• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Taylor throws four TDs as Nebraska gets by Kansas in OT

Oct 1, 2006 - 3:28 AM LINCOLN, Nebraska (Ticker) -- Zac Taylor and Cody Glenn converted big plays to prevent history from repeating itself.

Taylor threw for a season-high 395 yards and four touchdowns and Glenn scored in overtime as No. 21 Nebraska held off a late charge by Kansas for a 39-32 triumph in a Big 12 Conference matchup.

Avenging last year's 40-15 loss to the Jayhawks, which snapped a 36-game winning streak in the series, Nebraska (4-1, 1-0 Big 12 North) topped Kansas at home for the 19th consecutive time. The Cornhuskers also raised their overall overtime record to 5-0.

"We're proud of our players and coaches," Nebraska coach Bill Callahan said. "I'm just proud of the resiliency of our football team and the way that we came back and fought back and came back from behind and took the lead."

After Taylor completed a 21-yard pass to Nate Swift on the opening possession of overtime, Glenn scored the go-ahead TD on the next play from one yard out.

"Anyone could have scored on that," Glenn said. "The offensive line told me to follow them and I did. Even if there were three guys there, I was going to get in."

The Jayhawks (3-2, 0-1) moved the ball to the Nebraska 9, but were stopped on 4th-and-5 when Adam Barmann's pass to Marcus Henry fell incomplete.

"We made some mistakes early, had a deficit on the road (but) never gave up," Kansas coach Mark Mangino said. "(We) kept fighting and took the game into overtime. I'm very proud of our football team. We would have liked to have won. There's no such thing as moral victories."

Kansas forced the extra period with 46 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter when Barmann found Brian Murph on a crossing pattern for a 26-yard touchdown, tying the game, 32-32. Murph finished with eight receptions for 129 yards.

The Jayhawks took a 25-24 lead when Barmann capped an 11-play, 88-yard drive by hitting Derek Fine for a one-yard TD with 6:32 left in regulation. On the ensuing possession, Taylor responded with his fourth touchdown toss, a 75-yard strike to Frantz Henry with 4:13 to go.

"Frantz had 1-on-1 and it was the play we wanted," Taylor said. "I just threw it up and let Frantz make the play. He did a good job of working the corners and making plays."

Nebraska wasted little time in getting on the scoreboard when Taylor connected with Terrence Dunn for a 75-yard touchdown on the second play from scrimmage.

"I think Zac does an excellent job," Callahan said. "We anticipated a lot of heavy pressure from a lot of different areas. They blitzed the corners. They blitzed the safeties. They blitzed the backers. So we were conscious of the fact that they were going to come in here and try to heat him up."

Roughly three minutes later, free safety Andrew Shanle intercepted Barmann and returned it to the Kansas 6. Taylor, who completed 10 of his first 15 passes, found Todd Peterson in the end zone on the next play for a 14-0 lead.

"First of all, it shows that we will grow from this game," Shanle said. "Everyone will see how we came together and banded together to pull out the victory. Next week, we should be a different team."

After Jordan Congdon booted a 21-yard field goal late in the first quarter for a 17-0 bulge, Brandon McAnderson scored a one-yard TD run for the Jayhawks early in the second.

However, the Cornhuskers' defense again came through to set up another TD. After strong safety Tierre Green recovered Barmann's fumble at the Nebraska 2, Taylor capped a three-play, 98-yard drive with a 78-yard scoring pass to Hardy for a 24-7 lead.

Barmann was 27-of-54 for a season-high 405 yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions for Kansas.

"Offensively, there is a sense of disappointment," Barmann said. "But at the same time, this game reinforced how great of a team we actually have. If we didn't have such a letdown in the first quarter, this game would have been a lot different."

Kansas senior linebacker Eric Washington was taken to the hospital after a third-quarter collision that left him with numbness in his extremities. He regained feeling shortly thereafter.