Keep in mind Nebraska football opened the 1994 season with four decisive victories when Wyoming came to Memorial Stadium Oct. 1. The Huskers were No. 1 in the Coaches poll, 2 in the Associated Press poll. Wyoming, 2-2, had lost to Utah the previous week 41-7.
Now go to late in the fourth quarter, when Nebraska’s Darin Erstad punted — for the eighth time.
The punt carried to the Wyoming 11-yard line, where Je’Ney Jackson fielded the ball and fumbled. Damon Benning, the Huskers’ back-up I-back, recovered at the Cowboy 8.
On the first play, I-back Lawrence Phillips ran 8 yards for a touchdown. Tom Sieler kicked the extra-point to give Nebraska a 42-32 lead; 5:28 remained.
The score wouldn’t change, giving the Huskers a fifth-consecutive victory.
A win’s a win, of course. However, “I was somewhat disappointed in the fact that we weren’t a little bit crisper, sharper,” Coach Tom Osborne said.
Though crediting Wyoming, “I don’t think we played terrible football today,” said Osborne. “But we can play better than that … If we don’t play better than we did today, we’ll have a hard time from here on out. I’m not saying we can’t win a bunch of games, but we’ll a have a hard time from here on out.”
Wyoming wasted no time showing the Huskers’ need to focus no matter the opponent. The Cowboys scored two touchdowns, on Jeremy Dombeck passes, in the first quarter and led at halftime 21-14.
Dombeck finished 17-of-35 for 264 yards but threw three interceptions, two to Barron Miles, one to Tyrone Williams, both cornerbacks. He took one sack, by outside linebacker Dwayne Harris.
Brook Berringer started at quarterback for Nebraska. Tommie Frazier was held out because of being on anti-coagulants after a diagnosis of blood clots in his right leg.
Berringer was 15-of-22 passing for 131 yards, with one interception, and was the Huskers’ second-leading rusher, with 12 carries for 74 yards and three touchdowns, of 5, 24 and 11 yards. The first came with 12 seconds remaining in the first half to pull Nebraska within a touchdown at the halftime break.
The 64-yard drive began with 2:12 remaining in the half. Berringer completed seven consecutive passes, for 59 yards, then finished it. He also suffered, unknowingly, a partially collapsed lung on the touchdown run. It was diagnosed post-game, and he went to the hospital.
Phillips had his fifth-consecutive 100-yard rushing effort, carrying 27 times for 168 yards. He also scored three touchdowns, on runs of 1, 40 and the final 8-yarder.
The 344 yards passing by Dombeck and his back-up, John Gustin, were offset by the interceptions and a running game that finished with 36 yards. Running back Ryan Christopherson, averaging 152 rushing yards per game, was held to a net of zero yards on 12 carries.
Linebackers Ed Stewart and Doug Colman led the Blackshirts with 12 and eight tackles, respectively. Defensive tackle Terry Connealy called the game a “red flag that we ought to pull our heads out of you know where.” No way should the Huskers have given up 32 points, he said.
“This game was good for us,” said Harris. “It was an eye-opener. I think we underestimated them a little bit. They had nothing to lose, everything to gain, kind of like us in the last Orange Bowl.
“We have to get better and I think we will.”
