Big Eight Roundup : Returns Are In--Nebraska Romps

Nebraska Coach Tom Osborne called a 56-12 romp over Utah State Saturday only a fair performance by his second-ranked Cornhuskers.

“I have mixed feelings,” Osborne said after his team rolled up 603 yards of total offense and 205 more on kick and interception returns at Lincoln, Neb. “Our punt returns were good, and our pass coverage was good. I’m disappointed with the turnovers.”

With a home showdown against fourth-ranked UCLA next week, the Huskers might have been looking ahead, Osborne said.

“UCLA could’ve been in the back of our minds, but no time was spent on UCLA this week. I didn’t feel we played very well. The players who had been with us a while weren’t that enthused, but the new players were excited and seemed to play better.”

Nebraska lost the ball five times, three on fumbles and two on interceptions.

Running back Keith Jones ran for three touchdowns, and junior Steve Taylor ran for two more, however, and the Huskers gained 515 yards rushing, while holding Utah State to minus-1 on the ground.

Taylor, with touchdown runs of 44 and 58 yards, gained 157 yards in 9 carries while setting a school rushing record for quarterbacks. The old mark was 143 yards by John Bordogna against Iowa State in 1952.

Jones rushed for 118 on 18 carries before leaving the game midway of the third quarter.

Nebraska tied its Big Eight Conference record by returning two punts for touchdowns--Dana Brinson on a 57-yarder and Rod Smith from 80 yards. The Cornhuskers returned for two touchdowns against Kansas in 1983.

Nebraska’s defense pressured the Aggie quarterbacks all afternoon, collecting eight quarterback sacks, including two by tackle Tim Rother.

Utah State starter Brent Snyder completed 12 of 33 passes for 132 yards, but was sacked 7 times by the Nebraska pass rush. The Aggies had 226 passing yards on 19 completions in 46 attempts, but couldn’t mount a running game against the Husker defense.

“They’re the best team I ever coached against on defense,” Utah State Coach Chuck Shelton said. “They have the two fastest defensive tackles in America. If that one was at Utah State, he’d be a tailback.”

The season-opening game was played before 75,910 spectators, giving Nebraska a sellout for the 150th straight game.

Austin Peay 26, Kansas St. 22--At Manhattan, Kan., Rico Ransom caught a 35-yard touchdown pass from Dale Edwards with 10 seconds to play to give Austin Peay a stunning upset.

Kansas State had taken a 22-19 lead on three touchdown passes from Gary Swim to John Williams, and the Wildcats held that lead when it punted to Austin Peay, a Division I-AA school, with 50 seconds left.

Edwards threw back-to-back completions to his twin brother, Dean Edwards, to move the ball to the K-State 35 and, with no timeouts left, he found Ransom, who caught the ball over his shoulder at about the 10 and ran into the end zone.

Oklahoma St. 39, Tulsa 28--Oklahoma State fullback Thurman Thomas punched out 164 yards in 25 carries and scored 3 touchdowns to lead the Cowboys at Stillwater, Okla.

Thomas, a 5-11, 195-pound senior, picked up 118 yards in the first half as Oklahoma State capitalized on Tulsa special-team miscues for a 26-14 halftime lead.