-Travis Haylns/DN
Nebraska quarterback Brook Borrlngor trios to elude a Kansas
tackier. Borrlngor throw for 267 yards and two touchdowns.
Nebraska fullback Brian Schuster carries the ball on Saturday.
‘Air’ Berringer
over KU’s head
By Mitch thwnwi _
Senior Reporter
The transformation is complete.
Six games after taking over for
injured quarterback Tommie Frazier,
Brook Berringer has taken the
Cornhuskcr option game and turned
it into a dangerous, balanced attack.
The junior from Goodland, Kan.,
who has completed 64 percent of his
passes this season, directed the Ne
braska offense to 336 yards rushing
and an unheard-of 267 yards passing
in a 45-17 win over Kansas at Me
morial Stadium on Saturday.
Not since the days of Dave Humm
and Vince Ferragamo have Nebraska
fans seen a quarterback throw like
Berringer did Saturday.
In front of a 201st straight sellout
crowd of 75,543, Berringer turned in
the seventh best passing day in Ne
braska history and finished only 30
yards short of Humm’s record total
of 297 yards set in 1973.
The Husker defense played a key
role in the early success of the offense,
intercepting Jayhawk quarterback
Asheiki Preston's first two passes.
“I think the turnovers set the tone
for the game,” Berringer said.
Preston’s first pass, picked off by
Tony \fcland at the Kansas 18-yard
line, led to a career-long 35-yard field
goal by Tom Seiler to give Nebraska
a 3-0 lead. On the ensuing Kansas
possession, Tyrone Williams inter
cepted Preston at the Nebraska 30
yard line.
Two plays later, Berringer hit split
end Reggie Baul for a 51 -yard touch
down pass to give Nebraska a 10-0
lead with 10:19 to play in the first
quarter
“It’s always a confidence factor,”
Nebraska coach Tom Osborne said.
“If somebody comes in here and gets
down 14 points early, it’s a little
tou * er to come back.”
e Jayhawks were forced to punt
on their next possession, but Karccm
Moss’ fumble on the return was re
covered by Don Davis and taken to
the Husker 24-yard line. Kansas went
nowhere, and Jeff McCord hit a 41
yard field goal to trim Nebraska's lead
to 10-3.
The Huskcrs wasted no time scor
ing again, going 80 yards in five
plays, with all but three yards com
ing through the air.
Nebraska I-back Lawrence
Phillips, who scored the Huskers'
second touchdown, was held to 35
yards in the first haifbut finished the
game with 153 yards on 23 carries,
his 10th straight game with more
than 100 yards.
After another Kansas punt, Ne
braska went 58 yards in three plays,
scoring on Cory Schlcsingcr’s 40
yard run to take a 24-3 lead with 2:24
to go in the first quarter.
Kansas again could not move the
ball, and Nebraska responded with
another quick strike. A shovel pass
from Berringer to Damon Benning
that went for 37 yards highlighted the
60-yard drive, and the Husker lead
rose to 31-3.
The early lead may have affected
the defense. Osborne said.
“It’s always hard,” Osborne said,
“once you get ahead three or four
touchdowns, to maintain your defen
sive intensity. 1 think that happened
a little bit today.”
The Husker defense, which had
not allowed more than seven points
in a conference game, allowed the
Jayhawks into the end /one on a 6
yard run by June Henley with 3:41 to
go in the first half.
Berringer came right back, driv
ing the Huskers 80 yards and con
necting with Clestcr Johnson for a 64
yard touchdown pass to end the first
half with Nebraska ahead 38-10.
A 249-yard first-half passing per
formance was complimented by the
Huskers’ 201 yards rushing in the
second half. Phillips, who ran for 118
yards on 10 carries in the third quar
ter, did most of the damage.
Kansas added a touchdown with
seven minutes left in the game to end
the scoring.
Berringer said the Huskers weren't
worried about a letdown after a big
win over Colorado, and they wouldn't
experience a letdown this week
against Iowa State.
“We are on a mission,” he said,
“and we arc going to get it done no
matter what it takes. Every game is a
national championship for us.”
Nebraska 45
Scoring 1st 2nd 3rd 4th Kansas 17
Nebraska 24 14 7 0
Kansas 3 7 0 7
Neb- Sieler 35 yd. Field Goal
Neb- Baul 51 yd. pass from Berringer (Sieler Kick)
KU- McCord 41 yd. Field Goal
Neb- Phillips 4 yd. run (Sieler kick)
Neb- Schlesinger 40 yd. run (Sieler kick)
Neb- Makovicka 8 yd. run (Sieler kick)
KU- Henley 6 yd. run (McCord)
Neb- Johnson 64 yd. pass from Berringer (Sieler kick)
Neb- Phillips 22 yd. run (Sieler kick)
KU- Levme 1 yd. run (McCord kick)
Rushing
Phillips
Benning
Schlesinger
Childs r
7
Phillips
Baul 3 n 1
! 3.1
Breakdown Neb Kansas
First Downs 24 12
Rushes-yards 49-336 45-141
Passing 267 129
Return Yards 39 26
Comp-Att-lnt 13-18-0 8-23-2
Punts-avg. 3-49 6-39.5
Fumbles-Lost 2-1 2-0
Penalties-Yards 4-26 2-11
Time of Possession 28:44 31:16
DN graphic
Nebraska llnaback*
gama at Nabraaka.