AMES, Iowa — Slowly but surely — and sure-handedly — Maurice Purify is becoming involved in Nebraska’s offense.  Especially in clutch situations.

The 6-foot-4, 215-pound wideout made arguably the biggest play of the game Saturday night, hauling in a 27-yard touchdown pass that gave Nebraska a 21-7 lead and a significant dose of momentum right before the halftime break.

Purify, a junior college transfer, made the catch over Iowa State’s 5-10 sophomore cornerback Chris Singleton. The touchdown completed a seven-play, 60-yard drive that started with 85 seconds left in the third quarter.

Purify added an 8-yard grab in the fourth quarter and now has 11 receptions for 260 yards this season.

“Maurice is a big-bodied receiver with good hands,” Husker fullback Dane Todd said. “He’s a good go-to guy, especially when you need to run a fade route. He’s a mismatch kind of guy on a smaller corner.

“Once he figures out the offense and gets more comfortable with it … I mean, it takes guys a year to grow in this offense. Once he gets real comfortable, we expect big things from Maurice.”

Mojo rising: Nebraska’s late first-half drive was “huge” in the game’s overall picture, Nebraska assistant coach Shawn Watson said. “When you execute a two-minute drill, mojo comes on your sideline now,” he said. “The kids were buzzing in the locker room. They couldn’t wait to get back out there and play. There was a lot of confidence in the locker room at halftime. You knew you were in a good place.”

Herian involved: After being shut out in the last two games, Nebraska senior tight end Matt Herian caught a first-quarter pass for a gain of 1. He later added a reception of five yards. With his first reception,  Herian became the school career record holder for catches by a tight end. He entered the game tied with Jerry List (1970-72) at 61 receptions.

Redemption: Husker junior cornerback Cortney Grixby came under heavy criticism from fans and pundits after last week’s win against Kansas in which Jayhawk backup quarterback Adam Barmann threw for 405 yards.

Grixby heard the rumblings.

“Critics wrote in the paper about my effort and stuff,” said the Omaha native, who picked off a third-quarter pass by Iowa State’s Bret Meyer. “I go out every day and play hard. People want to say stuff about my effort. … If you watch the film, it’s never a lack of effort. It’s just plays not going the way you want them to go. If you keep pounding and keep moving, everything can go good for you.”

He added, “Critics criticize. That’s what they do. I just come out and play football and do what I’ve been doing since I was 8.”

Good starts: Nebraska’s 80-yard touchdown drive against Iowa State marked the third straight week the Huskers scored on their opening possession, and the fourth time in the last five games.

No Octavien: Nebraska junior linebacker Steve Octavien didn’t make the trip to Ames, apparently because of a hamstring injury. A backup to Bo Ruud at weakside linebacker, Octavien missed his third straight game.

Freshmen on hand: A total of nine true freshmen made the 70-man travel roster to Ames: safety Major Culbert, guard Jacob Hickman, wideout Menelik Holt, outside linebacker Kyle Moore, punter Michael Such, cornerback/safety Rickey Thenarse, cornerback Anthony West, offensive lineman Keith Williams, and cornerback Corey Young.