Nebraska Silences Critics With 55-7 Win Over Washington
Throughout the early part of this season, the Nebraska Cornhuskers had struggled somewhat with teams they should have handily beaten. The injury-plagued Cornhuskers were taken to the limit by a hungry Lousiana Tech squad on Aug. 29 before prevailing 56-27. The following weekend, UAB played them tight for three quarters before the Huskers put it away in the fourth, 38-7. A lackluster 24-3 win over Cal in week three had fans and analysts asking, "What's wrong with Nebraska?"
The answer came during this weeks game against No. 9 Washington. Absolutely nothing.
Nebraska was healthy, and they were ready to play. Running back DeAngelo Evans and quarterback Bobby Newcombe returned from injuries, and each ran for three touchdowns as the second-ranked Huskers rolled 55-7. It extended their winning streak to 18 games.
The numbers are simply staggering. Nebraska collected 434 yards rushing and 527 yards in total offense. They forced six Washington turnovers. Evans ran 13 times for 146 yards and touchdowns of 60, 14, 19. Newcombe ambled for 79 yards on 14 carries and completed 5-of-8 passes for 84 yards. The Huskers led 35-7 at the half. The performance was simply awesome.
"It was our intention to build some confidence in the running game, to run at them," Huskers coach Frank Solich told reporters after the game. "We ran the option well, then we threw in the power game and we didn't have to throw in too many passes."
"It was kind of a fairytale thing," added Evans. "Everything worked out well. I was nervous, but I felt relaxed. When I got the first hit, all that went away."
The main questions surrounding the Huskers entering the contest were on defense, and Nebraska answered their critics swiftly and fiercely. They threw a series of pro-style coverage schemes with well-timed blitzes, led by defensive linemen Mike Rucker and Chad Kelsay to keep Huard and the potent Huskies offense off balance all game. The Washington offense never got into rhythm, and after the first quarter they actually had racked up more penalty yards (65) than they did yards of offense (57). When the smoke cleared on the first half, Washington had only managed 168 yards offensively. Huard finished with two INTs and two fumbles.
This was Nebraska's 45th straight win at home, and the Cornhuskers also avenged their last loss at Memorial Stadium - a 36-21 defeat by the Huskies in 1991. They are 11-0 against Top 10 teams since a 1994 loss to Florida State.
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