With kick,
Brown
flies out of
bad dream
Sometimes, our best dreams
come true. How sweet they are
when they
come on the
heels of our
worst night
mares.
After kick
ing the game
_•_•_c.u
winning uciu : _
goal against John
Colorado, josh Gaskins
Brown is on
cloud nine. He’s basking in the
highlights and still frames of that
ball splitting the uprights as
Memorial Stadium went nuts,
while Brown jumped around like
a little kid receiving an early
Christmas present before his
teammates mobbed and dog
piled him - and later hoisted him
on their shoulders and carried
him off the field in a scene
Hollywood couldn't write any bet
ter.
“It’s a moment you dream of
and never think will happen to
you,” Brown said. “It’s a moment
I’ll never forget and cherish forev
er ... just like the movies. It was
like ‘Rudy.’ If you want to call me
Rudy, so be it I don't care. I’m just
glad I made it”
Two weeks ago, though,
Brown’s life was a living hell after
missing a 28-yard chip shot on a
cold, miserable night at Kansas
State. Had it been good, we all
know, NU would likely be in the
Big 12 Championship this week
end and competing for a national
title.
Of course, it wasn’t the only
reason NU lost. But, as a kicker,
Brown has always understood
that you're either the hero or the
goat, no matter how good or bad
die rest of the team plays, no mat
ter how many other factors lead to
a win or loss.
Brown has experienced being
both a goat and a hero in a span of
two weeks.
In between, Brown was in
limbo. He was relaxing, playing
pool and hanging out with his
friends and family from
Oklahoma at Old Chicago a week
after K-State, seemingly well
removed from the nightmare kick
and ensuing nightmare week of
his life.
Well-removed until you asked
him about it
Brown felt like a goat for quite
some time after that sickening,
bitter-cold night in Manhattan. A
week later, he could smile about
it but you could tell it still pained
him... ho matter how happy he
seemed to be with his girlfriend
and buddies.
“I couldn’t sleep, I couldn’t do
anything for a few days after that,”
Brown said. “There’s no way I
could get it off my mind. It was a
nightmare.”
A fan in a Texas shirt came up
to him one night at another local
establishment and lambasted
him for losing the game and the
season for NU - that he was a dis
grace to the team and the state.
He hadn’t heard cheap shots like
that since thousands of fellow
Oklahomans called him a traitor
when he chose to come to
Nebraska.
The game and week that fol
lowed was the ultimate low of a
young career that had fallen well
short of both his and fans’ expec
tations when he arrived as a red
shirt freshman in 1998 - destined
to replace Kris Brown, the
Huskers’ four-year record-break
ing place kicker.
Josh came back to the dorms
every night that year beaming,
telling his friends and calling his
mom about the 60-yarders he was
booming in practice.
Long before anyone knew
who he was, he was sure he would
not only be Kris’ replacement, but
surpass him as NU’s best kicker
ever.
Then came his freshman year.
Good, but not great. Plenty of
misses.
Then came this year. He’s
made nearly 100 straight extra
point attempts, but what people
remembered him by before
Friday were his missed field goals
- especially that nightmare miss
atKSU.
Please see GASKINS on 9
David Gasen/DN
Brown kick gives
Nil a dose victory
BY BRIAN CHRISTOPH ERSON
This year’s Nebraska-Coiorado nail-biter saw an
unlikely hero reduce college football gladiators to
tears.
On Friday, oft-maligned sophomore Nebraska
kicker Josh Brown claimed the spotlight with a 29
yard field goal as time expired, gaving the No. 8
Comhuskers a 34-32 comeback win over Colorado
before 77,672 Memorial Stadium fans and a national
television audience.
The win kept 27 Nebraska seniors from ending
their home careers on a sour note and salvaged any
Husker hopes of claiming an at-laige bid to one of the
Bowl Championship Series games.
Meanwhile, Colorado junior linebacker Andy
Peeke summarized the mood of most Buffaloes as he
sat on die 10-yard line, tears streaming down his face,
watching Nebraska offensive lineman dog-pile their
winning kicker.
The Huskers have now won the past five meetings
with a combined total of 15 points.
This loss ended Colorado’s season at 3-8.
Nebraska moved its made to 9-2, the 32nd consecutive
nine-win season for the Huskers, who will now play
the waiting game to see which bowl site they will vaca
tion over the holidays.
As heartbreaking as die end was for the Buffaloes,
nobody could argue with the game’s high level of
drama.
It was, in tact, the first time that Nebraska has ever
won a game on the last play of regulation since at least
1960, when statistics of such things first began to be
kept
Nobody was happier about the game’s finish than
Brown. The Oklahoma native admittedly had strug
gled this season, having made a not-so-reliable four of
nine attempts as he lined up for a 29-yard chip shot
from the right hash marie with five seconds left and
Colorado ahead 32-31.
"There were a lot of prayers going on,” senior
Nebraska right tackle Russ Hochstein said.
“Just do your job,” Nebraska’s fiery junior center
Dominic Raiola said to Brown moments before his
kick.
Brown did his job, knocking the ball squarely
through the uprights, setting off a euphoric celebra
tion among spectators and players alike.
Brown was easy to spot even from the nosebleed
seats, as his teammates hoisted him on their shoul
ders for all to see.
“I’d call it a redemption kick for the whole season,”
Brown said. “For me personalty, I don't think I’ve had
the year that I’ve expected myself to have. It definitely
makes up for a lot of mistakes I've made along the
Td call it a redemption kick for the
whole season. For me personally; /
don't think I’ve had the year that
I’ve expected myself to have.”
Josh Brown
NU kicker
road this season.”
Brown owes a great deal of thanks to the Husker
offense, who nickel and dimed Colorado’s prevent
defense down the field, moving the ball from the NU
41-yard line down to the Buffs' 12-yard line in only 39
seconds with a mixture of short passes.
Colorado Coach Gary Barnett said he regretted
squib kicking the ball to Nebraska after his team has
taken a 32-31 lead on a 2-point conversion with 47
seconds left
The short kick gave the Nebraska offense a fight
ing chance with the Huskers taking over on their own
41-yard line with 44 seconds and one timeout
remaining.
"This is going to be the longest 44 seconds of my
life,” a Colorado assistant coach muttered under his
breath as Nebraska’s junior quarterback Eric Crouch
and company took the field.
Nebraska Coach Frank Solich said his offensive
unit had die right mindset to mount a game-winning
drive.
“When you re in a situation that we were in, nine
out of 10 people are going to tell you that you can’t do
it,” Solich said. “But if you say you can do it, you have a
chance to get it done. I think that’s what our players
said at that given time.”
Crouch misfired on a first-down pass to senior
wide receiver Matt Davison, but came back to com
plete two passes to another senior receiver John
Gibson for gains of six and nine yards to the Colorado
44-yard line for a Nebraska first down.
Crouch then connected on a pass to senior wide
receiver Bobby Newcombe for another first down to
die 31-yard line with 22 seconds left
It was Newcombe’s first catch of the day, but not
his last
Crouch ran a quarterback countertrap on the next
play, but it only netted two yards and forced-the
Huskers to spend their final timeout
“Even through the headsets, I heard a few groans
Please see GAME on 9
