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LINCOLN, Nebraska (Ticker) -- Eric Crouch ran past Iowa State, Mike Rozier and into the NCAA record books. Crouch broke the school record and NCAA quarterback mark for rushing touchdowns as fourth-ranked Nebraska overpowered Iowa State, 48-14, in a Big 12 Conference contest. "I think everyone had the mentality that we were going to go out there against a pretty good defense and put points on the board, and that's what we did," Crouch said. A senior option quarterback, Crouch carried 15 times for 104 yards and four touchdowns, all in slightly more than a quarter. He scored on runs of one, four, 25 and one yards, giving the Cornhuskers (6-0, 2-0 Big 12 North) a 41-0 halftime lead. "Some games, I just see the end zone more than others," Crouch said. "I'm just glad I got there and was able to put some points on the board." "I thought he had another great ballgame," Nebraska coach Frank Solich said. "When you look at how he ran the ball in the first half, that was critical to us in terms of keeping drives alive and keeping the game moving. We used him as an I-back pretty much throughout the course of the first half." Crouch's 25-yard TD scamper with 2:38 left in the first half moved him past Heisman Trophy winner Rozier with his 50th career rushing touchdown. A leading candidate for the Heisman, Crouch also overtook Kareem Wilson of Ohio, who ran for 50 touchdowns from 1995-98. "Eric Crouch is as good as there is in college football," Iowa State coach Dan McCarney said. "He is a legitimate Heisman candidate. He is as good as I have ever coached against. As a competitor, as a quarterback, he's as good as there is." Crouch also completed 10-of-14 passes for 110 yards. "Eric is the real deal," Iowa State defensive end Kevin DeRonde said. Dahrran Diedrick rushed for 107 yards and a touchdown and Keyuo Craver returned an interception 57 yards for a score for the Huskers, who beat the Cyclones (3-1, 1-1) for the ninth straight time. Iowa State came in unbeaten with two shutouts and a six-game winning streak dating to last season, its longest in 40 years. But it was no match for Nebraska and got nothing going on offense after averaging 39 points in its first three games. Although Nebraska's offense was overwhelming, it was the defense that got things started. On the fifth play of the game, Craver picked off Seneca Wallace's pass and returned it for a score. Craver returned two blocked field goals for TDs last season. Diedrick's two-yard TD run capped a 49-yard drive and made it 14-0 with 8:49 left in the first quarter before Crouch took over, scoring on four straight possessions. "We came out and established our power game and ran the ball when we needed to," Crouch said. "I think the offense was almost unstoppable in the first half." After cornerback DeJuan Groce's nine-yard interception return, Nebraska scored in four plays and 98 seconds as Crouch took it in from the 1 for a 20-0 lead with 1:20 left in the period. Crouch capped an 87-yard drive with a four-yard TD run and a 92-yard march with his record-setting touchdown just over seven minutes later. In the final minute of the half, Troy Hassebroek blocked a punt that was returned to the Cyclones 10 by the Huskers. Crouch scored from the 1 four plays later, making it 41-0. "I thought it was as complete a first half as we've played, in terms of offense, defense and special teams," Solich said. "I thought both sides of the ball and special teams executed very well in the first half." "It was a complete domination by Nebraska in the first half," McCarney said. "We didn't block. We didn't tackle. We didn't do anything on special teams. We didn't do a good job of coaching. They were all over us." Wallace had a 17-yard TD run and a 13-yard scoring toss to Lance Young in the third quarter. Reserve Robin Miller had a one-yard TD run for Nebraska in the fourth quarter. Wallace was 13-of-29 for 214 yards and added 43 yards on 14 carries for Iowa State, which was outgained, 476-336.
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