Yes, the Nebraska football team still knows how to win.
It also still knows how to win big. After blowing out Kansas State 73-31 on Senior Day, the Cornhuskers are breathing a sigh of relief and looking to keep the good times rolling.
Leading the way was former backup quarterback Joe Ganz, who garnered national attention with arguably the best passing performance in Nebraska school history. The junior completed 30 of 40 passes for school records of 510 yards and seven touchdowns.
Things didn't seem as promising early on, when Kansas State took its second drive of the game into the end zone on a 21-yard touchdown pass from KSU quarterback Josh Freeman to wide receiver Jordy Nelson.
NU senior Cortney Grixby swung the momentum in his team's favor by returning the ensuing kickoff 94 yards for the Huskers' first kickoff return for a touchdown since the season opener in 1998. The long run diffused an uneasy tension that had gripped the restless Memorial Stadium crowd following the all-too-familiar sight of an opponent taking an early lead.
Nebraska would score on every following possession until the end of the game.
"I lost my breath going off the field," Grixby said. "The celebrating and jumping on me about killed me. I told them, 'I'm only about 170 pounds. Leave me alone.'"
After Grixby lit the fire, Ganz and the Nebraska offense kept it going. Much of the game had the same look and feel as last week's 76-39 loss at Kansas, with one exception: The Huskers (5-6 overall, 2-5 Big 12 Conference) were the ones having a heyday.
"Sometimes in this game, it gets a little crazy," Nebraska Coach Bill Callahan said. "It can go either way, so we've been on both sides of the spectrum now. Anything can happen on any given Saturday, that's for certain. I'm proud of our players and our staff."
A field goal by Brooks Rossman gave Kansas State (5-5, 3-4) a 10-7 edge midway through the second quarter. It would be the Wildcats' last lead of the game, as NU junior I-back Marlon Lucky would take a pass from Ganz 26 yards for a touchdown and the lead with 32 seconds remaining in the first quarter.
In the second quarter, Ganz tossed touchdown passes to Frantz Hardy and Todd Peterson that bookended a five-yard touchdown run by Marlon Lucky and a 27-yard field goal by Alex Henery. The 24 second-period points gave Nebraska a 38-10 halftime lead and had the stadium rocking like it hadn't since September.
Ganz added four more touchdown passes in the second half - two to Hardy, one to Peterson and another to senior wideout Terrence Nunn. He deferred to junior quarterback Beau Davis in the fourth quarter, who led Nebraska's offense through the end of the game as it ran out the clock.
Ganz's performance is sure to earn him national honors. Nebraska offensive coordinator Shawn Watson called it "The best performance I've ever seen a quarterback have in my coaching career."
The praise was not lost on Ganz.
"It feels really good. It feels really good to go out there and play a complete game," Ganz said. "I'm more proud of not turning the ball over really than (breaking) those two records. Obviously those two records are a great accomplishment with the rich tradition here, but I'm happy I didn't turn the ball over and that we got the win."
Along with Ganz's passing yards, the Huskers also piled up 183 yards on the ground. Lucky led the way with 103 yards and two touchdowns on 16 carries, while freshman Quentin Castille added 50 yards and Ganz collected 18 more on the ground.
Senior wide receiver Maurice Purify led Nebraska with six receptions for 108 yards, but Hardy led the receiving corps into the end zone with three touchdowns on three catches.
"Tough day, I guess," Watson said of Hardy's performance.
The win sets up a win-and advance situation for the Huskers in their final game at Colorado, in which both teams will be battling for their sixth win and bowl eligibility.
Suddenly, after a historic losing streak, Nebraska has new life, and a buzz about the prospect of a postseason bowl.
"I mean, five games we've lost. Five in a row," Grixby said. "To get a win, we thought we forgot how to win. That's what it was. We just had to remember how to win. We got it back. We basically just remembered how to win a football game and how to finish a football game."
JONATHANCROWL@DAILYNEBRASKAN.COM
