HuskerfaninOkieland
Heisman Trophy Winner
Old news but Carriker's comments at the end make me believe NU is going to play very strong
LJS
Purify's catch, trick plays fuel Husker victory
BY STEVEN M. SIPPLE / Lincoln Journal Star
Saturday, Nov 25, 2006 - 12:15:57 am CST
OK, so it wasn’t a trick play.
Nevertheless, Maurice Purify’s crucial third-quarter reception was magical in its own right, a tricky maneuver you don’t see every day, a display of athleticism few could pull off.
Although this game will be remembered for Nebraska’s use of a half-dozen trick plays, Purify’s acrobatic 31-yard reception in the third quarter also was memorable, for it helped set up the touchdown that gave the 23rd-ranked Huskers the lead for good in a 37-14 triumph over Colorado before 85,800 spectators Friday at Memorial Stadium. Related: Photo gallery
Nebraska completed the regular season with a record of 9-3 overall and 6-2 in the Big 12, and picked up another shot of momentum heading into the Big 12 Championship Game against either Texas or Oklahoma next Saturday night at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Mo.
Colorado (2-10, 2-6) gave Nebraska a harder test than many people anticipated. Indeed, the buzz last week was the struggling Buffaloes would roll into Lincoln wild and free and throw caution to the wind in their final game of a lost season. Instead, it was the Huskers delving deep into a bag of tricks that included a touchdown pass off a fake field goal and a fake punt that led to a key first down.
“It just so happened the situations were just right for those particular calls,” said Nebraska head coach Bill Callahan, whose squad finished 5-0 against Big 12 North teams this season.
It just so happened Nebraska was fighting for its life in the third quarter when the Huskers turned to Purify, a 6-foot-4, 210-pound wide receiver who has become perhaps the Huskers’ most feared weapon on offense.
With the game tied 14-14 and Nebraska facing third-and-2 at its 43-yard line, quarterback Zac Taylor looked to his left and spotted Purify in one-on-one coverage against 5-10 cornerback Terry Washington. Purify ran a fade route, and Taylor underthrew the pass. However, Purify somehow was able slow down and reach back and over Washington for the reception, his first of the day.
Nebraska’s offense was instantly energized, as was its sideline.
“I was trying to draw pass interference (which he did) and ended up catching it,” said Purify, a native of Eureka, Calif. “I was kind of thinking, ‘Man, when am I going to get a catch? My mom’s here, and she came a long way for this game.’”
Purify, on the same drive, added a 10-yard reception on third-and-9 from the Colorado 25, and Nebraska eventually went ahead on I-back Brandon Jackson’s 2-yard touchdown run with 4:49 left in the third period.
“One of our goals was to get Mo the ball early in the game,” said Callahan, noting that his team squandered a couple of chances for Purify in the first half. “We were trying to isolate him and get him matched up. Those plays he made were huge.”
Although Purify played a lead role in helping Nebraska gain control of the game, the Huskers really couldn’t breathe easily until Jackson hauled in an 18-yard touchdown pass that gave the Huskers a 30-14 lead with 10:16 left in the game. A fake punt set up the TD.
Of Nebraska’s trickery, Purify said, “It gives us momentum. It boosts us when they work. For the opponents, it gives them something to think about. It slows them up a little.”
Playing without injured offensive linemen Matt Slauson and Greg Austin, the Huskers finished with 468 total yards, 37 more than their season average. Taylor, among 19 seniors playing their final home game, was 19-for-28 passing for 249 yards and two touchdowns.
With Cody Glenn out with a foot injury and Marlon Lucky limited by a sore back, Jackson carried the load at I-back, rushing 34 times for 142 yards and catching six passes for 42.
Callahan praised Colorado’s defense.
“They hit hard,” he said. “They’re prideful guys out there.”
Colorado’s offense, meanwhile, gouged Nebraska on the ground, as Hugh Charles helped set up the Buffaloes’ first touchdown with a 44-yard run before Mell Holliday of Omaha scored their second TD on a 45-yard dash early in the third quarter. CU wound up with 297 total yards, including 166 on the ground — nearly seven fewer than its season average.
Except for the two scoring drives and a few big plays, “I thought we played well,” said Nebraska defensive coordinator Kevin Cosgrove.
The Huskers played well enough that early Friday night, defensive end Adam Carriker was hoisting the Big 12 North Division trophy over his head and telling the crowd over the public-address system: “We want to turn Arrowhead into our stadium down in Kansas City!”
The night should be downright magical.
LJS
Purify's catch, trick plays fuel Husker victory
BY STEVEN M. SIPPLE / Lincoln Journal Star
Saturday, Nov 25, 2006 - 12:15:57 am CST
OK, so it wasn’t a trick play.
Nevertheless, Maurice Purify’s crucial third-quarter reception was magical in its own right, a tricky maneuver you don’t see every day, a display of athleticism few could pull off.
Although this game will be remembered for Nebraska’s use of a half-dozen trick plays, Purify’s acrobatic 31-yard reception in the third quarter also was memorable, for it helped set up the touchdown that gave the 23rd-ranked Huskers the lead for good in a 37-14 triumph over Colorado before 85,800 spectators Friday at Memorial Stadium. Related: Photo gallery
Nebraska completed the regular season with a record of 9-3 overall and 6-2 in the Big 12, and picked up another shot of momentum heading into the Big 12 Championship Game against either Texas or Oklahoma next Saturday night at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Mo.
Colorado (2-10, 2-6) gave Nebraska a harder test than many people anticipated. Indeed, the buzz last week was the struggling Buffaloes would roll into Lincoln wild and free and throw caution to the wind in their final game of a lost season. Instead, it was the Huskers delving deep into a bag of tricks that included a touchdown pass off a fake field goal and a fake punt that led to a key first down.
“It just so happened the situations were just right for those particular calls,” said Nebraska head coach Bill Callahan, whose squad finished 5-0 against Big 12 North teams this season.
It just so happened Nebraska was fighting for its life in the third quarter when the Huskers turned to Purify, a 6-foot-4, 210-pound wide receiver who has become perhaps the Huskers’ most feared weapon on offense.
With the game tied 14-14 and Nebraska facing third-and-2 at its 43-yard line, quarterback Zac Taylor looked to his left and spotted Purify in one-on-one coverage against 5-10 cornerback Terry Washington. Purify ran a fade route, and Taylor underthrew the pass. However, Purify somehow was able slow down and reach back and over Washington for the reception, his first of the day.
Nebraska’s offense was instantly energized, as was its sideline.
“I was trying to draw pass interference (which he did) and ended up catching it,” said Purify, a native of Eureka, Calif. “I was kind of thinking, ‘Man, when am I going to get a catch? My mom’s here, and she came a long way for this game.’”
Purify, on the same drive, added a 10-yard reception on third-and-9 from the Colorado 25, and Nebraska eventually went ahead on I-back Brandon Jackson’s 2-yard touchdown run with 4:49 left in the third period.
“One of our goals was to get Mo the ball early in the game,” said Callahan, noting that his team squandered a couple of chances for Purify in the first half. “We were trying to isolate him and get him matched up. Those plays he made were huge.”
Although Purify played a lead role in helping Nebraska gain control of the game, the Huskers really couldn’t breathe easily until Jackson hauled in an 18-yard touchdown pass that gave the Huskers a 30-14 lead with 10:16 left in the game. A fake punt set up the TD.
Of Nebraska’s trickery, Purify said, “It gives us momentum. It boosts us when they work. For the opponents, it gives them something to think about. It slows them up a little.”
Playing without injured offensive linemen Matt Slauson and Greg Austin, the Huskers finished with 468 total yards, 37 more than their season average. Taylor, among 19 seniors playing their final home game, was 19-for-28 passing for 249 yards and two touchdowns.
With Cody Glenn out with a foot injury and Marlon Lucky limited by a sore back, Jackson carried the load at I-back, rushing 34 times for 142 yards and catching six passes for 42.
Callahan praised Colorado’s defense.
“They hit hard,” he said. “They’re prideful guys out there.”
Colorado’s offense, meanwhile, gouged Nebraska on the ground, as Hugh Charles helped set up the Buffaloes’ first touchdown with a 44-yard run before Mell Holliday of Omaha scored their second TD on a 45-yard dash early in the third quarter. CU wound up with 297 total yards, including 166 on the ground — nearly seven fewer than its season average.
Except for the two scoring drives and a few big plays, “I thought we played well,” said Nebraska defensive coordinator Kevin Cosgrove.
The Huskers played well enough that early Friday night, defensive end Adam Carriker was hoisting the Big 12 North Division trophy over his head and telling the crowd over the public-address system: “We want to turn Arrowhead into our stadium down in Kansas City!”
The night should be downright magical.
