UP TO THE CHALLENGE
Texas A&M outside linebackers John Roper and Chris Wallace were nicknamed the “Blitz Brothers.” Nebraska had to deal with them in the first game of the 1988 season, the Kickoff Classic.
Roper and Husker outside linebacker Broderick Thomas knew each other from high school in Houston. And neither was reluctant to say what he thought.
During a news conference the day before the game, at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, Roper told reporters, referring to Nebraska quarterback Steve Taylor, “I don’t think he’s been hit like we’ll be hitting him. He’ll be looking for us. Would I like playing against me? No, I wouldn’t.
“I’ve seen what I’ve done to quarterbacks. You’d have to have a lot of courage to get back there. If we play like we normally play, we can intimidate them.”
Roper certainly didn’t hold back.
The Huskers, preseason-ranked No. 2, weren’t intimidated by the No. 10 Aggies. “I think I get stronger the more hits I take,” said Taylor, who had to be helped off the field after being tackled by Roper and Wallace on a third down in the middle of the fourth quarter.
He didn’t miss a snap, however, returning for the next series.
Nebraska’s lack of intimidation was reflected in the final score, 23-14 Huskers.
“Everybody talks about how Texas A&M has the best linebackers in the country, and they’re good, very good,” Thomas said. “But I think we showed some good play ourselves.”
Thomas led Nebraska’s defense with 11 tackles. Strongside linebacker LeRoy Etienne had 10, one knocking Aggie wide receiver Rod Harris out of the game.
Roper had nine tackles, Wallace 12, with a fumble recovery. Nebraska fumbled five times, losing three. But the Huskers balanced that with a fumble recovery by reserve fullback Brian Harchelroad on a punt return and interceptions by cornerback Charles Fryar and safety Reggie Cooper.
A&M linebacker Dana Batiste had a game-high 15 tackles. But he and his teammates had more opportunities. Nebraska ran 81 plays to the Aggies’ 54.
A&M punted seven times, the Huskers four.
Nebraska rushed for 201 yards, led by Ken Clark, with 80 on 20 carries, and Terry Rodgers, with 65 on 10 carries. Clark scored a touchdown from 1 yard late in the third quarter, and Taylor hooked up with tight end Todd Millikan early in the fourth quarter on a 20-yard touchdown pass.
Taylor finished 11-of-22 passing for 125 yards with no interceptions.
The Huskers failed on a 2-point conversion after the first touchdown but succeeded after the second, on a Clark run, to take a 20-7 lead. But A&M responded with a touchdown 3 minutes after Millikan’s to cut the lead to 20-14. Nebraska’s Gregg Barrios kicked a 48-yard field goal with 6:10 remaining.
Barrios, a redshirt sophomore, kicked field goals of 44 and 38 yards in the first half, after missing the first attempt of his career, from 35 yards, with 9:06 remaining in the first quarter.
After the miss, “I felt confident,” said Barrios. “Everybody misses. These things happen.”
He and junior Chris Drennan would share kicking duties during the season.
The appearance was Nebraska’s second in the Kickoff Classic. The first was in 1983, the first Kickoff Classic. “We feel the Kickoff Classic is a fine experience,” Coach Tom Osborne said. “And maybe some other schools that have hesitated to accept an invitation will notice that we came twice.”
For the record, A&M was playing in its first, and the “Blitz Brothers” didn’t intimidate the Huskers. “We knew we had to keep the intensity up, and we did,” said Etienne. “Our offense played a great game; our linebackers and the whole defense was good.
“As far as I’m concerned, it was a total team effort.”
*Footnote: Rules analyst for CBS, TNT/TBS telecasts, Gene Steratore, was the back judge.
Mike Babcock
