Oregon State No Pushover in Loss to Nebraska

LINCOLN, Neb. —  “So much for 51-point favorites,” Nebraska Coach Tom Osborne said.

The Cornhuskers, 51 1/2-point favorites, struggled with penalties and fumbles as much as with the opposition Saturday in beating Oregon State, 31-7. Nebraska trailed, 7-3, at halftime against a team that is 0-5 and ranks last in scoring defense in the Pacific 10 Conference.

“I told them they were on the verge of the biggest embarrassment the school has ever had and maybe the biggest upset of the year,” Osborne said in recalling his halftime speech to the nation’s eighth-ranked team. “I guess I’m mildly disappointed. I thought we could have played better.”

Leodis Flowers ran for 151 yards, set up one touchdown and scored another in the second half, to pace Nebraska’s resurgence.

Osborne said part of the problem was an Oregon State defensive alignment he hadn’t expected. “We worked against other stuff. They gave us something we hadn’t seen and it took us a quarter and one half to get adjusted. I just didn’t do a good job,” said Osborne, who also is the team’s offensive coordinator.

Nebraska found itself trailing at halftime after the Beavers’ Kenyon Branscomb recovered a punt fumbled by Nebraska’s Steve Carmer at the Cornhusker 18 in the first quarter. Oregon State quarterback Matt Booher hit Dwayne Owens in the end zone three plays later for a touchdown.

Nebraska’s offense struggled for 123 rushing yards in the first half and picked up only eight in the air on one completion in eight attempts. Gregg Barrios provided the Cornhuskers’ only points with a 22-yard field goal in the first quarter. He missed a 49-yarder as time ran out in the half.

Oregon State Coach Dave Kragthorpe said: “I thought our defense played very well, holding them to 10 points in three quarters.”

For a half, an Oregon State defense that ranked last in the Pac-10 in points allowed was able to stop a Nebraska offense that averaged 43 points and 368 rushing yards a game.

But that changed in the third quarter. On the second play of the period, Flowers ran 66 yards to the Oregon State five. Scott Baldwin scored on a one-yard run to put Nebraska ahead, 10-7. Nebraska ran for 203 yards in the quarter but had no more points to show for it.

“It certainly wasn’t a masterpiece, but we hung in there and played better as the game went along,” Osborne said.