Buffs booted from bowl contention

LINCOLN, NEB. • Nebraska coach Bo Pelini had no doubt Alex Henery would make his 57-yard, game-winning field goal. Henery wasn't so sure.

But Henery said yes, anyway, when Pelini asked if he thought he could get the distance with Nebraska trailing by a point late in Friday's game against Colorado.

Henery made the kick with room to spare with 1:43 left, and defensive end Ndamukong Suh ran back an interception 30 yards for a touchdown seconds later to punctuate the Cornhuskers' 40-31 victory.

"I love games like this. The crazier the better," Pelini said. "I just wish we had ended it a little bit earlier."

Colorado, an 18-point underdog, hung with Nebraska until the end, thanks to a couple big offensive plays in the first quarter, a botched Nebraska fake field goal that led to a CU touchdown and Joe Ganz's fumble inside the Buffs' 5 early in the fourth quarter.

"Our guys battled and scrapped and gave it everything they had. Not an inch left," CU coach Dan Hawkins said.

The Huskers (8-4, 5-3 Big 12) are in position to end Pelini's first season as head coach in a New Year's Day game at the Gator Bowl. The Buffaloes (5-7, 2-6), who beat the Huskers last year to keep them out of a bowl, will stay home this time.

Roy Helu Jr. ran for 166 yards for the Huskers, and Ganz threw for 229 yards and two touchdowns and set Nebraska's single-season passing record.

But Nebraska found itself behind 31-27 late in the third quarter when Demetrius Sumler bulled into the end zone from 4 yards on a fourth and 1.

The Huskers were back within a point when Henery kicked the second of his three field goals, a 37-yarder, with 8:09 left.

The Huskers got the ball back for their go-ahead drive after their defense forced a Colorado punt. It looked as if the Buffs would make a stand even though they were playing without linebacker Shaun Mohler, who made 11 tackles before going out with a concussion late in the fourth quarter.

After Helu ran 25 yards to the Colorado 25, Buffs' blitzing safety Patrick Mahnke sacked Ganz for a 15-yard loss. Ganz passed incomplete over the middle to Mike McNeill on third down, leading Pelini to summon Henery. The two talked during a timeout.

"I wanted him to look me in the face and tell me he had it in him," Pelini said.
Henery hesitated at first.

"I have to admit I was a little iffy," he said.

But with a 5-mph south wind at his back, Henery's kick cleared the cross bar, touching off jubilation on the Nebraska sideline.