Cowboy-Husker Notebook

Jacob Longan - NewsPress

October 14, 2007 12:17 am

— Politics and memories
Oklahoma governor Brad Henry and his wife, Kim, were on the sideline prior to the game. The couple was conversing with Nebraska governor Dave Heineman and his wife, Sally Ganem.
Heineman defeated NU coaching legend Tom Osborne in the Republican primary en route to winning the governorship.
Osborne walked onto the field that bears his name just 10 minutes later as he led dozens of members of the 1997 national championship team into Memorial Stadium.
That was his third championship and marked his final season guiding his alma mater.
Nebraska also honored Johnny Carson, the late comedian who grew up in Norfolk, Neb., and attended NU.

A lot of history…
OSU’s win marked its second victory at Nebraska in 22 tries ... It was the Cowboys’ most lopsided victory against NU and their 45 points scored were also their most in the series. They also set a new series record with 551 yards of total offense ... OSU scored 38 points in the first half, marking the most the Huskers have allowed in the first half of a home game ... The Cowboys hadn’t previously beaten Nebraska in back-to-back seasons since 1960 and ’61.

The legend grows
How much does it mean to the Cowboys to win in Lincoln?
The legend of what happened had already begun to grow shortly after the game.
Senior linebacker Jeremy Nethon recovered a fumble caused by Donovan Woods’ hit on NU quarterback Sam Keller early in the second quarter. Nethon fell on the ball, but the story may be different the next time you hear it.
“I’m going to lie about it, say I picked it up and ran,” Nethon said of his first career fumble recovery. “I wanted to but I will just lie and say I did — I ran over some people.”
Senior running back Dantrell Savage won’t admit to planning an embellishment, but he does plan to remind people about his career-high 212 rushing yards in Lincoln.
“I’ll tell my grandkids and whoever wants to know about it,” Savage said.

More from Savage
Offensive coordinator Larry Fedora likes to note that Savage is usually back on his feet faster than the player who tackled him.
Fedora uses it as an anecdote that illustrates the 5-foot-9, 195-pounder’s energy.
But Savage sees it differently and said he didn’t start doing it until he was at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College.
“It’s crazy what goes on in the crowd,” Savage said. “I try to avoid that so I get up quick and go about my business.”
The quiet senior always hands the ball to the official or sets the ball down where he was tackled.
At one point Saturday, he was a little too aggressive setting it down. After the ball bounced a few feet away, he chased it down, returned to the correct spot and reset it.
He also made his first appearance as a punt returner Saturday, getting hit early once and blasted after one yard on his second and final time.
He said the two big hits, both in the game’s first 2:37, helped him get into the flow of the contest.

One more quote
Sophomore cornerback Perrish Cox had missed possible interceptions in each of the two previous games, including one that bounced off his helmet against Sam Houston State.
There was no doubt on his pick Saturday in Lincoln.
Asked if that would stop his teammates from teasing him about his header, Cox replied, “Yeah, yeah…no, they ain’t. They are going to bring that up until this year is over with — probably next year. Making that catch, I feel better again.”

Notables…
Nebraska’s 129 yards passing were a season low. Their 101 yards in the first half were the fewest by an OSU opponent in a half this season ... The Cowboys have run for 200 yards in six straight game, including 317 on Saturday ... Sophomore linebacker Patrick Lavine led OSU with 13 tackles, including two for a loss of five yards. Woods added 12 stops with a sack for nine yards, another tackle for a nine-yard loss and two forced fumbles.