ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Tommy Armstrong Jr. threw a left-handed, 5-yard shovel pass to Ameer Abdullah for a go-ahead touchdown with 2:03 left and Nebraska’s defense made enough stops to seal a 17-13 win over Michigan on Saturday.

The Cornhuskers (7-2, 4-1 Big Ten) kept their chances alive of returning to the conference championship game. Nebraska can move a big step closer to its goal by beating Legends Division-leading Michigan State next Saturday at home.

The Wolverines (6-3, 2-3) dashed hopes of earning a Big Ten title for the first time since 2004 with their first loss in 20 home games under coach Brady Hoke, turning the ball over on downs during their last possession.

Michigan went ahead 13-10 on Brendan Gibbons’ 40-yard field goal with 8:08 left after Jordan Westerkamp fumbled on a punt return, then its defense allowed the Cornhuskers to convert a fourth down on a 75-yard, game-winning drive.

Abdullah ran for 105 yards and had an 8-yard TD on the ground that gave Nebraska a 10-0 lead late in the first quarter.

The Wolverines responded with 13 straight points, but failed to score more because they couldn’t open up holes for running backs or protect Devin Gardner.

Michigan was held to minus-21 yards rushing – a week after sinking to a school-record low minus-48 yards rushing in a loss to the Spartans – as Gardner was sacked seven times for the second straight game. The Wolverines didn’t rush for one first down.

Gardner was 18 of 27 for 196 yards and a TD, a 5-yard pass to Devin Funchess that tied the game at 10 in the third quarter. Running backs Fitzgerald Toussaint and Derrick Green combined for 17 yards rushing on 17 carries for the Wolverines.

Armstrong was 11 of 19 for 139 yards and a game-winning TD on a third-and-5 from the Michigan 5. The drive was extended by Armstrong’s pass from the Michigan 31 to Kenny Bell, who broke two tackles to convert a fourth-and-2 with a 26-yard reception.

Westerkamp might’ve been the happiest guy in red at the Big House.

A week after Westerkamp caught Ron Kellogg III’s 49-yard desperation heave off a tip to beat Northwestern on the last play of last week’s game, he dropped a punt and Dennis Norfleet recovered it at the Nebraska 26 with 10 minutes left in the game.

Michigan, though, couldn’t do much with the opportunity because it lost 1 yard combined on two runs from Green and then Gardner scrambled for 4 yards on a play that was designed for a pass to set up Gibbons’ tiebreaking field goal.

Early in the game, Nebraska took advantage of Michigan’s struggling offense to take a 10-0 lead. The Wolverines had three-and-out drives on their first two possessions, losing a total of 19 yards, and the Cornhuskers answered both times with scoring drives.

Abdullah kept the first scoring drive alive with an 18-yard run on third-and-3 at the Michigan 30, setting up Pat Smith’s 21-yard field goal. The Cornhuskers didn’t need any third-down conversions on the next possession because they didn’t have one in an eight-play, 56-yard drive that ended in Abdullah’s 8-yard touchdown.

The Wolverines responded with a field goal on their first possession of the second quarter.

Michigan finished the half, trailing 10-0 with negative-10 yards rushing. It was the second game in a row that the Wolverines failed to reach positive rushing yards in the first half, and it didn’t get better after halftime, leading to their first loss at home since a Rich Rodriguez-led team got beat by Wisconsin on Nov. 20, 2010.

— Associated Press —

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Jordan Westerkamp caught Ron Kellogg III’s tipped desperation heave to the end zone with no time left Saturday, giving Nebraska a 27-24 victory over Northwestern on Saturday.

The Cornhuskers looked like they were finished after Northwestern took a three-point lead with 1:20 left. They started their final drive at their 17 with no timeouts.

Ameer Abdullah caught a short pass and stretched to convert a fourth-and-15. Then, with four seconds on the clock, Kellogg dropped back for a final play. The strong-armed Kellogg let fly a ball that was deflected into Westerkamp’s hands in the end zone. Westerkamp held on, bringing the entire Nebraska bench running onto the field in celebration. The play was confirmed on video review.

Jeff Budzien had kicked a 21-yard, tie-breaking field goal with 1:20 left after defensive lineman Tyler Scott’s interception set up Northwestern inside the Nebraska 10.

Nebraska’s winning play was perhaps its most dramatic since Matt Davison’s ”Miracle at Missouri” catch that kept alive the Huskers’ national-championship season in 1997.

Kellogg, who came into the season as the third-string quarterback, was backing up Tommy Armstrong Jr. in the absence of the injured starter Taylor Martinez.

The Huskers’ previous series ended with Armstrong, trying to hit Quincy Enunwa, instead firing a pass right into the hands of Scott.

Kain Colter had run 6 yards to the Nebraska 1, but the Wildcats’ struggling offense couldn’t get into the end zone and had to call on Budzien for the short field goal.

Coach Bo Pelini has said that if the Huskers ever needed to drive the field in the final 2 minutes, Kellogg would be the guy he called on.

Kellogg, a walk-on who wasn’t put on scholarship until August, came through in a big way for a Nebraska team whose season was teetering after last week’s loss at Minnesota. The Huskers avoided back-to-back conference losses for the first time since 2009.

The Huskers (6-2, 3-1 Big Ten) continue to control their own destiny in the Big Ten Legends Division. The Wildcats (4-5, 0-5) lost their fifth straight.

Abdullah ran 24 times for 127 yards, but his biggest play came when the Huskers were trying to keep their last drive alive. Kellogg was in trouble on fourth-and-15 when he dumped the ball to Abdullah, who fought his way to the first-down marker and even got an extra yard.

Armstrong was 15 of 29 for 173 yards and a touchdown, but he threw three interceptions.

Kellogg was 7 of 13 for 104 yards, with one interception and the winning touchdown.

Treyvon Green ran for 149 yards and a career-high three touchdowns for the Wildcats, who have lost five straight and were playing without injured running backs Venric Mark, Mike Trumpy and Stephen Buckley. Buckley injured his left knee in the first quarter and didn’t return.

Nebraska defensive end Avery Moss tied it 21-all in the middle of the third quarter, picking off Trevor Siemian and running 25 yards for a touchdown.

In 11 possessions after it went up 21-7, Northwestern punted 10 times and was intercepted.

— Associated Press —

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — When Philip Nelson picked Minnesota, he envisioned program-lifting wins like this.

With recovering coach Jerry Kill providing extra motivation, the Gophers pushed around Nebraska all afternoon to beat the Cornhuskers for the first time since 1960.

Nelson rushed for two touchdowns and passed for another, guiding Minnesota to a 34-23 upset Saturday of 25th-ranked Nebraska.

”We just have this confidence we can compete with anyone,” said Nelson, who made all of his seven completions count, for 152 yards. He carried the ball eight times for 55 yards, including a spin across the goal line from the 1 with 48 seconds left to seal the victory.

The Gophers (6-2, 2-2 Big Ten) became bowl-game eligible and stopped a 16-game losing streak to the Huskers during which they were outscored by an average of 40-9.

”You dream about being able to switch this thing around. That’s just the path that our recruiting class took, because we kind of took a blind leap of faith in this program,” Nelson said, adding: ”The way coach Kill runs his programs, we knew that we were going to have success and it was just a matter of time before we really started rolling.”

Taylor Martinez returned from a toe injury on his left foot that kept him out of the last three games for the Huskers (5-2, 2-1), but he had only 16 yards rushing on eight attempts and 139 yards on 16-for-30 passing, plus one touchdown and one interception. They missed right guard Spencer Long, who’s out for the season with a knee injury.

”Taylor was the least of our problems,” Nebraska coach Bo Pelini said. He added: ”I don’t know whether we think we’re better than we are or what it is, but at the end of the day, we didn’t have the type of approach you have to have on the road to go win a football game.”

David Cobb rushed for 138 yards on 31 attempts and Chris Hawthorne made two field goals for the Gophers, who outgained the Huskers 271-189 on the ground.

Ameer Abdullah had 165 yards on 19 carries and Pat Smith kicked three field goals, about the only bright spots for Nebraska.

”If we win out we can still play for the Big Ten championship,” Martinez said. ”We’ve just got to go out there and just keep on winning and not get down on ourselves.”

The Huskers found a rhythm at the end of the third quarter, fueled by a 35-yard, twisting-and-spinning run by Martinez to set up a short touchdown pass to Sam Cotton that cut Minnesota’s lead to 27-20. The thousands of red-clad Nebraska fans, who filled at least one-third of the 50,000 seats, snapped to life in celebration.

The Huskers took the ball with 5:50 left at their 9, trailing by four, but cornerback Martez Shabazz blitzed on third down and sacked Martinez to force a punt. The Gophers then sealed it on offense.

Kill watched from above in the box with his assistants, still on leave from his regular responsibilities while he’s managing his epilepsy. This was the third straight game he wasn’t in charge, with defensive coordinator Tracy Claeys taking over on the sideline, but he gave the players a pep talk before and after the game and at halftime.

The Gophers credited Kill’s surprise appearance and impromptu halftime pep talk last week for spurring them to a victory at Northwestern, and they played with plenty of fire in this one, sensing the opening for their first victory over one of the conference’s traditional powerhouse programs since winning at Michigan in 2005.

”The way that he can inspire us without even being down there, it’s unbelievable,” cornerback Shane Vereen said.

Nelson relieved Mitch Leidner on the fourth series, continuing the quarterback rotation for Minnesota, and delivered one of the best performances of his two seasons here. He helped the Gophers improve to 12-0 when leading at halftime since Kill took over in 2011.

On fourth-and-10 from the 33 in the second quarter, Nelson flicked a perfect pass over the top of the defense to an outstretched Derrick Engel. He tumbled into the end zone for a 14-10 advantage, the first lead by the Gophers over the Huskers in this series since 1969.

Yes, 1969.

The Gophers had gone 11 straight matchups with the Huskers, including each of the last two years as Big Ten foes, without holding a lead, let alone getting a win. But the Gophers, who play at Indiana next week, don’t plan on settling for six victories.

”You don’t get sigh. You don’t celebrate. You get bowl-eligible in October, you set your goals a hell of a lot higher,” Claeys said.

— Associated Press —

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (AP) — Ameer Abdullah ran for 126 yards and a touchdown to help Nebraska defeat Purdue 44-7 on Saturday.

Terrell Newby ran for 61 yards and Imani Cross added 56 yards and two touchdowns for the Cornhuskers (5-1, 2-0 Big Ten).

Nebraska quarterback Taylor Martinez sat out with a turf toe injury. Tommy Armstrong Jr. started and completed just 6 of 18 passes for 43 yards with three interceptions. Ron Kellogg III stepped in and completed 10 of 13 passes for 141 yards and a touchdown.

Nebraska held Purdue to 216 yards, and the Boilermakers didn’t score until the final minute of the game. Purdue ran for just 32 yards on 25 carries.

Danny Etling completed 14 of 35 passes for 184 yards and a touchdown in his first career start. DeAngelo Yancey caught five passes for 146 yards and a touchdown for the Boilermakers (1-5, 0-2).

Nebraska scored on its first drive as Armstrong’s 3-yard touchdown run put Nebraska ahead 7-0. The Huskers ran for 48 yards on the drive.

Halfway through the first quarter, LeRoy Alexander intercepted a pass by Etling and the Huskers took over on the Purdue 26. On Nebraska’s next play, however, Armstrong lobbed an interception to Purdue’s Frankie Williams in the end zone.

Kellogg replaced Armstrong at quarterback the following series and converted two third-and-long passes before Cross scored on fourth-and-goal from the 1-yard line, extending Nebraska’s lead to 14-0.

Purdue was outgained 117-14 and held without a first down in the first quarter.

In the second quarter, Nebraska cornerback Stanley Jean-Baptiste was ejected for targeting after leading with his helmet while making a play against Dalyn Dawkins. On the next play Randy Gregory recovered a Dawkins fumble, setting up a 28-yard touchdown run by Abdullah.

Trailing 21-0, Purdue went for it on fourth-and-3 from its 46 on its first possession of the third quarter, but Rob Henry’s pass on a reverse was short.

Nebraska responded with another scoring drive on which Abdullah moved the chains with a tough run on fourth-and-1 and, later, Cross scored from 2 yards out..

Gregory sacked Etling in the end zone, one of five sacks by the Cornhuskers, to increase Nebraska’s lead to 30-0.

Etling found Yancey for a 55-yard touchdown pass with 39 seconds remaining to finally get Purdue on the board.

— Associated Press —

The University of Nebraska was awarded one of four regional host sites for the 2014 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament, announced by the NCAA on Wednesday, Oct. 9.

The Huskers will host the four-team regional at Pinnacle Bank Arena in downtown Lincoln, March 29 through April 1.

“We’re excited that Lincoln was selected to host its first NCAA basketball tournament action since 1993,” Nebraska Executive Associate Athletic Director Marc Boehm said. “We believe it is an amazing opportunity to show off the Pinnacle Bank Arena and showcase Nebraska basketball and the city of Lincoln.”

Pinnacle Bank Arena will be the home of Nebraska men’s and women’s basketball for its inaugural season in 2013-14. The $179 million arena is located in the historic Haymarket district in downtown Lincoln, just steps away from the University of Nebraska campus.

With a capacity of more than 15,000, the arena has sold out for Husker men’s basketball for 2013-14 and season ticket sales for women’s basketball are up 50 percent from a year ago. Women’s basketball fans can still purchase season tickets now starting at just $80 for 20 games in Nebraska’s first season at the arena by visiting Huskers.com/Arena.

Nebraska women’s basketball season ticket holders will get the first opportunity to buy NCAA Regional tickets when they are made available for sale. Game dates, times and ticket prices have not yet been announced, but tickets for preliminary NCAA Tournament rounds are expected to be available for purchase no later than Nov. 16.

“It’s an exciting time to be a part of the Nebraska women’s basketball program, and the NCAA Regional announcement just keeps that building,” Coach Connie Yori said. “We’ve got a long way to go as a team before we can even think about the possibility of getting back to the Sweet 16 this year, but it is certainly a great opportunity for men’s and women’s basketball fans to have a chance to watch college basketball being played at a really high level at the end of March in Lincoln.”

Yori, who has led Nebraska to five NCAA Tournament bids in the past seven years, including a pair of NCAA Regional trips, was the 2013 Big Ten Coach of the Year and the 2010 Big 12 and National Coach of the Year.

“The city of Lincoln and the entire state of Nebraska have a reputation for coming out and supporting big-time events,” Yori said. “An NCAA women’s basketball regional to cap the first season at Pinnacle Bank Arena is certainly a big-time event. Sports fans of all kinds all across the state of Nebraska can start making their plans now.”

The last time the University of Nebraska served as a host for the an NCAA men’s or women’s basketball tournament came on March 17, 1993, when the Husker women defeated San Diego, 81-58, in the first round at the Bob Devaney Sports Center. It is the only game the Nebraska women’s basketball team has ever played on its home court in the NCAA Tournament.

In 1993, Nebraska featured Wade Trophy winner and first-team All-American Karen Jennings. In 2013-14, the Huskers feature senior Jordan Hooper, who was named one of 25 preseason candidates to the Wade Watch List, on Oct. 8. The 6-2 forward from Alliance, Neb., is a two-time honorable-mention All-American and a two-time first-team All-Big 12 selection. She will be joined by returning starters Emily Cady, Hailie Sample and Rachel Theriot in trying to power the Huskers back to the regional round in 2014.

Nebraska earned a trip to the NCAA Regional in Norfolk, Va., in 2013. The Huskers advanced to the NCAA Sweet 16 by knocking off Chattanooga in the first round and home-standing Texas A&M at Reed Arena in the second round. The Huskers earned a No. 6 seed in last year’s tournament and finished the year with a 25-9 overall record that included a 12-4 Big Ten mark. It marked the second time in the past four seasons

The other three NCAA Regional sites are Louisville, Ky., Notre Dame, Ind., and Stanford, Calif. The 16 NCAA first- and second-round locations are Baylor, Duke, Iowa, Iowa State, Kentucky, LSU, Maryland, North Carolina, Penn State, Purdue, Tennessee, Texas A&M, Toledo, UConn, UCLA and Washington.

The NCAA Women’s Final Four will be held at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn., April 6-8.

— NU Sports Information —

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Ameer Abdullah ran for a career-high 225 yards and two touchdowns and Nebraska’s maligned defense was much improved in a 39-19 victory over Illinois on Saturday.

Tommy Armstrong, starting his second straight game in place of injured quarterback Taylor Martinez, led the Cornhuskers (4-1, 1-0 Big Ten) to touchdowns on his first three series and was solid throughout.

Armstrong was 8 of 13 for 135 yards.

Just as big as Armstrong’s performance was that of Nebraska’s defense, which had been one of the nation’s worst through four games.

Illinois (3-2, 0-1), which came in averaging 40 points a game, didn’t score its first touchdown until the middle of the third quarter. Twice when the Illini looked as if they would make a game of it, the Huskers made big stops.

Josh Ferguson led the Illini with 114 yards on 19 carries and another 82 yards on eight catches.

— Associated Press —

Score one for the Nebraska defense. Actually, score two.

Stanley Jean-Baptiste and Ciante Evans returned first-quarter interceptions for touchdowns and the No. 22 Cornhuskers rebounded from a lackluster performance in their opener to make quick work of Southern Mississippi in a 56-13 win Saturday night.

With No. 18 UCLA visiting next week, it was critical for the Huskers (2-0) to create a positive vibe after they were skewered for 602 yards by Wyoming in a 37-34 win last week.

The Bruins beat Nebraska in Los Angeles last year, amassing 653 yards in the process. Don’t think coach Bo Pelini won’t remind his team about that stat over the next few days.

So, yes, the Huskers needed a feel-good performance, even if it was against a Southern Miss team that has the longest current losing streak in the FBS at 14 games.

”It was a big confidence boost,” defensive end Randy Gregory said. ”We didn’t play that well last week. We got the win but weren’t proud of it.”

Nebraska limited the Golden Eagles (0-2) to 284 yards and intercepted four passes, with the first two picks going for early touchdowns.

Jean-Baptiste jumped in front of Rickey Bradley Jr. just as Allan Bridgford’s pass arrived on the third play of the game and ran it back 43 yards.

Evans put the Huskers up 21-3 with the first of his two interceptions, catching a ball tipped by Tyre’oune Holmes and going 22 yards to the end zone.

”That,” Evans said, ”was all she wrote.”

Just about.

Nebraska limited the Eagles to 62 yards rushing, but only 4 of those came before the fourth quarter. The Huskers had nine tackles for loss after having no stops behind the line of scrimmage against Wyoming.

”I thought we made good progress,” Pelini said.

What impressed Pelini most was that he saw a reduction in the number of missed tackles and missed assignments, and improved communication among his players.

”Our ability to make adjustments during the game was 100 fold better than it was a week ago,” he said.

Taylor Martinez threw for 170 yards and three touchdowns, Ameer Abdullah ran for 114 yards and two TDs and the Huskers finished with 285 yards rushing.

This game was all about Nebraska’s defense, though, and how it would respond to the harsh criticism it took after the Wyoming debacle.

The Huskers’ only lull came on Southern Miss’ first series of the second half. Bridgford’s 41-yard touchdown pass to Bradley made it 35-13.

”My biggest problem with the defense – and I addressed it with them on the sideline – is how we came out in that third quarter,” Pelini said. ”To their credit, they responded to the challenge and got it righted in a hurry.”

After Bradley’s touchdown, Kenny Bell ran back the kickoff 63 yards, and Abdullah scored from 37 yards on the next play.

Evans intercepted Bridgford on the first play of Southern Miss’ following possession, and Martinez threw a 26-yard touchdown pass to Sam Burtch to make it 49-13.

That was it for Martinez, who completed 15 of 23 passes for 170 yards. Ron Kellogg III and Tommy Armstrong Jr. quarterbacked the Huskers the rest of the way.

Nebraska’s two interception returns for touchdowns marked the first time the Huskers have had two defensive scores in a game since they had two picks for TDs against Idaho in 2010. It also was in that game against Idaho that Nebraska last had four interceptions in a game.

”I was disappointed in the way we played to start the football game,” Southern Miss coach Todd Monken said. ”Come to a tough place to play, start the opening series, get a first down and then turn it over – let alone, it leads to a score. Second week in a row we’ve done that early in the game. It really makes it difficult to come back.”

The Huskers tinkered with their defensive lineup, starting junior-college transfer Randy Gregory at end and freshmen Josh Banderas and Nathan Gerry at linebacker. Nebraska hadn’t started a true freshman on defense since Evans in 2010.

”We base it on practice – who practices the best,” Pelini said. ”Coming out of the week, we went with who we felt gave us the best chance to play like we want to play.”

Bridgford, who threw for 377 yards last week in a loss to Texas State, was 21 of 35 for 222 yards. But Bridgford and the Eagles, who turned over the ball six times last week, couldn’t overcome the four interceptions – the last one thrown by Nick Mullens.

The schedule originally called for Southern Miss to host the Huskers in Hattiesburg, Miss., but the Eagles agreed to move the game to Lincoln in exchange for $2.1 million. The teams play again in Lincoln in 2015.

— Associated Press —

Nebraska piled up more than 500 yards of offense and won its nation-leading 28th straight opener.

You wouldn’t have known it from the atmosphere inside the 18th-ranked Cornhuskers’ locker room minutes after their 37-34 victory over Wyoming on Saturday night.

”I feel like we lost the game,” receiver Kenny Bell said.

Up 16 points in the fourth quarter, the Huskers had to sweat this one to the end after the four-touchdown-underdog Cowboys converted two late turnovers into touchdowns.

”It wasn’t very excited,” receiver Quincy Enunwa said of the mood of the team. ”We got a win and that’s always a great feeling. It’s not exactly how we wanted it to happen. We want to put this one in our past, watch the film and get better and come back next week with a better game.”

Ameer Abdullah and Imani Cross each ran for more than 100 yards and Taylor Martinez passed for three touchdowns.

The Cornhkuskers scored on four of five possessions after trailing 14-10 early in the second quarter and then had to hang on as Wyoming made it a game to the end.

”Well, we’re 1-0 and I’m happy we’re 1-0, but obviously we’ve got a lot of work to do,” Nebraska coach Bo Pelini said. ”I just told our team, whether you win the game by three or win 65-0, it’s never as good as you think it is, and it’s never as bad as you think it is.”

The Cowboys converted two late Nebraska turnovers into touchdowns to pull within 37-34 with 1:32 left. Nebraska recovered the onside kick after Brett Smith’s 47-yard TD pass to Robert Herron.

Wyoming’s defense held, and the Cowboys got the ball back on their 6 with 1:07 to play, but time ran out on them before they could even get to midfield.

”There’s not one happy kid in that locker room,” Wyoming coach Dave Christensen said. ”There’s a whole bunch of (mad) people because they know we could have won the football game but we didn’t make enough plays. Nebraska did.”

Martinez completed 17 of 22 passes for 155 yards. Abdullah ran for 114 yards and Cross for 105 and two touchdowns.

Nebraska needed all 530 of its total yards because Wyoming was able to put up alarming numbers against a defense that had to replace eight defensive starters.

The Cowboys generated 602 yards, with Smith completing 29 of 43 passes for 383 yards and four touchdowns. Dominic Rufran caught 11 of his passes for 120 yards, and Shaun Wick rushed for another 101.

”To me, it was a bad dream,” Huskers defensive coordinator John Papuchis said. ”It was close to being a nightmare.”

The Huskers never could get comfortable, not even after Ciante Evans’ interception at the Nebraska 10 with his team leading by 16 points with less than 10 minutes to play.

The Cowboys got the ball back when Blair Burns intercepted Martinez, and Smith’s 29-yard touchdown to Jalen Claiborne pulled the Cowboys within 37-27 with 6:02 to play. The Cowboys’ 2-point try failed when Smith was sacked by Josh Mitchell.

After Marqueston Huff recovered Martinez’ fumble at the Wyoming 38, Smith found Herron along the right sideline for another TD that stunned the crowd on a sweltering night at Memorial Stadium.

”I was expecting a lot cleaner performance,” Pelini said, ”but by no means am I panicking.”

The Huskers looked like they would take control after going into halftime ahead 17-14.

Cross scored his second touchdown after he took a handoff, slipped up the middle, bounced off linebacker Jordan Stanton and spun around twice before finishing his 31-yard touchdown run for a 24-14 lead.

Nebraska went 67 yards in 15 plays on its next series, with Martinez lofting a 3-yard touchdown pass to Quincy Enunwa. Officials ruled Enunwa didn’t get his foot down inbounds, but the call was overturned on video review.

Wyoming pulled to 31-21 when Brandon Miller caught a short pass from Smith and battled his way into the end zone for a 22-yard TD.

”There was screaming on the sideline, telling everyone we were going to win that game,” Smith said. ”Everyone bought into it. We thought we were going to win that game.

”It came down to the final seconds. We put up better numbers. I’m so proud off how we executed. I’m proud of our guys but, shoot, it hurts.”

Nebraska has won all seven meetings with Wyoming and is 33-2 against current members of the Mountain West Conference.

The game drew a school-record attendance of 91,185, made possible by a 6,000-seat addition to the east side of Memorial Stadium.

— Associated Press —