What they were, however, was stubborn to a fault… and it cost them.
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Defensive coordinator Brady Hoke had five first-time starters as he switched up his lineup on the defensive line, at linebacker and in the secondary during a 35-32 loss to the Cornhuskers on Saturday night at Memorial Stadium.
The Bison went for a two-point conversion down 21-20 with 3:41 left, but couldn’t punch it in.
The Nebraska Cornhuskers square off agains the Oregon Ducks today in a college football game on the third weekend on the 2016 schedule. The Ducks led 8-7 entering the period, and got a defensive stop to open the quarter.
It didn’t help that Sefo Liufau was hurt after throwing his third TD pass, a 70-yarder to Shay Fields that put Colorado up 28-24 just after halftime.
Ozigbo continues to prove that he is the guy for Nebraska. De’Mornay Pierson-El returned a punt 45 yards just before half to the OR 19. Nebraska is a different story and Helfrich should have known it. Freeman is considered one of the best running backs in the nation and is just as much of a threat catching the ball out of the backfield as he is running it. “Just kind of attack mode”, Helfrich said.
As he was propped up in the end zone, the Husker defense had to figure out how it was going to stop an OR offense that still had two and a half minutes to operate. One of the biggest plays of the game was when the Huskers converted on fourth down with just over three minutes left from just about midfield.
Armstrong, with a little help from IV fluids, lifted the Huskers to yet another win on Saturday – 35-32 over No. 22 OR – and gave coach Mike Riley the first victory of his career over the Ducks.
Arizona 47, Hawaii 28 – At Tucson, Ariz., Brandon Dawkins ran for three touchdowns and passed for another and Arizona wrapped up nonconference play with a victory over Hawaii. The Cornhuskers rushed for 228 yards and almost five yards per carry.
The Huskers parlayed that touchdown with another on their next drive, but were held scoreless from then until the final drive of the game. OR fans need to realize that this team can function on Offense without Freeman.
Ozigbo punished the OR defense between the tackles for tough yards, toting the ball 18 times for 89 yards the final two quarters. Many of those flags were on the young defense for pass interference that extended Cornhusker drives. On some of those plays, such “handsy” actions weren’t necessary, because the pass wasn’t accurate. In addition to Freeman, offensive lineman Tyrell Crosby also did not return for the second half.
“I definitely think we showed people that we’re a competitive team and that we can go out there and stand toe to toe with any good team”, Williams said. “Obviously, the penalties killed us”. The Buffaloes did go down at MI, 45-28, but they have showed they’re not the pushovers they once were.
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On a ideal Saturday afternoon in Lincoln, Nebraska, it took four quarters and 35 points for the Nebraska Cornhuskers to improve to 3-0.
