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Big 12 roundup
Big 12 Game of the Week
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No. 7 Nebraska 41, No. 5 Kansas State 15 |
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Eric Crouch rushed for 158 yards and two touchdowns as the Cornhuskers dumped Kansas State out of the national championship race while enhancing Nebraska's own hopes. The Cornhuskers (9-1 overall, 6-1 Big 12) took over first place in the Big 12 North Division from the Wildcats (9-1, 6-1) and can clinch a spot in the league championship game with a victory Nov. 26 at Colorado. Nebraska, which won despite fumbling 10 times, put the game away with 17 points in the first quarter, and the defense wasn't about to let the Wildcats get back in it.
Crouch set a Nebraska quarterback record with 27 carries, breaking the mark of 25 by John Bordogna against K-State in 1952. Crouch rushed for 124 yards and two touchdowns and passed for 81 yards in the first half. He put Nebraska up 7-0 in the first quarter on a 30-yard run, set up by Bobby Newcombe's 28-yard punt return that set up the Huskers at the K-State 44.
Dahrran Diedrick, who replaced running back Dan Alexander and Correll Buckhalter as they continued to struggle with fumbles, rushed for 93 yards, including a 46-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter. Senior linebacker Eric Johnson, playing in his final home game, added a late touchdown on a 15-yard fumble recovery and Josh Brown kicked a 30-yard field goal. The Huskers dominated the battle between two of the top four defenses in the country. Nebraska gained 253 yards by halftime on a defense that ranked No. 2 nationally. Nebraska, No. 4 nationally at 234.6 yards, limited K-State to 234 (170 below its average). |
Other Big 12 action
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No.10 Texas 58, Texas Tech 7 |
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Major Applewhite became No. 10 Texas' first 3,000-yard passer as the Longhorns earned a berth in the Big 12 title game (probably against Nebraska). The victory gives Texas at least a share of the Big 12 South Division title. The Longhorns (9-2, 6-1 Big 12) still could end up tied for the division title with Oklahoma but own the tiebreaker for the championship game based on a 38-28 victory over the Sooners last month.
Applewhite was 22-of-34 for 241 yards against Tech, giving him 3,132 yards this season. His three touchdown passes, two to Montrell Flowers, gave him a school record of 21. |
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Texas A&M 51, Missouri 14 |
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Ja'Mar Toombs scored three touchdowns as Texas A&M won for the first time in four Big 12 road games, and Missouri continued to swoon. Texas A&M (7-3, 4-3) lost by a combined 88-6 at Oklahoma and Nebraska in its previous two road games, but against the Tigers, the Aggies overcame a slow start with a 44-14 second half. Missouri (4-6, 1-6) narrowly avoided its third shutout in four games. Freshman backup Joe Weber gave Texas A&M its first 100-yard rusher of the season in mop-up duty, getting 121 yards on eight carries, including a 77-yard pickup -- all in the fourth quarter. |
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Oklahoma St. 45, Kansas 13 |
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Two long punt returns by Terance Richardson helped Oklahoma State score three touchdowns in less than three minutes of the third quarter at home. Oklahoma State (4-5, 2-4 Big 12) also scored on a blocked punt and recovered a fumble in the end zone to end a three-game losing streak and keep alive its slim bowl hopes. The Cowboys must win their final two games, at Baylor and Oklahoma, to finish with the six victories needed to be considered for a bowl. Kansas (4-7, 2-5) used a two-touchdown burst in the second quarter to take a 13-10 halftime lead but disintegrated in the second half. |
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Oklahoma 31, Iowa St. 10 |
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Quenton Griffin scored two touchdowns and, for the first time this season, Oklahoma ran better than it passed in beating Iowa State in unseasonably warm 77-degree weather in Ames, Ia. The Sooners (6-3, 4-2 Big 12) rushed for a season-high 301 yards against a defense that ranked 91st nationally against the run and shut down Iowa State (4-6, 1-6) and its standout running back, Darren Davis (53 yards, 87 under his average), to win its first conference road game.
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Colorado 37, Baylor 0 |
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Mike Moschetti completed 18 of 24 passes for 210 yards and a touchdown as Colorado pounded Baylor in Waco, sending the Bears to their seventh straight loss and keeping them winless in the Big 12. Colorado (6-4, 5-2 Big 12) built a 17-0 lead before the Bears (1-9, 0-7) ever crossed into Buffaloes territory. CU essentially put the game away early, when Moschetti connected with Marcus Stiggers on a 57-yard pass to help the Buffs to a 14-0 lead. Baylor lost for the 17th time in 18 games. |
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