Huskers outlast Jayhawks
Nebraska seemed poised to waltz to a resounding victory Saturday night after bolting to a big early lead.
Unable to land a knockout blow, the 21st-ranked Huskers instead ended up locked in an all-night brawl, finally staving off Kansas 39-32 in overtime before 85,069 spectators at Memorial Stadium. Game photos
Nebraska could exhale only after KU quarterback Adam Barmann’s last pass, on fourth-and-5 at the Husker 9-yard line fell harmlessly to the FieldTurf in the end zone as wideout Marcus Henry slipped while running a fade route.
“I’m proud of the resiliency of our football team,” Nebraska coach Bill Callahan said. “To fight through and win in overtime, it’s terrific.”
The Huskers improved to 5-0 in overtime games since the format was adopted a decade ago.
Kansas won the overtime coin toss and elected to play defense. Nebraska needed three plays to cover the 25 yards, with reserve I-back Cody Glenn rumbling into the end zone from the 1-yard line. Zac Taylor’s 21-yard completion to wide receiver Nate Swift set up the score.
Nebraska, which blew a 17-0 lead, improved to 4-1 in capturing the Big 12 Conference opener for both teams.
Kansas (3-2) outgained Nebraska 574-511 in falling to the Huskers in Lincoln for the 19th straight time. The Jayhawks’ total yards rank sixth all-time against the Huskers.
The Blackshirts missed tackles and committed mental errors.
“Throughout the game, we had trouble with communications,” said Nebraska senior free safety Andrew Shanle, who intercepted two passes in the first quarter.
Nebraska seemed in control when Taylor hit wideout Frantz Hardy with a 75-yard touchdown strike with 4:13 remaining in regulation. Taylor then hit Nate Swift for the two-point conversion, giving NU a 32-25 lead.
Kansas, however, kept coming, as it did all night. The Jayhawks responded to the Huskers’ late score with an 11-play, 81-yard drive capped by Barmann’s 26-yard touchdown pass to Brian Murph, sending the game into the extra period.
Kansas took its first lead, 25-24, with 61/2 minutes remaining on Barmann’s 1-yard scoring strike to tight end Derek Fine, who earlier in the game had dropped two passes in the end zone. Following Fine’s TD, Barmann was sacked as KU went for two.
Barmann, filling in for regular starter Kerry Meier, completed 27 of 54 passes for 405 yards and two touchdowns, with three interceptions. Taylor, meanwhile, was 15-for-33 for 395 yards and four touchdowns.
Taylor was just 6-for-15 in the second half. He threw under pressure much of the time and was sacked twice on the night.
Kansas committed four turnovers, two leading to NU touchdowns. Nebraska had three turnovers, with KU turning two of them into 10 points.
“We had some mistakes early, but so did Nebraska,” Kansas coach Mark Mangino said. “That’s what made it a good game. Both teams made mistakes, and both teams made great plays.”
Nebraska roared out of the gate, building a 14-0 lead thanks to two quick-strike scores. A field goal made it 17-0. Kansas suddenly had to play catch-up, and the Jayhawks did a good job of it.
“I think we took ourselves out of rhythm in the second half,” Callahan said. “We had some turnovers that allowed Kansas to get right back in it.”
Following Taylor’s fumble at the Nebraska 8, Kansas running back Jon Cornish rumbled into the end zone on an option play, pulling Kansas to 24-16 early in the second half. The Jayhawks got to 24-19 on Scott Webb’s 35-yard field goal with 5:47 left in the third quarter.
Trailing 17-7, Barmann tried to run it into the end zone but fumbled the ball to safety Tierre Green.
Nebraska made Kansas pay.
On second-and-8, Taylor rolled right and gunned a 75-yard touchdown to Hardy. Hardy caught the pass at the Kansas 48 and simply outran free safety Sadiq Muhammed to the end zone to push Nebraska’s lead to 24-7.
Kansas kept pecking away. The Jayhawks threatened to score late in the second quarter, but Barmann committed his third turnover of the half, as cornerback Andre Jones intercepted his pass, jumping and snaring the ball from Henry in the corner of the end zone.
Kansas drove 56 yards in 12 plays before settling for a field goal to end the first half, cutting the deficit to 24-10. Webb’s 31-yard boot as time expired came after Fine dropped his second pass in the end zone.
In the end, such mistakes proved costly.
Nebraska, meanwhile, broke from the gate quickly for the second straight week.
On the Huskers’ second play, Taylor rolled to his left and looked downfield. Nunn slipped past freshman cornerback Anthony Webb and caught Taylor’s pass in stride for a 75-yard touchdown.
Nebraska free safety Andrew Shanle intercepted Barmann’s third-down pass on Kansas’ first series. The Huskers, however, failed to convert, as Taylor short-hopped the ball to one open receiver and overthrew another. Taylor entered the game completing 70.8 percent of his passes.
Shanle wasn’t finished. On second-and-10 from the Kansas 1 — following a perfectly placed punt by Dan Titchener — Barmann encountered heavy pressure and lofted a pass over the middle that Shanle snagged and returned it 19 yards to the Jayhawk 6.
Taylor zipped a touchdown strike to wideout Todd Peterson on the next play, as Muhammed lost his footing in the end zone.
Nebraska went up 17-0 on Jordan Congdon’s 21-yard field goal with 23 seconds left in the first quarter. This time, the Huskers did it the hard way, driving 92 yards on 11 plays.
Kansas got on the board on Brandon McAnderson’s 1-yard touchdown plunge, which capped a seven-play, 95-yard drive early in the second quarter to make it 17-7.
“There’s no doubt we can be a better football team,” Callahan said. “We’ll learn from this.”
Reach Steven M. Sipple at 473-7440 or ssipple@journalstar.com.
Unable to land a knockout blow, the 21st-ranked Huskers instead ended up locked in an all-night brawl, finally staving off Kansas 39-32 in overtime before 85,069 spectators at Memorial Stadium. Game photos
Nebraska could exhale only after KU quarterback Adam Barmann’s last pass, on fourth-and-5 at the Husker 9-yard line fell harmlessly to the FieldTurf in the end zone as wideout Marcus Henry slipped while running a fade route.
“I’m proud of the resiliency of our football team,” Nebraska coach Bill Callahan said. “To fight through and win in overtime, it’s terrific.”
The Huskers improved to 5-0 in overtime games since the format was adopted a decade ago.
Kansas won the overtime coin toss and elected to play defense. Nebraska needed three plays to cover the 25 yards, with reserve I-back Cody Glenn rumbling into the end zone from the 1-yard line. Zac Taylor’s 21-yard completion to wide receiver Nate Swift set up the score.
Nebraska, which blew a 17-0 lead, improved to 4-1 in capturing the Big 12 Conference opener for both teams.
Kansas (3-2) outgained Nebraska 574-511 in falling to the Huskers in Lincoln for the 19th straight time. The Jayhawks’ total yards rank sixth all-time against the Huskers.
The Blackshirts missed tackles and committed mental errors.
“Throughout the game, we had trouble with communications,” said Nebraska senior free safety Andrew Shanle, who intercepted two passes in the first quarter.
Nebraska seemed in control when Taylor hit wideout Frantz Hardy with a 75-yard touchdown strike with 4:13 remaining in regulation. Taylor then hit Nate Swift for the two-point conversion, giving NU a 32-25 lead.
Kansas, however, kept coming, as it did all night. The Jayhawks responded to the Huskers’ late score with an 11-play, 81-yard drive capped by Barmann’s 26-yard touchdown pass to Brian Murph, sending the game into the extra period.
Kansas took its first lead, 25-24, with 61/2 minutes remaining on Barmann’s 1-yard scoring strike to tight end Derek Fine, who earlier in the game had dropped two passes in the end zone. Following Fine’s TD, Barmann was sacked as KU went for two.
Barmann, filling in for regular starter Kerry Meier, completed 27 of 54 passes for 405 yards and two touchdowns, with three interceptions. Taylor, meanwhile, was 15-for-33 for 395 yards and four touchdowns.
Taylor was just 6-for-15 in the second half. He threw under pressure much of the time and was sacked twice on the night.
Kansas committed four turnovers, two leading to NU touchdowns. Nebraska had three turnovers, with KU turning two of them into 10 points.
“We had some mistakes early, but so did Nebraska,” Kansas coach Mark Mangino said. “That’s what made it a good game. Both teams made mistakes, and both teams made great plays.”
Nebraska roared out of the gate, building a 14-0 lead thanks to two quick-strike scores. A field goal made it 17-0. Kansas suddenly had to play catch-up, and the Jayhawks did a good job of it.
“I think we took ourselves out of rhythm in the second half,” Callahan said. “We had some turnovers that allowed Kansas to get right back in it.”
Following Taylor’s fumble at the Nebraska 8, Kansas running back Jon Cornish rumbled into the end zone on an option play, pulling Kansas to 24-16 early in the second half. The Jayhawks got to 24-19 on Scott Webb’s 35-yard field goal with 5:47 left in the third quarter.
Trailing 17-7, Barmann tried to run it into the end zone but fumbled the ball to safety Tierre Green.
Nebraska made Kansas pay.
On second-and-8, Taylor rolled right and gunned a 75-yard touchdown to Hardy. Hardy caught the pass at the Kansas 48 and simply outran free safety Sadiq Muhammed to the end zone to push Nebraska’s lead to 24-7.
Kansas kept pecking away. The Jayhawks threatened to score late in the second quarter, but Barmann committed his third turnover of the half, as cornerback Andre Jones intercepted his pass, jumping and snaring the ball from Henry in the corner of the end zone.
Kansas drove 56 yards in 12 plays before settling for a field goal to end the first half, cutting the deficit to 24-10. Webb’s 31-yard boot as time expired came after Fine dropped his second pass in the end zone.
In the end, such mistakes proved costly.
Nebraska, meanwhile, broke from the gate quickly for the second straight week.
On the Huskers’ second play, Taylor rolled to his left and looked downfield. Nunn slipped past freshman cornerback Anthony Webb and caught Taylor’s pass in stride for a 75-yard touchdown.
Nebraska free safety Andrew Shanle intercepted Barmann’s third-down pass on Kansas’ first series. The Huskers, however, failed to convert, as Taylor short-hopped the ball to one open receiver and overthrew another. Taylor entered the game completing 70.8 percent of his passes.
Shanle wasn’t finished. On second-and-10 from the Kansas 1 — following a perfectly placed punt by Dan Titchener — Barmann encountered heavy pressure and lofted a pass over the middle that Shanle snagged and returned it 19 yards to the Jayhawk 6.
Taylor zipped a touchdown strike to wideout Todd Peterson on the next play, as Muhammed lost his footing in the end zone.
Nebraska went up 17-0 on Jordan Congdon’s 21-yard field goal with 23 seconds left in the first quarter. This time, the Huskers did it the hard way, driving 92 yards on 11 plays.
Kansas got on the board on Brandon McAnderson’s 1-yard touchdown plunge, which capped a seven-play, 95-yard drive early in the second quarter to make it 17-7.
“There’s no doubt we can be a better football team,” Callahan said. “We’ll learn from this.”
Reach Steven M. Sipple at 473-7440 or ssipple@journalstar.com.
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