Big Eight Roundup : Nebraska Struggles, but Beats Colorado

Ken Clark rushed for 165 yards and scored the game’s only touchdown in the third quarter to lead seventh-ranked Nebraska past No. 19 Colorado, 7-0, in a Big Eight game Saturday at Lincoln, Neb.

The win kept the Cornhuskers’ Orange Bowl hopes alive with a 10-1 overall record and 6-0 Big Eight mark heading into the showdown with No. 8 Oklahoma next Saturday in Norman, Okla. The winner of that game will go to the Orange Bowl as the host team. The loser likely will end up in the Florida Citrus Bowl or the Fiesta Bowl.

Clark’s touchdown run of 2 yards came in a quarter that saw Nebraska outgain the Buffaloes, 101 to 25, after a first half in which the Cornhuskers accumulated just 90 total yards.

Colorado (7-3, 3-3) missed on the game’s only 2 scoring opportunities in the first half when halfback J.J. Flannigan broke through the Nebraska defense in the second quarter and appeared on his way untouched for a 43-yard touchdown run. But he fumbled the ball and recovered his own drop at the 19.

Three plays later Nebraska’s Broderick Thomas helped catch the Buffaloes on a reverse for a 19-yard loss and Colorado came out of the series empty-handed.

The Buffaloes also missed on a 47-yard field goal attempt by Ken Culbertson as time ran out in the first half.

Nebraska’s deepest penetration in the first half was to the Colorado 25 in the first period, but quarterback Steve Taylor was sacked by Cole Hayes on the 36, forcing the Huskers to punt.

Oklahoma 16, Missouri 7--Charles Thompson directed three first-half scoring drives and No. 8 Oklahoma held on to beat Missouri at Columbia, Mo., for its 30th straight Big Eight victory.

Oklahoma (9-1, 6-0) led 16-0 early in the second quarter as Missouri committed four turnovers and had a punt blocked.

Quarterback Brad Fitzmaurice, replacing injured starter Corey Welch, threw a 12-yard touchdown pass to Craig Lammers midway through the third period to narrow the gap to nine points.

Missouri is now 2-7-1 and 1-5.

Following the blocked punt, Thompson threw 8 yards to Eric Boss for a touchdown on a third-down play.

Then, after a 25-yard field goal by R.D. Lashar made the score 10-0, Anthony Stafford scored on a 1-yard run with 11:07 left in the half. Stafford’s touchdown followed a lost fumble by Fitzmaurice.

Iowa St. 16, Kansas St. 7--Joe Henderson ran for 156 yards and a touchdown and Curtis Warren scored on a 3-yard run in the fourth quarter to lead Iowa State at Manhattan, Kan.

Henderson, an all-Big Eight running back as a junior last year, has now rushed for more than 100 yards in 4 of his last 5 games. Iowa State overcame eight penalties and three turnovers to improve to 5-5 overall and 3-3 in the Big Eight.

Kansas State, winless in its last 25 games, is 0-10 this season.