It was a showdown of sorts for the Nebraska football defense at Iowa State’s Cyclone Stadium/Jack Trice Field on a rain-soaked, 50-degree afternoon in mid-November 1996.
The Husker defense was matched against Iowa State running back Troy Davis. The Blackshirts ranked sixth nationally against the run, allowing 74 yards on the ground per game, while Davis was the nation’s leading rusher, averaging just over 200 yards per game.
Davis, a Heisman Trophy candidate (though playing for a 2-7 team was a serious hindrance), needed 178 rushing yards to reach 2,000 for a second-consecutive season. No running back had ever accomplished that. No running back had rushed for 2,000 yards in two seasons, in fact.
The 5-foot-8, 180-pound Davis “is a great back,” Nebraska Coach Tom Osborne said. “The thing I admire is his durability and his courage. He’s taken a pounding. He’s a tough guy.”
Osborne’s comments came after Davis rushed for 138 yards on 34 carries — in a 49-14 Husker victory.
The numbers in that sentence should be reversed, final score coming first. Nebraska scored 20 points in the first quarter and lead 35-0 early in the third quarter before the Cyclones scored. The Huskers dominated, despite the rain and soggy field. “The thing I didn’t want to do was play a game where the elements took you out of what you can do (offensively),” said Osborne.
Inclement weather can be “a great equalizer,” he said. “It’s a different ballgame on grass, particularly wet grass. It’s slower. I like artificial turf.”
The rain affected the passing game, with footballs getting heavier and harder to grip as the game went on. Scott Frost completed 8-for-17 passes for 103 yards and two touchdowns, both to tight end Vershan Jackson, 6 and 35 yards in the first quarter, the game’s first points.
A Davis fumble, recovered by Husker linebacker Jon Hesse, set up the first touchdown.
Iowa State quarterback Todd Doxzon, from Millard North High School in Nebraska, completed 7-of-16 passes for 95 yards and a touchdown, with one interception, by Jamel Williams. The Cyclones’ Ed Williams, a split end, also threw a pass, which cornerback Ralph Brown intercepted.
By game’s end, the ball “was so wet it was like throwing a shot put,” Osborne said.
Defensive tackle Jason Peter led the Huskers with nine tackles. Linebacker Terrell Farley sacked Doxzon twice, for 26 yards in losses.
Davis had to carry 14 times for 55 yards in the fourth quarter to surpass 100. By then, the Husker reserves were in the game. “They definitely could move the ball,” said Husker defensive coordinator Charlie McBride. “To hold those guys to 14 points is good.
“I do think they have one of the better offenses we’ve faced.”
In addition to the touchdown passes, Frost rushed for two touchdowns. Back-up I-back Damon Benning and back-up quarterback Matt Turman scored Nebraska’s other touchdowns.
Davis rushed for 225 yards in Iowa State’s final game against Kansas State, to finish with 2,185 yards. He was second in Heisman Trophy voting, behind Florida quarterback Danny Wuerffel.
Nebraska’s ninth victory extended a streak of 28-consecutive seasons with nine or more victories. It also enabled the Huskers to move to fourth in the national rankings, with Colorado next up.
The Buffaloes were also 9-1, including 7-0 in conference play, and ranked fifth, up one after a 12-0 victory against Kansas State. At stake would be the Big 12 North Division title and a place in the conference championship game in St. Louis.
If that was on the Huskers’ minds during the Iowa State game, they didn’t seem to show it.
