The Lincoln Star from Lincoln, Nebraska • 34

mt If 6DE 3HUSKERS Sure touchdown becomes nightmare or an CU Jb Iannis C7 NOVEMBER 13,109 SUNDAY JOURNAL-STAR II I IB I. II lL II. mmmmmi fvm 5 lf CK 4 it I "ijf I I I L'. -f i' tit js i I By KentWolgamott J. J.

Flannigan knows exactly what Colorado fans win remember 10 years from now about the Buffaloes' 7-0 loss to Nebraska Saturday. Midway through the second quarter, Colorado was moving the ball behind Flannigan's slashing running. On a third-and-3 play from Nebraska's 43-yard line, Flannigan ran up the middle against a Nebraska blitz. The reserve halfback popped into the open and appeared to have clear sailing to the end zone. Then, the run became a nightmare.

While trying to switch the ball between his hands, it came loose. Flannigan recovered the bouncing ball but Nebraska defensive tackle Kent Wells drilled him to the turf at the 19 and a sure touchdown was lost "I felt it slipping and it just fell out of my hand," Flannigan said. "It's going to be the play they talk about I don't know why it happened, and in a game like this." A holding penalty and a 19-yard loss on a reverse took Colorado out of scoring position and ended the Buffaloes' best chance of the afternooa The miscue was just another bit of hard luck for Flannigan, a junior from Los Angeles who came into the season as one of the Buffaloes' top runners. ''It's been tough since high school, since Proposition 48," Flannigan said. "A lot of things happened to me.

But I try to make them positive. I didn't play my freshman year, so I came back as a sophomore and played even harder." The fumble spoiled Flannigan's best day as a Buffalo. He entered the game midway through the first quarter after starter Eric Bieniemy pulled a hamstring muscle. Flannigan carried the ball 27 times for 133 yards, topping his 105-yard effort against Iowa State earlier this season and earning the praise of his teammates and Coach Bill McCartney. "I knew everyone had confidence in me to do what I had to do," Flannigan said.

"I ran well There was just that one play. That's what hurts the most" Although the fumble will be the subject of discussion for a few days, Flannigan said he knows what he has to do as' the Buffs prepare for their season finale against Kansas State next Saturday. "I'm trying to keep that behind me. If I keep dwelling on that, it's going to happen again," Flannigan said. "I'm going to keep my head up and come back next week and run even harder.

That's all I can do." Buffalo notes, quotes GAIL FOLOA SUNDAY JOURNAL-ST Afl the bail after he broke into the clear on a second-quarter run. Nebraska's Mark Blazek is in pursuits Colorado's J.J. Flannigan fumbles Flannigan was credited with a gain after coming back to recover his fumble at the NU 19 but lost the opportunity to score. kl McCartney Colorado's leading rusher Eric Bieniemy injured his right hamstring in the first quarter and didn't play in the second half. "It was a problem a long time ago, that's abort it" Bieniemy said.

"I was just running and felt it pulL It's real disappointing." After narrow losses to Nebraska and Oklahoma, Buffalo quarterback Sal Aunese says he now considers Colorado to be at the same level as the Big Eight's big two. "They're similar in a lot of ways" Aunese said. "They're always going to be big, always going to be strong and always going to be fast. I believe we're at the level now. All we have to do is win a game." Taped above eafli of the Colorado players' lockers was a sheet- with THIS IS WAR written in large letters above a picture of Nebraska linebacker Broderick Thomas laughing following last year's 24-7 Nebraska victory over the Buffaloes.

"That picture of him laughing is be McCartney said. The reverse, which the Buffaloes used to perfection two years ago in their 20-10 victory over Nebraska, was set up for Jeff Campbell to take the second hand-off around the right end. But Husker linebacker Jeff Mills forced him to retreat while heading to the right and then NU linebacker Broderick Thomas wrapped him up for a 19-yard loss. Colorado then had to punt 'The famous Broderick stopped our famous reverse," McCartney said. "You want the guy to pursue the read real hard and instead, he stayed home and made the play." The fumbled snap came in the fourth quarter after Nebraska had taken its 7-0 Cornhusker offense, Clark found crack in GU defense A lift1.

t1C klrV- AaULU 5a ,4 iff JH 'V. By Ken Hambleton The Colorado defense didn't die, it just faded a bit Nebraska I-back Ken Clark said "it's an old story. We kept pouhling and we wore them down a bit and they got a little soft and we took something cause he tends to get the last laugh all the time," Aunese said. Former Colorado football player Ed Reinhardt, who narrowly avoided death after suffering a head Injury in 1984 which left him comatose for more than a month, was in the Colorado locker room following Saturday's game. Reinhardt's younger brother Tom is a junior nose tackle for the Buffalos.

His brother John is a former Nebraska line' man. I The only serious Injury suffered by a Colorado player was to defensive end Kanavis McGhee, who broke his right ankle. Doctors were waiting for X-rays to determine whether surgery would be needed. Other Colorado injuries included: Bieniemy, hamstring; offensive guard Joe Garten, retrained his right ankle; cornerback Dave McCloughan, bruised right shoulder; and defensive end Alfred Williams, hip pointer. All but McGhee are expected to play in Colorado's regular-season finale next week against Kansas State.

away from them," said Clark, who scored the game's only touchdown in Nebraska's victory over Colorado Saturday. Clark also ran for 10 yards on an audi-bled pitch play called when Nebraska faced fourth down-and-2 at the Colorado TED KIRK SUNDAY JOURNAL-STAR lead. Colorado got the ball at its own 3-yard line after recovering a Steve Taylor fumble and drove to the Nebraska 27. On fourth-and-1, quarterback Sal Aunese fumbled the snap and Flannigan recovered, but the Huskers took over. "I just didn't handle it I was pulling out of there too early," said Aunese, who fumbled three snaps.

"On the last one, my offensive line couldn't hear. I should have asked the referee for a delay. I didnt use good judgment on that" Colorado threatened one other time in the first half, after Keith Pontiflet recovered a fumble at the Nebraska 39. A Husker personal foul penalty moved the ball to the 24. Bieniemy, who returned to the game for four plays, burst up the Statistics Defense Tockles UT AT TT Callendo 5 5 10 Blazek 8 2 10 Thomas 4 4 8 Pete 8 0 8 Mills ,.4 3 7 Etlenne 6 1 7 4 1 5 Wells 3 2 v5 Griffin 3 0 3 Frvar 2 13 1 1 2 0 2 2 Jackson 2 0 2 middle on a sprint draw for a 12-yanf-gain.

But Charles Fryar knocked the ball-loose and Tim Jackson recovered. vl3 The sprint draw worked well for thej Buffaloes. "But they stunted Into it a couple or-times and stopped it, so we had to go away from it for awhile," McCartney said After a 17-14 loss to Oklahoma, Colo-' rado was hoping to get back in the conference race against Nebraska. "We came in here thinking we could win. But we also knew we would have a score a couple of times to do it," McCartney said' "Nebraska and Okla- homa are both real good It will be a heckof agame." ROBERT BECKERSUNDAY JOURNAL-STAR Passing No.

Co. Yds Aunese ........11 1 43 Receiving No. Perak Punting No. Yds. .....7 287 Punt returns No.

4 Klckoff returns No. Prltchard 1 Defense Tackles UT AT McGhee 4 7 DeLuzio 9 1 Jones 4 6 7 2 6 1 6 1 Reinhardt 5 1 Pontiflet 3 2 4 1 4 0 Williams 3 0 1 0 Johnson 1 Ave." 41.0? Ydi.2 35 2i: 10 from one hand to the other it's second nature for a running back to switch the ball after a cut" said McCartney. "Obviously, when you're that wide open, you don't need to switch hands, but he made a heck of a run to get that far. J.J. did a good job in Bieniemy's absence." Flannigan said he didn't have control of the ball "I went around a linebacker and I felt it slipping," he said.

"When I tried to get a better grip, it just fell out of my hand." The fumble alone didnt stop Colorado's drive. "After that, we backed ourselves up when we were called for holding the only holding penalty of the game and by losing ground oh the reverse," 17 In the third quarter. There was no drastic change in offensive plans, Clark said but Nebraska picked up 206 of its 296 yards in total offense in the second half. In the first half, the Cornhuskers got as close as the Colo-, rado 25-yard line but defensive tackle Cole Hayes sacked NU quarterback Steve Taylor Nebraska also lost scoring opportunities when Taylor fumbled at the Colorado 3 in the fourth quarter and when the Cornhuskers ran out the clock after reaching the CU 20 in the final minute of the game. But Nebraska, which led the nation in scoring and in total offense, didn't get any other opportunities to score.

"It was a hard day because of wind and field position," NU Coach Tom Osborne said "Of course, last week we played great offensively in terrible conditions, worse that today. It had more to do with people." Nebraska pummeled Iowa State 51-16 in a snowstorm last week. The key to stopping Nebraska's offense was simply a solid Colorado defense, Osborne said "They played excellent defense and played hard" There was also a problem of wind, Taylor said "I couldn't get the ball to the receivers. We had openings and I overthrew some. We had the plays and something else happened Their defensive backs were flying back, and they were trying to contain me and when I decided to run, their linebackers showed up every time.

"I hope we have an up week against Oklahoma. I wouldn't want to put that much pressure on our defense again. Clark said the Colorado defense was emotionally charged. "They talked all game long. They dont like us, so I dont like them.

But they are good," he said Clark finished with 165 yards rushing on a season-high 28 carries for the junior from Omaha Bryan. "I dont think Oklahoma is going to be any different They dont intimidate me. We've seen Colorado and a charged-up Missouri defense and I saw the Colorado-Oklahoma game and Colorado should have won that "Well take care of business. ItH be a game of big breaks being the big key," Clark said of next Saturday's game at Norman, Okla. "Of course, with a better offensive day, we can make it so it doesn't have to be that way." Nebraska's Ken Clark holds the ball high as he scores the only touchdown of the game.

Guard John -Nelson (76) was Clark's escort on the 2-yard sweep with 4:35 left in the third quarter. Nebraska Offense-. Rushing No. Yds. Ave.

Clark 165 5.9 Carpenter 10 44 4.4 Taylor 12 40 3.3 3 18 6.0 Bell 2 II 5.5 Passing No. Co. Yds PI Taylor 9 2 18 0 Receiving No. Yds. Carpenter 1 9 Mllllkan 1 9 Punting No.

Yds. Ave. Kroeker 8 355 44.4 Punt returns No. Yds. Bell io Klckoff returns No.

Yds. Brlnson 2 68 Colorado Offense Rushing No. Yds. Flannigan 27 133 4.9 Bieniemy 6 33 5.5 9 22 2.4 Klsslck 4 9 2.3 Prltchard 1 9 9.0 Hemingway 3 6 2.0 Campbell 1 -19 NU's Steve Taylor (9) fumbles the ball after a 25-yard scamper down the sideline early in the fourth quarter. CU's Lamarr Gray has his arms wrapped around Taylor, and Colorado recovered at its 3-yard line.

Colorado's Bruce Young (7) pursues the play..