Nebraska Rolls To 36-3 Win Over Missouri
Crouch scores on record-setting, 95-yard run
September 29, 2001
To see a slideshow with more photos from the game, click here.
Disturbing though it was at the time, the Huskers' dreary first quarter will not be long remembered. The amazing, heart-stopping effort made by Crouch on a single play overshadowed everything else, including the fact that the victory lifted NU to 5-0.
In fact, everything that happened prior to that moment in the third period, when Crouch seemed likely to be sacked for a safety, will be little more than a haze among the memories of Husker fans.
That's when Crouch, Nebraska's Mr. Everything, avoided a tackle in his own endzone, juked and jumped his way into the open field, faked a couple of Missouri defensive backs out of their shoes, and then ran into the record books. His 95-yard TD run was the longest in Nebraska history.
Nebraska maintained control of the game thereafter.
The Husker defense kept NU out of trouble in the early going. It was aided by the fact that Mizzou couldn't make the best use of its own good fortune - some of which was handed to the Tigers, and some of which they made for themselves.
Missouri's Keith Wright blocked a field goal attempt by NU's Sandro DeAngelis from the 32 yard line in the first quarter. Missouri drove to the Nebraska 10 yard line before settling for a 28-yard field goal by Brad Hammerich. Missouri 3, NU 0.
Nebraska's next possession lasted two plays. Missouri's R.J. Jones picked off a Crouch pass and the Tigers had the ball, again, at their own 20. Somewhere along the way, DeJuan Groce fumbled a punt return, giving Missouri another break.
Eventually, however, NU ran off 36 unanswered points. The offense found its footing, and the Husker defense shut out Missouri with style.
I-back Dahrran Diedrick finally put Nebraska on the board in the second period, scoring on a 1-yard run. Nebraska 7, Missouri 3. Diedrick scored again on a 4-yard run with 23 seconds left in the half. DeAngelis missed the extra point attempt - a goof that loomed large at the time, since NU still didn't look anything like a well-oiled offensive machine. Nebraska 13, Missouri 3.
To see a slideshow with more photos from the game, click here.
In the third period, NU put a field goal on the board, but Missouri still seemed to hang tough in the effort department.
The Huskers were backed up to their own goal line when Crouch retreated into the endzone, looking to throw. For a few seconds it looked like throwing the ball away might be a good option.
Then, history happened. Crouch decided to run. And the skills and instincts that make a guy a legitimate candidate for the Heisman Trophy clicked within him.
What was obvious, in replay after replay of his 95-yard scoring jaunt, was that, from the moment Crouch began to run, he wasn't thinking about avoiding a safety. He wasn't thinking about a first down. Crouch was clearly going to take everything he could get. And he got it all. Nebraska 22, Missouri 3.
"I was a little leery about the backside pressure," Crouch said of his dilemma in the endzone. But then, he said, he "saw a little green."
Crouch is one of those guys who is fast in every situation - a quick dash through a space between tackles, or a long haul when the field opens up.
"It's been four or five, maybe six years since I've run that far," Crouch said with a smile.
"I knew coming into the game that I'd have to make some big plays, and probably do it on the ground," Crouch said.
"At halftime we put a few things together," he said. "We really just wanted to put our power game together."
They did.
Crouch rushed 15 yards for another touchdown in the fourth quarter. Reserve quarterback Jammal Lord scored from the 1-yard line late in the game.
Crouch rolled up 191 yards rushing and 120 (8-for-14, one interception) passing.
His record-setting TD run of 95 yards outdistanced, by one yard, the 1979 effort by Craig Johnson against Kansas, and the 1981 romp by Roger Craig against Florida State. The total Crouch mark surprssed the 174 yards that Gerry Gdowski ran up in 1989 against Iowa State.
The loss gave Missouri a 1-1 record.
Nebraska plays Iowa State next week.
Nebraska Rolls To 36-3 Win Over Missouri
Post your feedback on this topic here
| Date | Subject | Posted by: |
|---|---|---|
| 09/29/2001 | Good game Huskers. Keep improving... | Jan |
| 09/30/2001 | Great job by the defense. We all must... | Pat Calkins |
| 09/30/2001 | Did a computer write this story? The... | Rex L. Salmon |
