For Jon Cornish, playing Nebraska is personal.
Recruited by the Cornhuskers out of high school, the Kansas running back said he has taken his frustrations out against the Blackshirts for the past two years because of a "personal vendetta."
The junior powered through Nebraska's defense for 101 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries last season in KU's 40-15 win, but on Saturday, he exploited the Blackshirts further, running for 145 yards and a touchdown on 31 carries.
"I had a scholarship offer from (Nebraska), or I was talking to them, but that sort of fell through," Cornish said. "So it's sort of personal."
While Saturday's 39-32 overtime loss to Nebraska was difficult to take - and Cornish admitted he was disappointed with the defeat - he said he was proud of the Jayhawks for coming back after a 17-0 first-quarter deficit.
Gaining just 16 yards on four carries in the first period, Cornish said he and the rest of the Jayhawks struggled with the size of the crowd as 85,069 fans filled Memorial Stadium's stands.
But by the second quarter, KU found its stride and got itself on the board.
Cornish took the ball for a yard on the Jayhawks first drive of the second period, helping set up Kansas's first touchdown of the night with 11 minutes, 45 seconds remaining in the half.
While KU's second drive ended in a fumble on the Nebraska 5-yard line, it was all Cornish, as he carried four times for 64 yards.
"We made some mistakes early, had a deficit on the road (but) never gave up," Kansas Coach Mark Mangino said. "(We) kept fighting and took the game into overtime. We would have like to have won. We're not playing horseshoes, so close doesn't count."
After the Jayhawks recovered a fumble from senior quarterback Zac Taylor at the NU 8 in the third quarter, Cornish ran in for KU's second touchdown of the night to bring the Jayhawks within eight points at 24-16.
Saturday night marked Cornish's fourth 100-plus yard game of the season and brought his season total to 582 yards on the ground. He averages 5.2 yards per carry, and his touchdown was his third of the year.
The 31 carries for the Westminister, British Columbia, native was a career high, and Cornish was visibly tired down the stretch. He noticeably limped off the field following Kansas's last score, but he returned to carry twice on the Jayhawks' overtime possession and picked up two yards on a fourth-and-one before the Blackshirts' final defensive stand.
Whether Cornish will punish Nebraska next year is hard to say, but the junior said he looks at every game as an opportunity to improve, and coming to Lincoln to take on the Huskers was something he had been looking forward to.
"Jon Cornish ran hard; he ended up with 145 yards," Mangino said. "He just runs hard, gets yardage after a first hit. He's just a workhorse for us."
