No. 13 Colorado downs Nebraska

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Posted 7:49PM on Friday, November 29, 2002

LINCOLN, NEBRASKA - Freshman Brian Calhoun ran for 137 yards as No. 13 Colorado defeated Nebraska 28-13 Friday for its first victory in Lincoln since 1990. Fullback Brandon Drumm added two touchdowns for the Buffaloes (9-3, 7-1 Big 12), who go to Houston for next Saturday's Big 12 championship game against Oklahoma. Colorado has won eight of nine after a 1-2 start. The Buffs denied the Cornhuskers (7-6, 3-5) a chance to extend their unprecedented streak of nine-victory seasons to 34. The Huskers could have reached nine by winning Friday's game and a bowl. Nebraska completed its worst regular season since 1961, when it went 3-6-1. The Huskers, who have lost four of their last six games, had a losing conference mark for the first time since 1968, when they went 3-4. They came back to go 9-2 overall the following season and won the national title in 1970 with an 11-0 record. Nebraska's loss marked the first time since 1990 it had failed to beat a ranked opponent. That year, the ninth-ranked Buffs came to Lincoln and won 27-12. Despite all their struggles, Nebraska still will get invited to a bowl, and the Huskers must win that game to stretch their streak of winning seasons to 41. Calhoun, the Buffs' fourth-string tailback, had all but one of his 20 carries in the second half because Bobby Purify sat out with a sprained ankle. Purify had been filling in for Chris Brown, the nation's third-leading rusher, who was held out of the game because of a bruised sternum. After Dale Endorf's second field goal put Nebraska up 13-7 early in the third quarter, Colorado used consecutive scoring drives to take a 21-13 lead. Purify finished a 15-play, 80-yard drive march with a 2-yard run to give the Buffs a one-point lead. Then, after Calhoun busted loose for 35 yards to open Colorado's next series, Drumm bulled his way into the end zone from a yard out. The Buffs sealed the victory late in the fourth quarter when Drumm broke a 16-yard touchdown run five plays after Nebraska I-back David Horne fumbled away the ball at the Huskers 30. Endorf, a walk-on who replaced the suspended Josh Brown, made a 33-yard field goal late in the second quarter to give Nebraska a 10-7 halftime lead. Brown's suspension came after his arrest last week on suspicion of drunken driving. Colorado opened the scoring in the first quarter after Buffs cornerback Phil Jackson intercepted Jammal Lord's pass at the Colorado 13. Seven plays later, Robert Hodge lofted a 40-yard touchdown pass to Derek McCoy. The Huskers evened the score at 7-7 early in the second quarter when tight end Matt Herian beat free safety Medford Moorer to haul in an 80-yard TD pass from Lord.