Lincoln Journal Star from Lincoln, Nebraska • 10

2B Lincoln Journal Star Sunday. September 21, 1997 HUSKER EXTRA Page design: Karl Vogel i Rushing success no surprise to Taylor 7: 4 it BY CURT McKEEVER Unc6ln Journal Star It 1 j-i i ent people with different people that they were disjointed. "We hurt them on the stem (where Washington moves prior to the snap), called some really good inside stuff to handle that and didn't let them outman us." And quarterback Scott Frost said most of the damage done by he and his teammates came from originally-called plays. "I checked some. Basically, it was just good play calling and the way our line was playing," Frost said.

"And the way Joel (Mako-vicka) was blocking and running, we could run about anything and it was going to work pretty well" Nebraska Coach Tom Osborne unveiled a couple new plays that led to a pair of Frost touchdown runs in the first quarter. The first, a 34-yard scamper, came when Frost faked a dive to Makovicka and followed I-back Ahman Green through the hole in between left guard and tackle. Frost's second TD, a 30-yarder, came on a draw out of the shotgun formation. "I think a lot had been made of their rushing defense, and I think it's good, but you've got to remember that they played a couple teams that make a living throwing the football," Osborne said. "We spend a lot of time running the ball, a lot of time with very physical football, and so we told our players that was going to be critical offensively.

"We've got some very good offensive linemea We don't have a lot of depth, but we have some mature guys with strength, and they knew what they were SEATTLE Nebraska's offensive line proved to be the irresistible force against Washington's previously immovable object. The Cornhuskers' game Saturday against the Huskies featured their Rational No. 2 rushing offense against Washington's top-ranked unit at stopping the run. By the end of the first quarter, when NU had piled up 141 yards on the ground en route to taking a 14-0 lead, it was apparent which unit was more overrated. "There was no surprise at all," offensive guard Aaron Taylor claimed.

"We knew that these guys were stacking up on the outside and tye could run up the middle, and that's what we did." The Cornhuskers attacked speed with straight-on force, and seldom got stopped in their tracks, i "We felt around the nation that ye haven't been getting the respect that we should have, and we just wanted to go out and say, 'Look fellas, we're still the Nebraska that's beeji dominant the past few years, let's go out and prove Taylor Said. Nebraska's 384 yards of rushing offense was the second most Washington had given up in one game ince the 1978 season, "We put in things that were effective against the 4-4, and it seemed like they were pretty good," said NU offensive line coach Milt Tenopir. "I had a feeling it would be our kind of iday. I think we changed our Schemes enough blocking differ i 'A' TED KIRKLmcom Joomri Sty Ahman Green (30) rushes for yardage against the Washington defense. Green finished with 129 yards on the day.

I-back Green answers critics in big way3 BY STEVE SIPPLE Lincoln Journal Star got bigger later in game SEATTLE Ahman Green says he has heard the undercurrent of criticism that questions his durability. The Nebraska junior I-back had an answer for his critics against Washington Saturday at Husky Stadium, rushing 29 times for 129 yards on a day when the Cornhuskers were intent on pounding the football inside the offensive tackles. 4 -AX 1 'i- if GREEN 129 yards Green, a graduate of Omaha Central, emerged from the physical contest with a sore shoulder and a shot of confidence. "I know I'm a tough runner," said Green, whose 29 carries matched his career high. "I'm not a shifty back, but I can get the ball up the field.

If you watched the game today, I think I showed you what I can do." Green earned most of his yards against Washington on inside handoffs or RANDY HAMPTONUocoln Joumil Stv bright said. "The onside kick was a chance to regain momentum," he said. On Makovicka's run, he added: "All of a sudden their fullback come breaking out of there. We could have had field position and had an opportunity to score but we didn't hold them." There was no holding back Nebraska's feelings after the game. "We've got a bunch of little stumps but they block pretty good don't they," said Nebraska offensive line coach Milt Tenopir.

"We changed the schemes a bit, got to the outside and plugged away on the inside. We probably did more things right than I can remember." Charlie McBride, Nebraska defensive coordinator, said he was just as happy. "We made them a one-dimensional by stopping their running game," McBride said. "We were able to squeeze the pocket around Huard and that helped us. When he left, it hurt Washington, but we weren't as prepared for all that play-action stuff and the running by the quarterback." For some Huskers, there was vindication in the upset.

"We've had faith in the offense throughout the year," said Nebraska rush end Grant Wistrom. "I think some people are really going to have to eat their words, especially our fans who booed us last week at home. Washington was giving up yards a game and man, they came out and put it to them and just stuffed it down their throats all day." Wistrom and fellow team captains Jason Peter, Aaron Taylor and Vershan Jackson, along with Frost, responded to the happy noises coming from the throats of the 5,000 or so Husker fans in the end zone at the end of the game. "That's a big change from hearing the booing last week at home," Peter said. "We still have a lot we haven't shown on offense and defense.

"This is just one more step. We're going for the national title. Maybe the fans will believe that we're for real. And if they don't, we'll just try to prove them wrong again." The Huskers will have next Saturday off before returning to Memorial Stadium to play Kansas State in the Big 12 opener for both teams. 'Continued from Page 1 i to the fullback, and the I-back led me up the hole.

I kind of got hit a little on the line, but we knew that if could get it by the initial surge hat we would have a big hole." The holes seemed to get even bigger on Nebraska's next possession. i I-back Ahman Green, who finished 129 yards, carried five times for 24 yards on the 10-play drive that 'Frost finished with a quarterback draw from the shotgun formation, "The quarterback draw didn't open up like it was supposed to," Frost said. "It was supposed to go in between the guards, but Washington was stunting a lot with their defensive tackles, so I had to bounce it out a little to the left Nobody was there to tackle me." Nebraska force fed Washington another 55-yard scoring drive that Frost sparked with a 14-yard pass to Matt Davison and a 21-yard pass to Shevin Wiggins. Green ran the touchdown pitch four yards untouched into the end zone to give Nebraska a 21-0 lead. By then, the Husker defense knocked heralded Washington quarterback Brock Huard out of the game with a sprained ankle.

His replacement, Marques Tuiasosopo, came in and completed a 36-yard pass and a 12-yard touchdown pass tocut the score to 21-7 at halftime. Nebraska stalled on its first two drives in the second half and botched a 41-yard field-goal attempt. The Huskies cut the score to 21-14 with a touchdown pass from Tuiaso-sbpo to Mike Reed that capped a drive that included passes of 54 and 15 yards. Washington then tried an onside kick, but the ball went out of bounds at the Huskies' 47 and Nebraska ground out enough yards to set up a 20-yard field goal by Kris Brown. Washington had one final chance to close the score, when the Huskies pinned Nebraska on its 5-yard line with 8 17 left in the game.

On the second play, Makovicka, who finished with 129 yards, broke through the line for a 47-yard run and Nebraska drove for another Brown field goal. The back-to-back setbacks of the failed onside kickoff and the inability to stop Nebraska deep in its territory made the difference in the game, Washington Coach Jim Lam- Fullback Joel Makovicka rushes in the second quarter against Washington Saturday at Seattle's Husky Stadium. Makovicka rushed for a career-high 1 29 yards. nj A 6 1 know I'm a tough runner. I think I showed you what I can MAKOVICKA 129 yards do.

9 Nebraska I-back Ahman Green we can be," Green said. "It was such a big game. It's been on the whole team's mind since June 1. Getting 100 yards is sweet against a team like Washington." Makovicka, a graduate of East Butler High, eclipsed the lOO-yaVd mark for the first time in his college career late in the fourth quarter when he broke loose up the middle where else? for a 43-yard gain on a second-and-11 play from Nebraska's 3-yard line. The Huskers eventually completed the drive with Kris Brown's 31-yard field goal, which ended the scoring.

"(Running backs coach) FranfcSo-lich had called from the coaches' booth not long before (the 43-yard run)," Makovicka said. "He said we needed a spark. The line did a great job I gained 10 yards before anybody touched me. "We needed a play like that. We were backed up and had lost a liitlie momentum.

I think the played showed what kind of character we have. It quieted the crowd, and we got the job done." quick pitches to the outside. His longest run covered 15 yards. He endured at least two games' worth of contact but said his sore shoulder, the result of a hit with about 11 minutes left in the fourth quarter, will be fine. What's more, Green said, the back injury that sidelined him during the second half of the season-opening win against Akron "is a thing of the past." So may be the questions about his durability, which surfaced last season when Green was slowed by a turf toe and later a stress fracture in his foot.

Green doesn't let the critics bother him. "It's something I use to get me going," he said. Green and the rest of Nebraska's rushing attack got going early against a team that entered with the nation's top-ranked rushing defense. Washington had allowed an average of minus 2 yards in wins against Brigham Young and San Diego State. But Nebraska, averaging 418 rushing yards coming in, churned out 141 yards on 16 carries in the first quarter alone.

The Huskers finished with 384 yards on the ground, the second-highest total any team has gotten against the Huskies since 1978. "I think a lot had been made of their rushing defense," Nebraska Coach Tom Osborne said. "But you have to remember, Washington had played a couple teams this season that make a living throwing the football." True enough. But that didn't diminish Green's enthusiasm. He was particularly pleased when informed of the success of his backfield mates.

Junior fullback Joel Makovicka posted career highs with 12 carries for 129 yards, and senior quarterback Scott Frost rushed 18 times for 97 yards. "This game shows how powerful NU leaves Washington defense no options Nebraska notes it. 8 SI throat. We gave up some big yards, but our offense helped out and just ground out the points and a lot of the clock. When they run and we shut down the run, it 1 doesn't seem like we can be beat.

And as soon as we believe in that we will get beat. So we're going to try 1 harder next game and the next game and the next." Fullback Joel Makovicka, who has yet to be tackled for a loss, had a best 1 29 yards on 1 2 carries. Placekicker Kris Brown, who missed a 41-yard field goal, kicked successfully from 20 and 31 yards to set the career mark for field goals at 29, breaking the mark set by Dale Klein (27) in 1 984-85-86. I He explained that one attempt in the second quarter, with Nebraska leading 21-0, was a fake. 7 1 Brown (ned up for a 46-yard attempt, and Ted Retzlaff took the snap.

He was supposed to lateral the ball to fullback Billy Legate. "We just didn't execute the play, cq but I thought It would have gone for a long, long way," Brown said. Osborne added, "We opofed up and that im Former Missouri Coach Bob Stull, who is now in development at Washington said after the game, "Nothing I haven't seen before. Option. Dives.

Power football that is run by the best team around. I saw it for the five years I coached at Missouri." Nebraska is 77-84-3 all time against ranked opponents and 58-37-1 under Tom Osborne. Nebraska is 1 5-2 against ranked fleams in the last four-plus seasons, losing to Florida State in the 1994 Orange Bowl and to Arizona State last year. Nebraska is a record 50-3 In the lastg four-plus years. Osborne is now 245-49-3.

Nebraska I-back Ahman Green and fulback Joel Makovicka each rushed for 129 yards and quarterback Scott Frost would have been over 100 yards, too, but knelt twice for a loss of six yards to end the game and finished with 97 yards rushing. Nebraska's 384 yards rushing was the second most given up by Washington since 1 978 and the most gained by Nebraska since picking up 388 against Iowa State last year. Frost extended Ns school record of pass attempts without an interception to 148 in a row. Turner Gil held the old mark of 125. Frost completed eight of 1 5 passes for 88 yards Saturday.

He now has 1 ,71 5 yards passing, the 1 3th all-time school career mark. Green moved up to 1 0th on the Husker career rushing list, past Jeff Kinney. Green has 2,344 yards on 359 carries and 23 touchdowns. He has nine 100-yard rushing games. Defensive tackle Jason Peter had four tackles and rush end Grant Wistrom had three stops to help hold Washington to 1 .5 yards per carry on 28 rushing attempts.

Nebraska middle linebacker Jay Foreman led the Huskers with seven tackles. "When the line plays like it did today, the middle linebacker is supposed to get in there and pick up the said. 1 know it looks like Central Florida had a better offense than Washington, but I think we had our complete focus on 1 Washington and maybe not on Central Florida. "You know It really pumps up the defense when the offense Is out there just smashing and crashing around on every play," he said. 1 think everybody was going for the tough-guy award Rush end Chad Kelsay who had one of Nebraska's four quarterback sacks, said, he was just as inspired by the Nebraska offense.

"We feed off that kind of deal where they shove it down somebody's I- could have helped. One guy didn't hear what he needed to hear and it was I Osborne said there were a number of emotional shifts in the game. There was a penalty on a screen apss they had a long gain on, out penalty on the dead ball foul in the endzone and another penalty that 1 brought back the touchdown pass to Vershan There were three or four things that could have put the" -W game away for us or gotten them back Into the game." A'. TEDKIRKUncotnJaun-SUr Nebraska split end Lance brown (14) tries to get away from a AVashington defender in Saturday's 27-1 4 win..