|
|
 |
 |   |
|
EVENTS Fantasy Central Inside Game Video Plus Statitudes Your Turn Message Boards Email Newsletters Golf Guide Cities 
CNNSI.com GROUP
COMMERCE | |
LINCOLN, Nebraska (Ticker) -- When it appeared that Nebraska could suffer a case of deja vu, the second-ranked Cornhuskers decided to get back to basics. Trailing at halftime for the first time this season, Nebraska turned the momentum with a seven-minute drive on its first possession of the third quarter and pulled away for a 31-21 Big 12 Conference victory over Kansas State. Dahrran Diedrick rushed for 108 yards and Eric Crouch gained 106 for Nebraska (11-0, 7-0 Big 12 North), which posted its 13th straight win and avenged a 29-28 loss to Kansas State in a snowstorm last season in Manhattan. "It wasn't pretty, but that is part of football," Crouch said. "You are going to get stopped once in a while and you have to make adjustments. It's just part of the game. We did exactly that." "Being down at halftime was a little discouraging," Nebraska coach Frank Solich added. "They were quiet in the locker room. They did not feel good about the fact that they did not have the lead." The Wildcats were the last team to beat Nebraska. Last year's win knocked the Cornhuskers out of the Big 12 championship game. "When someone runs close to eight minutes of the clock and gets points off it, then it has a little bit of an impact," Kansas State coach Bill Snyder said of the Cornhuskers' drive at the start of the third quarter. Nebraska, which also stretched the nation's longest homefield winning streak to 21 games, remained one game ahead of Colorado in the Big 12 North. The two teams will play for the division title and a berth in the Big 12 championship game in Boulder the day after Thanksgiving. Kansas State (4-5, 2-5) scored two touchdowns in the final three minutes of the second quarter to erase a 13-point deficit and grab a 14-13 halftime lead. But the Corhuskers took the second-half kickoff and marched 77 yards in 15 plays to take the lead for good on Diedrick's two-yard TD run. Diedrick's conversion run gave Nebraska a 21-14 lead with 7:41 remaining in the quarter. Just under three minutes later, DeJuan Groce scored on a 60-yard punt return to give Nebraska a 28-14 lead. Cornerback Willie Amos' 50-yard interception return set up Josh Brown's 28-yard field goal that made it 31-14 just 26 seconds into the final period. "I was real encouraged to see the fight and drive and the energy that we had in the second half," Solich said. "I think the opening drive was pretty key for us." Kansas State made it close on Joe Hall's one-yard TD run with 5:22 to play. Nebraska was sluggish early, but Kansas State failed to take advantage of a pair of early turnovers and the Cornhuskers grabbed a 7-0 lead on Crouch's 14-yard TD run 5:54 into the second period. Nebraska needed just 22 seconds to extend the lead as Amos returned an interception 20 yards to make it 13-0. Brown missed the extra point. "The first quarter was pretty costly and the third quarter was pretty costly," Snyder said. "We just couldn't get started. We got beat by a tremendous football team." Crouch passed for just 60 yards, but Nebraska wore down Kansas State by rushing for 264 yards. "It was rough going at the beginning of the game, but we found a way to run the ball pretty good up the middle," Diedrick added. "The fullbacks were making great blocks, and like every week, the offensive line was creating creases for us to run through." Kansas State got some life when Terence Newman blocked Kyle Larson's punt, resulting in a first down at the Nebraska 8. The Wildcats got on the board on Ell Roberson's five-yard TD run with 2:57 left in the half. After forcing Nebraska to punt, the Wildcats drove 65 yards in five plays, taking a 14-13 lead on Roberson's 32-yard TD pass to Aaron Lockett with six seconds left in the half. It was the only completion for Roberson, who was 1-of-11 before giving way to Marc Dunn, who was 3-of-7 for 51 yards and interception. Roberson rushed for 119 yards on 16 carries. Kansas State has not won in Lincoln since 1968 and dropped to 2-21 against top-10 teams under Snyder.
|
