Lincoln Journal Star from Lincoln, Nebraska • 34

6DE OCTOBER 1988 SUNDAY J0URNAL-9TA- 1E1USIIEE1S What a differeiitce" i i 1 1 irv I lm Colorado's Jon Embree (80), Erich Kisslck (33) and Eric Coyle (69) converge on Lance Carl (hid- den) after Carl's 52-yard pass reception from halfback O.C. Oliver produced a fourth-quarter TO. -2 Defensive tackle Neil Smith's dejection on the Cornhusker bench in the fourth quarter says it all. Win over NU dream come true for hungry Buffs Walker and freshman halfback O.C. Oliver hadn't even been born yet the last time Colorado beat the Cornhuskers.

"I dont remember when it was that we beat Nebraska before. Nobody would talk about it," said Oliver. "They'd just say it was a long, long time." Oliver rushed for 47 yards and threw a 52-yard halfback option pass to Lance Carl for a touchdown. Oliver's touchdown pass helped the Buffaloes pull ahead 17-7 just a minute after Nebraska had cut the CU lead to three "The coaches said a win today would go down in history. This is history," he said.

Oliver's option touchdown pass was a little bit of history making in itself. "When -they called the play my eyes got big and my first thought was It made my stomach start growling. We had practiced it, but I had never thrown a pass in my life in a football game," Oliver said. "I just rolled out to my left and saw big Broderick Thomas By Ken Hambleton MOULDER, Colo. The security people weren't going to let theNorth goal post at Fblsom Field get torn down.

But when Colorado' players Jumped on the crossbar, it seemed as hard to stop as a reverse and a halfback option pass. "You've never seen so many people get so crazy," said Colorado freshman Anthony talker. Walker said he'd never believe it if someone told him Colorado would beat Nebraska, at least for a couple of years. It's like seeing a dream come true right before your eyes," the, CU freshman defensive tackle said. "When I visited Ne-' braska on a recruiting trip they talked about how Colorado never beat Nebraska, like Colorado was a bunch of wimps or something.

"ftoy, I was glad to make a couple of hits on them. I guess we aren't wimps any more," he said after the Buffaloes stunned Nebraska 20-10 Saturday afternoon. "The biggest difference for me is that we won. We beat braska," Coyle said. "I had my hands full all day with Danny" Noonan and he is the best I've faced.

"Their defense is the best we've faced, but we got the matched them point for point and we found out we can beat air-top team. "That's something we'd never done since I came here to" 1982," he said, Mils) Linebacker Barry Remington, a four-year starter for Buffs, said the most important thing may have been a mental approach. "They had dominated us for so long, I think that thought sat-n in the back of their minds. We knew we were better than record and we knew we had been closing in on Nebraska for the last couple of years. "We came up with the big plays.

Heck, every play on de- fense was big against an offense like Nebraska's. We just kepUu riding the wave," he said. ready to get in my face. He's big. I know him from Houstoa He blocks out everything.

But Michael Marquez (CU halfback) got a block and I could finally see Lance open. "It was a hell of a catch and I really think it meant a lot to get those points right back after Nebraska scored," Oliver said. The effect on the Nebraska defense was obvious, Oliver said. "They were getting mean and trying to squeeze you so hard it made you cough. They talked a lot after the touchdown and they really worked on intimidating us.

"We weren't going to be intimidated. We were ahead," he said. The older Colorado players were even happier. Center Eric Coyle, a fifth-year senior who started as a freshman, said the Buffaloes' intensity was the difference. "We came in with a basic game plan.

You aren't going to fool Nebraska with much," he said. "We did twice, with the halfback pass and the reverse. CU From p81D i by left and Ohio State kicked a field goal over on a punt, a pass interception with 25 seconds left to beat the Buffs this gram we will always cherish. We beat a great team. That's something we hadn't done to this point," he said.

It took a few twists in Colorado's basic offense to score a pair of touchdowns that put Nebraska in the hole. Freshman Jeff Campbell scored on a 39-yard reverse play with 4:39 left in the first quarter. Lance Carl grabbed a 52-yard touchdown pass from freshman halfback O.C, Oliver to put Colorado ahead 17-7 ort the first play of the fourth. quarter. "The halfback pass is an integral part of the wishbone offense.

But we hadn't used it all season," McCartney said. "The reverse is very much a part of our offense. We had used it twice this year. But it was something we felt like maybe they hadn't worked on a whole lot," he said. Another key was getting outside the Nebraska defense.

"Their linebackers are big and fast If you're going to move on Nebraska, you have to get outside them. It was tough' sledding in there very sticky. "If you're going to defense them, you have to get in the right frame of mind to play the run." There were a few other keys to winning, McCartney said. The fact his.team didn't fall apart When quarterback Mark Hatcher lost a fumble at the CU 27-yard line with 6:56 left in the third quarter was important "The difference in our defense wa-that we had people who were big and strong enough to play the run ly. It's the first time in our secondary we had big skill guys who could stop skill guys in their tracks.

"I can remember the Rozier guys and" others breaking tackle after tackle. didnt have much of that today," he saj(L. "I think we have a rivalry now. Nextjf year, both teams will be on the same'. leveL" Barry Remington and rurally on downs, McCartney said he never relaxed.

il'was trying to get our onside-kick receive team ready there with about four minutes left. I did it again with about two minutes left. I remember what happened in the Oregon game," he said. CU gave up nine points in the last 4fseconds to lose to Oregon. 'In-other Colorado letdowns this year, Arizona hit a long pass play with 4:45 year.

"Offensively, we did what we could do against a great defense," he said. "Where are you going to find people bigger and stronger than Danny Noonan and Chris Spachman? "Defensively, we shut down the most explosive offense I've ever been on the same field with," McCartney sail "I think this is a moment in the pro- rr (i i 1 VA Vi i jl. at and Husker Dana Brlnton coughs up. the ball In the third quarter after a hit by Rodney Rogers (4). NU quarterback Steve Taylor (8) loses the ball in the second quarter; CU'8 Curt Koch (95) pursues It..