Crouch Imagines the Possibilities

Aside from a few cramps on a hot day and an occasional punt by his team, it was almost a dream debut for Nebraska quarterback Eric Crouch.

Crouch ran for two touchdowns and passed for one to lead fourth-ranked Nebraska to a 38-7 victory over Alabama Birmingham on Saturday at Lincoln, Neb.

Crouch, a freshman playing in place of injured Bobby Newcombe, said he prepared for the start by imagining a solid performance.

“All week, I would lay in bed before going to sleep and think about what it would be like,” Crouch said. “I tried to visualize big plays and visualize the idea of getting it done.”

One of those big plays materialized when Crouch broke loose for a 59-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter. He also threw a 15-yard touchdown pass to Sheldon Jackson and scored on an 11-yard run to help Nebraska (2-0) take a 21-7 lead at halftime.

Newcombe was effective in Nebraska’s victory last week over Louisiana Tech but is sidelined because of a slight knee ligament tear.

Crouch was 11-of-17 passing for 127 yards and ran seven times for 69 yards. He left briefly in the third quarter after gripping his knee on a broken play but returned in the fourth quarter.

“I had a cramp in my leg, a cramp in my hip and a cramp in my shoulder,” he said.

Kicker Kris Brown became Nebraska’s career scoring leader, with five point-after-touchdown conversions and a field goal to surpass Heisman Trophy winner Mike Rozier’s record of 312 points from 1981-83. Brown has scored 315.

No. 6 Kansas State 66, Indiana State 0--Michael Bishop ran for two touchdowns and threw for one as the Wildcats came within a point of their scoring record at Manhattan, Kan.

Kansas State, which had never started a season ranked in the top 10 and has 18 starters returning from last year’s 11-1 team, didn’t let the outclassed Sycamores of the Gateway Conference get a first down other than by penalty until 2:22 remained.

Oklahoma State 38, Kansas 28--Troy West had two interceptions, running one back for a touchdown, and quarterback Tony Lindsey ran for two touchdowns for the Cowboys at Lawrence, Kan.

Tim Sydnes’ 44-yard field goal with 2:01 left broke a 28-28 tie. West intercepted Zac Wegner’s pass on Kansas’ ensuing play, setting up Lindsay’s second touchdown on a six-yard run.

It was the first meeting between the two former Big Eight schools since 1995, the season before the Big 12 was formed.

Oklahoma 37, North Texas 9--Walk-on quarterback Patrick Fletcher ran for two touchdowns and passed for one to lead the Sooners at Norman, Okla.

Fletcher, a third-string sophomore moved up on the depth chart because of a teammate’s suspension, completed all five of his passes for 84 yards and ran for 37 more after replacing injured starter Brandon Daniels. Daniels, who the Sooners are relying on heavily in their return to the option offense this season, suffered a sprained left shoulder in the second quarter. He netted minus-13 yards rushing.

De’Mond Parker, seeking to become the first Oklahoma back to gain 1,000 yards three times, had 126 yards and a touchdown in 20 carries.

Texas Tech 35, Texas El Paso 3--Ricky Williams ran for a career-high 251 yards and two touchdowns in 41 carries for the Red Raiders at Lubbock, Texas.

Williams, who set a school freshman rushing record with 894 yards last season, had 189 yards in 24 carries in the second half. His previous best was 179 yards.

It was Texas El Paso’s eighth consecutive loss in a season opener.

Texas Christian 31, Iowa State 21--Basil Mitchell rushed for 186 yards and three touchdowns in Horned Frog Coach Dennis Franchicone’s debut in a nonconference game at Ames, Iowa.

Mitchell, who ran for three touchdowns all of last season, matched that total with scoring runs of 30, 29 and 43 yards. The 192-pound senior had 21 carries in amassing his second-best rushing total. He had 215 yards against Tulsa last season.

TCU scored on four consecutive second-half possessions in handing Iowa State its 18th loss in 19 games. Both teams were 1-10 last season.

Missouri 37, Bowling Green 0--Corby Jones ran for two touchdowns and threw for one and Tigers had a 544-56 advantage in total yards at Columbia, Mo.

The shutout was Missouri’s first since a 16-0 victory over Houston in 1994 and the 37-point margin was its largest since a 55-17 win over Kansas in 1988.