TRICKERY CAPPER
You could just as easily find this on YouTube: Black 41 Flash Reverse Pass. But I’ll recount here.
Not sure why I’m using capital letters, but that’s probably how you’ll find it. It goes on Nebraska’s trick plays list along the Bounceroosky and Fumbleroosky—caps there, too, I guess.
Anyway the play came in the fourth quarter of the 2001 Nebraska-Oklahoma game at Memorial Stadium. The Huskers, No. 3, led the Sooners, No. 2, 13-10.
Quarterback Eric Crouch crossed the goal line with 6:17 remaining.
Husker fans of a certain age can recount the play. On first-and-10 at the Nebraska 37-yard line, I-back Thunder Collins lined up at wingback, split wide left. Split Mike Stuntz lined up wide right.
Collins went in motion to the right and took a handoff from Crouch, then pitched to Stuntz running to the left. Stuntz, a true freshman and a lefty who had been recruited as a quarterback, passed to Crouch, who caught the ball at about the Oklahoma 40-yard line.
The play covered 63 yards and capped the Huskers’ 20-10 upset.
In some ways, the game was the high point from which Nebraska’s slide from consistent national prominence began. After two more victories, retaining a No. 2 ranking, the Huskers lost at Colorado 62-36. Matt Rhule is the fifth coach to follow Solich, and, well . . . enough said.
While the Crouch touchdown drew much of the attention, the Husker defense, led by linebacker Jamie Burrow, played a significant role in Nebraska’s ninth consecutive victory
Burrow had 17 tackles and one of three Husker sacks to earn recognition as the national defensive player of the week. Burrow recalled running along the sideline when the Huskers ran Black 41 Flash Reverse Pass. “We weren’t expecting it, and the Oklahoma defense wasn’t expecting it, either,” he said.
“I’ve seen the offense run that play in practice and I’ve just been waiting to see it on the field.”
He saw Solich congratulating players afterward and said: “You crazy son-of-a-gun.”
The Huskers had practiced the play “a fair amount,” said Solich. “When you have two great pursuing defensive football teams, sometimes you’re going to be able to make a play like that work. Usually it comes down to a little bit of timing. It seemed to fit for us when we threw it. We ended up being on the right hash, and the down and distance was really ideal for it. Mike’s a great passer. He threw a perfect pass, and, of course, Eric with his speed is very difficult to run down from behind.”
Tackle Kory Klein (93) and cornerback Derrick Strait (2) had no chance.
Both teams punted 10 times. Crouch was 10-of-18 passing for 102 yards, with one interception. Keyuo Craver and Erwin Swiney intercepted passes for Nebraska.
Oklahoma scored first on a 4-yard pass with 10:27 remaining in the second quarter. The Huskers responded with a 10-play, 80-yard drive with Darren Diedrick scoring from 2 yards out.
Diedrick was the game’s leading rusher, with 90 yards on 23 carries.
Josh Brown’s 27-yard field goal gave Nebraska a 10-7 lead with 2:36 remaining in the first half, but Oklahoma responded with a 20-yard field goal with 15 seconds left.
Brown kicked a 26-yard field goal with 11:31 left in the third quarter to set up the trick capper.
“We’ve been working on it for a while now,” Solich said.
The Huskers had “variations off of it,” he said. “But the actual ‘flash,’ where we run Thunder is something that teams have been doing for quite a long time. We added it to our offense this season, and we’ve been able to get some yardage out of it.”
In this case, 63 yards and six points.
Mike Babcock
