The Huskers took on the Oregon Ducks this afternoon in front of another sold out crowd marking the 350th consecutive sell out at Memorial Stadium.
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OR and Nebraska are off to 2-0 starts, but the Week 3 matchup in Lincoln should provide a better barometer test of where both programs stand in 2016.
OR bounced back with back-to-back scores to take a 32-28 edge, before Armstrong’s fourth-quarter heroics. OR has outscored the Buffaloes 52-15 while beating them five years in a row, but this year’s Colorado team looks better than recent ones. Alonzo Moore led in receiving with 109 yards and a touchdown in 3 catches while Jordan Westerkamp had 105 yards and 2 touchdowns in 4 receptions.
The Cornhuskers ran on their first six plays of the half before Armstrong threw a 22-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Bryan Reimers to take a 21-20 lead. Devon Allen, who came back from a torn ACL in 2014 to compete in the Olympics, appeared to sustain another knee injury on special teams in the fourth quarter. The Huskers led 28-26 at the time, but OR scored on the ensuing drive to take a 32-28 edge with 10:25 left.
The Oregon team his Huskers will face is not quite as imposing.
Tommy Armstrong rushed for a touchdown to put Nebraska up 35-32 with less than three minutes left in the game. From the 34-yard line, Armstrong called his number with a quarterback draw.
Those points would come back to haunt the Ducks.
As the Ducks experienced another slow start last week, they need to make sure that they come out fast, avoid getting costly penalties, and build an early lead over Nebraska and maintain that momentum.
Not so, said the former Oregon State coach who will reunite with his old rival when No. 22 Oregon visits Nebraska Saturday at 12:30 p.m.
The Ducks failed and the Huskers took over, as Armstrong took a knee to seal the win and set off a wild celebration in the stands. Nebraska needs to keep OR running back Royce Freeman in check and make the Ducks work the field instead of churning out big plays.
Prukop, though, led the Ducks out of the tunnel and onto the scoreboard.
The ball would land in the hands of the Oregon Offense on a 4 and 18 to extend the game and Prukop could not find anyone open. Head coach Mike Riley chose to stay with the extra point, and Nebraska trailed OR 20-14 at the end of the first half. OR then was stopped on downs with 39 seconds left on its final possession. De’Mornay Pierson-El fielded Ian Wheeler’s 40-yard punt while being hit at the NU 36, and exploded for a 45-yard return. The Nebraska defense is giving up 13.5 points per game with 81 rushing yards and 216 passing yards per game.
It was the second time that Freeman broke the 200-yard mark in his career.
Trailing by three on its final possession, No. 22-ranked OR drove into Nebraska territory, but was pushed back to the Huskers’ 45-yard line after a holding penalty.
Ozigbo showed not only strength between the tackles, but burst on the edge, eluding Duck defenders several times while increasing his season rushing yardage to 247 through three games. “You get going, and your heart rate is up”. That capped a 97-yard drive that finished with 10:31 left in the game. It also gave the Huskers 166 rushing yards in the second half at 5.72 yards per pop. On the next play, Charles Nelson gashed Nebraska with a 50-yard touchdown. However, when OR scored its first touchdown of the game, it went for a successful two-point conversion and took an 8-0 lead.
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After losing his final seven games against OR, there was a feeling among some in Nebraska that Mike Riley was running from the Ducks when he joined the Cornhuskers. The Montana State transfer, Dakota Prukop, has stepped into big shoes at OR and has shown flashes of being something special. It was the longest streak of its kind in NCAA history.
