LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska coach Tim Miles was quick to spell out the key to Nebraska’s 80-67 come-from-behind win over Omaha on Tuesday.

“The story of the night is what Shavon did,” Miles said. Shavon is Shavon Shields, who scored a career-high 35 points to lead the Huskers past Omaha.

Shields scored 21 of those points in the first half to pull Nebraska out of a first half deficit and into a lead it never relinquished.

“I just tried to play within the offense and take shots as they came,” Shields said. “They were falling tonight. I didn’t change anything. Sometimes it takes us awhile to get going. We’ve got to fix that. We’ve got to find a way to play with urgency. We didn’t do that at the start of the game.”

Nebraska (3-1) trailed by as many as 16 early but opened up a double-digit lead late in the first half.

Omaha (2-2) cut the Nebraska lead to 47-43 on C.J. Carter’s layup with 13:15 left.

Shields then hit Nebraska’s first field goal of the second half and followed that with a 3-pointer to push the Husker lead back to 52-43 with 12:25 remaining. Nebraska went up 61-50 on Shields 3-pointer with 9 minutes left. Omaha didn’t get any closer down the stretch.

Omaha opened the game hot, hitting eight of its first nine shots, four of them 3-pointers, in the first five minutes to take a 23-7 lead. Nebraska, which made just 1 of its first 10 free throws, stormed back with a 23-2 run to take a 30-25 lead on Terran Petteway’s breakaway dunk with 6:21 remaining in the half.

The Huskers never trailed again, going up 40-29 after a pair of Shields free throws with 2:36 left in the half. Omaha scored just 11 points in the final 15 minutes of the first half.

“I thought we needed a quick start and we got that,” said Omaha coach Derrin Hansen. “I thought our guys played with a lot of confidence. I thought defensively, we were really dialed in. As the first half wore on, we weren’t quite as good on our switches…. The second half, I liked our fight.”

The Huskers, Miles said, may have come out flat because of Saturday’s overtime loss at Rhode Island. But they also took a punch from the Mavericks.

“They made some tough shots,” Miles said. “We also made some defensive errors. After that we got our heads calmed down. We’re not four minutes into it and they’ve got 21 points. I’m like `what’s the record…Then we got 11 straight stops. That’s not bad defense after you’ve given up 23 (points) in 12 (possessions)”

And Miles had Shields, his most consistent performer this season, playing at the top of his game.

“I’m scared to think of the consequences of him not being steady, if he was EKGing like the rest of them,” Miles said. “He’s really been the rock for us, our go-to guy.”

Devin Patterson had 20 points to lead Omaha. Carter finished with 13 points for the Mavericks and Tyus had 12.

Petteway had 20 points and 12 rebounds and Tai Webster added 10, all of them in the second half, for Nebraska.

TIP INS

Nebraska: The 16-point comeback matches Nebraska’s largest at Pinnacle Bank Arena (vs. Indiana on Jan. 30, 2014). Shields’ 35 points ties the PBA record, held be Pittway against Minnesota on Jan. 26. The Huskers are 18-1 in PBA. Their only loss in the arena, which opened at the start of the 2013-2014 season, was to Michigan, 71-70 on Jan. 9.

Omaha: Formerly known as Nebraska-Omaha, the Mavericks have never defeated Nebraska. The Mavericks are either 0-3 or 0-4 against the Huskers, depending on who’s counting. Nebraska’s 2006 win over UNO counted for the Huskers. It was an exhibition game for the Mavericks.

UP NEXT

Nebraska hosts Tennessee-Martin Friday

Omaha hosts Nevada Saturday

— Associated Press —

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Jerry Kill’s building project at Minnesota has taken another huge step.

Down by double digits in the third quarter, and with star running back David Cobb on the sideline injured, the Gophers (No. 25 CFP) stunned Nebraska (No. 23 CFP, No. 21 AP) 28-24 on Saturday to keep alive their hopes in the Big Ten West.

“I’m not going to tell you that winning in Lincoln, Nebraska, doesn’t rank up there,” Kill said. “That’s not an easy thing to do.”

The Gophers trailed by 14 points at half and by 10 in the middle of the third quarter before Mitch Leidner led two long scoring drives that gave them the lead. Leidner’s 2-yard run put the Gophers ahead, and Briean Boddy-Calhoun made the defensive play of the game when he ripped the ball out of De’Mornay Pierson-El’s hands at the Minnesota 2-yard line with 1:19 left.

The Gophers ran out the clock to end a 20-game road losing streak against Top 25 opponents that dated to 2000.

“It just happened so fast,” Boddy-Calhoun said. “I’m sticking a guy, and the next thing I know it’s in his hands, then it’s right there in front of me. The first thing I thought of was, ‘Get the ball.’ ”

Minnesota (8-3, 5-2), assured of its best Big Ten record since 2003, can win the West and go to the conference championship game on Dec. 6 with a victory at Wisconsin next week. The Cornhuskers (8-3, 4-3), humiliated at Wisconsin a week ago, lost back-to-back conference games for the first time since 2009 and were eliminated from the West race.

The comeback was Minnesota’s biggest in a win since it rallied from 14 down to beat Northwestern in 2003. The Gophers beat the Huskers for the second straight year and won for the first time in eight visits to Lincoln since 1960.

“We lost because we didn’t deserve to win,” Nebraska coach Bo Pelini said. “We didn’t play well enough, had too many busts, our execution was subpar. Our tackling was horrendous. Too much leaky yardage. All those things add up to losing against a good football team.”

Leidner ran for a season-high 110 yards and two touchdowns, with many of his 22 carries coming on zone-read option keepers. Cobb had 15 runs for 80 yards before leaving the game.

Nebraska’s Ameer Abdullah had 98 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries, and Armstrong was 12 of 19 for 233 yards.

The Gophers were down 21-7 at half after Randy Gregory blocked Ryan Santoso’s 30-yard field-goal attempt and Nate Gerry scooped up the ball and ran it 85 yards down the Nebraska sideline to the end zone.

“The guys weren’t concerned about it,” Leidner said. “The way we were moving the ball, we just weren’t finishing drives. We just had a feeling we were going to be able to go out there and put the drives together and finish them.”

Minnesota pulled to 21-14 early in the third quarter after two sacks and a short punt set them up at the Nebraska 35, with Cobb scoring from the 17 but injuring his hamstring in the process.

Drew Brown’s 30-yard field goal made it a 10-point Nebraska lead in the middle of the third quarter.

With Donnell Kirkwood and Rodrick Williams filling in for Cobb, the Gophers went 73 yards in 10 plays to pull to 24-21.

Leidner completed third-down passes to Maxx Williams and KJ Maye before Rodrick Williams bounced outside for a touchdown on a fourth-and-1 from the 19.

“On the road, in Lincoln, Nebraska, you roll the dice a little bit,” Kill said. “We had to have two scores. I felt like we needed momentum, and I felt like we had a good call. It was big play in the game. If it hadn’t worked, I have everyone in America saying how stupid I was.”

On the winning 10-play, 80-yard drive Leidner hit Maye for 38 yards before he pushed his way across the goal line from the 3.

“They’re a mentally tough group,” Kill said. “We lose one of the best backs in the nation. Our kids up front just bowed up. We made plays at the end.”

The Huskers had hoped to bounce back on senior day from their 59-24 loss at Wisconsin in which Melvin Gordon ran for then-FBS record 408 yards. Nebraska gave up 281 yards rushing to the Gophers after allowing 581 last week.

The Huskers lost center Mark Pelini and all-time leading receiver Kenny Bell to injuries two plays apart on their first possession. Pelini has an injury to his left leg and Bell has a head injury.

— Associated Press —

Nebraska senior I-back Ameer Abdullah was named a finalist for two national awards on Thursday morning. The record-setting running back was named as one of five finalists for the Paul Hornung Award and is one of four finalists for the Pop Warner College Football Award.

The Hornung Award is presented to the most versatile player in college football. Abdullah is joined on the list of finalists by TCU running back/returner B.J. Catalon, Missouri running back/returner Marcus Murphy, Stanford wide receiver/returner Ty Montgomery and Washington linebacker/running back Shaq Thompson.

Abduallah ranks third in the nation in all-purpose yards per game, and is the only player in the FBS ranks to produce two games with more than 300 all-purpose yards in 2014. Abdullah is Nebraska’s all-time leader in all-purpose yardage and ranks second in Big Ten history in that category. Abdullah has also had four 200-yard rushing games this season.

The winner of the Hornung Award will be announced on Friday, Dec. 12, and the winner will be honored at a banquet in Louisville on Jan. 27, 2015.

The Pop Warner College Football Award honors a player who has contributed at a high level on the field, in the classroom and in his community, emulating the ideals of the Pop Warner Little Scholars, Inc., the nation’s oldest youth football organization.

In addition to Abdullah, other finalists include Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota, Stanford safety Jordan Richards and Florida center Max Garcia. The inaugural award was presented in 2010 to Nebraska cornerback Prince Amukamara. The Pop Warner College Football Award will be presented on Dec. 10 at Disney World’s ESPN Wide World of Sports during the Pop Warner Super Bowl.

— NU Sports Information —

Nebraska senior I-back Ameer Abdullah has been named one of 10 semifinalists for the 2014 Doak Walker Award. The award is given annually to the nation’s top running back.

This marks the second straight season Abdullah has been a semifinalist for the award. The 5-9, 200-pound Abdullah has produced a standout senior campaign in 2014. He ranks among the top 10 nationally in all-purpose yards per game (3rd), rushing touchdowns (4th), scoring (7th) and rushing yards per game (9th).

Abdullah has rushed for better than 200 yards four times during the 2014 season, tying a Nebraska school record. He has also produced a pair of games with better than 300 all-purpose yards, making him the only player in the nation with two games of 300-plus all-purpose yards. In the process, Abdullah has set a Nebraska school record for career all-purpose yards (6,700), while ranking second in Big Ten history in career all-purpose yardage.

Abdullah has 1,319 rushing yards this season and 4,296 career rushing yards, and remains in pursuit of Mike Rozier’s school record of 4,780 career rushing yards.

Abdullah is one of three Big Ten running backs on the semifinalist list, joining Tevin Coleman of Indiana and Melvin Gordon of Wisconsin. Abdullah is one of two seniors among the 10 semifinalists.

The Doak Walker Award is named after three-time SMU All-America running back and 1948 Heisman Trophy winner Doak Walker.

— Nu Sports Information —

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska’s slog through the first half against Central Arkansas might have had the fans more worried than coach Tim Miles.

The 21st-ranked Cornhuskers won 82-56 on Tuesday night in a game that turned into a rout the last 10 minutes.

“We weren’t all locked in at the same time,” Miles said. “We had some real bonehead, just numbskull plays. We dribbled off our foot twice in transition, threw it to them a couple times early. But we locked in and I thought had a great second half defensively.”

Terran Petteway scored 23 points for the Huskers (2-0), and Shavon Shields added 16 points and 11 rebounds for his fourth career double-double. Tai Webster had 11 of his 13 points in the second half.

Miles experimented with different combinations throughout the game, which might have led to some of the choppy play.

“We have to figure out this guy or this guy,” Miles said. “We’re only a spot or two from being where we need to be.”

The Huskers shot 42.3 percent with nine turnovers and only three assists in the first half. After halftime, they shot 64 percent with six turnovers and nine assists.

The Bears (0-3) shot 29.6 percent after halftime and 32.8 percent for the game.

Jake Zuilhof led Central Arkansas with 12 points. Albert Christensson had 11 points, and Jordan Howard scored 10.

“I thought we played awfully hard,” Bears coach Russ Pennell said. “We were playing against an outstanding basketball team, No. 21 in the country, in the Big Ten. We did have a good first half. Overall, I thought the guys gave good effort. This one feels different because of the effort and the energy we put forth.”

The Bears stayed close early on, slowing the pace with fouls aplenty and benefiting from Nebraska’s sloppy play on both ends. Nebraska led just 32-30 at the under-4 minute timeout.

Central Arkansas closed to five points early in the second half before Nebraska scored 14 straight points to lead 61-42. The Bears missed eight straight shots and committed a couple turnovers as the Huskers pulled away.

Webster’s 3-pointer from the corner closed a 21-4 spurt that gave Nebraska a 68-46 lead with under eight minutes to play.

“I thought they upped the intensity and pushed out a little better,” Pennell said. “And, honestly, I thought we got tired.”

—

TIP-INS

Nebraska: The Huskers had a 40-35 advantage on the boards after getting outrebounded 36-33 by Northern Kentucky in their opener. … Webster matched his career high with four steals.

Central Arkansas: The Bears finished 0-3 on their season-opening trip to the state of Nebraska, also losing to Creighton and Omaha. … Mathieu Kamba had 10 rebounds to go along with seven points and five assists.

UP NEXT

Nebraska visits Rhode Island on Saturday.

Central Arkansas hosts Southeast Missouri State on Saturday.

— NU Sports Information —

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska’s Terran Petteway missed everything with an ill-advised shot from the wing but, thanks to an errant outlet pass, the ball ended up right back in his hands.

With no hesitation he launched a 3-pointer that swished through the hoop and left coach Tim Miles shaking his head. Assistant coach Chris Harriman remarked to Miles, “Well, he doesn’t lack confidence.”

No, he sure doesn’t.

Petteway scored 25 points, making six 3s, to lead the 21st-ranked Cornhuskers to an 80-61 victory over Northern Kentucky on Sunday.

Petteway took nearly twice as many shots as any of his teammates, making 7 of 15. That bad shot-good shot sequence in the second half summed up his afternoon.

“You take a bad shot like that and get the ball right back? That’s a good day,” he said.

Shavon Shields had 11 of his 18 points in the second half and made all 10 of his free throws. David Rivers added 12 points.

Freshman Tayler Persons led the Norse with 13 points. Anthony Monaco, averaging 2.5 points in 51 career games, matched his career high with 12, all on 3-pointers.

The Atlantic Sun’s Northern Kentucky (0-2) lost its opener 62-31 at third-ranked Wisconsin on Friday and was outscored by a combined 50 points by the Big Ten opponents.

“Those two teams are both real good, but they’re really different,” Norse coach Dave Bezold said. “Wisconsin, they want to slow you down with defense. You’re playing and you think you’re close and you look up and you’re down by 20 points.

“Nebraska, they get after you. They’re quick off the ball, they come at you hard on both ends. They’ve got guys that are skilled and they don’t quit. They hit us in bunches, and when they got going, they’re hard to deal with.”

Nebraska, ranked for the first time since January 1995, trailed by six points in the first four minutes. The Huskers used a 25-7 run to take a double-digit lead that grew to 22 in the second half.

—

TIP-INS

Nebraska: The Huskers have won 14 straight openers and 21 of their past 23. Petteway’s first dunk came on a fast-break alley-oop pass from Benny Parker late in the first half. Nebraska held a 22-6 advantage in points off turnovers.

Northern Kentucky: The Norse scored 30 points in the first half, one fewer than their program record-low game total against Wisconsin. They outrebounded Nebraska 36-33, including 15-6 on the offensive end. The Norse were 11 of 21 on free throws after going 1 of 5 from the line against Wisconsin.

FINE FRESHMAN

Nebraska freshman point guard Tarin Smith was impressive in his debut. He played 16 minutes off the bench, scoring six points and making a nice pass to Petteway on the wing for a 3-pointer. “He’s fitting in pretty good,” Petteway said. “He got a lot of minutes today, which is going to help him build his confidence for these games we’ve got coming up. I’m excited to see him in the rotation a little bit more.”

UP NEXT

Nebraska hosts Central Arkansas on Tuesday.

Northern Kentucky hosts North Carolina A&T on Wednesday.

— Associated Press —

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Melvin Gordon had one magnificent day.

Wisconsin’s star running back rushed for a major college-record 408 yards and four touchdowns, and the Badgers (No. 20 CFP, No. 22 AP) overcame three early turnovers to take control of the Big Ten West division with a 59-24 win Saturday over Nebraska (No. 16 CFP, No 11 AP).

Gordon eclipsed the single-game mark held since 1999 by TCU’s LaDainian Tomlinson by 2 yards, setting the new standard on a 26-yard touchdown run on the final play of the third quarter and his last carry of the game.

“Yeah, I didn’t even know I was close to the record,” Gordon said. “I was kind of just running away.”

Outdueling Nebraska’s Ameer Abdullah in a matchup of star running backs, Gordon had two fumbles before helping the Badgers (8-2, 5-1) roar past the Cornhuskers (8-2, 4-2) with 49 straight points.

The star junior torched what had been a staunch Nebraska defense on 25 carries and delivered an emphatic statement in the Heisman Trophy race.

Abdullah finished with 69 yards on 18 attempts.

The game had been billed in part as a footrace between Gordon and Abdullah for Heisman votes.

It ended up being Gordon by a landslide.

Gordon’s most entertaining carry might have been the 62-yarder down the sideline, completed after hurdling over lunging safety Corey Cooper around the 35 to get into the clear.

Gordon never played a down in the fourth quarter with his team leading by five scores. About the most action he got was when he danced on the field in the snow with his teammates while the song “Jump Around” echoed through the stadium, a Wisconsin tradition before the fourth quarter.

“Melvin Gordon! Melvin Gordon,” the crowd roared in the second half.

The single-game rushing record had stood since Nov. 20, 1999, when Tomlinson had 406 for TCU against UTEP.

As a comparison, Wake Forest has played 10 games this season and has rushed 317 times for 341 yards.

The all-time NCAA Division I record is 437 yards, which was set by North Carolina A&T’s Maurice Hicks in 2001 against Morgan State.

The NCAA all-division record is 441 yards by Marietta’s Dante Brown against Baldwin Wallace in 1996.

Gordon thanked his coaches for sticking with him after his two fumbles.

“It’s a luxury that I’ve never had before as a coach,” Wisconsin’s Gary Andersen said. “To see a performance like that was amazing.”

It was hard to believe that Nebraska actually led 17-3 with 14:12 left in the second quarter on quarterback Tommy Armstrong’s 5-yard touchdown run. The Cornhuskers’ early scores came on short fields because of Wisconsin turnovers.

Nebraska fell apart from there. Gordon powered the offense, while the Wisconsin defense applied nonstop pressure.

The win, coupled with Minnesota’s 31-24 loss earlier Saturday to Ohio State, gave the Badgers’ sole possession of first place in the West.

Wisconsin finally surged ahead 24-17 on Saturday night on Joel Stave’s 5-yard touchdown pass to Sam Arneson with 3:31 left the second quarter.

The rushing attack then left the Cornhuskers in the dust. Gordon scored three times in the third quarter, while dual-threat quarterback Tanner McEvoy, who alternated with Stave, added an 11-yard touchdown run.

It was 52-17 by the start of the fourth, with backups littering both lineups the rest of the way.

Armstrong finished with 17 yards on 20 carries, but was just 6-of-18 passing for 62 yards with an interception. He connected with Kenny Bell for a 12-yard touchdown pass early in the first quarter.

But what had been a promising start for Nebraska turned into an embarrassing loss in the snow.

Gordon stole the show.

— Associated Press —

No. 21 Nebraska shook off a slow start in its exhibition opener and rebounded for an 83-61 win over Southwest Minnesota State Thursday evening.

The Huskers, who shot just 30 percent in the second half, rallied behind the play of sophomore Tai Webster, who scored nine of his 16 points in a 15-4 surge to open the second half.

Webster went 4-of-5 from the floor on the night, including a trio of 3-pointers as four Huskers finished in double figures. Junior Shavon Shields led all scorers with a game-high 29 points and nine rebounds, while Terran Petteway and Benny Parker added 10 points apiece for the Big Red.

The Huskers, who trailed by as many as 13 points in the first half, were down 34-30 at the break before Webster took over. The sophomore hit consecutive 3-pointers during an 8-0 Husker run to give Nebraska its first lead since the opening minutes. The 6-foot-4 sophomore then capped the run with a conventional 3-point play, putting Nebraska ahead 45-38 with 15:06 left.

Southwest Minnesota State continued to hang around and was within 45-43 with 12:55 left, but a jumper by David Rivers and four Webster free throws capped a 6-0 spurt and put the Huskers ahead 51-43. SMSU pulled to within five at 51-46 on a Cole Martin 3-pointer, but the Huskers put the game away with a 16-3 run highlighted by eight straight points from Shields.

Martin, an Omaha native, led SMSU with 12 points, while Joey Bartlett added 11 in a losing effort.

Early on, the Mustangs gave the Huskers fits, using a 16-2 first-half run to build an 11-point lead after a 3-pointer from Bartlett. The Huskers were ice cold for the first 12 minutes, hitting just two of their first 15 shots from floor, as SMSU pushed the lead to 22-9 after Bartlett’s second 3-pointer of the half.

The Huskers roared back with increased intensity on the defensive end, as a Shields 3-pointer and a Petteway steal and dunk cut the margin to eight and forced SMSU to take a timeout. The Huskers kept chipping away and got a strong effort from Benny Parker off the bench, as he had six points and three steals and helped NU converted nine Mustang turnovers into 12 points in the half.

Nebraska trailed 34-25 before closing the half with five straight points, including Webster’s first 3-pointer of the night, to pull within 34-30.

The Huskers open the season on Sunday, Nov. 16, when they take on Northern Kentucky. Tipoff is at 1 p.m.

— NU Sports Information —

Nebraska standouts Ameer Abdullah and Randy Gregory were named semifinalists for prestigious national awards Monday morning. Abdullah is one of 20 semifinalists for the Maxwell Award, while Gregory is among 20 semifinalists for the Chuck Bednarik Award. Both awards are presented by the Maxwell Football Club.

Abdullah has rushed for 1,250 yards and scored 19 touchdowns through nine games to power the Nebraska offense. Abdullah leads the nation, averaging 187.9 all-purpose yards per game and has recorded two of the four 300-plus all-purpose yardage games in the nation this season. Abdullah also ranks in the top 10 nationally in rushing yards and scoring. In 2014, Abdullah has moved to No. 2 on the Big Ten career all-purpose yardage list and is on pace to challenge Nebraska’s career rushing record.

Abdullah is one six running backs on the Maxwell Award semifinalist list, including fellow Big Ten backs Tevin Coleman and Melvin Gordon.

Gregory continues to be a dominant force on the Nebraska defense. Gregory has a team-high 5.5 sacks despite missing nearly two full games early in the season. The 6-6, 245-pound Gregory has 37 total tackles on the year, and also leads the Huskers with 14 quarterback hurries. He also has an interception, a blocked field goal and three pass breakups.

Gregory is one of three Big Ten defenders on the list, including Ohio State defensive end Joey Bosa and Michigan State end Shilique Calhoun.

The Maxwell Award is given annually to the Collegiate Player of the Year, while the Chuck Bednarik Award is given to the Outstanding Defensive Player of the Year. The three finalists for each award will be announced on Monday, Nov. 24, and the winners will be announced at the Home Depot College Football Awards Show on Thursday, Dec. 11.

— NU Sports Information —

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — With Ameer Abdullah out most of the game with a knee injury, Nebraska slogged through a win over Purdue and now has two weeks to get their Heisman Trophy hopeful healed for the No. 15 Cornhuskers’ showdown with Wisconsin.

Imani Cross, Abdullah’s backup, ran for two short touchdowns in a 35-14 victory Saturday that moved Nebraska (No. 15 CFP, No. 17 AP) into sole possession of first place in the Big Ten West.

The Huskers (8-1, 4-1) are a half-game ahead of Minnesota, Iowa and Wisconsin after their third straight win. The question now is whether Abdullah will be able to play against the Badgers in what could be the game of the year in the West.

“We’re very optimistic,” coach Bo Pelini said.

Cornerback Josh Mitchell, who had two of Nebraska’s three sacks, said he spoke with Abdullah after the game and is confident the Husker’ star will be ready.

“He’s going to be all right,” Mitchell said. “He’s a warrior. He wanted to be out there and play if he could. He’s tough. He’ll be back.”

Abdullah, who came into the game third nationally in rushing at 156 yards a game, mildly sprained and bruised his left knee on the Huskers’ second possession while recovering Tommy Armstrong Jr.’s fumbled snap at the Purdue 1-yard line. Abdullah returned to carry one more time, losing 5 yards, and didn’t return.

The senior has run for at least 200 yards in a nation-leading four games and has 1,250 for the season.

With Abdullah out, Nebraska continued to pound away with the run as winds gusting to 30 mph made it tough to pass. Cross carried 20 times for 66 yards and Terrell Newby added ran nine times for 42.

The Huskers had a season-low 297 total yards after playing much of the game on a short field. Their average starting field position was their own 49.

“I thought our defense played great, they really did,” Purdue coach Darrell Hazell said. “They were put in some bad situations.”

In addition to his fumble, Armstrong threw two interceptions and was just 8 of 21 for 118 yards. He did run for 70 yards, including a 29-yard TD.

“I’m embarrassed,” Armstrong said. “The way we played, we should have lost. I feel like I failed. We got a win, but we play a team like Wisconsin or Iowa, it’s not going to be pretty.”

Purdue (3-6, 1-4) converted only 2 of 16 third downs, but stayed in the game into the fourth quarter.

Austin Appleby hit Cameron Posey for a 23-yard touchdown to cut the lead to 28-14, and the Boilers were set up in Nebraska territory again when Landon Feichter intercepted his second pass of the game. But Purdue turned the ball over on downs.

Nebraska tacked on a touchdown on Newby’s 7-yard run after Purdue failed to convert on fourth down for the fourth of five times in the second half.

The Boilers had scored 31 or more points in three straight games with Appleby as the starting quarterback. But, he was 18 of 46 for 216 yards as he struggled with a defense that sacked him three times and had nine hurries.

The Huskers started their first three drives at the Purdue 17, 16 and 31, but came away with only seven points.

“Collective ugliness,” Nebraska offensive coordinator Tim Beck said, referring to his charges.

Two plays after Kieron Williams blocked Thomas Meadows’ punt, Armstrong threw a 17-yard pass to De’Mornay Pierson-El.

Pierson-El ran back Meadows’ next punt 42 yards, and the Huskers had first-and-goal at the Purdue 4 but couldn’t punch it in. Armstrong fumbled the snap on fourth down at the 1, with Abdullah getting hurt in the scrum for the ball.

The Huskers were held scoreless after getting another short field when Drew Brown pushed his 46-yard field-goal try wide right for his third straight miss.

Appleby broke a 25-yard run to pull Purdue into a 7-all tie early in the second quarter. Nebraska responded with a 65-yard march that Cross finished with a 2-yard run.

Brandon Reilly partially blocked Meadows’ next punt to set up the Huskers at midfield, and Armstrong went 29-yards to put the Huskers up 21-7. Cross scored from the 1 to make it a three-touchdown game in the third quarter.

“We’re right there,” Appleby said. “Defense plays good and the offense comes up short. Offense plays good, defense comes up short. We’ve got to play together.”

— Associated Press —