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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 8, 1996)
Competitive Cougars k -ft • •*' : ' . ... Travis Heying/DN Nebraska quarterback Tommie Frazier is tackled by Washington State’s Derek Henderson. Frazier ran for 70 yards and two touchdowns and passed for 99 yards and one touchdown. Travis Heying/DN Ahman Green celebrates after scoring a third quarter touchdown. Green carried the ball 13 times for 176 yards. , After opening the season with four routs, the Huskers fall behind early \ before rallying for a 14-point win. By Mitch Sherman Finally, a challenge. Forced to play its starters well into the second half for the first time in nine months, the Nebraska football team responded well, pounding Washington State for 527yards en route to a 35-21 win Saturday before 75,777 fans at Memorial Stadium. “It’s nice to be out there in the fourth quarter and still have to get after it,” Nebraska rush end Jared Tomich said. “You don’t get that lazy feeling.” Second-ranked Nebraska, 5-0, marched 74 yards on its first possession, but lost a Jeff Makovicka fumble at the Washington State 9-yard line, one of three times the Huskers failed to score from inside the Cougar 10-yard line. Two plays later, Washington State tailback Frank Madu slipped by a Nebraska blitz and ran 87 yards for a touchdown to give 2-2 Washington State a 7-0 lead with 8:44 to play in the first quarter. “We have given up some big plays on blitzes,” Nebraska defensive coordinator Charlie McBride said. “That’s something that we are going to have to work pretty hard on if we are going to get better.” Nebraska’s next drive stalled after quarterback Tommie Frazier was hit for a 6-yard loss by Phillip Glover on third down and 6 from the Washington State 38-yard line. But after Husker linebacker Terrell Farley partially blocked a George Martin punt, fullback Brian Schuster ran for 23 yards, and I-back Ahman Green plunged over the right end for 24 yards to the Cougar 4-yard line. Frazier took it from there, tying the score at seven with a 4-yard dive, the first rushing touchdown allowed by Washington State in 20 quarters. Frazier said he was more motivated to play Saturday than he had been for any regular-season game during his four-year career. “For their team to go out and say that they were going to shock the worid, and we were going to be their next victim, I took that personally,” Frazier said. “If they would have won, they could have made those comments. But don’t make those comments before the game.” The senior signal-caller, who rushed for 70 yards and two scores and threw for 99 yards and one touchdown, ran four times for 47 yards on the Huskers’ next possession, putting Nebraska up 14-7 on a 20-yard option keeper with 8:29 to play in the first half. “Offensively, we moved the ball pretty well,” Nebraska coach Tom Osborne said. “But the scoring probably wasn’t commensurate with the yards. The main thing is to come out of it with a win, play hard and learn some things.” Following Nebraska’s second touchdown, Washington State moved backwards. Brook Berringer replaced Frazier, who was bothered by a sore right elbow, and handed off to Green. The true freshman from Omaha Central broke free for 36 yards to the Washington State 21 Nebraska 35 i