BRIAN ROSENTHAL / Lincoln Journal Star | Posted: Friday, November 25, 2005 6:00 pm
Nebraska’s running game was working so well, the Huskers actually threw in an option play. That’s right. A true quarterback-runs-down-the-line, tosses-to-the-trailing-running back option.
Thousands of Nebraska fans cheered wildly.
Cory Ross gained 3 yards on the fourth-quarter run. It came on third-and-3, and it kept alive a Husker drive at the Colorado 23-yard line.
Bet the nation’s No. 1 rush defense didn’t expect that Friday.
Then again, Colorado couldn’t have expected much of anything from Nebraska’s running game. Not the one that produced 128 yards combined in the last four games.
But this wasn’t the same Husker running game. This outfit produced 105 rushing yards, only the third team to rush for more than 100 against Colorado this season.
It played a key role in Nebraska’s 30-3 victory at Folsom Field.
“We had two weeks to work on this, and last week, we did like we did on the last off-week we had,” Nebraska senior guard Brandon Koch said. “We went back to a lot of fundamentals and just worked a lot of base plays and ran a lot of plays against the No. 1 defense (in practice).”
True freshman running back Marlon Lucky got things going in the first quarter. On Nebraska’s second drive, Lucky had consecutive runs of 9, 10 and 4 yards that helped set up Jordan Congdon’s 26-yard field goal.
“It was our O-line, man,” Lucky said. “They blocked real good today. They knocked them off the ball, and we just ran.”
Colorado had defended 63 straight rushing attempts without allowing a double-digit gain before Lucky’s run.
“He had a couple of big runs on our power play,” Nebraska center Kurt Mann said. “Those two young running backs, Cody (Glenn) and Marlon, they’ve come along so well this year. We feel like this game is a turning point for us.”
Lucky finished with 33 yards on 10 carries, and Cody Glenn had eight carries for 18 yards. He had a 2-yard gain on third-and-1, an 8-yard run after it appeared he’d been downed for a minimal gain, and scored on a 1-yard run.
“These guys are throwing their souls and working hard,” Koch said. “It’s great to see production like that. If you can just get that momentum going and keep it, it’s an amazing power.”
Nebraska’s running game didn’t dominate, by any means. But the Huskers got yards when they needed, and the ground game helped run clock in the fourth quarter. Nebraska had a 20-play drive that featured nine runs, ending in a missed field goal.
“As the game went on, they seemed to get tired and a little bit frustrated,” Koch said. “They were kind of looking around at each other. They didn’t know what was going on.”
The Huskers’ ability to run the football, even if just a little here and there, kept the Buffaloes off-balance. The Huskers finished with 497 yards of total offense, the most against CU this season.
Quarterback Zac Taylor threw for 392 yards, the most ever by a NU quarterback in a road game. He hit Ross nine times for 129 yards.
“I don’t think they were sure when we were going to do things,” Nebraska offensive line coach Dennis Wagner said. “When you can do both, it makes you better. We weren’t as one-dimensional as we were in the past.”
Nebraska wide receiver Nate Swift agreed. He caught four passes, including a 21-yarder for a touchdown, and said the Huskers’ running game helped open things up.
“That helped a lot, because they play a lot of cover-four,” Swift said. “That brings the safeties down, and when they see run, then we started doing play-action stuff, they came running down, and we had open field to work with for receivers.”
Mann said the Huskers worked primarily on inside running plays during the last two weeks of practice. He also said going against the Blackshirts helped prepare the offense for Colorado.
“We didn’t have anything to lose today,” Mann said. “We just came out with that attitude and let it all roll, put it all out there. We got some big plays early, and it snowballed for us.”
Reach Brian Rosenthal at 473-7436 or brosenthal@journalstar.com.