October 27, 2002 COMEBACK KIDS Nebraska comes back from 17 down to beat Texas A&M 38-31 By Jim D. Berryman MissingNebraska.com Editor On a night when the nation turned back its clocks to end daylight savings time, the Nebraska Cornhuskers did a little turning back of the clocks themselves…back to the glory days of Husker football. Just when you thought the Huskers were as dead as a doorknob, a strange thing happened in College Station, Texas Saturday night. Nebraska won. Final score: Huskers 38 Aggies 31. The Cornhuskers did quite a bit more than just win too. Nebraska won on the road for the first time since last year’s Kansas game. And the Huskers came from 17 points down to do it. At rockin’ and rollin’ Kyle Field in College Station mind you. 80,000 plus frenzied fans were left stunned. Nebraska is now 6-3 (2-2). Texas A&M drops to 5-3 (2-2). It was a thrilling game dominated by Nebraska statistically, yet the Huskers barely escaped College Station with a victory. Despite shooting themselves in the foot with a blocked punt and crucial turnovers, the Huskers made the plays needed to get the “w”. Even against a defense known as “the wrecking crew” in College Station. Turned out the Husker offense wrecked the wrecking crew. The Cornhusker offense steamrolled over the Aggies for 497 yards in total offense. The Aggies managed 322 total yards. Nebraska had 28 first downs to A&M’s 15. Husker QB Jammal Lord rushed 30 times for 159 yards and I-back David Horne had 24 carries for 124 yards. Daharran Diedrick added 85 yards on 15 carries. With numbers like that, it’s hard to believe the Huskers were in deep trouble half way through the 3rd quarter. After A&M cornerback Byron Jones returned a Lord fumble 66 yards for a touchdown, the rowdy crowd was celebrating what looked like the Aggies’ 6th victory of the season. But instead of rolling up into a big red ball for a very long plane ride back to Lincoln, the Huskers started to move the ball. Boy, did they ever. On the very next possession, the Huskers rolled down field for a three-play 63 yard touchdown drive to come within 31-21. It was the beginning of the end for the Aggies. In the fourth quarter, it was the Lord and Horne road show. The highly-touted Aggie defense (ranked 5th nationally against the rush) couldn’t stop anything the duo put to them. In addition, the Husker blackshirts stepped up to the plate in a way Husker fans hadn’t seen yet this season. The Husker defense snuffed out a late fourth quarter A&M drive with an interception by Phillip Bland in the A&M end zone. Had the Aggies scored, the game most likely would have gone into overtime. Instead, the Huskers escaped with the 38-31 victory. A sweet one indeed. Credit must be given where credit is due. Just as the Huskers have suffered through a barrage of negative criticism from fans and the media, the comeback road win was most impressive indeed. The victory will cool criticism of the Huskers, at least this week. There will also probably be plenty of Husker fans who will be overconfident about the rest of the season. The jury is still out on whether or not Nebraska can play consistently for the rest of the season. A Lincoln Journal Star sports columnist wrote Saturday before the game that he wouldn’t be surprised if the Huskers were shut out in College Station. Somehow I think Mr. McKeever is even more surprised at what really happened Saturday night. The win will surely boost the collective confidence of a team that has struggled through a season like no other. And confidence is something the Huskers needed more than anything else. The Big Red is 6-3, still in line to gain a 34th consecutive bowl bid and post its 34th straight 9-win season. Sure, Nebraska won’t be playing for the national championship this season, but darn it if it didn’t feel like it Saturday night. If the Huskers could manage to win the rest of its games, there’s a good chance they could win the Big 12 North, provided Colorado and Kansas State stumble in remaining games and against Nebraska. While the Huskers are savoring every second of this most-needed road win, Big Red won’t have long to celebrate. The Texas Longhorns are on the Husker menu this Saturday in Lincoln. Kickoff is scheduled for just after 6 PM Central and it will be televised nationally by cable’s Fox Sports Net. Bring on the Longhorns. Yahoo! Live Broadcast Post Feedback NEBRASKA - TEXAS A&M GAME STORIES, PICS, AND LINKS: 10-27-02: Texas A&M coach says NU wasn't taken lightly More from Omaha World Herald 10-27-02: Maybe this desperation isn't so bad More from T. Shatel of OWH 10-27-02: Lord credits offensive line for break-out offensive performance More from Lincoln Journal Star 10-27-02: Just how do you explain NU's effort? More from Lincoln Journal Star 10-27-02: NU offense explodes against Aggies More from G.I. Independent 10-27-02: Big Red is not dead More from Lincoln Journal Star 10-27-02: Horne does plenty as Huskers come back to beat A & M More from Omaha World Herald 10-27-02: Aggies lose 17 point lead at Kyle More from Aggie Sports 10-27-02: A&M veers off course in road to redemption More from Houston Chronicle 10-27-02: A&M lets lead get away again More from Houston Chronicle 10-27-02: A&M loses 17 point lead to Huskers More from San Antonio Express News Huskers on ESPN.com Husker Hot Pics Photos from AP Husker Game Watch Locations Nationwide