 "Photo: Vanessa Skocz")
STILLWATER, Okla. - Part of Nebraska's success this season has been the product of taking an early lead.
On Saturday, however, the Cornhuskers failed to hang on to a 16-0 start at Boone Pickens Stadium, falling to Oklahoma State 41-29 in their first Big 12 Conference away game loss.
While boasting a 23-20 lead going into the final quarter, the Huskers gave up three touchdowns to OSU in the last 15 minutes of play.
A significant change in the Huskers' game plan came during halftime as they opted for the pass instead of the run in the second half.
While I-back Brandon Jackson had been the focus of the first half - notching 124 first-half rushing yards and two touchdowns - NU senior quarterback Zac Taylor threw 29 of his 39 passes after halftime, completing just 12 as the Huskers struggled to keep up with the Cowboys' dynamic offense.
With both teams scoreless in the third quarter, the Cowboys found their stride immediately in the fourth when junior Dantrell Savage capped a 50-yard drive with a 20-yard sprint to put OSU on top 27-23, giving Oklahoma State its first lead.
The Cowboys took over for good on their next possession, driving 77 yards and getting a 1-yard score from fullback Julius Crosslin to lead 34-23 with 8 minutes, 5 seconds remaining.
Any chance of a Husker rally ended when Taylor fumbled with 3:16 left and OSU defensive end Nathan Peterson scooped it up for a 19-yard touchdown. Taylor was sacked five times on the day, including three times in the fourth quarter.
"There were instances where our protection could have been better," NU Coach Bill Callahan said. "(Taylor) got beat up a little bit. Overall, I think he made good decisions, but we need to do a better job of route running for him. Our route running today was not as good as it could have been."
Early on, it looked like Jackson would be all NU would need. The junior rushed for 99 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries during Nebraska's first two drives but saw only eight carries for 58 yards in the entire second half.
"Brandon had a pretty dang good game," NU Offensive Coordinator Jay Norvell said. "He is a real tough competitor. We just have to continue to build on the positive performances he's had and find ways to make more plays and score more points."
While the Blackshirts held the Cowboys scoreless in the first quarter, three OSU scores in a 10-minute span brought Oklahoma State back in the second.
With OSU down 16-0, Cowboy quarterback Bobby Reid responded by finding freshman running back Keith Toston in the end zone with a 16-yard touchdown pass to put Oklahoma State on the scoreboard. NU senior defensive end Adam Carriker blocked OSU's attempt at an extra point to make it 16-6.
The Cowboys pulled to 16-13 on Savage's first TD run, from 18 yards out.
While Nebraska responded with its own touchdown, off a 22-yard pass from Taylor to junior receiver Maurice Purify with 56 seconds left in the half, the Cowboys returned NU's kickoff 39 yards to the Nebraska 45-yard line. On the next play, Reid completed a 45-yard touchdown pass to junior receiver Adarius Bowman to end the half.
"We felt like we were doing a lot of things offensively and that we were really taking advantage of them," Taylor said. "You've got to give them credit. They stepped up and they started making plays and adjustments. The second and third quarter we really could have taken advantage of the lead, but offensively we just didn't do it."
With the loss, the Huskers dropped out of the national top 25 rankings and fell to 6-3 on the season and 4-2 in the Big 12. But even with the loss, Callahan said the Huskers are still on track for the Big 12 North title.
"Our goals are still intact, and we have an excellent opportunity to capture the North," Callahan said. "We just have to get better. We can play better, we can coach better, and that was pretty evident today."
