SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2004
COLLEGE
FOOTBALL
SECTION
CF
A WORK IN PROGRESS
Defense
lets Buffs
stagger
past Rams
Y Colorado stops
Colorado State’s bid
for a touchdown on
the game’s final play.
By Lee Barfknecht
WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER
BOULDER, Colo. — After everything that the Colorado football team has been through the
past nine months, you didn’t expect the opening game to be a
breeze, did you?
The Buffaloes, still trying to
shake the memories of their offseason recruiting scandal, blew a
17-point lead Saturday night
against Colorado State.
Then they rebuilt the lead to 10
points with 6:25 left in the game.
Then they saw the margin
shrink to 3, and watched Colorado State drive 61 yards to the
CU 1 with 34 seconds to go.
Only after the Rams gambled
for a touchdown on the game’s final play and failed did Colorado
claim a 27-24 win before a record
sellout crowd of 54,954 at Folsom
Field.
Free safety J.J. Billingsley,
with late help from strong safety
Dominique Brooks, smothered
CSU tailback Tristian Walker for
a 2-yard loss on a toss play as time
expired.
“That was nerve-wracking,’’
said Colorado tailback Bobby Purify, who ran for 189 yards in 26
carries. “I’ve probably got a few
gray hairs now.
“But our defense finished the
deal.’’
Colorado Coach Gary Barnett
saluted CSU Coach Sonny Lubick
for eschewing the field goal and
going for the win.
“That was guts and believing
in his team,’’ Barnett said. “I
hope I would be able to do that.
That was coaching without fear.’’
That wasn’t Lubick’s first
gamble of the night. With 23 seconds left in the first half and Colorado State trailing 17-0, the
Rams went for it on fourth-andgoal from the 1 and scored a
touchdown.
But the final move failed.
On first down from the Colorado 1 with 34 seconds left, CSU
spiked the ball to kill the clock because it was out of timeouts.
On second down with 30 seconds left, tailback Marcus HousSee Colorado: Page 2
REBECCA S. GRATZ/THE WORLD-HERALD
Nebraska’s offensive line gives quarterback Joe Dailey time to throw as he launches a pass toward I-back Cory Ross, No. 4. Dailey passed for four touchdowns.
Huskers sizzle,
then stumble
Only option
for NU backers:
watch, enjoy
By Rich Kaipust
LINCOLN — Diary of a season for history.
Game One: Welcome to the Midwest
Coast Offense, dudes.
Approximately 6:05 p.m., Midwest
Coast time, the moment
had arrived. We had
waited to exhale for several months, through the
agony and pain and embarrassment and anxiety
and Houston Nutt.
Nebraska fans didn’t
know who they were anymore, without a “Nebraska’’ guy as head
Tom Shatel
coach or “Nebraska guys’’
on the staff or without
their Linus blanket, the option and toss
sweep. Some were visibly shaken at the
thought of Husker football playing sevenSee Shatel: Page 2
WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER
JEFF BEIERMANN /THE WORLD-HERALD
Tight end Matt Herian pulls down a 5-yard
touchdown pass in front of Western Illinois defender Malik Jackson in the first quarter. Herian
also caught a 22-yard touchdown strike in the
second quarter.
LINCOLN — Before Joe Dailey threw his four interceptions
Saturday night, he fired four
touchdown passes.
Before Nebraska’s sophomore quarterback was held to 5
yards passing in the second
half, he piled up 213 in the first.
The discrepancy during the
Huskers’ 56-17 win over Western Illinois might have shown
both the fragility and potential
that Dailey and the West Coast
offense have to offer in Coach
Bill Callahan’s first season.
How good Dailey and the system can be, yet how many kinks
remain.
“I know he’s a little down for
how he finished the game,’’
Callahan said. “But I’m very upbeat and very positive about
where he can take us during
this season.’’
Nebraska finally took its new
offense for a spin Saturday
night, and the 60-minute test
drive was a combination of
smooth maneuvering, wild
swerves and even a wreck or
two.
Dailey at times looked like he
had the hang of it, having a hand
in six touchdowns (four passing, two rushing). At times he
showed his inexperience behind the wheel.
“I don’t think I got greedy. I
think I was just very excited,’’
Dailey said. “I had a first-half
high, and I wanted to just continue rolling. That’s what hapSee Huskers: Page 2
Tigers sloppy in the rain but still pull off OT escape
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Colorado running back Daniel Jolly,
No. 8, jumps over CSU linebacker
Jahmal Hall during a second-quarter carry.
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) —
LSU got lucky, and Nick Saban
knew it.
“We’ve got a lot of work to do as
a team,’’ the Tigers’ coach said. “I
think everyone knows that.’’
Oregon State’s Alexis Serna
missed three extra points Saturday night, including one that
would have forced a second overtime, and No. 4 LSU escaped with
a 22-21 victory over the Beavers
in the season opener.
“It was a crazy finish,’’ LSU de-
fensive end Marcus Spears said.
“We fought as long as we could
fight, and fortunately he missed
that extra point. I’d like to think
that we had something to do with
that. We got a lot of pressure up
the middle and I guess he took his
eye off it.’’
LSU’s LaRon
Landry, left,
drags down
Oregon State’s
Dwight Wright
during the first
half Saturday
night.
The defending BCS champion
Tigers trailed throughout the
game, were shut out in the first
half and behind 15-7 with 1:38
left.
See LSU: Page 2
THE
ASSOCIATED
PRESS
INSIDE
My hands are shaky
Jeremy Anderson and his UNO teammates fell
to Indiana University of Pennsylvania after losing
four fumbles and two interceptions.
Page 6
My knees are weak
Before leaving the game because of
dehydration, quarterback Drew Tate provided
Iowa with a lift against Kent State.
Page 8
I can’t seem to stand
Papillion-La Vista graduate Jon Davis, left,
caught a touchdown pass to help fuel Iowa State
to a 23-0 victory over Northern Iowa.
Page 8
On my own two feet
Kansas State turned to Darren Sproles, who
rushed for 221 yards, to subdue Division I-AA
Western Kentucky.
Page 6