Role reversal

Jacob Longan - NewsPress

October 14, 2007 01:16 am

— LINCOLN, Neb. — Prior to Saturday, Oklahoma State hadn’t won in Lincoln since 1960.
The Cowboys ended an even longer streak en route to a 45-14 whipping of Nebraska in front of 84,334 fans at Memorial Stadium.
It was the most lopsided home loss for the Huskers (4-3, 2-1) since they were blanked by Missouri, 31-0, in 1958.
The Cowboys (4-3, 2-1) took a 38-0 lead into halftime and held NU without a point for the first 45:05.
“It was a special win for the team,” said OSU coach Mike Gundy. “I’m proud of the way they competed. I was proud of the defense. We were two or three guys short with injury on defense. We had some guys step up and really compete hard.
“We did a nice job stopping the run game early and that gave us an opportunity to get the offense back on the field.”
Tailback Dantrell Savage finished with 212 rushing yards on 25 carries while Nebraska ran for 206 yards on 50 plays.
The senior also added a 10-yard reception and his 148 rushing yards in the first half were more than NU’s 101 yards of total offense through two quarters.
“Look at the energy that he has out on the field,” said offense coordinator Larry Fedora, whose unit amassed 551 yards. “He gets tackled and he’s off the ground before the defender who tackled him. He’s got a knack for making plays.
“He makes people miss in a phone booth. It doesn’t matter how tight the spot is, he can still make people miss. He gets extra yardage all the time. Even when things aren’t there, he’s making plays.”
Savage scored OSU’s final touchdown on a 30-yard run with 5:25 remaining in the fourth quarter.
That accounted for the only second-half points for the Cowboys, who scored on their first six possessions.
OSU used a pair of 1-yard touchdown runs by fullback Julius Crosslin, a 33-yard scoring run by freshman tailback Kendall Hunter, a 41-yard TD pass from Zac Robinson to Seth Newton, a 3-yard scoring run by Robinson and a 21-yard Jason Ricks field goal to build that 38-0 advantage.
Meanwhile, Nebraska went three-and-out on four of its seven first-half possessions. The others ended on a turnover on downs at the OSU 10, a fumble forced by Donovan Woods and recovered by Jeremy Nethon and an interception by Perrish Cox.
“We started a new thing today on the sidelines of everytime they had a three and out or a turnover (even on downs), we put a mark on their white wristband,” said defensive coordinator Tim Beckman. “We have to get eight.”
The Cowboys finished Saturday with nine of those marks.
NU’s two scores both came in the fourth quarter.
Quarterback Sam Keller completed a 13-yard TD pass to tight end J.B. Phillips on fourth-and-goal with 14:55 remaining in the game.
The other score was Keller’s 1-yarder to fullback Thomas Lawson with 39 seconds left.
For the game, Keller was 10-of-18 for 129 yards, the two scores and a pair of interceptions.
The second pick was registered by senior defensive end Rodrick Johnson.
NU’s leading rusher was Quentin Castille, who went for 102 yards on 20 carries.
For OSU, Robinson completed 12-of-19 passes for 234 yards with the TD. He also ran for 33 yards on nine carries.
His favorite target was senior receiver Adarius Bowman, who caught six balls for 100 yards.
The Cowboys host Kansas State for homecoming this Saturday at 6:05 p.m.