No. 8 Huskers pull away from Purdue in 2nd half, win 27-14

Nebraska's victory over Purdue won't convince skeptics who've been saying the No. 8 Cornhuskers aren't worthy of a top-10 ranking.

The wait to find out how good they really are is almost over.

In their final tuneup before their Big Ten West showdown at No. 10 Wisconsin, they came back from a four-point halftime deficit to beat the Boilermakers 27-14 Saturday.

Once again, and this time against a 24-point underdog, the Huskers (7-0, 4-0 Big Ten) underperformed against a lesser opponent until pulling away in the second half. Still, they'll take their best record since 2001 into the game in Madison.

"These games, they haven't been pretty," linebacker Josh Banderas said. "My heart's been going in a lot of them. I'd like to have a couple where that' s not the case. But we're going to find that our will to win is up there with the best in the country. No matter what team is in front of us, we're going to find a way to win somehow."

Tommy Armstrong Jr. accounted for 303 yards of total offense and two touchdowns, and Purdue (3-4, 1-3) managed only 94 yards in the second half in interim coach Gerad Parker's first game since taking over for the fired Darrell Hazell.

"What a great first half we played," Parker said. "We battled through some tough things and had fun with it and smiled about it whether things worked or not. I thought we did the same thing with our effort the second half. It's just one of those things where they made more plays than we did."

The Huskers lost 55-45 at Purdue last year, and Memorial Stadium was in a stunned silence as the Boilermakers pulled out to a 14-10 lead on David Blough's two touchdown passes to DeAngelo Yancey, the second one an 88-yard catch-and-run.

But the Huskers scored on three straight possessions after going three-and-out on their first series of the second half.

"This will sound like a little bit of a broken record, but we're extremely happy to win the game," coach Mike Riley said. "My feelings are Purdue came here and played hard and their intentions were to win. Their quarterback is a good player and made plays, and so did their team. We struggled in a lot of ways and just had to stay with it."

Armstrong's 40-yard pass to De'Mornay Pierson-El gave the Huskers the lead, and Alonzo Moore went 24 yards for a touchdown on a jet sweep and Drew Brown kicked a career-long 51-yard field goal for the game's final points.

The Huskers, with a banged-up offensive line and facing a Purdue defense crowding the line of scrimmage, leaned on the pass far more than expected against the Big Ten's worst rushing defense. Armstrong was hit-and-miss, and they went punt-punt-punt-interception on their last four series of the half.

Leading Nebraska on the road at half in his first game since replacing Hazell left Parker emotional for his halftime interview with an ABC sideline reporter.

"I'm almost in tears and got chills all over me," he said.

THE TAKEAWAY

Purdue: Parker said the Boilermakers would play as if they had nothing to lose, and that's what they did. They went for it on fourth down four times, converting twice and scoring a touchdown on one of them.

Nebraska: The Huskers continue to scuffle with lesser opponents. They could be in trouble if they don't step up their game against the tougher opponents that are fast approaching.

KEY NUMBERS

Armstrong was 17 for 31 for 252 yards and ran 10 times for 51, and he set the school record with his 13th game with 300 yards or more of total offense. Terrell Newby had 82 yards on 22 carries for the Huskers.

Blough was 25 of 43 for 309 yards, the fifth 300-yard day of his career and his most in a road game. Yancey caught four balls for 100 yards.

POLL IMPLICATIONS

Even though at least one team ahead of them in the poll will have lost, the Huskers don't merit a promotion after an uninspired performance. They might even slip a spot or two.

UP NEXT:

Purdue: The Boilermakers host Penn State to begin a stretch of three home games in four weeks.

Nebraska: Their season-defining stretch starts at No. 10 Wisconsin next Saturday and continues the following week at No. 2 Ohio State.

No. 10 Nebraska hangs on for 27-22 victory at Indiana

Terrell Newby ran for one score andTommy Armstrong Jr. hooked up with Stanley Morgan Jr. on a 72-yard touchdown pass with 9:57 left to play, helping No. 10 Nebraska hold off Indiana 27-22 on Saturday.

The 10th-ranked Cornhuskers (6-0, 3-0 Big Ten) won their seventh straight game overall and their fifth in a row in this series, last played in 1978. It's also the first time since 2001 that Nebraska has won its first six.

But the improving Hoosiers (3-3, 1-2) sure didn't make it easy as it tried to beat its first top 10 team since 1987.

After unveiling new uniforms that incorporated Indiana's trademark candy stripes on their shoulders and a script Indiana on the pants, in hopes of changing course, it didn't quite work.

Nebraska opened the game by driving for a field goal then got Newby's 4-yard TD run and Chris Jones' 33-yard interception return for a score in a 14-second span to make it 17-0. The Hoosiers answered with the next 15 points, finally getting into the end zone on the final play of the third quarter, a 33-yard TD run from Devine Redding on a fake reverse.

Nebraska took advantage when Indiana's two safeties ran into one another, allowing Morgan to turn about a 20-yard gain into a 72-yard TD.

Five plays later, Redding scored on a 4-yard TD catch that made it 24-22 with 8:26 to go.

The Cornhuskers closed it out by using all but 45 seconds of the remaining time while surviving a near-fumble from Newby 2:06 left. The officials ruled Newby was down when the ball came out and it was not overturned by replay review and they got a 39-yard field goal.

THE TAKEAWAYS

Nebraska: The 'Huskers could start to lock up the Big Ten West over the next two weeks. Nebraska is the only unbeaten team left on that side of the conference standings, and No. 8 Wisconsin comes to town in two weeks. A win there - or a loss by the Badgers before then - would make Nebraska a clear favorite to book a trip to December's Big Ten championship game.

Indiana: The Hoosiers are in solid shape heading into an easier second half. They've already upset one ranked team, seriously challenged two more and their usually maligned defense has proven it can hold up. That bodes well for the Hoosiers, who need three wins to become bowl eligible for a second straight season for the first time in a quarter century.

UP NEXT

Nebraska: Now the Cornhuskers head back to Lincoln with something to prove against Purdue. A year ago, the Boilermakers stunned Nebraska. But after Iowa's 49-35 victory, the Boilermakers are reeling and Nebraska needs to keep its momentum rolling before facing No. 8 Wisconsin and No. 2 Ohio State after Purdue.

Indiana: After finishing a brutal stretch against three straight Top 20 foes, the Hoosiers visit a Northwestern team that has underperformed. For the Hoosiers, it's a chance to get back on the right track with two more winnable games after Northwestern.

Newby's late flurry sends No. 15 Huskers past Illini 31-16

Terrell Newby ran for 113 of his 140 yards and scored two touchdowns in the fourth quarter, and No. 15 Nebraska got a scare from Illinois before winning 31-16 on Saturday.

Newby touched the ball on 18 of Nebraska's last 21 plays from scrimmage and the Cornhuskers (5-0, 2-0 Big Ten) won going away after being down 16-10. They also avenged a 14-13 loss last year in Champaign.

"Newby, I thought, was a real man today," Nebraska coach Mike Riley said.

Illinois (1-3, 0-1) got off only 10 offensive plays after taking its six-point lead with 7:40 left in the third quarter. The Illini have lost 14 straight and 23 of 24 against Top 25 opponents.

Nebraska, favored by three touchdowns, fell behind after turning over the ball on back-to-back possessions. But the Illini had to settle for field goals after each takeaway, allowing the Huskers to stay close.

"We got better today. We still have a loss but I think we made improvements," Illinois coach Lovie Smith said. "We hung in there throughout, had a lead for most of the game, but it's about finishing. We didn't do that."

The Huskers went 18 plays in 10:42 to take a one-point lead early in the fourth. Nebraska was able to keep the drive alive because of two huge penalties on the Illini. Chunky Clements had Tommy Armstrong Jr. stopped for a loss on a third-and-12, but he was called for a horse-collar tackle, and Darius Mosley was flagged for pass interference on a fourth-and-4.

The biggest play, though, was when Newby picked up a first down by inches on a fourth-and-1 at the Illinois 4. The spot stood after a video review, and Newby scored on the next play.

The Illini went three-and-out on their next series, and then Armstrong led an 11-play drive that ended with a 6-yard pass to Trey Foster for a 24-16 lead with 4:32 left.

The Huskers' last TD came when Newby busted through the line and went 63 yards to the end zone.

Armstrong was 16 of 23 for 220 yards, and Jordan Westerkamp caught four balls for 65 yards.

Reggie Corbin led the Illini with 72 yards on nine carries, and Wes Lunt was 13 for 22 for 133 yards.

THE TAKEAWAY

ILLINOIS: The Illini, who have lost three in a row since winning their opener, gave Nebraska all it could handle. They were done in by untimely and bad penalties and by having to settle for field goals instead of touchdowns after Nebraska turnovers.

NEBRASKA: The Huskers should feel good about getting out of this one with a win and be glad they have an open date next week. They're banged up. Westerkamp was taken to a hospital to be evaluated after he appeared to take a knee to the back while getting tackled. Tight end Cethan Carter injured his elbow early in the game, and running back Devine Ozigbo went out with an ankle injury.

"Looking at our team and watching that thing take place, it appears to be a real good time for a bye week," Riley said.

POLL IMPLICATIONS

Nebraska has a chance to move up but probably won't crack the Top 10.

UP NEXT

ILLINOIS: The Illini return home to face Purdue, which they beat 48-14 last season.

NEBRASKA: The Huskers have an open date next week before visiting Indiana on Oct. 15. It will be the Huskers' first game against Indiana since they became Big Ten members in 2011.

Armstrong Jr. leads No. 20 Nebraska over Northwestern 24-13

It looks as if No. 20 Nebraska's return to the Top 25 won't be a one-week affair.

Tommy Armstrong Jr. threw for 246 yards and ran for a career-high 132 yards to lead the Cornhuskers to a 24 -13 victory over Northwestern on Saturday night in the Big Ten opener for both teams.

Nebraska (4-0) remained unbeaten coming off a tight win over Oregon that vaulted the `Huskers into The Associated Press poll for the first time since December 2014.

They lost two fumbles near the Northwestern goal line in the first half, but scored two touchdowns in the third quarter to stretch their lead from three to 11.

"We got two touchdowns early in the game, but there's no points on the board," coach Mike Riley said. "So how are you going to react to that? I'm really pleased with our reaction."

The Wildcats (1-3) matched their loss total from last year when they went 10-3.

Armstrong went 18 of 29, hitting Alonzo Moore with a 59-yarder in the first half and throwing a 4-yard touchdown strike to Cethan Carter that made it 17-7 early in the third after Aaron Williams intercepted Clayton Thorson's pass in the end zone.

Terrell Newby ran for 69 yards and a touchdown . Moore had 72 yards receiving, and Nebraska finished with 556 yards in all.

Thorson threw for 249 yards and had a 42-yard touchdown run. But he also threw two interceptions and was sacked four times, bringing his Big Ten-leading total to 15.

Austin Carr had another big game for Northwestern with 109 yards receiving and a touchdown, giving him at least one scoring catch in three straight games. But a team that seemed to be getting on track with last week's win over Duke after opening with losses to Western Michigan and Illinois State came up short against the resurgent Cornhuskers.

"These guys better figure it out pretty quick," coach Pat Fitzgerald said. "They better walk out of the locker room. They better hug whoever they love. They'd better go to bed and they'd better wake up and they've got to get ready to get their rear ends coached off this week because that's what's gonna happen. I'm not gonna sit here and I'm not gonna take it and I'm not gonna accept it. They'd better buckle it up. They'd better start hydrating right now because it's not acceptable the way we're playing.

"It starts and ends with me so I'm gonna fix it."

Nebraska drove 80 yards for a touchdown after Williams picked off Thorson in the end zone on the opening drive of the second half, with Carter's 4-yard TD catch making it 17-7.

Northwestern answered with a 24-yard TD pass from Thorson to Carr, but Jack Mitchell's extra-point attempt hit the left upright. The Cornhuskers then went 79 yards with Jordan Westerkamp running it in from the 10 to boost the lead to 24-13.

THE TAKEAWAY

NEBRASKA: The Cornhuskers ultimately took charge after those early turnovers and continue to roll along in their second season under Mike Riley. It's a big improvement over last year, when they had to rally to finish 6-7.

NORTHWESTERN: Coach Pat Fitzgerald has been criticizing his team for not finishing drives. He'll probably have more to say about it, considering Northwestern racked up 388 yards. But the defense had its difficulties, too.

HOLD ON

Nebraska might have put this one away in the first half if not for the turnovers.

On the game's opening possession, Newby fumbled as he tried to lung across the goal line at the end of a 49-yard run with two defenders in pursuit. The ball popped out as he contorted himself in mid-air along the sideline and bounced through the end zone.

Nebraska had the ball on the 2 late in the second quarter when a spinning Devine Ozigbo lost a fumble.

POLL IMPLICATIONS:

Nebraska certainly appeared to strengthen its standing in the poll with this win, taking control after a shaky first half.

KICKING COMPETITION

While Fitzgerald said Jack Mitchell will continue to handle kickoffs, field-goal duties and extra points are now up for grabs. Mitchell will be competing this week with Matt Micucci after he booted a 27-yard field goal wide right and hit the upright on a missed PAT.

UP NEXT

NEBRASKA: The Cornhuskers return home to face Illinois, which handed them one of their most disappointing losses a year ago. That was on a last-second touchdown and extra point in Champaign.

NORTHWESTERN: Northwestern goes on the road for the first time when it visits Iowa - a 14-7 winner at Rutgers after a surprising loss to North Dakota State.

Armstrong's late TD helps Huskers past No. 22 Ducks 35-32

Tommy Armstrong Jr. scored on a 34-yard quarterback draw with 2:29 left, the Nebraska defense held on Oregon's final series and the Cornhuskers beat the No. 22 Ducks 35-32 on Saturday.

Armstrong converted a fourth-and-9 with a 14-yard pass to Jordan Westerkamp before taking off on his winning run for the Huskers (3-0).

The Ducks, playing without star running back Royce Freeman since early in the game, made it to midfield on their last possession, failing to convert on fourth down.

Armstrong finished with 95 yards rushing, and completed 17 of 33 passes for 200 yards and three touchdowns. Devine Ozigbo also ran for 95 yards.

Kani Benoit rushed six times for 100 yards to lead the Ducks (2-1), and Dakota Prukop passed for 146 yards and ran for 87.

Nebraska coach Mike Riley, who was 0-7 against Ducks from 2008-14, his last seven years as Oregon State's coach, downplayed the personal satisfaction he got from beating his old nemesis.

"What it means right this moment is a lot. We're 3-0 going into the Big Ten," Riley said. "What this team is doing, I love the fight, just the the fact we kept our poise so well to come back and make the plays to win."

Prukop led a 10-play, 97-yard drive to put the Ducks ahead 32-28 after they had surrendered a 20-7 second-quarter lead. Prukop busted a 22-yard run and Benoit a 46-yarder and Prukop hit Darren Carrington to convert a third-and-12 before Tony Brooks-James scored from the 1.

Freeman went out of the game on the Ducks' second possession after running five times for 31 yards.

THE TAKEAWAY

OREGON: The Ducks, who allowed 193 yards rushing and 4.8 a carry against Virginia last week, had trouble stopping the run in the second half. They also played another undisciplined game, getting penalized 13 times for 126 yards.

"We need to manage situations better," Oregon coach Mark Helfrich said. "Obviously, the penalties killed us. It's a tough one to swallow."

NEBRASKA: The Huskers made a good start to getting back on the national radar, turning up their running game in the second half and getting a poised performance from Armstrong.

UP NEXT

OREGON: The Ducks open Pac-12 play at home against Colorado. Oregon has outscored the Buffaloes 52-15 while beating them five years in a row, but this year's Colorado team looks better than recent ones.

NEBRASKA: The Huskers play their Big Ten opener on the road against Northwestern, which beat them 30-28 in Lincoln last year.

Huskers eye Ducks after routing turnover-prone Wyoming 52-17

Bring on Oregon.

Nebraska tuned up for the No. 24 Ducks with a 52-17 victory over Wyoming, which trailed by seven points late in the third quarter but saw the game get out of control because of Josh Allen's six turnovers, all in the second half Saturday.

Now a Nebraska program trying to regain national relevance can turn its full attention to one of the most anticipated games in Lincoln in years.

"Oregon, they're no joke," said Jordan Westerkamp, who caught two ofTommy Armstrong Jr.'s three touchdown passes and had 105 yards on four receptions. "They're a top program in the entire nation. This will be our first big test. We have to take them extremely serious and have a great week of practice because they're going to come ready to play.

"If we can get a win against Oregon, that'll be huge for our program. On a national level, just beating a team like that should propel us forward in a lot of people's minds."

Nebraska (2-0), which ran on 51 of 64 plays in last week's 43-10 win over Fresno State, relied on the pass against Wyoming (1-1). Armstrong was 20 of 34 for 377 yards, and the Huskers finished with 412 yards through the air after backup Ryker Fyfe played the last two series.

Armstrong set the school career record for touchdown passes, with his 57th coming on a 9-yard pass to Westerkamp in the fourth quarter. The fourth-year starting QB was presented the game ball in the locker room for his accomplishment.

"I couldn't do it without those guys," Armstrong said. "They did a great job making plays - a bunch of catches and yards after contact. We have a lot of season left, and I'm excited about those guys out wide."

Six of Wyoming's last seven second-half possessions ended with turnovers - five interceptions and a bad lateral by Allen that was counted as a fumble - and the Huskers scored 28 points in the fourth quarter.

"There was a tipping point in the game, and sometimes they get away from you. That one did," Cowboys coach Craig Bohl said. "I don't know where the exact tipping point was, but it was after one of those interceptions. The score started getting tough."

Kieron Williams ran back an interception 23 yards for a touchdown, and Nate Gerry picked off two passes.

"I think it's great to be 2-0 going into this game," Nebraska coach Mike Riley said. "The more you win, the more exciting the next game gets. This one, being who they are and what they mean nationally and where we want to go, this is exciting."

THE TAKEAWAY

WYOMING: The Cowboys hung with the Huskers for three quarters, but there was no way Wyoming was going to survive six turnovers - all in the second half. Allen did show flashes, like when he rolled right and threw a perfect strike on a 35-yard pass to Gentry for touchdown on a fourth-and-12 late in the first half.

NEBRASKA: The Huskers put up some big offensive numbers, but they struggled again with personal fouls and other penalties, which could come back to bite them against better opponents. The defense shut down Wyoming star running back Brian Hill - good preparation for Oregon's Royce Freeman next week.

KEY NUMBERS

WYOMING: Gentry had seven catches for 124 yards with one touchdown and now has five career 100-yard games, including two straight.

NEBRASKA: Alonzo Moore had three catches for a career-high 109 yards, including a 63-yard touchdown. The Huskers' five interceptions were the most since they picked off five passes against Idaho in 2010.

UP NEXT

WYOMING: The Cowboys return home to play UC Davis of the FCS Big Sky Conference for the first time. The teams have a one-game contract, with Wyoming paying a $400,000 guarantee.

NEBRASKA: The Huskers' game against Oregon is especially meaningful to Riley, the former Oregon State coach who was 4-10 against the Ducks with his usually-outmanned Beaver teams (1997-98, 2003-14).

LAST WORD

"We went into the fourth quarter down seven. It was within reach. It just didn't happen... Everyone's hurting. I'm hurting. I take this one completely on myself. I didn't put our team in a position to win," Allen said.

Nebraska honors Foltz, pulls away to defeat Fresno St. 43-10

Nebraska overpowered Fresno State in the second half and won its opener in the easy fashion that was expected.

The lasting memory of Saturday night's 43-10 win will be how everyone inside Memorial Stadium came together to remember the Cornhuskers' fallen punter, Sam Foltz, who died in a July car crash.

The Huskers draped Foltz's No. 27 jersey at the end of their bench, and after they went three-and-out on their first possession, they lined up with 10 players and no punter.

The crowd stood and responded with loud cheers and applause as the play clock wound down, with Fresno State's players joining them in the salute. When Nebraska was flagged for delay of game after the play clock expired, Fresno State declined the penalty.

"It was an incredible feeling, knowing how much he meant to the team and the community and all the fans out there," quarterback Tommy Armstrong said. "It touched my heart a bit, just looking out there."

Fresno State coach Tim DeRuyter was told beforehand that the Huskers would line up without a punter, and he said there was no question that the penalty would be declined.

"If we can't teach our guys something classy like that, what's college for?" he said.

Armstrong Jr. ran for two touchdowns and threw a perfect deep ball to Alonzo Moore for another as Nebraska took control of the game and gave Mike Riley his 100th win as a college coach.

The Huskers pounded away at the Bulldogs with runs on 51 of their 64 plays, and Devine Ozigbo ran for a career-high 103 yards and two touchdowns. The biggest of Armstrong's few passes came two plays after Kieron Williams' first career interception, when Moore beat his man to catch in stride a 57-yard TD early in the fourth quarter.

"When we run it that well, we open up a lot for the receivers," Armstrong said. "When we get a chance to throw it, we have to complete them."

Fresno State's Chason Virgil, who missed the last nine games in 2015 with a broken clavicle, completed his first five passes and 11 of his first 14. The Bulldogs got a scare when he banged up his left shoulder late in the first half after being driven out of bounds by linebacker Luke Gifford, who was ejected for targeting.

Virgil returned to start the third quarter but didn't get much done the rest of the night against a Nebraska defense that got better as the game went on.

"I thought our guys went toe-to-toe with them for a pretty good bit, and then they broke our will in the fourth quarter," DeRuyter said.

THE TAKEAWAY

Fresno State: The Bulldogs, coming off a 3-9 season, hung with Nebraska for a half and should be improved if they can keep Virgil healthy for new offensive coordinator Eric Kiesau. They capitalized on Robert Stanley's blocked punt and a couple Nebraska penalties, and that allowed them to keep it close until the third quarter. First-year defensive coordinator Lorenzo Ward can take consolation in that it's unlikely his unit will go against another opponent that runs the ball as well as Nebraska.

Nebraska: The game plan was perfect against an opponent that ranked 117th against the run last year, and once Armstrong and the Huskers got going in the second half, they were nearly unstoppable. Nebraska, which finished with 292 yards on the ground, ran on 20 of its first 21 plays, and Riley made good on his plan to get Armstrong more carries.

Ozigbo and Terrell Newby formed a strong 1-2 combination, and freshman Tre Bryant showed up well when he got his chances late in the game. All that was pleasing to Riley. What upset him were three unsportsmanlike conduct penalties in addition to an ejection for targeting for a third straight game.

"There was some good football, when you rush for that many yards, but I have mixed emotions about this game," Riley said. "Lots of things have to change."

UP NEXT:

Fresno State: The Bulldogs go from playing in one of the cathedrals of college football to hosting Sacramento State. DeRuyter's Fresno teams have beaten Football Championship Subdivision opponents by an average of 26 points.

Nebraska: The Huskers host Wyoming, coached by former Nebraska assistant Craig Bohl. This is no gimme. The last time the teams met, in 2013 in Lincoln, the Cowboys scored a couple late touchdowns and put a scare into the Huskers before losing 37-34.