Huskers escape Wake Forest with win
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By BRIAN CHRISTOPHERSON / Lincoln Journal Star
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — The word that kept coming up was fight. A few players called it a good fight. Another called it an alleyway fight.
Husker offensive coordinator Shawn Watson said quarterback Sam Keller had to “fight his tail end off.”
On a 90-plus-degree Saturday, the Huskers had just enough fight to stay undefeated.
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The 20-17 victory against Wake Forest at Groves Stadium wasn’t clinched until the final two minutes, and even then the home fans protested.
After Wake Forest’s last chance hit the turf on a fourth-down incomplete pass, they booed loudly, sure that Nebraska’s Cortney Grixby had committed pass interference on the play while defending Kenny Moore.
Wake Forest coach Jim Grobe screamed and waved his hands like a traffic cop, but no flags came out, and, finally, the Huskers could celebrate.
“I really preached to our players to stay in there, keep fighting, keep swinging, keep punching,” Husker coach Bill Callahan said. “Because that’s the main thing, how you respond to adverse situations on the road.”
Adverse situations? Yeah, the Huskers made acquaintance with a few of those Saturday.
The biggest adversity came with 7:33 left. Keller faced a rush, and the ball came lose, falling into the hands of Wake Forest defensive tackle John Russell at the NU 10-yard line.
The stadium shook, and then, suddenly, it was silent.
Three plays later, Wake Forest quarterback Brett Hodges double-pumped, then lofted a pass for Chip Brinkman in the corner of the end zone.
Bad decision. The ball floated right to NU cornerback Zackary Bowman, who took a knee for a touchback with 6:05 remaining.
“It was right to me,” Bowman said. “I just caught it.”
The No. 16 Huskers needed such plays, considering Wake Forest’s defense made running the ball a painstaking process.
Last week, the Huskers ran for 413 yards against Nevada. Saturday, Marlon Lucky continually met walls dressed in black.
He had a respectable 90 yards on 24 carries by game’s end, but Lucky knew it had not come without a serious struggle.
“They played a helluva game,” Lucky said. “Give them credit.”
If you really want to give someone credit, give it to Moore, the Demon Deacons receiver who made Nebraska’s defense look lead-footed at various times during the game.
Using end-around handoffs to its receivers, Wake Forest several times hit the Blackshirts for big plays.
Moore racked up 116 yards on eight carries. On one third-quarter play, he took a handoff and twisted and turned through Nebraska’s defense, finally tackled after 38 yards.
Three plays later, he scored from the 5 on third down. That gave Wake Forest a 17-13 lead less than five minutes into the second half.
But Nebraska was not without answers. Though running the ball proved difficult, the Huskers did find some success through the air.
Despite three miscues by Keller — a first-quarter fumble and two interceptions — the senior got himself together to lead Nebraska on an 80-yard drive to end the first half and give the Huskers a 13-10 lead.
He was 8-of-11 on the drive. All 80 yards came through the air.
“It really lifted the team up going into the half,” Callahan said. “We really felt we had them on the ropes right there.
“We felt we had them out of condition there for a moment. I thought they were dragging. I thought we had a chance to come out in the third quarter and put them away.”
Keller finished 24-for-41 for 258 yards and a touchdown, and despite his three turnovers, he said his play was an improvement from last week.
“I felt more comfortable, felt like I made some good throws,” Keller said. “It’s definitely a better defense. They were a tough, tough defense, one of the more tough defenses the way they played today than I’ve ever faced. It’s a good win. I feel good.”
The win was in doubt until the very end. Nebraska tried to clinch the game for going for it on fourth-and-2 at the Wake Forest 35 with 1:54 left.
“(Defensive coordinator Kevin Cosgrove) felt very confident that he could defend the 65-yard field, so we went for it and tried to close the game right there,” Callahan said.
Lucky was stuffed on the play. Nothing was easy on this day.
Yes, Keller said, against No. 1 Southern California next week, the Huskers will have to be better. Still, he wasn’t about to apologize for a road win against the defending ACC champions.
“You had to fight for this one,” Keller said. “That’s what you play quarterback for. If you don’t like it, then you shouldn’t play.”
Reach Brian Christopherson at 473-7439 or bchristopherson@journalstar.com.
