Gameday: Nebraska 24, Okla
Several Oklahoma State
players said after the game that
they would have liked to play
the Cornhuskers at their home
field instead of at Arrowhead
Stadium in Kansas City, Mo.
] he game was moved" from
Stillwater. Okla.. to the neutral
site partly because OSU earned
a SI.3 million payoff.
Instead of playing in front of
a stadium full of its fans.
Oklahoma State was forced to
deal with a loud, predominantly
Nebraska crowd.
"We should have had the
/ game in Stillwater.” said
Cowboy quarterback Tony
\ Lindsay, who admitted NU fans
distracted OSU.
"That's where we've been
practicing for this game. That's
our home"
NU Defensive tackle Jason -
Wiffz thought he had intercept
ed his position-record third pass
of the season with 4:07 remain
ing in the third quarter. Wiltz
grabbed a Lindsay pass and
tossed it to linebacker Jay
Foreman who ran it to the OSU
2-yard line.
But the pick off was called
back because of a Husker
roughing the passer call.
Said Lindsay of the call:
"It wasn't really anything.
(NU linebacker Eric Johnson)
hijpfne after I threw' the ball, but
itjvasn't that hard.'UU^. *
Nebraska's Joe Walker
scored NU's game-winning
touchdown when he returned a
punt for 73 yards with 7:29
remaining in the third quarter.
OSl: Coach Bob Simmons
criticized the Buskers' punt
return blocking techniques after
the game.
“I -talked to the officials
before the game about the tech
nique they use with hav ing a
guy in front and a guy in back."
Simmons said."If y ou slow
down, they run by you. and if
you go through, they call you
for getting into the returner's
halo.
"It's a situation where we
could not be right. Am 1 happy
with the officials ’ No. I am
not."
Nebraska spin end kenm
Cheatham did not return after
the third quarter of Sauirdas's
game because of an injurs to Ins
left shoulder. Cheatham caught
three passes lor 32 sards
Offens:\e guard Brandt
Wade mimed his iett knee dur
um the second half and did not
return
Redshin freshman quarter
hack hrn Crouch also suffered
a hip-pom'er in the third quar
\ l C etch i rank Solicit said
rouch. the 1 i inkers' No. 2
quarterback, entered the game
so the coaches could talk with,
starter Bobhs New combe
7 rouch did not return
Game das notebook com
piled bs senior staff s\ riters
Shannon Heffel finger and
Das id iison.
Last-second stand
preserves NU win
By David Wilson
Senior staff writer
KANSAS CITY. Ylo. ()ne pla\
(>ne foot,
fixe seconds
Dreams of a national championship
and thoughts of the hard work lie
endured during the off-season danced in
Nebraska senior Mike Rucker's mind as
the piax ciock wound down Saturdax at
Arrowhead Stadium,
i le xxasn't alone
1 acini! a game-tying threat, the
('orniiusker defensive unit hit fate head
on. and stopped )k!ahoma State half
bad. Nathan .Ninmons short of the goal
line.
! he Cow box s flirted w ith an upset of
No. 2 Nebraska for four quarters the
first team to do so tins seaso i. But when
it came down :o one iast play, the dusker
defense proxed it had the muscle to pre
sent’ a 24-P win oxei Oklahoma State
m trout of "0.555 fans The duskers
improved to .^-0 in their first Big 12
Conference game, while the Cowboxs
fell to 2-2 and id
Basicalix. xx fiat we were telling each
other is. This is the whole season.'” said
Rucker, the first to hit Simmons on the
final pkn "It boiled down to fixe sec
onds It tame down to a foot That's the
whole season We xxere there.”
The Cowboy s had pounded almost
90 percent of their 55 running plays up
the middle Saturday, so the final battle in
the trenches didn't come as much of a
surprise to the Huskers.
Nebraska Coach Frank Solicit said
the Husker coaches didn't fret too much
upon deciding to apply pressure up the
middle to stop the run
But that didn't mean Solicit was
calm and confident on the sidelines as
the clock ran down.
"They said Coach Solicit almost had
a heart attack." said rover Joe Walker,
who was on the field for the final play. "1
almost did as well. I hank Cod for the
v ietory."
Walker was beat bv ()Sl receiver
Lthan Flowed for a 07-vard touchdown
before giving Nl it> final lead a ’’3
yard punt return with ":29 left in the
fourth quarter.
Trailing by a touchdown. (tklahoma
State forced the Huskers to punt and
began their final drive at their own 41
yard line w ith 2:21 left in the game.
Simmons trucked up the middle for
seven cards, then OSU sophomore quar
terback Tony Lindsay connected with
receiver Sean Love for 25 yards to put
the ( owboy s on NT "s 2 "Ward line.
In the final minute. (tklahoma State
was successful on two fourth-down con
versions. including another completion
to Love, which set up the final play
«
They said Coach
Solich almost had a
heart attack. I almost
did as well. Thank
God for the victory."
Joe Walker
NU rover
inside the I -sard line.
"It svas kind of a reality check."
senior linebacker Jas foreman said. “1
think the next game w ill be a rea 11 \
telling game. We base to go back to the
chalkboard and get better"
But the defense, NU quarterback
Bobbs Nesvcombe said, was the
I luskers' strong point.
The Low boss rushed for 175 sards
and tossed for ISO yards though the air.
Nebraska, on the other hand, was on the
losing end of esers statistical category
w ith the exception of special-team
vardage and score.
In the first half, the Buskers rushed
for 4 yards on 15 carries, and entered the
Please see HUSKERS on 11
Photos by Matt Miller/DN
(clockwise from top left)
TIGHT END SHELDON JACKSON hauls in a 30-yard pass to set up a DeAngelo Evans touch
down in tne third quarter. Jackson had two receptions for 70 yards, about one-third of
Nebraska’s total yards.
NATHAN SIMMONS IS STOPPED by the Husker defense on the last play of the game, pre
serving the NU victory.
JOE WALKER FINDS A SEAM on the way to his 73-yard punt return in the fourth quarter. The
touchdown proved to be tlie game-winner.
DEFENSIVE END CHAD KELSAY and the rest of the Blackshirts did not allow Tbny Lindsay
many yards, but Simmons and Jamaal Fobbs ran for 169 yards. NU ran for 73 yards.