First Quarter
NU - Turner Gill 1 run (Dave Schneider kick) 4:54
NU - Monte Engebritson 19 pass from Gill (Schneider kick) 0:00
Second Quarter
NU - Todd Frain 20 pass from Nate Mason (Schneider kick) 4:23
Third Quarter
NU - Mike Knox 27 interception return (kick failed) 10:46
NU - FG Schneider 34, 3:03
Fourth Quarter
NU - Mason 21 run (Schneider kick) 11:51
NU - Paul Miles 1 run (Schneider kick) 2:06
PS - Sid Lewis 35 pass from Dan Lonergan (kick blocked) 0:20
Attendance: 71,123.
PSUNU
First downs 15 23
Rushes-yards 33-82 57-322
Passing yards 227 178
Return yards 7 59
Passes 13-39-1 12-17-1
Sacks by 0-0 0-0
Punts 8-47 4-40
Fumbles-lost 5-1 9-1
Penalties-yards 6-29 8-77
Time of possession 24:45 35:15
INDIVIDUAL LEADERSRushing
Penn State, Jon Williams 13-42, Tony Mumford 5-15.
Nebraska, Mike Rozier 16-71, Gill 13-53, Mark Schellen 4-42, Miles 6-39, Mason 6-32.
Passing
Penn State, Lonergan 11-29-0-205, Doug Strang, 2-10-1-22.
Nebraska, Gill 11-14-0-158, Mason 1-2-0-20.
Receiving
Penn State, Kenny Jackson 4-54, Kevin Baugh 3-39, Tim Robinson 2-63, Lewis 2-48.
Nebraska, Irving Fryar 4-81, Engebritson 3-28.
Missed field goals
None.
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Coverage
Nittany Lions no match for Huskers
The inaugural Kickoff Classic turned out to be anything but a classic as pre-season No. 1-ranked Nebraska romped over defending national champion Penn State, 44-6, avenging the Huskers’ only loss in a 12-1 season in 1982.
The Huskers scored on two of their first three possessions to grab a 14-0 lead at the end of the first quarter and went on to lead 44-0 late in the game before the Nittany Lions scored on a 35-yard pass from Dan Lonergan to Sid Lewis with just 20 seconds left on the clock—narrowly averting Penn State’s first shutout loss since losing to Oklahoma, 14-0, in the 1972 Sugar Bowl.
The final margin equaled the worst defeat for Penn State in Joe Paterno’s 18 years as head coach, despite nine Husker fumbles (NU recovered eight of them).