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Texas escapes with win

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By STEVEN M. SIPPLE / Lincoln Journal Star

Sunday, Oct 22, 2006 - 12:20:55 am CDT

Nebraska’s defense repeatedly turned away Texas. Five times Saturday, the Longhorns found themselves deep in Husker territory. Only once did they score a touchdown. Just when Texas would appear ready to seize control, Nebraska would turn away the Longhorns.

In the final moments, however, as wet snow sliced through a stiff north wind, fifth-ranked Texas made a final push. The Longhorns recovered Husker wide receiver Terrence Nunn’s fumble with just more than two minutes left in the game and drove 39 yards to set up sophomore Ryan Bailey’s 22-yard field goal — his first attempt in college.

If you were a Husker fan, it was a lot to bear — some might have had to turn away.

Story Photo
Nebraska's Terrence Nunn fumbles the ball in front of Texas linebacker Drew Kelson with 2:17 left in the fourth quarter of Saturday's game. The Longhorns beat the Huskers 22-20. (Dior Azcuy)

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Bailey’s boot with 23 seconds left gave Texas a 22-20 victory, as Nebraska quarterback Zac Taylor’s desperation heave into the end zone on the final play fell harmlessly to Memorial Stadium’s drenched FieldTurf.

Nebraska quite literally had allowed what would’ve been its biggest win in at least five years to slip from its grasp.

“Not really much to say,” said Husker coach Bill Callahan, whose team dropped to 6-2 overall and 3-1 in the Big 12. “We had an opportunity to close the game. Misfortune occurred, and victory was more or less swept away on that third-down play.”

On third-and-3 from the Nebraska 36-yard line, Taylor completed a short pass to Nunn that would’ve gone for a first down had Nunn not dropped the ball after he was hit by cornerback Aaron Ross. Safety Marcus Griffin recovered.

A first down probably would’ve sealed victory for 17th-ranked Nebraska, as Texas (7-1, 4-0 Big 12) was out of timeouts.

Turns out, Bailey, a walk-on from Austin, Texas, became the most improbable of heroes, his game winner capping a fourth quarter in which the Huskers scored two touchdowns to erase a 16-7 deficit.

Texas, in winning in Lincoln for the fourth straight time, outgained Nebraska 348-340 in total offense. But the Huskers had a 241-184 edge in the second half.

Nebraska ultimately was doomed by a laundry list of mistakes, including a poor kickoff to begin the game, two lost fumbles, two dropped passes and at least three costly penalties.

Texas fumbled five times, losing only one.

“We had our chances,” Taylor said. “We felt like we could’ve beaten those guys.”

Taylor finished 15-for-28 passing for 277 yards and two touchdowns, with one interception. His production through the air compensated for a ground game that produced only 38 yards against a defense that had allowed 47.7 rushing yards per game to rank second nationally.

Texas redshirt freshman quarterback Colt McCoy (25-for-39 for 220 yards) completed 2 of 3 passes for 22 yards and rushed for 3 yards during the Longhorns’ game-winning drive.

“It was like a movie,” McCoy said of the rally. “You can’t script it any better. We didn’t have a lot of things go our way the whole game, missing field goals and some big opportunities to put points on the board. This team never lost heart.”

The temperature hovered in the 30s, and snow flurries occurred early in the game and resumed late. It didn’t do much to quiet a crowd of 85,187 at Memorial Stadium.

“I couldn’t hear anything and I couldn’t see anything,” McCoy said. “The snow was sticking in your eyes. The wind started swirling and the snow was coming down. It was a tough environment.”

Callahan said he was proud of his players in defeat.

“We made a lot of errors,” the coach said. “Nonetheless, we were in it. As a staff, we’re awful proud of those guys.”

Nebraska’s offense generally played poorly in the first half. The Huskers were held to minus 6 yards rushing, and Taylor was 5-for-11 with an interception. Safety Michael Griffin’s pick immediately preceded McCoy’s perfectly thrown 55-yard touchdown pass to wideout Limas Sweed that gave Texas a 16-7 lead four minutes before halftime.

In the final few minutes before the break, Taylor was sacked twice and lost a fumble. Texas seemingly was converging on the quarterback at will, though Callahan and Taylor said no major adjustments were needed.

“We just got a little flustered there for a couple of series,” Taylor said. “Nothing major. We were making mistakes that Texas wasn’t forcing on us. We were just doing it to ourselves.”

Meanwhile, Nebraska’s defense held firm time after time, and the Huskers pulled to 16-14 on Taylor’s shovel pass that I-back Brandon Jackson turned into a 49-yard touchdown on the first play of the fourth quarter.

After Greg Johnson’s 22-yard field goal pushed Texas’ lead to 19-14, Nebraska came back with I-back Marlon Lucky’s 25-yard touchdown pass to wideout Nate Swift, who was wide-open in the end zone. Although the Huskers’ two-point conversion attempt failed, they seemed in control.

Indeed, they were without question in control — until Nunn’s fumble.

“It’s not Terrence’s fault,” Callahan said. “This is a team game. We had opportunities to win that game sooner than that.”

Reach Steven M. Sipple at 473-7440 or ssipple@journalstar.com.


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Husker Fan wrote on October 21, 2006 2:47 pm:
" We did well...that fumble cost us, but overall, we did well. Go Skers! "

 big red wrote on October 21, 2006 3:00 pm:
" Callahan should have called timeout when they got to our ten, rather than wasting them trying to ice a guy. Even a 28 yard field goal is a chipshot. We could've used the extra time to get into FG position rather than throwing Hail Mary's. "

 James wrote on October 21, 2006 3:01 pm:
" Purify needs to be in more plays. He is a big time play maker. He seldom drops the balls, and he is a big time playmaker "

 Lady in Red wrote on October 21, 2006 3:15 pm:
" Wow, what a game! And what a heartbreaker. I'm sure Terrence Nunn is beating himself up about now but hopefully he'll learn from it. That's the mark of a great player. Not to worry Husker fans, this proves we can play with the best of them. And we'll meet Texas in December in K.C. and have another home field advantage and come out the better team that day. Go Big Red! "

 Sarah wrote on October 21, 2006 3:16 pm:
" We'll be back.... We WILL be back!!! Nebraska's on their way to becoming a stellar team once again. "

 Hold on to the Ball for a W wrote on October 21, 2006 3:33 pm:
" 3 Turnovers = 13 UT points. We beat ourselves. Let's treat them to a little revenge in KC. "

 Texas Fan wrote on October 21, 2006 3:49 pm:
" Great game. We got lucky. "

 Tripp wrote on October 21, 2006 4:07 pm:
" We beat ourselves? Hardly. We had every chance to win this one and we couldn't do it. That's called losing, not beating ourselves. UT missed an extra point and two field goals and beat us with a walk-on the final seconds. We also were extremely lucky with a late-game personal foul on Griffin that gave us yet ANOTHER chance. So, when we have the chance to run down the clock and punt to hold Texas deep in their own territory, what do we do? We pass the damned ball and end up fumbling away. Texas has forced more turnovers than any other Div I team this year and we were just plain stupid. We were at home, we were loud, we were stupid at the end and we lost. We flat out got beat by a better team today that gave us every chance to beat them. We didn't come close to beating ourselves. "

 Jason wrote on October 21, 2006 4:21 pm:
" Darn good football game. Nebraska deserves respect, but they can't give up now. Okie St., Mizzou and A&M won't roll over and CU will come in with nothing to lose. But keep doing what you're doing NU and your day will come in Kansas City. "

 wasted time out wrote on October 21, 2006 4:31 pm:
" I agree. Coach should have saved his timeouts and the time of the clock to give us a couple more shots. Oh well. Let's take them in the Big 12 championship game... "

 Erik wrote on October 21, 2006 4:52 pm:
" The Horns are who they thought they were! "

 BeatleRockin wrote on October 21, 2006 5:13 pm:
" The good news is...the Huskers did not play their best and they still almost won. Too many turnovers! It was a heartbreaker. Maybe next year! However, there are still 4 games left and none of them will be easy, but...if they take care of the ball...they may end up in K.C. with a chance at redemption! "

 husker fan wrote on October 21, 2006 5:18 pm:
" I think it was a great game, we probably should have one but I think we played a great game. We cant win them all. We sure are a better team than we were a few years ago. Good job Coach !!! we will get them next time. "

 greg wrote on October 21, 2006 5:47 pm:
" First, ne has 3 games to get into k.c. I don't think i'd buy tickets just yet. Ne was hoping for cold and rain. It came. Texas still won. "

 Rich wrote on October 21, 2006 5:54 pm:
" Who beat who?..the score says Texas, the turnovers say we let Texas win. However, when you look at the stats it says while Texas beat Nebraska, Mother Nature beat Texas. Texas had a total of 78 plays 321 yards to our 57 plays 310 yards. Texas had 1 big play of 55 yards, we had 2 big plays totaling 112 yards (63 yrd td and a 49 yrd pass). Taking out those 2 plays from the Nebraska totals we got a total of 198 yards on 55 plays. How is minusing the 2 big plays that we can only get 198 yards on our home field? Go back and look at USC, Tex Tech and even the Michigan win last year we barely get to 300 total yards. Go back to the 2002 Penn St game we got 328 total offense and there was only one play of over 20 yards from J Lord of 27 yard run. Also, ulike the 2004 Tech game with 5 picks and 2 fumbles, PSU only got 3 picks 2 of them on NU's last 2 possesions. As far as I'm concerned this coaching staff is not playing to win, just not to have another 04 Tech game since this offensive scheme does not work to win the big games. "

 Dennis wrote on October 21, 2006 5:56 pm:
" I agree Nebraska is on the way back to once again be on Top. And we did do well, But yes that fumble cost us the game. Overall I feel we did a great job. "

 Chip wrote on October 21, 2006 6:05 pm:
" CU fan here, keep doing what you're doing and you'll be fine. Gotta watch out for Mizzou, beat them and you'll be in the clear. CU might play you tough, but if you beat Mizzou, you can lose to CU and still go to KC. Lose to both and it gets interesting. "

 Paul Sweeney wrote on October 21, 2006 8:41 pm:
" The NEW Huskers. How to turn a win into a loss. They done the same thing with Texas Tech last year "

 husker in KC wrote on October 21, 2006 9:00 pm:
" I thought the game was played very well. Yes, we gave up some turnovers that cost us the game, but I was very impressed with the coaches opening up the playbook this game (unlike the USC game). Knowing that we are unlikely to beat Texas twice in one season, I am thrilled for the next time around (December 2nd). If the Huskers take care of business like they should between now and Nov. 24th...Nebraska will get another chance at the Longhorns, and now have the confidence that they can play with them...so let's beat them when it really counts, in KC!!! "

 Buck W. wrote on October 21, 2006 9:14 pm:
" I'm sorry, but it is a bit of a choke job. You get the completion and you can't hold on to the ball with the game on the line. I didn't realize LeKevin Smith was wearing No. 83. "

 Craig B wrote on October 21, 2006 9:18 pm:
" Nebraska should of ran the ball on third. If they failed and punted Texas had to go the length of the field to score. It was a bad decision, however he did have the first down and fumble. "

 gba wrote on October 21, 2006 9:36 pm:
" And who exactly does Erik think the Horns think they are?? "

 Footnote wrote on October 21, 2006 9:51 pm:
" Thank goodness, the 'Huskers are on their way back. They played a team that, plainly speaking, is better but still had a chance to win. The 'Horns used turnovers to negate the loss of 7 chip-shot points. No one else in the B-12 North can hang with NU. Rematch in the championship game. "

 Tex wrote on October 21, 2006 10:50 pm:
" Great game. Those trick plays of NB were great. Caught our defense off guard. I am just happy for the Texas field goal kicker from Austin. None of us Texas fans had ever seen him or heard of him before he walked on the field this afternoon with seconds left in the game. Everyone in my home looked at each other and said "Has Mack Brown gone nuts?" He is from Anderson high school in northwest Austin that more known for their losing football program and not for its field goal kicker. Good luck to NB. See you in KC. "

 Jason wrote on October 21, 2006 11:12 pm:
" gba - Erik was making a joke referring to something Arizona Cardinals coach Dennis Greene said when he lost his tempter in a press conference after AZ blew a 20 point lead to Chicago last Monday night. "

 Cali Husker wrote on October 21, 2006 11:22 pm:
" So the Huskers are back b/c the lost at home to a team starting a Redshirt Freshman QB who never played outside the state of Texas. To boot, they missed two short field goals and an extra point....and it was 38 degrees with wind/rain/snow! This game had Nebraska win written all over it, and we couldn't get it done. If we play UT in KC they'll win by 3 touchdowns. "

 Erik wrote on October 21, 2006 11:23 pm:
" gba, it was a reference to Dennis Green's post-game press conference from last week. "

 Husker fan in Idaho wrote on October 22, 2006 2:21 am:
" Wooohooo! two more losses, and hopefully the huskers will come to Boise for the MPC Computers Bowl. Go Huskers. "

 EVS wrote on October 22, 2006 7:05 am:
" Hook em Horns "

 Husker in Kansas wrote on October 22, 2006 8:13 am:
" Great game.... enough said. "

 dave wrote on October 22, 2006 8:55 am:
" It evens out. We won over Pitt and Iowa State prior to this year, and Kansas this year and everyone seemed to accept it. Buck up and accept the loss. Celebrate if we ever beat a ranked team again and accept the fact that BC hasn't beat one yet. "

 kilpatrick wrote on October 22, 2006 9:06 am:
" Nebraska was lucky it wasn't worse and they have to go to Austin next year. Texas will be even better in 2007. Can Nebraska keep up . It's doubtful. "

 hooch in Albuquerque wrote on October 22, 2006 9:10 am:
" The "Great Husker Nation" can be proud of the "team". All that was needed for Victory was 1 first down and it just wasn't meant to be. I guess if the run isn't working just keep pushing.....don't try something different. At least we weren't out coached as we were at USC. Be proud of the "team". When we couldn't feild a punt for three tries it took a little long to get someone in who would. I was born Husker Red, bleed Husher Red and will Die "Husker Red". Good job "Team" now lets go out and show we have what it takes. We will get sweet redemption in K.C. "

 Robert Wiles wrote on October 22, 2006 9:54 am:
" congrats Texas, you gravy suckin' pigs! "

 Husker in Big D wrote on October 22, 2006 9:58 am:
" I think we surprised a lot of folks who thought the paddy cake schedule had us ranked way too high. I think everyone - both here and there - would love a rematch in KC. I know that ESPN is saying that all we need do is beat MO to get there but this ole boy thinks we need beware of both road games South. Both OSU and A&M are killers at home. I also figure coach needs an 8-4 to keep his job and I have mixed emotions about that. "

 Daddy Mac wrote on October 22, 2006 10:35 am:
" The Eyes of Texas. Enough Said. "

 Husker in Big D wrote on October 22, 2006 11:55 am:
" I'd like to thank Mack Brown for his gracious comments about the Huskers leading up to the game and afterward. I think I can say that most football fans down here in Texas are rooting for the Nebraska program to be back where it used to be. It would good for the Big 12 and good for college football. On a less serious note, I'd also like to thank those "husker fans" out there who never miss a chance to point out that the program is not back to the Osborne-level yet. Gee thanks, if it wasn't for your brilliant observations, I'd have thought we were on a string of 10 undefeated BCS-champion seasons in a row. "

 Susana Montana wrote on October 22, 2006 12:15 pm:
" Wow, was that a fun one to watch! Hook the 'Horns in December, Huskers! Paybacks can be a bee yatch. "

 Tom wrote on October 22, 2006 12:42 pm:
" Good game! "

 JohnHenry wrote on October 22, 2006 12:49 pm:
" The Huskers are a good team with classy fans, and the only reason I have for not wishing them all the best for the remainder of the season is that I don't want the 'Horns to have to play them again for the Big 12 championship. Great game. "

 Mizzouri Husker wrote on October 22, 2006 12:53 pm:
" A good defensive performance from the Husker. However, we stil can't put a complete game together. Our offense was consistent but our receivers can't catch and our special teams was terrible. Funny, our receivers were the special teams players who now need some special attention. "

 SexyTexy wrote on October 22, 2006 1:27 pm:
" We own the state and the shabby old stadium. Henceforth, it shall be known as Darrell K. Royal Stadium North. "

 Gary B wrote on October 22, 2006 5:53 pm:
" This is absolutely hilarious, Nebraska is 6-2 with it's only losses coming to top 5 teams, and suddenly the program is falling apart? Get a grip people, Nebraska is not that bad, and Texas and USC are just that good. Nebraska still has a chance to play Texas again, and if Nebraska fans start buying their Big XII championship tickets now, we can put a sea of red into Arrowhead Stadium. "

 Former Nebraskan in Austin wrote on October 22, 2006 5:53 pm:
" Great game Huskers, almost (read ALMOST) reminds me of the glory days of the Huskers when they were always a powerhouse. I'm just glad I now live in Austin where it was sunny and 72 today following the COLD looking weather at Memorial Stadium... The Huskers may once again be the dominant team in the Big 8 (12) that they used to be but Austin will STILL be a far better place to live than anywhere in Nebraska... HOOK 'EM "

 Ann Richards wrote on October 22, 2006 9:20 pm:
" There is a new and permanent monster in the Big 12 and it's called Texas! This is proof that the critics were correct all along. Nebraska had a weak schedule until the Big 8 became the Big 12. Welcome to the real world. "

 MiamiHusker wrote on October 22, 2006 9:25 pm:
" Only the end of the season will define the accomplishments of this Husker team. I'm not sold on Callahan and his staff. When the offense relies on big plays to score it is plainly obvious that there is no ability to control the ball nor the clock. Remove the 3 long plays(also the 3 scores) and they accomplished nothing. Cheers to the defense for playing well. "

 Greg wrote on October 22, 2006 9:46 pm:
" So many miscues by both teams. Texas left a lot of points on the field and almost beat themselves. Nebraska played great, but there just wasn't enough there. "

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