Lincoln Journal Star from Lincoln, Nebraska • 41

OCTOBER 1 9B6 SUNDAY JOURNAL-STAR gamecocks feel betrayed after defeat 1 guess I didn't hold onto the ball tight enough or something," said Brown, whose only previous handling of the ball had been a kickoff return. "I was trying to make my move, and he got a piece of my arm. "I feel like I let the whole team down. I dont like to cry on the football field, but when something like that happens, it's just a crush for the whole team." SUH, Brown's 41-yard kickoff return, plus a face-mask penalty, gave South Carolina one more chance at the Nebraska 39 with 1:26 left But with second-and-10 at the Husker 19, Ellis read blitz and went to his bailout man, wingback Kevin White. His pass found Siebler instead.

"Kevin got past the linebacker and was free for a second, so instead of reading again, I let the ball go," Ellis said. "The free safety (Siebler) was going by Kevin and it hit him in the chest" "Coach (Tom) Osborne wins these games over the years by doing the right things," Ellis said. "That's when you have that edge. "After the fumble, I was on the sideline, and (offensive lineman) Charlie Gowan said, This is ours. I know it is.

It cant happen like this But it did." 2.. By Bob Gillespie The Columbia Record COLUMBIA, S.C. These are the plays South Carolina Quarterback Todd EDis will see In his nightmares plays that made the difference between a stun-nhupset of No. 3 Nebraska and a heartbreaking 27-24 losftft the Cornhuskers: Kff fumble by wingback Raynard Brown on the 26-yard line with 2:08 remaining and the Gamecocks ahead 24-20, on a pass play that Ellis called "tfifreafest pass we can call" Oln interception by Nebraska's Bryan Siebler with left after the Gamecocks had moved to the HgkerW. South Carolina's redshirt freshman said resignedly, It just feels like some-oifjuttogetyou." JPp wouldn't feel that way? A week before, South Carolina had lost to No.

20 Georgia 31-26 when Ellis' deflected pass at the Georgia 2 was caught by a defensive tafckle. Saturday, late turnovers again killed the Gamecocks' upset chances. ft's a tough loss, no doubt about that," said South Carolina Coach Joe Morrison. "Georgia was the same way, it went to the wire. But you're going to get your share of those over the course of the season." Until the final two possessions Saturday, it seemed Morrison's day had arrived.

Ellis' big numbers (2tof-38 passes for 286 yards) in South Carolina's "run-and-shoot" offense had given the 26-point underdogs, who trailed 13-7 at the half, a 24-20 lead on running back Harold Green's third touchdown with 4:23 to play. And when South Carolina's defense, which pve up 423 yards but stopped Nebraska on all but one drive in the second half, forced the Huskers to punt with 3:09 left, all the Gamecocks needed was a first down or two to sew up their biggest victory ever. But on second-and-7, Ellis bit Brown with a simple flare pass in the right flat, a pass Nebraska had not stopped all day. Brown moved to cut inside and Nebraska' Broderick Thomas reached in to strip the ball away, with Brian Davis recovering. Three plays later, Steve Taylor hit Todd Millikan for his fourth TD of the season.

"We wanted to throw to Raynard because be cuts back to the middle so wen," Ellis said. "If he breaks one tackle, we've got our first down." Xi At South Carolina Coach Joe Morrison c'omDlains about a call South Carolina tired of close lossel pwmmwiiimihiwww mwp i "yi m'i' mmm wwwi i mwii mamnmrmiTrnnun rmwTmrrrnm ir zi -J'- x- 4.r i i 'ft 'Vf" If svVv- By Ken Hambleton COLUMBIA, S.C. There is no consolation in playing Nebraska close, South Carolina linebacker Kenneth Robinson said. "You can only listen to so much about bow good you did this and how good you played when you're 1-4," Robinson said after Nebraska posted a 27-24 victory over the Gamecocks Saturday at Wil-liams-Brice Stadium. Tm sick of hearing about how great everybody else is and how we played them tough," he said.

"We made them fight for everything they got We were close. We should have won. "That may all be true, but who won the game?" he sail Robinson made the key tackle on Nebraska quarterback Steve Taylor that stopped the Huskers on fourth-down-and-2 at the South Carolina 20-yard line with six seconds left in the third quarter. The Gamecocks' offense took over and marched 80 yards in 11 plays and scored on a 2-yard run by Harold Green to take a 17-13 lead with 11:06 left in the game. "To get a chance like that to beat them really makes me feel sad.

We felt it was such a big play and everybody was so fired up when we stopped them," Robinson said. "We thought that wa such a big It swung momentum back to us again." -r- Robinson, who had seven tackles, also recovered a fumble by Nebraska's Keith Jones at the Gamecocks' 7 with 3:41 left in the half. f' 5 "That was a big play at the time, it seemed. We had just scored (making the score 10-7) and they had that big pass to the tight end, and we stopped them," he said, referring to Taylor's 73-yard pass, to Todd Millikan. "But we lost.

I don't know why. I don't know why we lose a couple of turnovers at the end of the game. I don't know why they were able to get their tight end free for their last touchdown. We had that covered," Robinson said. "It doesnt mean a thing to give "a heck of a game.

We pve Georgia a heck-of a game. Maybe we alarmed ka, and the spread was 31 points something? But look at the final score for the fourth time this season." Robinson said he was impressed with' NU's Taylor. "He's a better thrower than a lot of people might think; Remember, we played against Vinny (Testeverde of Miami)," he said. Gamecocks' Harold Green (22) goes high to snare a second-quarter pass over NU's Lawrence Pete (96). Ski Taylor Scoring story Time left How scored NU-SC Keith Jones when he was sidelined for 74 104 ft XT'- 10 13-7 three plays late in the third quarter.

"I had just let a pitch go to Keith and one of their guys hit me In the hand so hard with his helmet my hand popped and my fingers weren't pointing the right way. It hurt a lot." Nebraska trainer Jerry Weber said that Taylor had dislocated his ring finger on his left hand and it was popped back into place. "I wasn't nervous, I just wanted to get back in and get something going on offense," Taylor said. "I didn't get rattled out there and I think my poise is getting better. This is the first time I've gotten to play a whole game and I'm exhausted, but I'm pretty happy," he said.

The thing that made him the happiest was the chance to help the offense get the lead back late in the game. "The defense came through for us and it was our turn to come through for, them. "This was the hardest defense we faced all year. I don't know where they got it from, but they came up with one that I won't forget," he said. "Keith (I-back Jones) got some tough yards, but we didn't get a whole lot inside this week." FIRST QUARTER K.Jones 5 run 8:10 Drive: 74 yards in 15 plays.

Highlighted by seven K. Jones runs for 37 yards, Brlnson 21 pass from Taylor. Conversion: Klein Klein 37 field goal 2:44 Drive: 48 yards In 10 plays. Highlighted by Gamble 14 pass from Taylor, K. Jones 12 run, two Taylor runs for 24 yards.

SECOND QUARTER Green 56 pass from Ellis 4:47 Drive: 80 yards In 7 plays. Highlighted by Sharpe 19 pass from Ellis. Conversion: Hagler kick. Klein 28 field goal :03 Drive: 57 yards in 10 plays. Highlighted by R.

Smith 22 pass from Taylor, R. Schnltzler 23 pass from Taylor, Taylor 13 run. THIRD QUARTER Hagler 38 field goal 3:53 Drive: 31 yards In 7 plays. Highlighted by Bethea 17 run, H. Brown two passes from Ellis for 17 yards.

FOURTH QUARTER Green 2 run 11:0 Drive: 80 yards In 11 plays. Highlighted by White 10 pass from Ellis, Sharpe 14 pass from Ellis, Bethea 17 pass from Ellis, White 14 run. Conversion: Hagler kick. Brlnson 57 run :23 Drive: 76 yards In 4 plays. Highlighted by K.

Jones 6 run, Rodg-ers8 run. Conversion: Klein kick. Green 7 run 4:23 Drive: 68 yards In 12 plays. Highlighted by Sharpe 3 passes from Ellis for 23 yards, Andrews 12 pass from Ellis on 3rd-ond-6. Conversion: Hagler kick.

Millikan 11 pass from Taylor 1:26 Drive: 26 yards in 3 plays. Set up by Davis recovery of fumble at SC 26. Highlighted by two Taylor runs for 15 yards. Conversion: Klein kick. ft' I swwi swwww mi 20-2 27-24 Nebraska-South Carolina statistics Nebraska's Chariee Fryar makes the hit on SC's Vic McConnell after a pass reception at the NU 10.

From Huskers D. Smith 2 27 White 2 15 Bethea 1 17 Andrews ....1 12 McConnell 1 6 Punting No. Yds. Ave. Same 5 225 45.0 Punt returns No.

Yds. Sharpe 2 2 Kickoff returns No. Yds. K. Jones 1 14 R.

Brown 2 68 10 Ave. 4.0 3.5 1.4 2.0 4.0 23.0 PI 0 Yds. 30 25 84 22 35 Ave. 46.2 Yds. 47 Yds.

29 37 Yds. 10 by sending a man across the Siebler said. "I guessed right, anttcVv pated well and got a good break on the ball I dont think the quarterback eyerc' sawme. "It was an educated chance, some thing I knew in my mind would When I saw the ball coming at me, I'" knew I had the interception. Antldpa-tlonwasthekey." Cornhusker middle guard Danny Noo-' nan was on the sideline, getting a breath-, er, when Siebler made the lnterceptioo "I was thinking, 'Fall down, fall down Dont fumble said Noonan.

"There was a (South Carolina) guy coming be-" hind him." The game may have hung on point in time, that Instant Intimations of mortality? Smith also was on the sidelipe waitlrig to" go5 back irt. "This told me 98 yards. What rushing success South Carolina had was the result of Ellis' passes. "We were so bent out of shape trying to cover the perimeter on the passes that we began to do a poor job against the run, too," said Osborne. The Gamecocks led for the first time with 11:06 left In the game, after an 11-play, 80-yard touchdown drive, which ended with Green's 2-yard run.

Nebraska countered, less than two minutes later, when Brlnson ran 57 yards for a touchdown. The play was a countersweep, which hadnt worked earlier in the game. "This time, they overran the play," said Brlnson, who has 04.38 speed in the 40-yard dash. Like his teammates, Brinson maintained that the Cornhuskers were dete-mlned to come back. "We got behind but we kent our comDosure." he said.

Noonan 3 2 L. Jones 2 1 Holloway 5 0 N. Smith 3 0 Pete 5 1 Rother 1 0 Jamrog 2 0 Parsons 4 5 Munford 9 1 Etienne 1 2 Hennlng 0 1 Davis 5 1 Fryar 6 1 Tomiack 3 3 Siebler 5 1 Washington 1 2 Blazek 5 1 Marco 1 0 South Carolina Offense Rushing No. Yds. Ellis 12 -12 A.

Smith 5 20 White 2 18 Green 16 43 H.Brown 2 0 Bethea 1 17 Sharpe 1 5 Passing No. Co. Yds Ellis 38 26 286 Receiving No. Sharpe 10 R. Brown 1 Green 2 H.

Brown 6 Nebraska Offense Rushing No. Yds. K.Jones 26 103 Taylor 15 53 Helbel 5 7 Knox 1 2 Rodgers 2 8 Brlnson 3 69 Passing No. Co. Yds Taylor 19 9 196 Receiving no.

Brlnson 2 Gamble 2 Millikan 2 IfcSmlth 1 R. Schnltzler 2 Punting No. Yds. Kroeker 5 231 Punt returns No. Brlnson 4 Kickoff returns No.

Brlnion 2 RodOers 2 Interception return No. Siebler 1 Defense Tackles um UT AT Thomas 3 Spachman 4 1 37 and 28 yards in the game, added his third extra point, then left things up to Nebraska's defense to preserve the victory, which sends the Cornhuskers into next week's Big Eight opener with Oklahoma State undefeated. Nebraska began Saturday's game like it would roll over its final non-conference opponent The Cornhuskers took the opening kickoff and drove 74 yards in 15 plays to score. Jones, who rushed for 103 yards on 26 carries, covered the final five yards, and Klein's kick made the score 7-0. Nebraska's second possession produced Klein's first field goal and a 104 lead which held up until Ellis passed to freshman running back Harold Green on a 58-yard touchdown play with 4:47 left before the intermission.

Green scored South Carolina's other touchdowns on runs of 2 and 7 yards to tie a school record. Ellis, who's also a freshman, finished the game with 26 pass completions in 38 attempts tor 286 yards. Wingback Sterling Sharp caught 10 of those passes for Defense Tackles UT AT TT Davis 3 3 6 Hart 4 6 10 Mclntee 3 4 7 Hendrlx 2 3 5 4 1 5 Love 2 3 5 Frazler 0 2 2 K. Robinson 3 4 7 2 2 4 Dtaos 3 2 5 Zanders 3 14 Little 2 7 9 Malor 4 2 6 Edwards 5 2 7 7 2 9 R. Robinson 5 3 8 Rabune 12 3 Floyd 2 0 2 Hill 2 3 5 Windsor 2 13 Kllgort 1 4 5 Ave.

1.0 4.0 9.0 2.7 0.0 17.0 5.0 PI 1 Yds. 98 5 52 54 Siebler certainly kept his. The pass he. we've got to start eettlne a little better prepdredtoj 'teSttft im we're hot golng At. a I miei tepieu ui seat ura vivwjij muiic vu a play that had worked well for South Carolina.

"They'd Been beating us every time iTiu' some pi us wougm, nesaw. He emphasized the "maybe." TT 4 5.