Tulsa World: Huskers, Gdowski Offensive to OU, 42-25

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Huskers, Gdowski Offensive to OU, 42-25

By Randy Krehbiel
Published: 11/19/1989
Last Modified: 4/12/2008 6:34 AM

LINCOLN, Neb. - Most any other year, 25 points would've been enough for
Oklahoma to beat Nebraska. The Sooners, in fact, had scored that many on NU
and lost only once, in the 1971 epoch.
But 25 did not come close on Saturday. Nebraska had 42.
It was a weird end to a weird season for Oklahoma. Except
for the way 76,404 Nebraskans packed into every nook and
cranny of Memorial Stadium, the events of Saturday bore
as little resemblence to an Oklahoma-Nebraska game as Harold
Robbins does to Charles Dickens. The masterpieces of defense,
kicking and fourth-quarter heroics which made this series'
reputation were interrupted by a wild display of offense
in which nothing of the traditional mattered. This was a
game for second, not first, in the Big Eight Conference,
and somehow it showed.
Nebraska scored on seven of nine meaningful possessions
(it ran out the clock to end both halves) and led 22-7 in
the first quarter. Oklahoma rallied, closed to 25-18 at
halftime, but could not stop the Cornhuskers or their senior
quarterback, Gerry Gdowski.
"The greatest fear we had was in the secondary, with those
play-action passes" said OU Coach Gary Gibbs. "We were
afraid they wouldn't be able to diagnose them."
He was right. Gdowski completed 12 of 15 passes for 225
yards and four touchdowns, all off play-action and all to
receivers several area codes removed from the nearest defender.
Although he rushed for only 22 yards, Gdowski operated the
option with precision and flair and scored the only touchdown
he did not pass for as Nebraska rolled to 461 total yards.
It did not punt until the fourth quarter and had only one
turnover.
But Oklahoma's offense played remarkably well, too, especially
under the circumstances. With three freshmen in the lineup
and Nebraska threatening a a quick blowout, the Sooners
put together two long drives and at halftime had outyarded
the Cornhuskers 239-220. Even into the fourth quarter OU
had an outside chance because of its offense.
With the score 39-25 the Sooners forced a punt and marched
from their 33 with 8:46 remaining. They reached Nebraska's
36 before running out of downs. The Huskers then moved to
the Oklahoma 18, and Gregg Barrios kicked a 35-yard field
goal with two minutes left to set the final score.
Thus the sixth-ranked Huskers, losers only to Colorado,
head to the Fiesta Bowl and a game with Florida State. OU,
7-4 and probation-bound, finished below second in the Big
Eight for the first time since 1969.
That fact came up after Oklahoma's second play. Quarterback
Steve Collins fumbled, after a nine-yard run, and Nebraska
recovered at OU's 34. It scored in four plays, with Gdowski
splitting the defense on an option run of eight yards for
the touchdown barely two minutes into the game.
The Sooners had an answer for that one. On third-and-12
from his 18, Collins wound up and threw the ball into the
icy fangs of the brisk south wind. Artie Guess took it away
from Tahaun Lewis at Nebraska's 40, kept his feet while
Lewis fell, and beat Bruce Pickens to the end zone. The
82-yard completion was the longest for Oklahoma since Ronnie
Fletcher's school-record 95-yard bomb to Ben Hart in 1965.
But that was the sort of thing Oklahoma does in the fourth
quarter against Nebraska. That it needed such a play so
soon bode ill.
The Huskers stormed 65 yards in eight plays for the lead
again, stuffed OU in three plays, and returned Brad Reddell's
punt 33 yards to Oklahoma's 36. It needed five plays from
there, overcoming a penalty with Gdowski's 24-yard touchdown
pass to tight end Chris Garrett with 3:33 left in the period.
But OU settled in and began banging away. Dewell Brewer,
who would rush for 137 yards, hit into the line and around
the flanks for modest gains. The fumblerooski got 16 yards
for guard Mike Sawatzky, and put the ball at the Nebraska
one. Leon Perry bulled in from there. Collins ran for two,
countering a two-point conversion by Nebraska after its
second touchdown.
After Nebraska drove for Barrios' 24-yard field goal, OU
moved 63 yards in 13 plays before stalling at the Nebraska
eight. R.D. Lashar's 26-yard field goal with 44 seconds
left in the half made the score 25-18.
OU got no closer. Nebraska went 80 yards with the second-half
kickoff, Gdowski hitting second-and-long passes to Jon Bostwick
twice and to Garnett for the touchdown.
A fumble caused and recovered by Greg DeQuasie stopped Nebraska
for the first time later in the period, but the Huskers
got the ball back on Lewis' interception. He returned it
28 yards to OU's 49. It took Gdowski five plays to get his
fourth touchdown pass, 38 yards to Morgan Gregory.
Oklahoma's 62-yard drive pulled the Sooners to within 39-25
early in the fourth period, and with 11 minutes left it
forced Nebraska to punt for the first time. The Sooners
were offsides, however, and while they did eventually get
the ball, it cost them more than two minutes and 10 yards.
Collins completed one fourth-down pass afer the punt to
get OU into Nebraska territory, but another try for Guess
over the top was tipped away by Lewis at the goal line.
Two plays later the Sooners were out of downs and out of
luck.
By Randy Krehbiel

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