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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 29, 1999)
Huskers escape Boulder with narrow win By Samuel McKewon Senior editor * BOULDER, Colo. - Nebraska rover Mike Brown’s analysis of NU’s 33-30 victo ry over Colorado was a straight shot, chased down with zero'excuses. “I feel lucky,” the newly anointed All American said. “We got lucky. “This is disappointing, and a lot of guys were down in the locker room. I guess you could say that a ‘ W’ is a win. But I think we all know this game shouldn’t have come down to that.” “That” referred to NU’s second great overtime escape in three years. This one was just as fortunate as the Missouri miracle in 1997. Colorado had turned a 27-3 deficit into a 27-27 tie late in the fourth quarter, thanks to three touchdowns in a little under six min utes. Pinned near the end zone with two min utes remaining, CU running back Cortlen Johnson was stripped of the ball by Brown. The Comhuskers recovered at the Buffaloes ’ 16. As it had all season, Nebraska let fortune slip right through its hands, as I-back Dan Alexander mishandled an option pitch from quarterback Eric Crouch, lost one of NU’s five fumbles and gave the ball right back to Colorado. “That was my fault,” said Alexander, who had a career-high 180 yards. “I just lost focus on the ball.” CU wasted no time in moving down the field. Johnson took a draw play for 27 yards out of the 42-yard line. Then quarterback Mike Moschetti, who had 188 passing yards in the final quarter alone, hit John Minardi for a 36-yard gain to the Nebraska 22-yard «--— We got in a dogfight. You have to give them credit, they made some plays. We had the effort.” Charlie McBride ^ defensive coordinator line. It put the Buffs in position for victory with less than a minute remaining. It was left up to Colorado kicker Jeremy Aldrich, who had a 34-yard field goal try as time expired to give CU the improbable win. - "I was thinking, ‘We’re gonna block it,”’ All-Big 12 defensive tackle Slt^ye Warren said. Nebraska didn’t block it, but Aldrich missed wide to the right. Just barely. NU had life again. The overtime, then, served as an anti-cli max. The Huskers, who are now 10-1 over all, 7-1 in the Big 12 and will face Texas in the conference championship game, won the toss. They elected for defense. Strangely, CU never tried a pass on die possession that started at the 25-yard line. Coach Gary Barnett went with three straight runs, the final of which fell short by 1 yard. Please see HUSKERS on 12 LANE HICKENBOTTOM/DN COUNTERCLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFTi DAN ALEXANDER rumbles his way Into the end zone Saturday in Boulder. Alexander finished the game with 180 yards and three touchdowns. ERIC CROUCH and the rest of the Nebraska offense fumbled their way to a team record, coughing up the ball more than any other previous Husker team for aseasea. r rt COLORADO WIDE RECEIVER John Minardi pushes the ball forward against Carlos Polk during a late fourth quarter scoring drive for the Buffaloes. NEBRASKA STOPPED Colorado1* return threat Ben Kelly, who gained 15 yards on three punt returns and 16 yards on ftrif kickoff return. BLACKSHIRTS TONY ORTIZ, Carlos Polk and Steve Warren gang-tackle Colorado player Eric McCready. ■ Colorado scores 24 points in the fourth quarter, but still falls short in bid to upset Nebraska. ByAdamKlinker BOULDER, Colo, - A strange thing about fourth quarters is how they so often never resemble first quarters. For some on the Gblotado foot ball squad 1hat found itself trailing Nebraska 27-3 at the start of the fourth quarter in Saturday’s 33-30 overtime loss to the Comhuskers, the last period was an illumination, a small victory in a world of defeat. For die Buffalo seniors, who are winless against NU teams, it was a drop of rosewater in a pool of tar. Anyway, it was yet another oh-so <dpsodefeat “I’m at a loss for words,” CU Head Coach Gary Barnett said after the game. “So many guys played great football. I don’t think I’ve ever seen more heart and resolve in a team.” At the end of the first quarter, CU was looking down the barrel of the Husker offensive cannon that was already battering away at the Buffs for 205 yards and a 17-0 lead. “You know you’re in for a bad day when the buffalo won’t come out,” said Barnett, commenting on Ralphie, CU’s 700-pound buffalo mascot that refused to lead the team on the field before the game. He shook his head. “Suspicious begin nings,” he said with a smile. And auspicious endings because it wasn’t all bad. For a shimmering moment in the fourth quarter, it seemed the Buffaloes could do no wrong. Down 27-3, CU’s Jeremy Aldrich started the Buffaloes’ 24-point scor ing bonanza with a 49-yard field goal to cap a 40-yard, penalty-wracked drive that included CU’s first big gains of the day with two passes of 27 and 20 yards from quarterback Mike Moschetti to wideout Marcus Stiggers. Talk about your suspicious begin nings. “Coach Barnett wanted to throw everything at Nebraska: reverses, on sides, going long,” said Colorado wide receiver Roman Hollowell. “And in the fourth quarter we started going downfield, and that loosened us up and gave us a running game, too.” Thereafter, the Buffs were getting breaks and making some of their o#|l. With 10:17 left in the fourth and Nebraska with die ball at its own 43, CU linebacker Jashon Sykes stripped the ball from Husker wingback Bobby Newcombe. Moschetti jumped right back in the loop, completing an 8-yard pass to Stiggers and hitting wide receiver Javon Green for a 25-yard pickup before finding wideout John Minardi Please see CU on 12 Football Gama Review K 3 HHim Colorado - Rowebo . wamm Name Yds Avg TD Name Yds Avg TD MHWWK iso me 3 c. Johnson 134 5.4 o E Crouch 123 6.5 1 D. Andrews 13 2.2 00 'ibptiejbinbe ■ tocoMo Name No Yds TD Name ~ No Yds TD ^HMWWMHMWWMHWHWMIIOIIMBHHWHWHHWHW Passing PasslBg Name Att Cmp bit Yds TD Name Att Cmp bit Yds TD aameSms ci kh w Rushing attempts51 47 Interceptions0 0 Passing attempts 12 42 Punt returns/yards 3/6 4/16 Passing yards 44 338 Time of possession 26:14 48*6 Totrt yards 400 503 Fourth-down conversion OofO 2 of 2