Top-Notch Victory by No. 2 Nebraska

Nebraska made Texas A&M; pay for the Cornhuskers’ collapse last year in the Big 12 Conference championship game.

Still stinging from a 37-27 ambush by Texas last year, the second-ranked Cornhuskers struck early and often behind Scott Frost, Ahman Green, and kicker Kris Brown to overwhelm 14th-ranked Texas A&M;, 54-15, Saturday and keep their national title hopes alive.

The win sends Nebraska (12-0) to the Orange Bowl against either No. 3 Tennessee, which needed a win over No. 11 Auburn in the SEC title game Saturday night, or No. 4 Florida State.

Nebraska will now root for a Washington State win over No. 1 Michigan in the Rose Bowl.

“That’s a given that we’ll be rooting for Washington State,” Frost said. “But we can’t control that. We just have to win our last game.”

Said Coach Tom Osborne: “We played well today. I thought we played well against Washington and Kansas State. Michigan is a great football team but I think this is a great football team.

“I’m not rooting for anyone. We’ll just wait and see what happens. I’m just glad we won today.”

Texas A&M;, the Big 12 South champion, found itself in the wrong place at the wrong time against the determined North champion Cornhuskers and probably will take its 9-3 record to the Cotton Bowl.

Nebraska scored on its first seven possessions and cruised to a 37-3 halftime lead before a sellout crowd of 64,824 in the Alamodome, rolling up 353 yards and holding Texas A&M; to only two first downs.

Linebacker Grant Wistrom said the Cornhuskers were driven to atone for what happened last year against the Longhorns.

“We had a chip on our shoulder about what happened in St. Louis,” Wistrom said. “This has always been our battle cry over the summer. I know that was the only thing I was thinking about when I worked, practiced or was in the weight room. We weren’t going to let down. That loss is one I’ll remember the rest of my life.”

Frost, who both passed and ran for more than 1,000 yards this season, scored on a six-yard run, and Brown kicked field goals of 27, 26, and 31 yards as the Cornhuskers jumped to a 16-0 first-quarter lead. Brown also hit a 44-yarder in the third quarter.

Green, the nation’s second-leading rusher, joined the scoring parade in the second quarter with runs of 25 and 1 yards. He also scored on a 6-yard run in the fourth period, and finished with 179 yards in 34 carries.

Frost hit Matt Davison with a 51-yard pass just before halftime to set up his own two-yard scoring run as the nation’s top-ranked offense scored at will.

Texas A&M; Coach R.C. Slocum said Nebraska was “everything I thought they would be. They beat us offensively, defensively and every possible way.”

“I’m disappointed in the way we played. Our offense has to bear some responsibility for the loss. They didn’t make many first downs and stay on the field so our defense wouldn’t have to work so hard.”

In addition to Green, Frost had 15 carries for 79 yards and he hit 12 of 18 passes for 201 yards. Nebraska had 536 total yards.

Texas A&M;’s only offensive spark was provided by tight end Derrick Spiller, who hooked up with quarterback Branndon Stewart on a 63-yard pass-and-run that set up Kyle Bryant’s 32-yard field goal in the second quarter.

Spiller provided the Aggies with their only touchdown in the fourth quarter when he caught a 13-yard pass from Stewart to cap a 75-yard drive. Stewart was 18 for 38 for 227 yards.

“We just kept shooting ourselves in the foot,” Stewart said. “I made some bad throws and we couldn’t establish the run. “

Texas A&M; also got a fourth-quarter touchdown when Jason Glenn returned a fumble 35 yards for a score after a botched handoff by quarterback Frankie London, who later scored Nebraska’s final touchdown on a three-yard run.