95huskers Posted July 23, 2009 Share Posted July 23, 2009 June 17, 2009 5:39 PM Posted by ESPN.com's Tim Griffin Henery and Suh make Colorado blue No. 18 Date: Nov. 28, 2008 Place: Memorial Stadium, Lincoln, Neb. Score: Nebraska 40, Colorado 31 Nebraska was playing merely to better its bowl position. Colorado wanted to earn a bowl trip. Although the Big 12 North championship game berth wasn't being settled, it still didn't diminish the excitement of last year's game between the two traditional rivals. Colorado came into the game as an 18-point underdog, but you couldn't tell from the way the Buffaloes scrapped. The Buffaloes produced a couple of big plays -- a 68-yard touchdown pass from Cody Hawkins to Riar Geer and a 36-yard touchdown run by Demetrius Sumler -- in the first five minutes to jump to a quick 14-0 lead. The Buffaloes' defense allowed the Cornhuskers to advance inside the Colorado 50 on every possession in the game. But a botched fake field goal led to a 24-24 halftime tie when Colorado's Jimmy Smith snatched an errant blind pitch from Jake Wesch and ran 58 yards for a touchdown. The Buffaloes' defense kept the game within reach in the second half as Nebraska drove inside the Buffaloes' 33-yard line on each of its four possessions but came away with only nine points. Colorado went ahead 31-27 when Sumler knocked in a 4-yard touchdown late in the third quarter. Colorado's defense made that stand for most of the rest of the game. Nebraska pulled within 31-30 when Alex Henery nailed a 37-yard field goal with 8:09 left. After Nebraska got the ball back, the Cornhuskers were poised to score again after Roy Helu Jr. rambled 25 yards to the Colorado 25 with less than two minutes remaining. But Colorado safety Patrick Mahnke sacked Nebraska quarterback Joe Ganz for a 15-yard loss and Ganz threw incomplete on third down, setting up an improbable 57-yard field goal attempt by Henery. Henery, with a 5 mph wind to his back, blasted the ball through the goal posts with 1:43 left to set the school record and provide Nebraska with a 33-31 lead. But the Cornhuskers were only getting started. After picking up a first down on the Colorado 33, Hawkins' second-down pass was tipped by Zach Potter and intercepted by massive 305-pound defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh. En route to the end zone, Suh eluded a diving Hawkins and scampered 30 yards for the clinching touchdown. It was Suh's second interception return for a touchdown on the season and his third touchdown overall. The numbers: Nebraska ran 29 more plays than Colorado and the Cornhuskers' 63 snaps in Colorado territory were 15 more than Colorado ran in the entire game. Colorado went more than 10 minutes of game time in the second and third quarters without running an offensive play. Helu rushed for 166 yards and Ganz passed for 229 yards and two touchdowns, becoming the top single-season passer in Nebraska history. They said it, part I: "I love games like this. The crazier the better. I just wish we had ended it a little bit earlier," Nebraska coach Bo Pelini, reflecting on the wild finish with reporters after the game. They said it, part II: "I don't remember watching it go through at all. I was pretty sure I made it. It was on target. I don't remember much after hitting it." Henery's thoughts after the game-winning kick to reporters after the game. They said it, part III: "It doesn't surprise me. That guy's a stud," Pelini on Henery's kick. They said it, part IV: ""He thinks he's Walter Payton." Pelini's comments to the Nebraska State Paper about Suh's game-clinching touchdown return. The upshot: The victory, combined with Kansas' upset of Missouri the following day, gave the Cornhuskers a share of the Big 12 North title. The Tigers advanced to the championship game after a head-to-head triumph over the Cornhuskers earlier in the season. But it really didn't matter after the Cornhuskers earned a Gator Bowl berth. They went on to upset Clemson to finish 9-4 for the season. After losing four of six games midway through the season, Nebraska finished with three straight victories to prime enthusiasm after Pelini's first season. The loss cost Colorado a shot at making a bowl trip. The Buffaloes finished at 5-7, missing a bowl trip for the second time in three seasons under coach Dan Hawkins. The countdown: 19. Stunning OSU rally leads to Stoops' first home loss. 20. It's never over for Texas Tech until it's over. 21. Reesing to Meier. Again and again. 22. A Texas-sized comeback -- Texas over Oklahoma State in 2004. 23. A Border War unlike any of the rest -- Missouri over Kansas in 2007. 24. Seneca Wallace's wild TD run vs. Texas Tech in 2001. 25. Baylor's "So Much for Taking a Knee" against UNLV in 1999. Quote Link to comment
walksalone Posted July 23, 2009 Share Posted July 23, 2009 I vividly remember Henery hitting the FG, me scaring the hell outta my fiance when i went apesh*t in the living room, and then less than 5 minutes later, scaring the hell outta her again on Suh's INT return... Quote Link to comment
95huskers Posted July 23, 2009 Author Share Posted July 23, 2009 I vividly remember Henery hitting the FG, me scaring the hell outta my fiance when i went apesh*t in the living room, and then less than 5 minutes later, scaring the hell outta her again on Suh's INT return... It is a moment i will never forget as well. I was at the game and i think i jumped so high i almost landed on the upper deck area haha both times! cant wait for more moments like it this year! i remember going from pissed at ganz to excstatic to worried they may score to win and excstatic again when the big boy ran it it! AWESOME STUFF Quote Link to comment
huskeraddict Posted July 23, 2009 Share Posted July 23, 2009 Easily one of my favorite moments watching the Huskers with my dad. We always listen to the radio with the TV so we heard the "GOOOOOOD!" call a good 2 seconds before we saw it. I immediately jumped up from the couch and ran around the house screaming "HE MADE IT! HE MADE IT!". I don't know if I even saw the kick live! Then, after Suh picked it off, both me and my dad were yelling at the TV for Suh to fall down (we were at the TTU game in 2005) until he kicked Hawkins Quote Link to comment
95huskers Posted July 23, 2009 Author Share Posted July 23, 2009 Easily one of my favorite moments watching the Huskers with my dad. We always listen to the radio with the TV so we heard the "GOOOOOOD!" call a good 2 seconds before we saw it. I immediately jumped up from the couch and ran around the house screaming "HE MADE IT! HE MADE IT!". I don't know if I even saw the kick live! Then, after Suh picked it off, both me and my dad were yelling at the TV for Suh to fall down (we were at the TTU game in 2005) until he kicked Hawkins yeah not a fond memory of the tech debacle.. i was at that one to and i was high fiveing and before i turned around tech had the ball again... uhhhggg Quote Link to comment
walksalone Posted July 23, 2009 Share Posted July 23, 2009 Easily one of my favorite moments watching the Huskers with my dad. We always listen to the radio with the TV so we heard the "GOOOOOOD!" call a good 2 seconds before we saw it. I immediately jumped up from the couch and ran around the house screaming "HE MADE IT! HE MADE IT!". I don't know if I even saw the kick live! Then, after Suh picked it off, both me and my dad were yelling at the TV for Suh to fall down (we were at the TTU game in 2005) until he kicked Hawkins Thats awesome... I'm so stoked for this season... Quote Link to comment
HuskerfaninOkieland Posted July 23, 2009 Share Posted July 23, 2009 For me, Henery's kick ranks right up there with Crouch's catch in 01 vs OU. I think that kick deflated the Buff's ego trip. Quote Link to comment
knapplc Posted July 23, 2009 Share Posted July 23, 2009 The numbers: Nebraska ran 29 more plays than Colorado and the Cornhuskers' 63 snaps in Colorado territory were 15 more than Colorado ran in the entire game. Colorado went more than 10 minutes of game time in the second and third quarters without running an offensive play. Helu rushed for 166 yards and Ganz passed for 229 yards and two touchdowns, becoming the top single-season passer in Nebraska history. This is what happens with a rookie coach. I do not expect to see this kind of statistic disparity combined with such a close game again. Our offense bogged itself down far too often and we left a LOT of points on the field. Combine that with the gift TD on the fake field goal, and you have a game that was not competitive turned upside down late in the fourth quarter. The short of it is this - if Nebraska plays exactly like they did in this game next year, but doesn't stop themselves, we'll beat the buffs by three TDs. It is irksome that the game was as close as it was. Quote Link to comment
redout22 Posted July 23, 2009 Share Posted July 23, 2009 This is a little old but that game was crazy Quote Link to comment
Touchdown Tommie Posted July 23, 2009 Share Posted July 23, 2009 I will never forget this moment in Husker history. I was in South Dakota visiting the relatives. I went absolutely nuts...jumped up and hit the ceiling with my hands. My wife was a little scared, but it was unbelievable!!!! Quote Link to comment
AllTheGoodNamesAreTaken Posted July 26, 2009 Share Posted July 26, 2009 En route to the end zone, Suh eluded a diving Hawkins and scampered 30 yards for the clinching touchdown. It was Suh's second interception return for a touchdown on the season and his third touchdown overall. i dont think "eluded" is exactly the word i would use. more along the lines of "steamrolled". Quote Link to comment
General Blackshirt Posted July 26, 2009 Share Posted July 26, 2009 Wait, what? Did Alex Henery make a cluth FG or something? Hmmm...musta missed that. Quote Link to comment
HuskerJen Posted July 26, 2009 Share Posted July 26, 2009 En route to the end zone, Suh eluded a diving Hawkins and scampered 30 yards for the clinching touchdown. It was Suh's second interception return for a touchdown on the season and his third touchdown overall. i dont think "eluded" is exactly the word i would use. more along the lines of "steamrolled". I know, I read that and thought "eluded?" It was more like Hawkins was on the receiving end of a brutal stiff arm. Quote Link to comment
MCAT800 Posted July 26, 2009 Share Posted July 26, 2009 Oh what a game!!! My wife and daughter was gone so I had to celebrate the kick with my dog by chasing him through the living room and tackling him..... Quote Link to comment
Husker_x Posted July 26, 2009 Share Posted July 26, 2009 En route to the end zone, Suh eluded a diving Hawkins and scampered 30 yards for the clinching touchdown. It was Suh's second interception return for a touchdown on the season and his third touchdown overall. i dont think "eluded" is exactly the word i would use. more along the lines of "steamrolled". I know, I read that and thought "eluded?" It was more like Hawkins was on the receiving end of a brutal stiff arm. Hell, more like ran over by a freight train. I think Hawkins rolled to the end of the end zone. Quote Link to comment
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.