Notebook: NUs luck finally turns on winning drive

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[rl]With 55 seconds remaining on the game clock, Tommy Armstrong took the field without a doubt in his mind that Nebraska would find a way to finally put a bright spot on an otherwise dark and forgettable season.

Trailing by five to No. 7 Michigan State, Nebraska was able to get the ball back at its own nine-yard line with no timeouts. Needing to go 91 yards, the Huskers needed to work quickly and efficiently in order to prevent falling to their worst start since 1957.

The drive started with a bang, as Armstrong found receiver Jordan Westerkamp over the middle for a 28-yard gain. The duo then connected for a 33-yard completion down to the Spartan 30-yard line with 37 seconds left on the clock. Armstrong recognized one-on-one coverage on wide out Brandon Reilly along the far left sideline, and on the ensuing snap he lofted a pass that will undoubtedly go down in Husker lore for years to come.

Despite running out of bounds before the catch, Reilly was able to re-establish himself back in the field of play and cut in front of the MSU defender for a go-ahead 30-yard touchdown catch with just 17 seconds remaining. The officials discussed the play, but ruled that Reilly had been forced out and was an eligible receiver after getting two feet back in-bounds before the catch.

The call stood, and Nebraska would go on to seal a 39-38 upset over the previously undefeated Spartans.

"No timeouts and 55 seconds left, and we knew exactly what we were going to do with the ball," Armstrong said. "We knew exactly what plays we were going to run. We ran them all week during practice, and we capitalized on every single one of them. I think that's just by being prepared. Coach Riley always says you've got to be prepared for three hours and 27 minutes of a football game, because you never know, it may come down to that. That's what it came down to.

"It's that team that keeps fighting until the end, that team that keeps driving forward no matter what the situation is, and I think that's what we did."

Though the officials ruled Reilly was an eligible receiver after going out of bounds, there was some controversy surrounding the play over whether Reilly was actually forced out on the play. Asked if felt he was forced out, Reilly left that for others to determine: "I don't know," he said. "I'll have to go back and watch it."

Head coach Mike Riley said he and the rest of the coaching staff actually thought the catch would be overturned after being reviewed, and they were already in the process of deciding on their next play call when the officials announced the play would stand.

Considering how many times Nebraska had been on the other end of game-winning drives like that, it would be fair if Riley considered the victory as "justice" being served in the Huskers' favor. But Riley opted not to view it like that, instead just giving his players credit for finally pulling out a close game in the end.

"Was it justice? I don't know if you'd call it justice or not," Riley said. "The kids earned this win tonight… I'll just take it as this: it's just proof that if you keep working, you can do good things."

- Robin Washut

Reilly relishes chance to be the hero

Reilly had a feeling Armstrong would throw his way on what proved to be Nebraska's final offensive play of the night. The Huskers ran a basic four verticals play with 20 seconds left 30 yards away from the end zone and the touchdown that would give them the lead. 

Reilly was right and Armstrong heaved a deep ball to him. The receiver jostled with the cornerback, went briefly out of bounds, then came back inside to catch the game-winning score. The officials ruled that Reilly had been pushed out, meaning there would be no illegal touching penalty on the play.

"I saw the ball and had to make a little adjustment, but I'm glad it worked out the way it did because we've been on the wrong side of it too many times this year," Reilly said.

But the Huskers weren't out of the woods just yet - the officials wanted to look at the play again and make sure the MSU defensive back had in fact forced him out. So the Huskers had to wait a few more excruciating minutes until the touchdown became official.

"I think my heart just stopped," Reilly said. "We needed this one more than anything. Words can't described how I'm feeling right now."

- Dan Hoppen

Gangwish showcases impressive premonition

As Nebraska prepared to take the field for the second half, Jack Gangwish had a warning for his teammates. The Huskers were down just four points, but Gangwish figured the team would face more adversity before the night was over.

"Coming out of the locker room at halftime I told the guys, 'We're going to win this game, but this thing is going to get worse before it gets better,'" Gangwish said. "'If we're going to win this thing, there is going to be a time when it gets ugly. We've got to play through it. We've got to play the whole game. There is a lot of football left and we have to play to the last second.' 

"It might have been luck or whatever, but it turned out the way I said. I maintained some credibility with my teammates, but I'm incredibly proud of the way these guys played tonight."

Gangwish's prediction proved true, as the Spartans scored twice in the second half to extend their lead to double digits. But each time the Huskers fought back, and the mood in the locker room postgame didn't allow Gangwish to make any more prophesies.

"You couldn't get a word in edgewise," he said with a smile. "There was a lot of screaming and celebrating."

- Dan Hoppen

Power running game drives offense

Armstrong's passing and the catches made by the wide receivers will make up the majority of the highlights from Saturday's victory, but Nebraska's running game was as much of a factor as anything in the Huskers pulling off the upset.

With leading rusher Terrell Newby limited with an ankle injury, senior Imani Cross stepped in as the starting running back and had one of the best games of his NU career, tallying season-highs with 18 carries for 98 yards and a touchdown. Fullback Andy Janovich powered out 26 yards on four carriers, while Armstrong ran for 19 more and two touchdowns.

Overall, the Huskers rushed 36 times for 179 yards (5.0 yards per carry) against a Michigan State defense that came in allowing just 115.5 rushing yards per game on the season.

"Against this defense, I was really excited about how we were running the football," Riley said. "I think that really gave us a chance to win the ball game, doing that. Otherwise, you don't want to pass protect against that defensive front all day."

The success on the ground was especially impressive given NU was working with a new starting offensive line, with senior Zach Sterup seeing his first ever action inside as the starting right guard in place of senior Chongo Kondolo. Along with more than holding their own against the Spartans on the ground, the o-line did not allow a quarterback sack against an MSU defense that was averaging 2.9 sacks per game.

"I think the offensive line was amazing," Cross said. "I'll give those guys credit. They did a great job handling those guys up front… It was a total team effort. It was amazing."

- Robin Washut

Quick hits

***Riley said the squib kickoff by Drew Brown following the TD was by design, and that Brown just missed the open spot where he was supposed to kick it.

***Riley said this game showed how thin of a line it is between winning and losing. Had they not rallied in the final seconds, he said the talk would have been about NU's interception near the goal line or deciding to onside kick it after the touchdown to cut the deficit to five.

***Riley said Armstrong had a "gutty, gutty performance" in the win, and that his play "pretty much describes Armstrong as a player. It was a roller coaster performance with ups and downs, but Armstrong came through big when it mattered the most.

***Safety Nate Gerry said he would remember the post-game celebration for a long time, and that he had never seen an atmosphere at Memorial Stadium like that before.

***Gerry said he knew Nebraska was going to win because of the attitude they had going in.

***Armstrong said he wanted Michigan State to be 8-0 coming into this game because he wanted a chance for the Huskers to show to the world that they were better than their record showed.

***Armstrong said the win probably ranks No. 1 in his career not only because it was an upset of the No. 7 team in the country, but because it gave NU's seniors an unforgettable moment after a tough seniors.

***Armstrong said Riley led ten "hip-hip hoorays" in the locker room post-game celebration. That's obviously a season high.

***Reilly joked he felt bad for the fans that left the stadium early. "I'm sure they had something better to do."

***Cross said the win ranked No. 1 in his career as well, and that it was "a total result of believing and the result of having faith… We believed tonight."

***Cross said the offense works on its two-minute drill every day in practice, so they felt like 55 seconds was more than enough time to get it done.

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