Oranges thrown onto the
Memorial Stadium turf with
3:13 remaining in the third
quarter caused a slight delay in
Saturday’s game. Despite the
anticipation of Cornhusker
fans, Nebraska still must get
past Colorado Nov. 28 and
Texas A&M in the Big 12
Conference championship
game in San Antonio, Texas,
Dec. 6, before a date in the Jan.
2 Orange BovH.
With a 51-7 victory over
Oklahoma Saturday, the Aggies
(8-2 overall and 5-2 in the Big
12) clinched a berth in the
championship game against
Nebraska (10-0 and 7-0).
■
Defeating the Cyclones 77
14, the Huskers set a school
record for points against a con
ference opponent. The previ
ous high was 73, which was
scored against Iowa State in
1995 and against Oklahoma in
1996. The total was also the
most points ever allowed by
ISU.
■
Nebraska’s victory wasn’t
impressive enough to change
some voters’ minds. Nebraska
held steady at No. 3 in both the
AP and coaches’ polls.
Michigan is No. 1 in the AP
poll, and Florida State in No. 1
in the coaches’ poll.
■
NU senior Scott Frost threw
for 111 yards Saturday and
added 88 on the ground. Frost
moved to fourth in the Big 12
in rushing with 940 yards,
passing ISU’s Darren Davis,
who ran for 62.
Frost could become the first
Husker and 10th quarterback
all-time in Division I to rush
and pass for 1,000 yards in a
season. He needs 56 yards
passing and 60 yards rushing.
■
Nebraska freshman Bobby
Newcombe was introduced to
ISU’s Kevin Wilson up close
twice in the first half. After
Newcombe returned the first
punt for a touchdown, thd
Cyclone defense decided to get
aggressive. As Newcombe
dropped back to receive two
punts, Wilson drilled
Newcombe before he touched
the ball.
“I was like ‘Oh no, he’s
going to blast me,”’ Newcombe
said. “After the second time, I
thought they were doing it on
purpose.”
■
Nebraska got a chance to
use everybody in Saturday’s
win. Sophomore place kicker
Dan Hadenfeldt added the sec
ond extra point of his Husker
career near the end of the third
quarter.
Notebook compiled by
senior reporters Antone
Oseka and David Wilson.
Huskers rumble
' - * ■■ ■ • *
past Iowa State
By Antone Oseka
Senior Reporter
One question floated through
Memorial Stadium like a red balloon
Saturday.
Are there three numerals on the
Nebraska side of the scoreboard?
After scoring on every possession
in the first half, Nebraska led 63-7 at
halftime. They already had more than
enough points to win the game. But
could the Comhuskers break the cen
tury mark and test the scoreboard?
Third-ranked Nebraska (10-0
overall and 7-0 in the Big 12
Conference) never challenged the
100-point plateau, but beat Iowa
State (1-9 and 1-6) 77-14 in front of
75,613 fans despite the below-zero
wind chills. The win clinched the Big
12 North Division championship for
the Huskers.
HnK; fn/iPA in a firct half* HiH
Nebraska need to sustain drives
longer than two minutes, and three
times they scored in 10 seconds or
fewer. The second score didn’t even
put the offense on the field.
Freshman Bobby Newcombe
returned an Iowa State punt 53 yards.
NU’s third touchdown kept the
Husker offense on the field for just 10
seconds. Junior I-back Ahman Green
took a handoff from quarterback
Scott Frost to the left side for 49
yards and a score.
After playing only five minutes of
football, Nebraska led 21-0 and the
offense had been on the field for
1:27. f
“That’s the quickest we’ve scored
points since I’ve been around here,”
said Frost, one of 23 seniors to play
his last home game Saturday. “It was
21-0, and I’d only run five plays.”
Nebraska Coach Tom Osborne
said he hoped for a little closer game
from the Cyclones.
“Sometimes in a game like that,
you’re not trying to run the score up,
you’re trying to get players in,”
Osborne said. “I guess I’d rather have
a tight game in some ways.”
The ISU game was never tight.
The only thing concerning the
NU coaches and players in the second
half was the possibility of a letdown._
Although NU scored just 14 points
after halftime, the effort remained
solid, defensive coordinator Charlie
McBride said.
Nebraska finished the game with
473 yards rushing and 121 yards
passing as the Blackshirts held ISU to
75 yards rushing and 228 total yards.
McBride said the entire team
made adjustments from last week's
it
I just worry about
how many times I’m
in the end zone and
how many points we
haver
Ahman Green
Nebraska I-back
overtime win at Missouri. -
‘1 thought, overall, we accomplished
everything we ^antetftc between this
week and last week,” he said.
One player who accomplished
everything he wanted to was Ahman
Green. The junior from Omaha
rushed 15 times for 209 yards and
three touchdowns. He averaged 13.9
yards per carry. :
But Green has a habit of enjoying
big days against Ihe Cyclones, carry
ing the ball 56 timeljlor 59§ yards
and seven touchdowns 4&er the last
three years. That broke the school
record for most yards gained against
one opponent. '
l m more oi a team player,
Green said, who wasn’t aware of his
statistics. “I just worry how many
times I’m in the end zone and how
many points we have.”
Scoring three of the first four
touchdowns in the first quarter,
Green gave NU enough points to win.
But throw in Newcombe, who
finished with 113 total yards -
including two punt returns for 57
yards, two rushes for 31 yards and a
touchdown and one reception for 25
yards - and ISU was no match.
On NU’s fourth drive, Newcombe
took the handoff from Green for a 15
yard reverse to the ISU 4-yard line.
Green scored on the next play. On the
next drive, Newcombe got a pitch
from Frost on a split-wing option and
took the ball 16 yards for the touch
down to put NU up 35-7
“I feel like I’m developing into a
big play maker,” Newcombe said.
^ Although the win Saturday secured a
trip to San Antonio to play fo?>the
conference championship against
Texas A&M, Osborne doesn’t want
that to derail his team. .
“I told the players beforethe
game if we win today we’refn;fhe
championship game,” he said. “It’s
nice to have that in the bag. Bqt it
won’t be quite the same if weddn’t
get the job done out there in Boifkier.”
' ;
•t ->■
-"if A:
Scoring Summary ^sr" \ l l ! , ir
Nebraska 35 28 7 -7^—77—- -
Team Qtr Scoring play Conversion SCors % fT
Hrhmnlm ISO *
NU 1 B. Newcombe 53 vd Dunt return K. Brown kick 14 0
. k "" r ’
MU attack im)
By David Wilson
Senior Reporter
,; Nothing changed at the top of Iowa
State Coach Dan McCamey’s ballot in
. this week’s USA Today/ESPN coach
es’ poll.
Nebraska, which fell from its top
spot in both polls last week after a nar
row 45-38 victory over Missouri, still
was able to keep one ypfe with the'
Huskers’ 77-14 win over hfwa State on
and they’ll have it again,”McCamey
said. “There’s no doubt about it. I think
that’s the finest team in college fbotr.
ball.”
Hie Cornhuskers’ 77 points were
the most ever scored against any Iowa
State team; but poor execution on the
Cyclones’ part also played a factor in
Nebraska’s domination.
NU jumped to a 25.-7 lead in the
first quarter, allowing ISU to enter
Husker territory just once. In the sec
ond quarto, Nebraska added 28 points,
upping its lead to 63-7.
“I’m sorry for my players that the
score got out of hand like it did inthfer
first half” McCamey said.
But it wasn’t a case of Nebraska
running up the score, he said.
“When people are putting up that
many points and we’re that ineffective,
then it’s our fault, not theirs,’”,
McCamey said.
Iowa State quarterback Toddj
Bandhauer had a simple explanation!
for the Cyclones’ lack of offensive out-4
“They kicked our ass,” B
"said. *
* jThe junior, who leads the
Conference with 2,249 yards r.._,
completed 11 of 36 passes for
yards - his second worst output
season. The passing game combi
with a running attack that averaged 2,
yards per carry just wasn’t enou;
Saturday.
Sophomore tailback Darren Davis, ,
who has been hampered by injuries all ' j
season, took 22 carries for 62 yards
averaging 2.8 yards against Nebraska* •
Davis ranks fifth in the conference^ ?
with 939 yards rushing.
Please see McCARNEY on 111 .
•II
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