Cornhuskers Settle for Second : Nebraska: Gdowski passes for four touchdowns, runs for another in 42-25 Big Eight victory over Oklahoma.

For the first time since 1961, Nebraska and Oklahoma weren’t playing for the Big Eight championship.

But that didn’t seem to matter to Nebraska quarterback Gerry Gdowski.

Gdowski threw for a career-high 225 yards and four touchdowns and ran for another score, leading the sixth-ranked Cornhuskers past Oklahoma, 42-25, Saturday.

Colorado clinched the conference title earlier in the day, beating Kansas State, 59-11.

The Cornhuskers, 10-1 overall and 6-1 in the conference, finished in second place by beating Oklahoma for the second consecutive season. Nebraska scored the most points by any opponent against the Sooners since Colorado got 42 in 1980; no team has scored more since Nebraska’s 44 in 1969.

Oklahoma, on probation and ineligible to play in a bowl game, finished 7-4 and 5-2 in its first season under Coach Gary Gibbs.

Gdowski completed 12 of 15 passes and finished the season with 1,326 yards. He ran for 22 yards and increased his season rushing total to 925, but failed to become the sixth player to pass and rush for 1,000 yards in the same season.

The Cornhuskers, bound for the Fiesta Bowl, scored on their first four possessions with Gdowski running eight yards for the first touchdown.

Gdowski then threw to Richard Bell on a 31-yard pass play and to Chris Garrett on a 24-yarder for first-quarter touchdowns. Gregg Barrios, who broke the school record with his 54th consecutive extra-point kick after the first touchdown, added a 24-yard field goal before halftime.

Barrios also kicked a 35-yarder in the fourth quarter.

Oklahoma’s Steve Collins threw a deep pass to Arthur Guess, who wrestled the ball away from Lewis and raced 82 yards for a touchdown in the first quarter. Leon Perry added a one-yard touchdown run after guard Mike Sawatzky ran the “fumbleroosky” to the Nebraska one in the second quarter. R.D. Lashar kicked a 26-yard field goal with 44 seconds left in the half to make it 25-18.

The Sooners’ last two drives took 5:43 and 6:28 as they limited Nebraska to one second-quarter possession until the final 38 seconds of the half.

Early in the second half, Gdowski threw to Garrett on a 23-yard touchdown pass play. He then then completed a touchdown pass to Morgan Gregory for a 38-yard play with 3:37 left in the third quarter.

Perry added his second one-yard touchdown run just into the fourth quarter after Sawatzky carried again to the Nebraska one on the intentional fumble play.

Gdowski finished with 2,251 yards in total offense for the season, second best in school history to Jerry Tagge in the Nebraska national championship year of 1971. Tagge had 2,333 yards that season.

Clark also became the second Nebraska player to go over the 3,000-yard mark in career rushing, joining 1983 Heisman Trophy winner Mike Rozier. Clark ended with 91 yards for the day and 3,037 for his career.