Nebraska 23
Missouri 20
Nov. 3, 1979
Columbia, MO
Nebraska 7 10 3 3 - 23
Missouri 0 6 14 0 - 20
First Quarter
NEB - Jarvis Redwine 3 run (Sukup kick) 12:01
Second Quarter
MIZ - Gerry Ellis 1 run (kick failed) 14:58
NEB - Tim Hager 1 run (Sukup kick) 11:02
NEB - Dean Sukup 24 field goal, 3:55
Third Quarter
NEB - Sukup 26 field goal) 9:24
MIZ - Andy Gibler 4 pass from Phil Bradley (run failed) 0:23
MIZ - Orlando Pope 17 fumble return (Tim Hornof pass from Bradley) 0:15
Fourth Quarter
NEB - Sukup 19 field goal, 3:15
NU MU
First Downs.................. 18 21
Rushing .................... 14 8
Passing ..................... 2 11
Penalty ..................... 2 2
Net yards rushing .......... 291 99
Rushing attempts ........... 53 52
Yards gained rushing ...... 315 152
Yards lost rushing ......... 24 53
Net yards passing ........... 54 170
Att-comp-int ........... 13-5-1 28-18-1
Total Offense............... 345 269
Total offensive plays ...... 66 80
Average per play .......... 5.2 3.4
Fumbles-lost ............... 4-1 3-1
Penalties-yards ........... 4-66 4-50
Punts-average ........... 6-40.3 5-45.6
Punt returns-yards ........ 4-13 1-8
Kickoff returns-yards ..... 4-68 4-56
Attendance: 74,575
RUSHING
NU: Johnson 17-98; Franklin 9-61; Hager 3-36; Redwine 3-36; Hipp 7-22; Quinn 2-11; Mauer 2-1; Brown 1-minus-4, Steels 1-minus-4.
MU: Wilder 29-87; Ellis 11-33; Meyer 2-1; Bradley 10-minus-22.
PASSING
NU: Hager 5/12, 54 yds, 1 int; Quinn 0/1, 0 yds, 0 int.
MU: Bradley 18/28, 170 yds, 1 int.
RECEIVING
NU: Steels 1-18; Johnson 1-13; K. Brown 1-12; Smith 1-10; Hipp 1-1.
MU: Wilder 4-44; Ellis 4-34; Fellows 3-34; Gibler 3-18; Newman 2-18; Hill 1-17; Beal? 1-5.
PUNTING
NU: Smith 6-40.3 | MU: Brockhaus 5-45.6
PUNT RETURNS
NU: Brown 3-19; Liegl 1-minus-6. | MU: Newman 1-8.
KICKOFF RETURNS
NU: Steels 4-68. | MU: Meyers 2-45; Sly 2-11.
INTERCEPTION RETURNS
NU: Gary 1-24. | MU: Whitaker 1-1.
FUMBLE RETURNS
NU: none. | MU: Pope 1-17.
FIELD GOALS
NU: Sukup 3/4. | MU: Brockhaus 0/1.
NU PLAYERS OF GAME
OFFENSE: Craig Johnson
DEFENSE: Bill Barnett and Derrie Nelson, 10 and 9 tackles respectively.
Game recap
A 19-yard field goal by Dean Sukup and a game-ending sack of Missouri quarterback Phil Bradley by defensive end Derrie Nelson secured the Huskers' road win.
On its final play, from the Nebraska 11 yard line with three seconds remaining, Missouri went for a touchdown and a win instead of a tying field goal. Bradley tried to find running back James Wilder on a pass play but was sacked by Nelson before he could get rid of the ball.
The Huskers seemed in command, 20-6, until Missouri scored two touchdowns in an eight-second span late in the third quarter. After a Missouri TD narrowed the gap to 20-12, Husker kickoff return man Anthony Steels fumbled when he was leveled by a Missouri defender, and the Tigers’ Orlando Pope grabbed the ball in midair and raced into the end zone. Suddenly, the game was tied, setting up the fourth-quarter drama.
The Huskers started the game quickly, driving 67 yards for a TD on their first possession, highlighted by a 50-yard Andra Franklin run. In the second quarter, quarterback Tim Hager had a 42-yard carry during a touchdown drive that made it 14-6 with less than four minutes gone in the period. On the extra point, I-back Jarvis Redwine suffered a sprained knee and was replaced by junior Craig Johnson. Johnson responded with a 98-yard day, but NU would not find the end zone in the remaining 41 minutes, its only points coming via the toe of Sukup.
NOTES: The Huskers’ Bill Barnett and Nelson were named the Big 8’s co-Defensive Players of the Week. … Redwine said his injury came when a Missouri defender dived at his knees instead of going for the ball on the extra-point kick. … It was a revenge win for the Huskers, who had their hopes for a national championship shattered by the Tigers a year earlier in Lincoln.
OMAHA WORLD-HERALD
LINCOLN JOURNAL STAR
COLUMBIA MISSOURIAN
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