Jay Calderon/DN
i quarterback Tommie Fazier runs throughthe Colorado defense as the Buffaloes’ Viliami Maumau eyes him. Colorado strong safety Ryan Black is being blocked
ska’s Chris Dishman. Fazier had 281 yards of total offense Saturday.
Jay Calderon/DN
hole as fullback Jeff tfkovicka blocks Colorado’s Ron
>y
Coach says Colorado will profit
in future from loss to Huskers
By Mitch Sherman_I
BOULDER, Colo. — The Colo
rado football team learned Saturday
that it was not ready to play at
Nebraska’s level.
Not yet, at least.
Coach Rick Neuheisel, who has
directed the Buffaloes to a 6-2 mark
in his first season as a head coach, said
his team could not match the
Comhuskcrs’ execution, but in the
long run, Colorado would benefit from
the 44-21 drubbing.
If he were to have a second chance
at the 8-0 Huskers, Neuheisel said he
would change very little of his game
plan.
“That was a great football team we
played,” Neuheisel said. “Anytime you
play Nebraska, you have to play with
a great deal of emotion. We did.
You’ve got to play very hard. We did.
But you also have got to play mistake
free. And we didn’t.”
Nebraska, however, did play nearly
error-free football. The Huskers com
mitted no penalties and did not turn
the ball over. Nebraska baffled the
Buffaloes with a balanced attack,
throwing for 241 yards and running
for 226 yards. Colorado committed
nine penalties for 92 yards and turned
the ball over twice. L
We were just unable to match
their execution,” said Neuheisel,
whose team dressed only seven se
niors Saturday. “We matched them in
intensity. We matched them with
speed. We just had too many mis
takes, and they didn’t.”
Next year, he said, Colorado will
be much more prepared to handle the
Husker attack.
“We have a lot of kids who are
_ Nebraska 44
Scoring 1st 2nd 3rd 4th Colorado 21
Nebraska 21 10 3 10
Colorado 7 7 7 0
Neb- Green 57yd run (Brown kick) Neb- Vedral 7yd pass from Frazier (Brown kick)
CU- Savoy 18yd pass from Messier . CU- Kidd 49yd pass from Messier (Voskeritchian
(Voskeritchian kick) kick)
Neb- Green 1yd run (Brown kick) Neb- FG Brown 36yd
Neb- C. Johnson 52yd pass front Frazier (Brown kick) Neb- FG Brown 37yd
CU- Irwin fumble recovery (Voskeritchian kick) Neb- Frazier 2yd run (Brown kick)
Neb- FG Brown 25yd Attendance: 54,063
Nebraska
Rushing aii. Yds.
Green 18 97
Frazier 13 40
Childs 10 44
Passing Comp-Att. Int. Yds.
Frazier 14-23 0 244
Receiving no. Yds.
C. Johnson 3 72
Gilman 3 53
Green 2 44
Vedral 1 2 34
Breakdown Neb. cu
First Downs 26 20
Rushes-yards 54-226 24-106
Passing yards 241 276
Return Yards 75 95
Comp-Att-lnt 14-23-0 21-43-2
Colorado
Rushing au. Yds.
Troutman 11 72
Henry 10 27
Ilesslcr 3 7
Passing Comp.-Att. Int. Yds.
iiessler.21-43 2 2%
Receiving no. Yds.
Savoy 8 74
Carruth 7 92
Troutman 2 29
Kidd 1 49
Neb. CU
Punts-avg. 2-42 6-42
Fumbles-Lost 1-0 2-0
Penalties-Yards 0-0 12-92
Time of Possession 35:48 24:12
DN graphic
trying as hard as they can,” he said.
‘Now we just need to channel our
energy and be a little smarter. We arc
going to get better. There’s no shame
with being immature, as long as you
mow that you are and you work at
getting better. Next year, we’ll get
mother chance at them.”
But for some Buffaloes, there will
oc no next year.
Bryan Stoltenberg, a four-year fix
ture at center for Colorado, wanted
more than anything to end his career
as a Buffalo this season by defeating
Nebraska for the first time.
“It’s something that I’ve got todeal
with,” Stoltenberg said. “They are a
great team every year. They are strong.
They are a smart team. They don’t
make mistakes. And they have beaten
See BUFFALOES on 8
• Tommie Frazier’s career-best
241 yards passingmoved the senior
quarterback over the 3,000-yard
mark for his career. His 3,189 yards
are fifth all-time behind Vince
Ferragamo, Turner Gill, Jerry Tagge
and Dave Humm. With 129 yards
passing in Nebraska’s final three
games, Frazier will pass Ferragamo
and Gill. Frazier’s two touchdown
passes against Colorado give him a
career total of 39, two behind
Humm, who holds the Husker
record.
* * *
• Saturday’s win was the 29th
victory of Frazier’s career, tying
Steve Taylor for the Husker quar
terback record. Frazier also passed
Mike Rozier and Taylor on the all
time total offense charts. With 336
yards, Frazier will pass Humm and
Tagge to claim Nebraska’s all-time
total offense record.
* * *
• Frazier emerged as a Heisman
Trophy frontrunner among many
members of the national media
present at Saturday’s game. Gene
Wojciechowski of the Los Angeles
Times wrote that Frazier became
the “closest thing to a Heisman Tro
phy favorite.”
* * *
• Frazier drew rave reviews for
a second-quarter play from the
Colorado 42-yard line in which he
was drilled by Buffalo linebacker
Mike Phillips while looking for an
open receiver. Frazier kept his bal
ance and hit Ahman Green for a 35
yard gain before going down.
* * *
• Green’s 57-yard scamper
down the sidelines on Nebraska’s
first offensive play from scrimmage
marked the second time this season
a Husker I-back has scored on
Nebraska’s first play of a game.
Clinton Childs ran for a 65-yard
score on the first play of Nebraska’s
77-28 win over Arizona State on
Sept. 16. Green’s run and Clester
Johnson’s 52-yard reception later
in the first quarter brought
Nebraska’s one-play drive total to
six this season.
* * *
• Nebraska jumped over Florida
State in both major polls Sunday,
the second year in a row that Ne
braska has claimed the top spot
after beating Colorado. A year ago,
Nebraska jumped over both Colo
rado and Penn State after beating
the Buffaloes 24-7 in Lincoln.
* * *
• Place-kicker Kris Brown
nailed field goals of 25, 36 and 37
yards Saturday. Brown also hit three
field goals in Nebraska’s 50-10 win
over Michigan State on Sept. ,9.
The true freshman has connected
on 9 ofl2 field goals this season.
* * *
• Injury report: Tight end Tim
Carpenter had his right knee scoped
Sunday. He will be out two to three
weeks. Injuries to Jared Tomich
(back bruise), Frazier (sore ribs),
Grant Wistrom (sore shoulder) and
Green (sore knee) do not appear to
be serious. True freshman offen
sive lineman Adam Julch, who is
redshirting,had back surgery and is
out for the year.
1 * '* *
• Bellevue West fullback Willie
Miller verbally committed on
Thursday to sign a letter of intent
with Nebraska in February. The 6
foot, 225-pounder is the Huskers’
third commitment of the fall, join
ing I-back DeAngelo Evans and
offensive lineman Russ Hochstein.
Notes co plied by assistant sports
editor Mitch Shermaa and sealor re
porter Derek Samson.