 "Photo: Chris Vankat")
COLLEGE STATION, Texas - With Nebraska in need of a touchdown in the final seconds against Texas A&M, Maurice Purify's only goal was to make up for, what he called, the worst game of his NU career.
Luckily for the Cornhuskers, the junior wide receiver did just that, jumping to catch a fade pass in the end zone and helping NU edge out the Aggies 28-27 in front of a deafening Kyle Field crowd.
"I dropped a couple balls I should have caught," Purify said of his performance. "I was a little frustrated."
Nebraska quarterback Zac Taylor went 21-of-36 passing for 267 total yards, but it was the senior's nine-yard loft to Purify that completed an 11-play, 75-yard drive to give the Huskers (8-3, 5-2 Big 12 Conference) their first Big 12 North Division title since 1999.
"That's exactly what you dream about," Taylor said. "I've laid awake in bed for 23 years now and thought about games like this. You couldn't draw it up any better than that."
Nebraska, which led by as much as 21-7 in the second quarter, mustered just 72 yards of offense in the second half before its final drive.
On the other side, the Aggies (8-3, 4-3) scored 20 unanswered points, getting ahead 27-21 on a one-yard touchdown run by Texas A&M running back Jorvorskie Lane late in the fourth quarter.
The Huskers failed to respond when Taylor threw an interception on the ensuing possession, giving the Aggies the ball on the Nebraska 29-yard line with 2:50 left in the game.
NU Coach Bill Callahan said A&M's play on the first down was the most critical, as running back Mike Goodson ran out of bounds for a two-yard gain, stopping the clock and saving the Huskers a timeout.
"As soon as he went out of bounds, we felt if we could hold them for two more downs and force them into the field goal with a potential of missing, we felt pretty confident that we could go down," Callahan said of his team's chances to score. "I'm not speaking arrogantly; I'm just telling you, from a confidence standpoint, we do this every week."
The Huskers stuffed the next two Aggie rushing attempts before NU sophomore defensive end Barry Turner got a hand on A&M's 41-yard field goal attempt, giving Nebraska one final possession.
"Boy, the special teams is such a big part of the game," Callahan said. "That block at the end meant everything to ignite our offense."
Nebraska drew first blood on the afternoon when sophomore I-back Cody Glenn scored a touchdown from two yards out, but A&M answered with Goodson breaking a 22-yard run for a touchdown on an option play later in the opening quarter.
The Huskers scored two more touchdowns in the half - one on a six-yard run by Glenn and the other when Taylor found sophomore wide receiver Todd Peterson in the end zone.
Taylor's four-yard toss to Peterson broke two Nebraska records, and the senior finished the game with school-highs in touchdowns in a season (22) and career passing yards (5,193).
"I didn't know until after the game was over," Taylor said of the records. "I was aware of it, and it's a great honor, but I wouldn't be thinking about it if we'd have lost this game. It wouldn't have meant much to me."
Overall, Taylor helped Nebraska convert 7-of-15 third-down tries, while the Aggies, who were ranked sixth nationally in the category, were held to just 5-of-14, including 0-for-5 in the first half.
The win essentially locked up a rematch with Texas on Dec. 2 in the Big 12 Championship game in Kansas City, Mo.
As the Huskers walked off the field following the game, chants of "K.C." rose into the brisk Texas night.
"For us to come down here and get a win and solidify us going to Kansas City, it was real big," Glenn said. "That's probably the first time I'd seen us that close and that together and just having fun together after a big win like that."
