For five years, Thomas Rice waited.
He went to practice daily. He worked on fundamentals. He studied game film. He nursed the bumps and bruises that go along with playing defensive end at the highest level of college football.
But the senior walk-on from Lincoln East High School had never played in a game for the Cornhuskers until Saturday, when the 6-foot-1, 240-pounder stopped Kansas State's Jeron Mastrud on a one-yard gain early in the second quarter.
Rice's solo tackle, the only stat recorded in his five-year Husker career, set off a celebration.
"After the play got over, I don't even know what I did," Rice said. "I probably looked goofy jumping around out there, but it was a great feeling."
Rice wasn't the only one celebrating. Some of Rice's teammates had to be restrained from running onto the field to congratulate him.
NU junior defensive end Zach Potter said it was reminiscent of "Rudy," the tale in which a Notre Dame walk-on finally gets to play in a game and capitalizes on his opportunity.
"Ecstatic" was how NU junior offensive lineman Matt Slauson described the sideline after Rice's tackle.
"Everybody was so excited for him and he was so pumped; so emotional," Slauson said. "It was just awesome."
And it was only fitting that Rice did it on Senior Day, a day in which NU's upperclassmen did their best to erase the memories of five straight defeats with a 73-31 romp over Kansas State at Memorial Stadium.
There was senior cornerback Cortney Grixby breaking loose for a 94-yard kickoff return for a touchdown to knot the score at 7-7 in the first quarter - the Huskers' first kickoff return for a touchdown since the 1998 season opener.
There was senior wide receiver Frantz Hardy hauling in three touchdown receptions.
There was senior cornerback Andre Jones returning a punt 43 yards early in the second quarter to give his team good field position and set up a 36-yard Hardy touchdown catch one play later.
There was senior linebacker Steve Octavien recording a team-high nine tackles, including three tackles for loss and a pass breakup, to spark a Husker defense that has battled inconsistency all season.
All of them contributed to what Grixby, Hardy and Rice called the team's most complete performance of the season.
"It was fun," Hardy said. "Defense, offense, even special teams. Everybody had fun today."
Especially the 29 seniors, including Rice, who had family from across the Midwest in the bleachers. His girlfriend was there. So were his girlfriend's parents and brother, as well as his own parents and grandparents. All of them were there to watch Rice play in his first college game as a fifth-year senior.
"The last five years have just gone like that," Rice said, snapping his fingers. "I was telling some of the younger guys to enjoy this. This is a great experience, and before you know it, it's going to be over."
BENGOULDSMITH@DAILYNEBRASKAN.COM
is a member of the 
