2002 Texas @ NebraskaAn exciting game with Nebraksa coming off the BCS title game from the prior season and Texas loaded with NFL talent. Nebraska lost at home in 1991 then had a 47 game home win streak broken by Texas in 1998. Nebraska then had another 26 game streak to again be broken by Texas in 2002. With this Texas win in 1998 and 2002 Mack remained only 1 of 3 active coaches at this point to win in Lincoln (Paterno, Bobby Bowden) as the 1991 Washington coach Don Haskins had retired. Without Texas, the Huskers probably win 75 in a row at home over about 11 seasons Interesting note: UT DB/LB Lee Jackson # 23 played in both the 1998 and 2002 games, probably the only opposing player to win @ Lincoln twice in a 30 or 40 year span. FIRST HALF: Several big plays in the first half from both teams but drives were stopped by good defensive plays or incompletions (some dropped passes which plagued Simms). Simms to Roy was working magnificently and Ivan Williams had an impressive run after catch. The first half ended at 6-3 UT leading, with UT blocking a FG as the half expired. Despite the low score, a Greg Davis offense surprisingly wide open. NU starts the first drive with a big run but is stopped by a loss by Cory Redding and have to settle for a FG. 3-0 Huskers NU gets the ball again and Jammal Lord puts on a beautiful hesitation fake on a long run for a first down. But Rod Wright and Reed Boyd stop them on 4th down deep in UT territory. UT drives with great Roy catches and a Cedric Benson run but the drive stalls in the red zone and UT gets a FG from Dusty Mangum. Tied 3-3 NU throws an INT deflected off Redding to Nathan Vasher. Long pass to Benson goes off his fingertips. Roy with another amazing catch. Robert Timmons drops a lazer pass, hitting him in the hands. Simms with NFL power on the throws. UT has to settle for another FG and the lead , 6-3. The rest of the half saw no scoring but some nice Simms passes and impressive Lord runs, one with eye-popping cutbacks. UT had another stop on NU on a 4th and 1 by Derrick Johson and Michael Huff. UT gets the ball with the highlight being Ivan Williams absolutely victimizing an NU DB. An incompletion to Roy stops the drive. NU gets the ball and Lord rips off a Vince Young run but the drive is stopped by Rod Wright and NU flubs the FG attempt. NU gets the ball again with less than a minute after a Simms hail mary type INT, hit as he threw it. NU has the FG blocked as time expires. VIDEO: The Link UT stopped NU twice on 4th and 1 in this formation Babers blocks FG as half expires The pride of Husker Nation SECOND HALF: In front of the largest home crowd in Husker history NU starts the second half with a 79 yard drive for a TD including a long Lord run. Huff had a nice defensive stop on the series, but Lord threw for a TD to the TE in the corner. UT answers with a long drive mixing passes to Roy and a long run by Ivan on a dumpoff pass where he managed to stay in bounds. A precise 16 yard TD pass to Roy. Texas leads 13-10. NU has a KO return to near midfield tackled by Edorian McCullough. The NU drive stalls due to help by Derrick Johnson on a TFL on Lord. NU punt pins UT to their own 3. Thus begins one of the best executed Texas drives you will ever see. 97 yards and 8 minutes consumed mixing Benson, Roy catches, a Simms run, a clutch first down gain by Brett Robin, an 80mph fastball to BJ Johnson, and more. Simms dislocated his finger (on his throwing hand) on the drive and had it popped back into place by the trainer. Then throws a bullet on the very next play, a bootleg to BJ to the 3. The bootleg worked very well throughout the game as play action to pass to Roy et al. Finally a 3 yard TD to Roy, another NFL bullet. Texas leads 20-10. NU counters quickly with a Lord run and then a 60yard TD pass to the TE over the middle. UT only had 10 defenders on the play. Texas still leads 20-17. UT keeps fighting with another Roy catch then a deflected pass to Brock Edwards who does his best Mark Bavaro and rumbles deep inside NU territory. A deep pass over the middle to the TE by Greg Davis! . Simms is sacked so the drive ends and UT punts. Lord has a nice run but they punt. UT counters with Benson, Roy and a defensive PI with Roy as the target. Simms’ mechanics were perfect this game, highly accurate powerful bullets with a quick trigger. Brock Edwards again bulldozes his way into NU territory, great game. Cedric gets a TD. Texas leads 27-17 with 3:24 left in the game. UT’s 2002 offense had more talent than anything in the 2008-2010 period. Perhaps more talent (O and D) than any team in the country including 2002 Miami and Ohio State. NU has a pitch run and a PI call getting the ball inside the redzone. Another PI and NU gets a pitch run TD. Texas still leads 27-27 with 2:34 left. NU does not onside kick and UT has to punt after Roy gets an offensive PI, despite the drive starting with a great Vasher KO return. NU returns to punt to the UT 16, with no timeouts and 34 seconds left. Redding stops Lord who then spikes it, bringing up 3rd and 10 from the 16 with only 16 seconds left. Solich decides to try for a TD instead of a FG on 3rd down, going for the win, given the trouble he has had with the kicking game. Tragically for the Huskers, Lord gets picked by Nathan Vasher on an athletic play. UT runs out the clock for a great win. VIDEO:The Link Ced had 28 rushes for 86 yards and 1 TD Big Ivan had 6 catches for 111 yards! Lord finished with 234 yards rushing on 23 attempts, a rushing record for an NU QB that stood for 8 years until T.Martinez broke it on October 7, 2010 vs. KSU. Lord also had 98 yards passing with a passing TD. NU leads 10-6. OL gave Simms good pockets, but when not and pressured, Simms performed brilliantly Legend One of his many spectacular catches. Finished with 13 catches for 161 yards and 2 TDs What a game! He has the last laugh
Chris Simms was awesome in that game. This is one of several games that Longhorn fans need to remember when they crap on him.
Wasn't this also the game where Simms dislocated a finger, ran to the sideline to have it popped back in, and returned without missing a play?
I was at that game. It was awesome. Very cold, they kept saying it was going to sleet, but never did. They kept leaving Roy in man coverage with about a 5-yard cushion that Simms just ate up all day. The Huskers were very nice to us. Doubt that will be the case this go around.
yes, that was the game Chris ran over to get his finger popped back in and then continued playing...he was nails that game.
The only way that Nebraska stays in that game is by UT executing the 5yd out offense. Had UT run a more aggressive offense they blow out NU. The talent disparity between UT and NU was immense at that point in time.
We blocked our 8th kick of the season in that game. Whatever happened to that? I feel we have been incredibly lacking in that area the last few years, and it could come up huge in a game like it did in this one.
agree on the blocked of kicks...if I recall we have one on the road against KSt. the week before this game. I used to be jealous of Vir. Tech special teams until Texas starting playing that role...not sure what has happened to that domination we had on special teams. I just remember watching this NU game and my g/f at the time was ready to go out to dinner...I just could not leave until I knewe we had it won. That was a great party that evening.
For those that want to know what a great drop back passer looks like, watch Chris. Smooth delivery, no happy feet, beautiful bullet throws. Gilbert is none of those. He's choppy in his delivery, jerky in the pocket, he's got happy feet, and throws wobbly balls. That's his style, of course he does things Chris couldn't as well...throw on the run and pick up a first down with his feet as examples. Don't try to turn Gilbert into something he's not.
We were in the exact opposite corner and when Vasher came down with the ball on the interception, at first I couldn't tell if he was in bounds. Then saw one of the UT ball boys going crazy. Four years later it was much easier to see the FG in the snow in the that end.
so we're due again, is that what you're saying. Btw, when was the last time we lost in Lincoln? Ever? I guess we haven't. Wow, what a power running attack, I formation, offset I, and then pro-style drop back Forward passes!
