Nebraska Grinds Out Place in Orange Bowl : College football: Cornhuskers rally from 14-3 halftime deficit to defeat Oklahoma, 19-14, and become Big Eight representative.
LINCOLN, Neb. — Nebraska can win a big game.
Freshman Calvin Jones ran 15 yards for a touchdown with 2:57 left, lifting the No. 11-ranked Cornhuskers to a 19-14 victory over No. 19 Oklahoma Friday and into the Orange Bowl on New Year’s Day as the Big Eight representative against No. 1 Miami.
“We got done what we needed to,†Nebraska Coach Tom Osborne said. “I’m proud of them. This is probably the most enjoyable team I’ve coached. This is a team that pulled together. If they didn’t have that attitude, we wouldn’t win a game like this.â€
The Cornhuskers, who hadn’t defeated a top-20 team since beating No. 19 Colorado in 1988, battled back from a 14-3 halftime deficit with its grind-it-out offense. Nebraska had 159 yards rushing in the second half against the nation’s fifth-best rushing defense. Oklahoma had given up an average of 89 yards a game in its previous 10 games this season.
“The thing that impressed me most was when our guys got the ball and stuffed it on them,†Nebraska defensive coordinator Charlie McBride said. “(The Sooners) haven’t had anybody do that to them in a couple of years. They got it stuffed on them, and it wasn’t fancy, either.â€
Oklahoma Coach Gary Gibbs said: “They surprised me with how they controlled the football against our defense the second half. They drove 80 yards for the winning touchdown against what we consider a fine Oklahoma defense.â€
The victory gave Osborne his 19th consecutive nine-victory season (9-1-1) and earned the Cornhuskers a share of the Big Eight title with No. 15 Colorado at 6-0-1. The Orange Bowl will take Nebraska on the basis of its higher national ranking.
Colorado will play No. 8 Alabama in the Blockbuster Bowl on Dec. 28, and Oklahoma (8-3 overall, 5-2 in the Big Eight) will face No. 20 Virginia in the Gator Bowl on Dec. 29.
This was the 22nd time in the last 28 meetings between Oklahoma and Nebraska that the winner came from behind. After a mistake-plagued first half, the Cornhuskers’ rushing attack, ranked No. 1 nationally, took charge.
With Derek Brown carrying eight times for 42 yards, Nebraska drove 70 yards in 10 plays to open the third quarter, quarterback Keithen McCant scrambling the final five yards for the score.
Nebraska tight end Johnny Mitchell, who set a school tight-end record with seven catches for 137 yards, made a 28-yard reception against double coverage to set up a 33-yard field goal by Byron Bennett, making it 14-13 with 12:20 left.
On the next possession, Osborne passed up a potential 36-yard field goal attempt and went for fourth and one at the Sooners’ 19-yard line. Jones, a freshman, gained four yards, going over the 100-yard mark for the day, which made him the first 100-yard rusher against Oklahoma in 13 games. Jones, who finished with 118 yards, then broke through the Sooners’ defense to score on the next play.
“The odds of making the first down were a little better than kicking the field goal,†Osborne said. “And if we made it, we could run some time off the clock and maybe score a touchdown. If it didn’t work, we knew we’d be very unpopular people in Nebraska.â€
The victory wiped out a near-disastrous start. Nebraska, which had one turnover in its previous four games, lost two fumbles and had a pass intercepted in the first 12 minutes of the game, which was played in a steady, freezing rain.
Mike Gaddis made it 14-0 when he capped a 12-play drive with a one-yard plunge 2:30 into the second quarter.
Go beyond the scoreboard
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