Competitive
Cougars
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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
