November 9, 2003 KU FADES TO BLACK Huskers force 4 turnovers, get 35th straight win over Kansas 24-3 By Jim D. Berryman MissingNebraska.com Nebraska owns Kansas. After the Huskers’ 24-3 win over the Jayhawks Saturday in Lawrence, you could say the Husker Blackshirts own KU quarterback Adam Barmann as well. The Nebraska defense intercepted the KU QB three times and forced another turnover in the win. Turnovers were key to the victory, which sets up a showdown with bitter rival and Big 12 North conference co-leader Kansas State in Lincoln on November 15. The Huskers control their own destiny in the hunt for the Big 12 North championship. Beat Kansas State and Colorado and it’s hello Sooners. With the win over the Jayhawks, Nebraska (8-2, 4-2) upped its winning streak over Kansas (5-5, 2-4) to 35 games, the longest win streak one team holds over another in the nation. The NU-KU game wasn’t dramatic, it wasn’t anything special, wasn’t a blowout. It was simply the Huskers’ eighth victory of the season, one better than the total number of wins garnered in all of 2002. But as a good journalist, I must give full disclosure: I didn’t see the game. Decided to skip the official watch party at TK’s American Café in New Haven after nearly breaking my back raking leaves that filled 22 bags Saturday morning. Said to myself that I would catch the game in my very own living room while tending to a number of household projects underway. Something happened with my cable provider Cox Communications. Their listing said that they would have NU-KU, instead it was France vs. America in rugby. Not the kind of football I was looking for. The game was on Fox Sports Net in nearby Middletown, Connecticut according to a couple Husker fans there I spoke to, but for the life of me, I could not find the game on TV here in Meriden. I was tuned to what I thought was Fox Sports Net New England, but got rugby, rugby and more rugby. I’m firing off an angry email to Fox Sports Net. They don’t know who they’re messing with. So I had to go to Plan B and listen to the game online. What I was able to gather from listening to the game is that Nebraska won the game, but did anything but dominate. Save a few turnovers, and it would have had a whole new ballgame. Kansas is improved over previous seasons, and despite being 2-4 in the Big 12 conference, the Jayhawks held their own against Nebraska Saturday, trailing only 10-3 at halftime. The Hawks nearly tied the game in the 3rd quarter. Enter the Blackshirts, who did what they’ve been doing all season long: Stealing victories. The Husker defense and Jammal Lord-led offense cruised through the 4th quarter to the 21-point win. And so it comes to this. The Kansas State Wildcats will invade Lincoln Saturday to play Big Red. The winner of the game will more than likely represent the Big 12 North in the championship game against Oklahoma in Kansas City in early December. So it’s a showdown to see who gets to meet up with the stunning Sooners, a team that appears to be in a class by itself this season in college football. OU scored 77 points against Texas A&M Saturday, the Aggies managed not one point. In terms of the purple team, there’s no hiding this reporter’s disdain for the KSU Wildcat football program and its coach Bill Snyder. No love lost whatsoever. One of the highlights of the entire 2003 college football season for me was the day Marshall went to Manhattan and shocked the Kitty Cats...and the world. I still smile at that one. Meow. In addition, the Huskers have a painful blowout loss to the 2002 Wildcats to avenge. Bring ‘em on. Feedback NEBRASKA CORNHUSKERS vs. KANSAS JAYHAWKS GAME STORIES & LINKS 11-09-03: Turnovers, Ross help Huskers rock 'Hawks More From LJS 11-09-03: NU survives for showdown with KSU More From OWH 11-09-03: Tougher than the rest More From GII 11-09-03: Beat goes on for Huskers More From Lawrence Journal-World 11-09-03: Neb. beats Kansas for 35th year in a row More From AP-Yahoo! Husker 2003 Schedule/Results Huskers on ESPN.com Husker Hot Pics Photos from AP Husker Game Watch Locations Nationwide