’ defense
forced Colorado into a field goal situ
ation, and Neil Voskcritchian's 43
yard field goal attempt fell short.
Colorado coach Bill McCartney
said his team's missed opportunities
were a result of Nebraska’s perfor
mance.
“We can speculate on any number
of things, but what we ought to specu
late on is that Nebraska just outplayed
us," he said.
Nebraska got the ball back with
See COLORADO on 8
Nebraska quarterback Brook Barringer trios to escape from the |rai
and rushed for 19.