Goal-line stop on final play secures win
No. 2 Nebraska used a fourth-quarter punt return for a touchdown by Joe Walker and a decisive goal-line stand on the final play to hold off an upset-minded Oklahoma State squad, 24-17, at Kansas City’s Arrowhead Stadium.
Walker’s 73-yard punt return with 7:29 remaining broke a 17-17 tie as the Huskers extended their winning streak to 19 games in the Big 12 opener.
The Cowboys had a chance to send the game into overtime, driving to the Nebraska 1 before Mike Rucker, who finished with a career-high 11 tackles, stopped OSU’s Nathan Simmons short of the goal line on the final play to preserve the win.
The Huskers struggled offensively, managing only 73 yards rushing, the lowest regular-season total since November 1975, and just 215 yards of total offense. The first-half numbers were particularly meager: four rushing yards and 43 total yards.
Colonel Mustard