Reds 70
Whites 14

April 26, 1986 • 1:30 p.m. Central
Memorial Stadium •Lincoln, NE
1st2nd3rd4th F 
Whites0140014
Reds282114770

1986 Nebraska football spring game photoQuarterback Steve Taylor looks for an opening as defenders Kent Wells (75) and Dave Bryan (58) close in. · Lincoln Journal Star · Newspapers.com

First quarter
RED: Steve Taylor 6 run (Dale Klein kick) 19:17
RED: Dana Brinson 65 punt return (Klein kick) 18:09
RED: Cleo Miller 32 punt return (Klein kick) 11:19
RED: Von Sheppard 61 pass from Taylor (Klein kick) 5:27
Second quarter
WHI: Mark Diaz 29 pass from Jerry Mlinar (Chris Drennan kick) 13:24
RED: Micah Heibel 2 run (Dave Cheloha kick) 5:47
RED: Todd Millikan 6 pass from Clete Blakeman (Mike Martin kick) 0:38
WHI: Lorenzo Hicks 85 kickoff return (Drennan kick) 0:23
RED: Brian Davis 67 interception return (Klein kick) 0:08
Third quarter
RED: Taylor 1 run (Klein kick) 17:28
RED: Taylor 1 run (Klein kick) 11:38
Fourth quarter
RED: Brinson 81 pass from McCathorn Clayton (Martin kick) 4:44

                       RED       WHI
First downs ........... 22        13
Rushes-yards ...... 55-237    51-127
Passing yards ........ 208       104
  Comp-Att-Int ... 11-18-0   13-27-3
Total offense ..... 73-445    78-231
Return yards ......... 226        28
Fumbles-Lost ......... 5-4       6-3
Penalties ........... 4-35      6-60
Punts-Average ..... 4-42.8   10-31.1

Individual stats

Attendance: 23,006

Coverage

Recap

QB Taylor leads Reds’ rampage over Whites

Quarterback Steve Taylor ran for three touchdowns and passed for another as the Red team thumped the White team 70-14 in the University of Nebraska spring football game.

The 70 points scored by the Red team, which included the Cornhuskers’ first-string offense and defense, was the most ever in a Nebraska spring game.

Taylor opened the scoring in the first minute of the game, running 6 yards for a touchdown after Brian Siebler intercepted a pass.

Dana Brinson returned a punt 65 yards for a touchdown and Cleo Miller ran 32 yards with an interception for another TD. Taylor then hit a wide-open Von Sheppard for a 61-yard touchdown pass to end of the first quarter with the Red team ahead 28-0.

The Whites struck first in the second quarter as reserve quarterback Jerry Mlinar picked up a bad snap on a field goal attempt and passed 29 yards to Mark Diaz for a touchdown.

The Red team responded with a short touchdown run by Micah Heibel and a 6-yard touchdown pass from Clete Blakeman to Todd Milliken, boosting the Reds’ lead to 42-7 with 38 seconds left in the half. Incredibly, two more touchdowns would be scored before intermission.

Lorenzo Hicks returned the kickoff 85 yards for the White squad, and the White then recovered an onside kick. But Brian Davis intercepted a pass for the Red team and streaked 67 yards down the sideline to make the score 49-14 at the half.

Taylor scored twice on 1-yard runs in the third quarter, and Brinson scored from 81 yards out after catching a swing pass from McCathorn Clayton.

Taylor went into spring practice sharing the top spot with Clayton, who started several games last fall for the Cornhuskers. By the end of the spring, however, Taylor emerged as the No. 1 quarterback.

Taylor said he was pleased with his progress this spring. “The first day of spring ball I was so nervous I couldn’t throw a spiral, but I settled down and got more comfortable,” he said. “I feel a lot more comfortable with our offense and with the players. We have a lot more confidence in each other. In order to win a national championship or a Big Eight championship, you have to feel that way.”

Game stories
Pregame & team info
1986 schedule
04/26Reds 70, Whites 14
09/06Florida St.W 34-17
09/20@ IllinoisW 59-14
09/27OregonW 48-14
10/04@ South CarolinaW 27-24
10/11Oklahoma St.W 30-10
10/18MissouriW 48-17
10/25@ ColoradoL 10-20
11/01Kansas St.W 38-0
11/08@ Iowa St.W 35-14
11/15@ KansasW 70-0
11/22OklahomaL 17-20
01/01LSUW 30-15
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