Sunday, October 26, 2008
By John Werner
Tribune-Herald staff writer
LINCOLN, Neb. — With 295 straight sellouts, Nebraska obviously relishes playing at Memorial Stadium.
The Cornhuskers like it so much that they rarely get off the field.
Converting 11 of 17 third downs, the Cornhuskers kept the ball for nearly 39 minutes as they rallied for a 32-20 win over Baylor on Saturday afternoon.
Baylor vs. Nebraska
- » Baylor's upset bid runs out of steam against Nebraska, 32-20
- » Notebook: You can't pick on Baylor QB Robert Griffin
- Updated team stats
- Full game summary
IN ACTION
The Bears simply couldn’t stop the Cornhuskers in the most critical situations.
“That’s something we’ve kind of struggled with all season,” Baylor linebacker Joe Pawelek said. “We kept getting them in third-down situations, and they kept converting them. As a defense, we needed to step up, and we just didn’t make plays.”
In contrast, the Bears went 0-for-10 in third-down situations. The difference couldn’t have been more glaring.
“You’re not going to win most of the time when that happens,” Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin said. “That’s what happened to us today.”
Controlling the clock has been a trend for the Cornhuskers. In a 37-31 overtime loss to Texas Tech two weeks ago, they held the ball for more than 40 minutes. In last week’s 35-7 win over Iowa State, they held it for more than 37 minutes.
On their five scoring drives against Baylor, the Cornhuskers went 6-for-7 on third-down conversions.
“That’s why they’re in there patting each other on the back and we’re consoling each other,” Baylor coach Art Briles said. “You’ve got to convert on third downs.”
Nebraska scored its first touchdown on a third-and-one play when Joe Ganz hit Ryan Hill with a six-yard touchdown pass. But Nebraska’s most crucial conversions came in the second half.
Leading 20-17 midway through the third quarter, the Bears failed to punch the ball in when Griffin was stuffed for a one-yard loss on third-and-goal at the 1. The Bears got nothing out of the 63-yard drive when Ben Parks missed a 19-yard field goal.
The Cornhuskers grabbed the momentum when they moved 80 yards on 12 plays with Joe Ganz hitting Nate Swift for a nine-yard touchdown pass to take a 24-20 lead with 1:15 left in the third quarter.
“If we don’t let them score, we win,” Baylor safety Jordan Lake said. “So it was pretty deflating to let them come down like that and take the lead, and continue to work their way down the field on us.”
After hitting short passes much of the day, Ganz froze Baylor cornerback Antareis Bryan with a pump fake and hit Swift for a 53-yard touchdown early in the fourth quarter.
“They had run a previous play where I broke on the ball,” Bryan said. “I thought they’d try a slant play again, but the receiver broke on a go-route.”
Later in the fourth quarter, the Cornhuskers put an end to any Baylor comeback hopes when Marlon Lucky turned a screen pass from Ganz on third-and-16 into a 69-yard play to the 5.
“We were blitzing from the back side, and he called a good play,” Lake said. “It was definitely frustrating to not get off the field as much, and it hurt us in the long run.”
jwerner@wacotrib.com
757-5716
Comments
By Houston
Oct 27, 2008 2:04 PM | Link to this
Re: to Texas Legend
Texas Legend your simply an idiot. Baylor will be good again soon. We'll see how Nebraska does next year in Waco when Griffin is a sophmore.
By Houston
Oct 27, 2008 2:03 PM | Link to this
Re: to Texas Legend
Texas Legend your simply an idiot. Baylor will be good again soon. We'll see how Nebraska does next year in Waco when Griifin is a sophmore.
By texas legend
Oct 27, 2008 1:50 AM | Link to this
Maybe Baylor should just drop its football program and just concentrate on all other sports and academics. Every year it seems hope and expectations get real high. Baylor plays a few really unrecognizable schools and win a couple of games. Then, they play a real powerhouse and just get blown out. Just stick to academics, and stop adding to waco traffic problems with your home games.
By Dean
Oct 26, 2008 10:05 PM | Link to this
As a Baylor grad and fan living in Nebraska, I tremendously enjoyed the opportunity of watching a Bear team that came in and played believing that they could win. Believe, the Bears are moving in the right direction.
By David
Oct 26, 2008 9:00 PM | Link to this
Wow, what a great game to watch. I am a husker fan living in Colorado. I was so impressed with the Baylor Team and must say I was nervous that we wouldn't get the win. Take heart, your team is still young in many ways. Griffin reminds me of Tommie Frazier,in so many ways. The future is definately bright in Waco. Good luck with the rest of your season.
By The Husker Guy
Oct 26, 2008 8:50 PM | Link to this
Thanks for coming to Lincoln and enjoying a Saturday with all of us. Welcome back any time. A very good football team.
By Brooks
Oct 26, 2008 5:41 PM | Link to this
I am very proud of our Bears because we played so well and gave ourselves a real chance. Of course I am disappointed that we didn't win, but playing a game like this for all to see on tv creates anticipation for all Bear Fans - we know we are on the right track and very close now.
We kept our poise which is impressive for such a young team in a foreign stadium and we looked like we had prepared mantally and physically to play our best and bring that "W" back home to Waco.
I'm aleady circling next year's game on my calendar and I'm looking forward to the rematch in Waco.
By Da Sheeky
Oct 26, 2008 5:37 PM | Link to this
Great to see all the kind Husker Fans. Thanks. However, as a Baylor fan, we are stil terrible. Prolly won't win another game. Can't wait for basketball season. The team should be great. If I see a comment on something about, BU is getting better blah, blah, I will lose my mind. Yes we are better but will never be good enough to compete seriously. Thank God we have Griffen or Bu might be winless.
By Gayland
Oct 26, 2008 2:18 PM | Link to this
I am a Husker fan who lives in Texas. I have watched closely both the Nebraska and Baylor programs this year. They are definitely two teams on the rise. Both coaches (Pelini and Briles) are great coaches and doing a fine job. Thus, I expected a very good game that could have gone either way. I am happy that the Huskers won but wish the Bears the best in the future. The future for both teams looks bright.
By Chris
Oct 26, 2008 2:01 PM | Link to this
Baylor fans and players, I just want to say you guys had a great game. You guys came in and played Nebraska hard, and gave us all a great game to watch. I'm betting we can expect an even better on when we head down to Waco to take you guys on next year, with both programs being on the up and up. Art Briles is a great coach, and I can see your program is on the right track. Give it a few years, and we may see Nebraska and Baylor duking it out in Kansas City for the Big 12 Title. I hope all the fans who traveled up to Lincoln had a good time, and I just want to say again, congratulations on a great game, and good luck with the rest of your season.
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