NCAA Football Recap (Ala Birmingham-Nebraska)
Posted: Sat September 5, 1998 at 6:39 p.m. EDT
Nebraska, starting a new quarterback for the second
time in as many weeks, did not miss a beat behind redshirt
freshman Eric Crouch in a 38-7 victory over Alabama-Birmingham.
Crouch was subbing for Bobby Newcombe, who was kept out of
action after sustaining a slight tear of the posterior cruciate
ligament in his left knee in last weekend's win over Louisiana
Tech.
Newcombe is expected back for next week's game at California,
but Crouch was as good as he needed to be for the Cornhuskers
(2-0) against the overmatched Blazers, who were opening their
season.
Crouch completed 11-of-17 passes for 127 yards and added 69
yards on seven carries. Correll Buckhalter added 96 yards on 19
carries as Nebraska extended the nation's longest Division I
winning streak to 16 games and posted its 44th straight home
win, fifth-best all-time.
"At the quarterback spot, I have nothing but praise for Eric
Crouch," Nebraska coach Frank Solich said. "We have had two
great performances by different quarterbacks and that makes us a
team that will be a dangerous team to contend with at the
quarterback position. It's obvious we have some depth there."
Crouch took little credit for his performance.
"The coaches did an excellent job of preparing me for this
game," he said. "During the first series the offense was a
little flat, but we showed more initiative during the second
series.
"I've been visualizing playing in this type of situation for the
last two years and I just tried to do a good job when my turn
came around. Today's game was a big adrenaline rush rush for me
and I'll be ready of I ever need to take over again."
Buckhalter, who bruised his elbow, is also seeing extended time
as an injury replacement. He started once again as DeAngelo
Evans recovers from arthroscopic knee surgery. Evans will miss
at least one more game.
Nebraska was in control, with three scoring drives of at least
12 plays and 70 yards. The Cornhuskers held a 444-210 advantage
in total offense, with an unusually balanced attack that
featured 236 yards rushing and 208 through the air.
"Offensively, we struggled a little bit at times but we were
able to move the ball well enough through the air that it gave
us somewhat of a balanced attack," Solich said.
Fullback Joel Makovicka's three-yard burst was the only
touchdown of the opening quarter and Crouch made it 14-0 with a
15-yard scoring pass on 4th-and-1 to tight end Sheldon Jackson
3:33 into the second period.
UAB posted its only score to move within 14-7 as Ortavious Miles
ran in from two yards with 3:41 left in the first half, but
Crouch countered with an 11-yard scoring run nine seconds before
the intermission as Nebraska took a 21-7 edge into the locker
room.
Kris Brown tacked on a 27-yard field goal with just over 10
minutes left in the game and Crouch rumbled 59 yards for a TD
with 5:47 remaining to increase the lead to 31-7.
"It was never a goal for me when I arrived here," said Brown.
"It will probably mean more to me when I get older, but I
haven't done it all by myself. I share this record with the
guys on the field and extra-point teams."
Brown's field goal made him Nebraska's all-time leading scorer,
surpassing the record of 312 by 1983 Heisman Trophy winner Mike
Rozier.
Crouch sat out most of the scoreless third quarter -- Nebraska
had scored in 14 straight periods -- and a good chunk of the
fourth with leg cramps, giving Monte Christo some experience
under center. Christo took advantage by hitting freshman tight
end Tracey Wistrom for a 63-yard scoring strike with just over
two minutes left.
"I was just running an option when somebody stepped on my leg
and made my leg start having cramps," Crouch explained. "I just
went to the training room and kept a positive outlook. I told
myself that I needed to get back on the field."
Wistrom is the younger brother of former Nebraska defensive end
Grant Wistrom, a first-round draft choice in 1998 by the St.
Louis Rams.
"All you can ask for as a coach is that your players play hard,"
said UAB coach Watson Brown. "They tried to execute a game plan
that we had, but we ran out of gas. About midway through that
fourth quarter we lost our composure a little bit and started
making mistakes that we hadn't made in the first 2 1/2 quarters.
"We just weren't good enough."
© 1998 Sportsticker Enterprises, LP
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