Lincoln Journal Star from Lincoln, Nebraska • 12

HUSKERS 14B Lincoln Journal Star -Sunday. November 12, 1995 Page design: Julie Koch Patience pays for Huskers' Jackson BYCURTMCKEEVER Lincoln Journal Star i gain. Nebraska then fooled the Jayhawks into thinking it would send a running back into the line, and Frazier lobbed a toss his right "That play's always been wide-open," said Jackson, who caught the ball with no one defending him. "I was glad we scored. I didn't think it was a key drive then, but now that I think back it probably was." The 6-foot, 230-pound Jackson is a converted fullback.

Entering Saturday's game, he had one reception for 12 yards. But the past two weeks, he has played more because of an injury to No. 2 tight end Tim Carpenter. Jackson got even more time Saturday after starter Mark Gilman sprained an ankle and had to leave the game in the second quarter. "He's really strong," wingback Gester Johnson said of Jackson.

"It's just a matter of there's a lot of good guys there." Jackson understands. But that doesn't mean he doesn't have big plans for his Nebraska future. "I think I'm a pretty good blocker strong, up front, straight ahead. But I try to be an all-around player," he said. "I think it's just a matter of time before I play a little bit I try and work so hard that I don't leave anything on the field, and now I'm getting some good experience." As is freshman tight end Sheldon Jackson, who had two catches for 13 yards Saturday.

"I think that the Jackson and Jackson tandem is going to be a good thing to come," said Vershan. LAWRENCE, Kan. Vershan Jackson understands he has to work his way up through a highly compet-itve system before he will get more playing time for the Nebraska foot ball team. Given that, Jackson must now believe he's at least gotten off the ground floor. Saturday, the sophomore tight end caught one pass for 1 yard for one touchdown.

Pretty unspectacular, V. JACKSON first TD pass huh? But Jackson executed a play he was supposed to, in a game that was still up for grabs. "It's a fairly easy play," Jackson said of his first collegiate TD, which he caught in the third quarter when quarterback Tommie Frazier switched the play because he felt no one would cover the tight end. "Tommie audibled and I was like 'Oh, God, here I It was a good feeling, though. I didn't smile, I was just hoping those two guys didn't play on me." Nebraska, leading 14-3 at half-time, took the second-half kickoff and marched to a first-and-goal at the KU 6-yard line.

After an incom-pletion, Frazier turned a play Kansas had strung out well into a 5-yard JiiW V'" innrw I 1 ii' ii 1. 1 iinffl-' 1 1 III I I i tsM TED KIRKUncom Journal Star Nebraska's Tyrone Williams tries to get past KU's June Henley after intercepting a pass in the second quarter Saturday. The theft stymied KU, which had driven to the NU 19-yard line. You can't shortchange Black Shirts and that is what mattered most to Nebraska. Nebraska defensive coordinator Charlie McBride said Kansas' short swing passes to its running backs often came when the Huskers were using zone coverages.

Those routes are too short to be a cause for alarm, McBride said. "If you think youll win a game throwing those things, you're crazy," McBride said. Veland said Nebraska wasn't expecting the type of attack Kansas used. "We were angry they got some yards, but the yards don't mean anything if they don't get points out of them," Veland said. McBride said Nebraska's main "We weren't rattled; we've been in that situation before, and we know how to handle it," Veland said.

Apparently so. The Huskers held down the Jayhawks' attack in the second half and cruised to a 41-3 victory. Williams finished 27-of-45 for 242 yards with two interceptions one in each half. "It was kind of frustrating that they kept niekle-and-diming us in the first said Nebraska cor-nerback Tyrone Williams, who intercepted the Kansas QB on a first-down play from the Huskers' 19-yard line late in the first half. But while Kansas nickle and "Aimed Nebraska early, the Jay-hawks were able to produce only pocket change on the scoreboard, BY STEVE SIPPLE Lincoln Journal Star LAWRENCE, Kan.

Kansas quarterback Mark Williams' first-half numbers were impressive. He completed 22 of 31 passes for 185 yards. He hit running back L.T. Levine seven times for 34 yards, with most of those completions coming on short swing passes. Jayhawk running back June Henley had three catches before halftime.

Williams often connected with receivers running short, inside-slant patterns. But after 30 minutes, Nebraska led Kansas 14-3 Saturday at Memorial Stadium. No need for panic at halftime, Cornhusker free safety Tony Veland said. NUHuskers' offense comes to life in third quarter, dooms Ij What happened to Kansas' attempt for a 39-yard field goal at the end of the first half? Wendell Winkler, a Big Eight official observer, said that as soon as the referee spotted the ball, following a facemask penalty against Nebraska, then the chains were moved, the clock was started with five seconds to go. Time then expired before the field goal attempt was made.

The clock starts after the chains are moved and the ball is spotted. Kansas could have spiked the ball and stopped the clock immediately, but did not choose to do so. What does this win do for Nebraska hi terms of bowls and Big Eight title? Not much. Nebraska is still most likely going to be ranked No. 1, but has to play Oklahoma on Nov.

24. If Nebraska wins that game it will be invited to play in the Fiesta Bowl as the Big Eight champion. A loss against Oklahoma, coupled with a Kansas State victory over Colorado (Nov. 18), would make for co-Big Eight champions, and it would be up to the Fiesta Bowl and the Bowl Alliance to pick the team it wanted from the pool of six teams conference champions from Big Eight, ACC, SEC, SWC, Big East and most likely Notre Dame (if the Irish beat Air Force next week). How bad is Tommie Frazier's injury? He was on crutches after the game.

He left the game in the first quarter and returned in the second quarter after re-taping on his heel and ankle. Tom Osborne said he hoped the injury was not too bad and that it would heal by the Oklahoma game. What did Nebraska change to get all those yards In the second half? "We went back to basics and ran between the tackles more," said NU offensive line Coach Milt Tenopir. "We blew some assignments in the first half and we were not in rhythm. We picked it up in the second half." NU offensive guard Aaron Taylor said, "We talked at halftime how we weren't having fun.

We were tight in the first half and I don't remember feeling like that this year. But we decided to have fun and get it going in the second half. It was more fun, too." Ahman Green going to start against Oklahoma? Green finished with 45 yards in his fifth start and boosted his season total to 1,042 becoming the first NU freshman to crack 1,000 yards. This was the first game he did not score. Lawrence Phillips, out for six games before last week, rushed 10 times for 47 yards and a touchdown.

"He's getting closer to full speed," Osborne said of Phillips. But as to who starts at 1-back for Oklahoma, "We'll see in the next two weeks," Phillips said. "Ahman is playing good. I was at 85 percent today. I'll be better.

We'll both play no matter who starts." task Saturday was to slow Kansas' running attack, which is spearheaded by Levine, a senior, and Henley, a junior. The Jayhawks, using a more diversified offensive attack this season, were still running enough to average 215.6 yards per game entering Saturday's contest. The Huskers held them to 9 yards through three quarters. 'Those guys are good backs," McBride said of Levine and Henley. "They're both guys we'll be seeing playing on Sundays (in the NFL).

But (the Jayhawks) figured out they couldn't run on us and started heaving the ball all over the place." McBride said Nebraska didn't try anything fancy, but he said the Huskers blitzed more in the second half. Jayhawks handed off to Lawrence Phillips three times for 23 yards, including a six-yard touchdown run to boost the margin to 28-3 with 4:04 left in the third quarter. Tomich, Christian Peter and Grant Wistrom applied pressure and Mark Williams threw two incomplete passes and was sacked by Tomich for a 3-yard loss on Kansas' next possession. Nebraska again zipped through the Kansas defense that had been so strong in the first half. Frazier completed passes of 12 and 10 yards, kept on an option for 11 yards, handed off to Phillips for 15 more yards, and scored on a five-yard run to the right to give the Huskers a 35-6 lead with 13: 46 in the game.

To add to the Jayhawks' frustration Nebraska cornerback Mike Fullman intercepted a pass by Ben Rutz and returned it 86 yards to finish the scoring. "We're a four-quarter team, and we're supposed to wear people down," Peter said. "We did. We're in there sucking wind and we're tired, but we know what it takes and guys are pumping each other up." Kansas had no luck in the first half, and no offense 47 yards until Nebraska had a 41-3 lead in the second half. "To beat Nebraska you have to play near-perfect, errorless football," Kansas Coach Glen Mason said.

"They're too good a team to spot a 14-0 lead. We didn't do enough with the things we got. Nebraska did plenty." Osborne offered some condo-lances. "The game was much closer than the score would indicate," he said. "Kansas didn't do much unexpected, but we couldn't stop them.

I don't know if that's good or bad, but I guess when you win it's all right." Eric Anderson looked no worse the wear after playing extensively Saturday. That's a bonus for the Corn-huskers because Anderson sprained an ankle against Iowa State last week and it wasnt known how long he'd be able to go full out against Kansas. "My leg feels like jello right now, but I got through it," Anderson said. "I'm glad we've got an extra week before we play again. Wingback Gester Johnson is too, but the senior from Bellevue is looking forward to playing against Oklahoma in his last game in Memorial Stadium.

"They always seem to play us differently," he said when told the Sooners had lost to Oklahoma State. "But well be smoked up." RANDY HAMPTON bncoh Journal Star A Nebraska's Lawrence Phillips chases down an errant pitch from quarterback Brook Berringer as KU's Maurice Gaddie moves in Saturday. The fumble was recovered by KU's Dick Holt. Continued from Page 1B Mark Williams. In the third quarter, the Huskers rambled for 178 yards of offense, slammed Kansas for 40 yards and iced the game with scoring drives of 58, 60 and 60 yards by the time the fourth quarter was less than two minutes old.

"We came out and took it to them in the second half," said Milt Ten-opir, Nebraska offensive line coach. Conversly, Nebraska took it from Kansas in the first half. Jon Vedral recovered a fumbled punt return in the end zone to open the scoring. Nebraska punted again and Jared Tomich ripped the ball loose from Kansas back June Henley teammate Tony Veland recovered at the KU 30-yard line. Frazier ducked, danced and stepped his way on a 25-yard run, and sneaked in from the one-yard line to put Nebraska ahead 14-0 with 1 10 left in the first quarter.

The Jayhawks (8-2) still seemed to have the answer to Nebraska's fortune. Kansas constantly stymied the Nebraska offense and, behind the passing of Mark Williams, moved at will through the Nebraska defense. It didn't matter. Kansas rolled up almost 200 yards of offense in the first half on 22 pass completions. It added up to one field goal.

The rest of the drives fizzled harmlessly. Nebraska linebacker Phil Ellis tipped away a fourth-down Kansas uass at the Nebraska 33. The Huskers stopped the Jayhawks at the NU 3 and forced a field goal. An-' other drive ended with an intercep-: tion by Nebraska's Tyrone Williams at the Nebaskall. Nebraska notes Nebraska backup I-back Damon Benning boosted the Huskers with his 42-yard kickoff return to begin the second half.

The Huskers went ahead 21-3 after their eight-play 58-yard drive after the return. "A play like that helps set the tone," Benning said. "We were a little flat (early in the game), and Coach (Tom) Osborne always says there is no better way to turn things around than by using the kicking game." In the third quarter, Nebraska QB Tommie Frazier was smacked by a Kansas defender on the Jayhawks sideline after a 16-yard run. KU was whistled for a personal foul as a result of the late hit "They were over there hooting A late Kansas drive to the Nebraska 22 proved inconsequential when time ran out as the Jayhawks lined up for a field goal at the end of the first half. "At the half, it was anybody's ball game," Nebraska Coach Tom Osborne said.

"Kansas was playing awfully intense and we were missing. We had a lot of fortunate breaks for us in the first half." Breaks, luck, fortune didn't play much of a role in the second half. Frazier, who became Nebraska's all-time career offensive leader with 185 yards Saturday, threw passes of 16 and 14 yards to Clester Johnson and ran for five yards to set up a touchdown. and hollering, and I was just over there looking at them," Frazier said, Jon Vedral, who recovered a muffed punt for a touchdown in the first quarter: "Lucky and in the right place agairi." Vedral recovered a fumble for an offensive touchdown against Kansas State. "One guy jumped on it (Chad Kelsay) and it squirted, then another guy kind of kicked it (Aaron Penland) and I just got after it and fell on it.

It was pretty big for us to score early because they had just stopped our first possession on three plays," he said. "This was a lot closer if you take the turnovers out, but you don't take them out, so we had the big score." Tight end Mark Gilman suffered a sprained ankle and Frazier was injured, but most of the other Frazier lobbed a short pass to tight end Vershan Jackson in the end zone from the 1-yard line to give Nebraska a 21-3 lead with the second half barely three minutes old. "That one hurt," Kansas linebacker Dick Holt said. "We controlled the game in the first half and tought we'd just drum them in the second half and they stuff it down our throats." Frazier threw his first interception in 100 passes on Nebraska's next possession, but Ellis intercepted a Mark Williams pass and returned it to the Nebraska 40-yard line four plays later. Frazier, playing on a sore right leg, scrambled for 28 yards and Nebraska injuries were minor, according to Coach Tom Osborne.

NlTs 110 yards in the first half was the lowest of the season. NU's 289 yards rushing was the third lowest this season and only the third time NU had less than 300 yards rushing. NU averages 412.7 yards a game and lead the natioa Damon Benning's 42-yard kick-off return was his best this season and set up NU's touchdown pass In the third quarter. Mike Fullman's 86 yard interception return for a touchdown was his fouth touchdown of the season. Kansas was held to 72 yards rushing, the sixth NU opponent held under 100 yards rushing.

No. 1 right offensive tackle Gason Gerner of Crete shows Saturday at Lawrence, Kan. RANOY HAMPTONUncdri Journal St his allegiance to two teams i urn aV.