Bruins stage comeback to halt Huskers
LINCOLN, Neb. — Bo Pelini didn’t like the looks on his players’ faces when he turned to them on the sideline while No. 16 UCLA was erasing the Cornhuskers’ double-digit lead in the third quarter.
“It was like they saw a ghost,” the coach said.
What the 23rd-ranked Huskers — and the record crowd of 91,471 — saw were the Bruins making the biggest comeback by a visitor to Memorial Stadium.
In a flashback to their embarrassing performance against UCLA at the Rose Bowl a year ago, Nebraska defenders flailed away as Brett Hundley and the Bruins wiped out an 18-point first-half deficit and beat the Huskers 41-21 on Saturday.
“I think in the second half I kind of got the sense that we needed to try and hold onto the lead,” Nebraska quarterback Taylor Martinez said. “I think we were trying to, but we should have just gone out there and tried to just blow them out.”
It was the Huskers (2-1) who got blown out in the second half.
The 18 points marked the biggest deficit overcome by a Nebraska opponent in Lincoln since, according to the university yearbook, Washington State erased a 20-0 halftime deficit to win 21-20 in 1920. Memorial Stadium opened in 1923.
Hundley threw three touchdown passes as the Bruins (2-0) lit up Nebraska for 35 points over a 16-minute span.
Nebraska’s defense, which has struggled in the biggest games in the past year, allowed 236 yards in the third quarter and 504 for the game.
“The second half was a lot like last year,” Pelini said. “We made the tackles in the first half. I don’t know how many tackles we missed in that second half but it is a lot. We missed tackle after tackle after tackle.”
UCLA’s victory came six days after Bruins receiver Nick Pasquale was killed when he was struck by a vehicle while he was walking in his hometown and a day before coaches and teammates travel to San Clemente, Calif., for his memorial service.
In other games involving Big Ten teams, Fitzgerald Toussaint scored a go-ahead, 2-yard touchdown with 2:49 left and No. 11 Michigan (3-0) made a desperately needed stop on the final play to hold on for a 28-24 victory over Akron (1-2) in Ann Arbor, Mich. … With
Minnesota Coach Jerry Kill at a hospital after a seizure at halftime, David Cobb and Rodrick Williams each rushed for two touchdowns to lead the Gophers (3-0) past Western Illinois 29-12 in Minneapolis. Kill has epilepsy, and this is the fourth time in three seasons with the Gophers he’s had an episode on game day. … Nate Sudfeld threw for 335 yards and two touchdowns and Cody Latimer had a career-high 137 yards receiving as host Indiana (2-1) pulled away in the second half for a 4210 victory over Bowling Green (2-1). … Connor Cook threw four touchdown passes in the first half, and Michigan
State (3-0) finally looked smooth in a 55-17 victory over Youngstown State (2-1) in East Lansing, Mich. ... Blake Bortles passed for 288 yards and three touchdowns and Central Florida (30) stunned Penn State (2-1) 34-31 in State College, Pa. … Keith Price threw
for 342 yards and two touchdowns, Bishop Sankey ran for a career-high 208 yards and No. 19 Washington (2-0) beat Illinois (2-1) 34-24 at Soldier Field in Chicago. … DaVaris Daniels made touchdown catches on two successive plays in the fourth quarter, and Bennett Jackson followed that flurry with a 34yard interception return to lead No. 21
Notre Dame (2-1) past Purdue (1-2) 31-24 in West Lafayette, Ind.
MID-AMERICAN Buffalo wins in 5OTs BUFFALO, N.Y. — Anthone Taylor scored on a 6-yard run in the fifth overtime to give Buffalo a 26-23 victory over Stony Brook on Saturday.
Taylor finished with 118 yards and 2 touchdowns on 24 carries, all career highs, for the Bulls (1-2).
Malcolm Eugene’s touchdown reception with 29 seconds remaining in regulation capped a 10-point comeback by Stony Brook to send the game into overtime. His second score sent the game into a third overtime.
Buffalo’s Alex Neutz, who had a career-high 197 yards receiving against Baylor last week, tied another career high with 10 receptions, including a 3-yard touchdown in the second overtime.
Stony Brook (1-1) converted on just 4 of 19 third-down attempts as Adam Redden and Okoye Houston each had career highs with 16 and 14 tackles, respectively, for Buffalo.
In other games involving Mid-American Conference teams, Jordan Lynch threw for three touchdowns and ran for two more as heavily-favored Northern
Illinois (2-0) held off Idaho (0-3) 4535 in Moscow, Idaho. … David Fluellen rushed for 143 yards and two touchdowns as host Toledo (1-2) outlasted
Eastern Washington 33-21.