BRIAN ROSENTHAL / Lincoln Journal Star | Posted: Saturday, September 30, 2006 7:00 pm
A Blackshirt unit that defended a school-record 94 plays and allowed the sixth-highest yardage total in Nebraska history was able to breathe a sigh of relief and smile.
Kansas piled up 574 yards of offense Saturday night, but No. 21 Nebraska hung on for a 39-32 overtime victory before 85,069 fans at Memorial Stadium.
“We obviously didn’t play our best ball,” Nebraska linebacker Stewart Bradley said. “We weren’t mentally the sharpest, and that’s disappointing. But if you’re going to play that game, it’s nice to make it a win.”
The Huskers (4-1, 1-0 Big 12 Conference) won their conference opener in overtime for the second straight season. This time, Nebraska celebrated after Kansas quarterback Adam Barmann’s fourth-and-5 pass from the NU 9-yard line sailed over intended receiver Marcus Henry in the end zone.
“I felt confident (in overtime),” Nebraska defensive coordinator Kevin Cosgrove said. “Our kids were wired again, like they were earlier in the game.”
Junior cornerback Andre Jones defended on the final play.
“I knew he was going to run a little slant route, because that was the route that was supposed to come first,” Jones said, “but I dissected the route from him, and he had to bounce it back out. That’s what made the pass be overthrown.”
Jones had two pass breakups and an interception in the end zone that thwarted a Kansas drive in the first half. Safety Andrew Shanle also had two interceptions on the Jayhawks’ first two possessions, as the Huskers forced four turnovers in the first half.
Shanle returned his second interception 19 yards to the KU 6-yard line, setting up Nebraska’s second touchdown.
“We were in great rhythm early,” Cosgrove said. “Kids were making plays.
“Then we had some communication problems. They were getting on the ball fast, and we didn’t set things right a few times. The good news is, we can get that corrected.”
After two turnovers and two punts, Kansas finally got things going on its fourth possession, driving 95 yards in seven plays. Barmann, who completed 27 of 54 passes for 405 yards, had completions of 30 and 40 yards on the drive.
That seemed to ignite the Kansas offense, which entered the game ranked 49th nationally in total offense.
The Jayhawks, behind runs of 8, 14 and 41 yards from Jon Cornish, drove to the Nebraska 5 on their next series, before fumbling. Linebacker Corey McKeon stripped Barmann, and Tierre Green recovered.
Kansas, though, came back with scoring drives of 12, 9, 11, and 11 plays.
“It was getting a little frustrating there, because we couldn’t seem to stop them,” Nebraska defensive end Jay Moore said. “We gave them the ball, and they were able to grind a little bit. Just little dinks here and there, kept chipping away.”
Until overtime, Nebraska didn’t generate great pressure on Barmann. Officially, the Blackshirts had no sacks, although NU sacked Barmann on a key two-point conversion midway through the fourth quarter.
Cosgrove said the Huskers were wary of Cornish, and therefore hesitant of applying too much pressure at potentially the wrong times.
“(Kansas) has had great success with that shovel draw to (Cornish),” Cosgrove said. “That plays averages about 30 yards for them. We were probably overly defensive of that play. They tried it one time, and we almost intercepted in the backfield.”
Cornish finished with 31 carries for 145 yards and one touchdown.
“We knew they had some plays we had to be very careful on,” Moore said. “That’s why we were so hesitant on really rushing the passer, because we knew what his ability was.”
Overall, Cosgrove said he was relieved with the hard-fought win.
“Things weren’t going in our favor very well in the second half,” he said. “I’m proud of our team because we found a way to win.”
Reach Brian Rosenthal at 473-7436 or brosenthal@journalstar.com.