The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current, September 22, 1997, Page 8, Image 8
With Saturday’s 27-14 victory over then-No. 2 Washington, the Comhuskers are now 15-2 against ranked opponents since 1993. The game marked NU coach Tom Osborne’s first-ever win against a top-three foe on the road - not includ ing neutral sites. Osborne now owns a 245-49-3 record (58-37-1 against ranked oppo nents) and is five games away from his 250th victory. The win could come as soon as Nov. 1 against Oklahoma in Lincoln. ■ Nebraska, which has won 77 straight games when rushing for more than 300 yards, totaled 384 yards on the ground against Washington. Previously the top-ranked defense in the nation against the rush, the . Huskies allowed minus-2.5 yards per game rushing in their first two games. Under Osborne, the Huskers are 155-5 when rushing for 300 or more yards in a game. I-back Ahman Green and full back Joel Makovicka both rushed for 129 yards, while quarterback Scott Frost ran for 97. Nebraska has only had three 100-yard rushers in a game once - against Arizona State in 1988. NU place kicker Kris Brown broke the Nebraska record for field goals in a career when he drilled a 20- ! yard attempt with 12:45 remaining in the game. The junior missed his first [ attempt from 41 yards, before knock ing in two in the fourth quarter. His last kick, a 31 -yarder, was the 29th of his career. Dale Klein had made 27 from 1984 through 1986. Brown’s boot upped his career point total to 209, which ranks ninth on the all-time list and second among kick ers. ■ Quarterback Scott Frost did not ! throw an interception against the Huskies, extending his school-record streak to 148 attempts. Turner Gill owned the previous record with 125 in 1982 and 1983. The last time Frost threw an interception against Oklahoma last season, eight games ago. The senior threw for 88 yards against Washington, and moved to 13th on the Husker career-passing charts with 1,715 yards. ■ With 129 yards rushing against Washington, Green moved to 10th on Nebraska’s career rushing list. The junior, who has rushed for 2,344 yards, passed JefFKinney, who ran for 2,244 yards from 1969 through 1971. “I had to run tougher,” Green said, “because this was a tough defense.” Despite leaving the game with about 10 minutes left in the fourth quarter with an injured left shoulder, Green also tied his career high with 29 carries Saturday. ■ In a physical game, Nebraska sur vived without sustaining any major injuries. Green left the game in the fourth quarter with a slightly injured shoulder, and linebacker Octavious McFarlin hurt an ankle. Both should return to practice today. Game day Notebook compiled by senior reporters David Wilson and Antone Oseka. Game day: Washin run of 43 yards set up the Huskers’ final score and iced the victory. Nebraska rushed for 384 yards against the Huskies, who had the second-ranked rush defense in the nation entering the game. Upset special: NU trounces Huskies By David Wilson $ Senior Reporter SEATTLE — The game plan was smash-mouth football. It worked. Backed by another strong outing from quarter back Scott Frost, Nebraska powered its way to a 27-14 upset of Washington before 74,023 at Husky Stadium Saturday. The Comhuskers, who jumped four spots to No. 3 in The Associated Press Top 25, improved to 3-0, pounding 384 yards on die ground against the top ranked rushing defense in the nation. Washington fell eight spots to No. 10. “We wanted to run right at them, and be the most physical team on the field,” Nebraska fullback Joel Makovicka said, “and for that matter, be the most physical team in the country.” Ahead 24-14 with just under eight minutes remaining in the game, Makovicka ran a trap play 43 yards from the Nebraska 3-yard line to near midfield. The game-long run sparked a 12-play, 81-yard drive for the Huskers that ended with a 31 -yard field goal by Kris Brown to all but seal the victory. “Coach showed a lot of confidence in giving it to the fullback down deep,” Makovicka said, “and I think it showed a lot of character on offense being back at our 5-yard line with a hostile crowd, and we have to move the ball to win the game .” Makovicka scampered for 82 yards in the fourth quarter, and finished with 129 for the game. Junior I back Ahman Green also rushed for 129 yards. Makovicka’s feat improved his career best, which trds against Central Florida, was really a big factor,” NU coaofijfom Osborne said. k "I'lebfasfca jumped to an early 14-0 lead with touchdown nms by Frpst in each of the Huskers’ first two series. Green^^ff^d the ball eight times for 44 yards in the “We kind it down their throats the first couple of drives "Rost said. Frost first scored on a quarterback draw play that the Husker$added to Jheirplaybook after seeing it run successfully against them last week by Central Florida. Aft|£&||Dg a handoff to Makovicka, Frost shook a tackle,andran 34 yards for a touchdown. ^ The Huskers shut the Huskies down in fouF plays on their second drive., setting up another drive that ended in a 30-yard touchdown run by Frost. “A lot of people Were calling for his head last week,” NU rush end Grant Wistrom said. “He didn’t pay any attention to that and showed them that he was die best quarterback on the team. He is our leader.” Frost ran for 97 yards on 12 carries, and complet ed 8 of 15 passes for 88 yards. “I think this is just a statement by the team,” Frost said. “We’re not saying we’re home free by any stretch. We have a lot of tough games to play. But peo ple are going to have to watch out for us.” Any speculation about the Nebraska attack raised after last week’s 38-24 victory over Central Florida, should be put to rest, Wistrom said. “I think some people are going to have to eat their words about our offense,” Wistrom said, “Especially some of our fans who booed them last week at home. They went out and played their hearts out today. I think they showed they’re one of the best offenses in the nation. They came out and put it to them, and just stuffed it down their throats all day. That helped us out on defense.” The Husker defense, which held Washington to 43 yards on the ground, stopped die Huskies on their first five possessions. Washington’s first score came when true fresh man quarterback Marques Tuiasosopo tossed a 12 yard pass to tight end Cameron Cleeland to put the Huskies on the board with 1:38 left in the half. f Tuiasosopo entered the game for Washington early in die second quarter when starter Brock Huard MSfr-with a sprained left ai^y^^^^^dmpleting a ;nD pass to tailback Ra^pB Pp||e^%uard was bt&ight to the ground by Wfstrbifr. Huard finished die series, but did not return. Tuiasosopo filled in adequately, throwing for 270 yards and cutting die Huskers’ lead to 21-14 with 6:36 remaining in the third quarter. After that, die freshman quarterback failed, finishing the game 3 of 8 for 54. Despite allowing 299 yards through the air, the * Huskers held Tuiasosopo to 27 yards on'the ground on 11 carries. Nebraska also recorded four sacks - including three against Tuiasosopo. Neither team recorded a turnover, but the game was not error-free. Washington missed a field goal, had a two-yard punt, and failed an onside kick attempt; Nebraska missed a field goal, and failed on a fake field-goal attempt. The Huskers also had two penalties inside UW’s 20-yard line that cost NU two possible touchdowns. “You have to be happy with the win,” Makovicka said. “But there’s a lot of things we can improve and a lot of things we have to work on. I think it’s a stepping stone for what we want to accomplish.”