Huskers Set to Battle Buffs in Boulder

Nebraska (6-4, 3-4)
vs.
Colorado (7-3, 5-2)
Friday, Nov. 25, 2:37 p.m. 
Boulder, Colo.
Folsom Field (Grass, 53,750)
TV: ABC (National)
Mike Tirico, Tim Brant, Suzy Shuster
Nebraska Radio: 55-Station Pinnacle Sports Network
Jim Rose, Adrian Fiala, Randy Lee, Matt Davison
Internet Audio/Live Stats (Free): Huskers.com
Satellite Radio: Sirius Channel 131
National Radio: Westwood One
John Castleberry, Shea Walker

Nebraska, Colorado Continue Thanksgiving Tradition
Nebraska completes its regular season on Friday, Nov. 25 traveling to Boulder, Colo., to take on Big 12 North leader Colorado. The matchup will be played before a packed house at CU’s Folsom Field, and will be televised to a national audience on ABC Sports. Kickoff for the game is set for 2:37 p.m. CST.

The Huskers enter the game hoping to improve their position for postseason bowl action. Nebraska is 6-4 overall and 3-4 in Big 12 Conference play, following a 27-25 victory over Kansas State on Nov. 12 in Lincoln. The win over the Wildcats assured Nebraska of its 36th bowl appearance in the last 37 seasons.

Nebraska hopes to play the spoiler’s role against the Buffs. Colorado enters the game with a 7-3 overall record, including a 5-2 mark in Big 12 Conference play and a Buff victory will send CU to Houston for the Big 12 Championship Game against Texas. A win would also give the Buffs their fourth Big 12 North title in the past five seasons.

This year’s NU-Colorado game marks the 10th straight season the two schools have met on the Friday after Thanksgiving on ABC. Nebraska will be playing on the Friday after Thanksgiving for the 16th straight year dating back to the 1990 season. The Huskers will look to continue the recent success of the road team in the NU-Buff matchup. The visitor has won the past three meetings in the series, including a 31-22 NU win in Boulder in 2003.

Huskers Secure Bowl Bid with Hard-Fought Victory over Kansas State
True freshman Jordan Congdon’s 40-yard field goal with 1:05 remaining gave Nebraska a come-from-behind 27-25 victory over Kansas State at Memorial Stadium on Senior Day. Congdon’s second field goal of the game helped Nebraska (6-4, 3-4 Big 12) snap a three-game losing streak and make the Huskers bowl eligible for the 36th time in the last 37 seasons.

Trailing 25-24 with 4:18 remaining, true freshman quarterback Harrison Beck guided the Huskers on a 55-yard scoring drive to set up Congdon’s kick. Beck, who was making his Nebraska debut in relief of the injured starting quarterback Zac Taylor, rifled a 21-yard completion to the KSU 46-yard line while a 15-yard roughing the passer call moved the ball to the KSU 31. The Huskers ran three straight plays to set up Congdon’s attempt, which sailed through the uprights for his school freshman record 15th field goal of the season and a two-point Husker win. Kansas State had one final opportunity, but the Blackshirts held firm, holding the Wildcats to one first down, sending the NCAA-record 275th consecutive sellout crowd of 77,761 into a frenzy.

Kansas State jumped to a 6-0 lead midway through the first quarter after a Nebraska fumble deep in its own territory. The lead was kept at six points when freshman defensive end Zach Potter blocked the Wildcat extra point. Nebraska responded after the KSU score, driving 80 yards on 13 plays, capped by a one-yard run by I-back Cory Ross. K-State regained the lead on its next possession, going 75 yards on eight plays, culminating in Victor Mann’s two-yard scoring run to make it 12-7.

The rest of the first half was all Nebraska, as the Huskers scored 10 straight points to take a halftime advantage. After KSU’s second touchdown, the Huskers whittled the lead to 12-10 after Congdon’s 38-yard field goal capped a 60-yard drive. Taylor accounted for 59 yards on the scoring drive, including a 16-yard scamper and a key 15-yard completion to Nunn that put the ball into Wildcat territory.

The Husker defense forced three-and-outs on KSU’s next two possessions and the NU offense responded, as Taylor found freshman Nate Swift with a 19-yard touchdown pass in the corner of the KSU end zone with 2:02 left in the half. Nebraska continued its momentum early in the second half, driving 80 yards in 1:34 ending with Taylor’s 34-yard touchdown pass to Swift to take a 24-12 lead. Swift’s catch was his second touchdown of the day and his fifth of the season. The redshirt freshman finished the game with 109 yards on seven catches.

After falling behind by 12 points, Kansas State refused to quit. The Wildcat defense forced a Taylor fumble, and recovered it on the NU 11, to set up Allan Evridge’s second scoring run of the day, bringing the Wildcats within six at 24-18. On the kickoff, Husker Marlon Lucky was tackled at the two-yard line, and the Wildcats responded by recording a safety on the first play of NU’s drive cutting the lead to 24-20.

The Wildcats were driving for the go-ahead score when linebacker Corey McKeon intercepted Evridge’s pass on the three-yard line. However, On Nebraska’s second play, Reggie Walker tackled Ross in the end zone for KSU’s second safety of the day, bringing the Wildcats within two at 24-22. The defenses then took over the game until late in the fourth quarter, when Beck was intercepted by KSU defensive back Bryan Baldwin, who returned it 36 yards to the NU 9. Nebraska came up with a defensive stop and the Wildcats were forced to settle for a 27-yard field goal by Jeff Snodgrass to give KSU a 25-24 lead with 4:18 remaining in the game. That score set up NU’s game-winning drive.

Taylor finished the day 21-of-31 passing for 220 yards and a pair touchdowns before leaving the game with an injury. On his second touchdown pass of the day, Taylor became Nebraska’s single-season passing leader, snapping the previous record set by Dave Humm with 2,074 yards in 1972. Meanwhile the Huskers harrassed Kansas State into just 6-of-30 completions for 103 yards, including a 5-for-27 effort by Evridge.

Noting Game 10...Nebraska 27, Kansas State 25

• The victory snapped a three-game losing streak against Kansas State, and improved the Huskers to 41-8 all-time against Kansas State in Lincoln and 73-15-2 all-time against the Wildcats.
• Nebraska junior quarterback Zac Taylor passed for 220 yards, giving him 2,094 passing yards on the season, setting a Nebraska single-season passing record. Taylor surpassed the 33-year-old record of 2,074 yards passing, set by Dave Humm in 1972. Taylor’s 2,000-yard passing season is the fifth in Nebraska school history.
• Nebraska freshman place-kicker Jordan Congdon’s game-winning 40-yard field goal with 1:05 left, marked his ninth straight made field goal. The field goal was Congdon’s 15th of the season, a new Nebraska freshman record, breaking the previous record of 14 held by David Dyches (2003) and Josh Brown (1999). Congdon is three field goals shy of the Nebraska season field goal record of 18, set by Kris Brown in 1997.
• Nebraska redshirt freshman wide receiver Nate Swift caught seven passes for 109 yards. Swift’s seven catches upped his season receptions total to 38, moving him into a tie for fifth on the Nebraska single-season receptions list with Bob Revelle (1972). Swift’s 38 receptions are a Nebraska freshman record, and the most receptions by a Husker since Irving Fryar had 40 catches in 1983. Swift has three 100-yard receiving efforts in his last four contests.
• Nebraska senior I-back Cory Ross caught two passes, giving him 31 receptions this season, the second-most ever by a Nebraska running back. Ross, Swift and Terrence Nunn have all topped 30 catches, marking the first time Nebraska has had three players with 30 receptions or more in school history.
• Ross rushed for 69 yards, pushing his career rushing total to 2,569 yards, moving past Correll Buckhalter (2,522) into 11th place on the Nebraska career rushing list. He is four yards from cracking the top 10.
• Nebraska senior punter Sam Koch punted six times, averaging 42.5 yards per punt. Koch netted 43 yards on each of his first-quarter punts, both of which went into a south wind of more than 25 miles per hour. He pinned the Wildcats inside their own 20-yard line three times, and has now placed 28 of his 58 punts (48 percent) inside the opponents’ 20-yard line this season.
• Nebraska freshman defensive end Zach Potter blocked a Kansas State extra-point attempt in the first quarter. Potter also had a hand in a blocked field goal in the third quarter that was credited to Barry Turner. Potter’s blocked kick was his second of the season. He also blocked a field goal against Pitt. It was also Turner’s second blocked kick of the season, after also blocking a field goal against Oklahoma. The blocked kicks are Nebraska’s sixth and seventh of the season. The Huskers have blocked five field goals (Potter, Adam Ickes vs. Pitt; Ickes vs. Texas Tech; Turner vs. Oklahoma, Kansas State), one PAT (Potter, Kansas State) and one punt (Daniel Bullocks vs. Missouri).
• Nebraska sophomore linebacker Corey McKeon intercepted his team-leading third pass of the season in the third quarter. McKeon also finished the game with eight tackles, pushing his team-leading tackle total to 85. McKeon had two tackles for loss, pushing his team-leading total to 19, the second-highest total ever by a Nebraska linebacker, trailing only the linebacker record 21 TFL by Demorrio Williams in 2003.
• Nebraska sophomore linebacker Bo Ruud recorded a career-high 15 tackles, including a career-best five tackles for loss. The five TFL ties the Nebraska linebacker position record for tackles for loss in a game.
• Nebraska junior defensive end Adam Carriker recorded a six-yard sack in the third quarter, his team-leading ninth sack of the season. Carriker finished with three total tackles for loss, along with four quarterback hurries.
• Nebraska freshman defensive end Barry Turner recorded a nine-yard sack in the second quarter, marking his sixth sack of the season, a Nebraska record for freshmen.
• Nebraska with two sacks, pushing its season sack total to 42, the eighth-most in school history.
• Nebraska senior defensive tackle Titus Adams had a career-high 12 tackles. His 12 tackles bettered his previous high of 11 tackles in the previous game at Kansas.
• Nebraska sophomore wideout Terrence Nunn caught five passes for 44 yards. Nunn has 35 receptions and is just three catches shy of moving into the Nebraska top 10 for most receptions in a season.
• The Nebraska defense held Kansas State without a pass completion in the first half, as the Wildcats misfired on all six of their first-half pass attempts.