The Nebraska Rivalry

The once feared Big Red Machine ripped off 29 straight wins against K-State from the years 1969-1997.  Then, under the guidance of legendary coach Bill Snyder all that changed.  As the sun set over Wagner Field on November 14, 1998 the Wildcats mastered a 4th quarter rally to defeated the Cornhuskers by the score of 40-30. 

This game sparked a new era in K-State football.  Over the next few years, the Kansas State vs. Nebraska rivalry heated up.  Coach Snyder continued to hammer away at Nebraska lore.  He won home games against Nebraska in 2000, 2002, and 2004.  He also beat Nebraska in Lincoln in 2003 by the score of 38-9.

In the final two seasons of Snyder's tenure at K-State he lost twice to NU.  Under Ron Prince's watch, the Cats were soundly beaten by Nebraska 2007 and 2008. 

However, as of November 24, 2008, the Wildcats look forward to this rivalry with renewed optimism.  Coach Snyder decided to forego his retirement and return to the sidelines.  Bill Snyder will become the 34th coach at K-State and begin a new tenure as the Wildcat's Head Coach.

Big Red is Dead

On Saturday, K-State's 29-year itch was scratched as the Wildcats broke through and finally beat the Nebraska Cornhuskers 40-30.

Jon Balmer
1998 Kansas State Collegian

After 10 years of building and crafting, the Bill Snyder master plan came full circle Saturday.

With a 40-30 victory over the former bully of the Big 12 Conference, Nebraska, K-State got its first 10-0 start in school history and earned a guaranteed spot in the Big 12 Championship game after a Missouri loss earlier to Texas A&M.

In a bloody contest that offensive lineman Jeremy Martin described as a 15-round prize fight, the knockout blow wasn't delivered until defensive end Joe Bob Clements jarred the ball loose from NU quarterback Eric Crouch with 15 seconds remaining, allowing linebacker Jeff Kelly to recover the ball and rumble 23 yards for the final touchdown of the afternoon.

The touchdown ignited a premature celebration, as fans rushed the field with three seconds remaining - the first of two early rushes for the goal posts. Once the ensuing kickoff was over, the floodgates of nearly three decades of frustration opened, and Wagner Field was transformed into a sea of purple celebration.

At the center of the celebration was quarterback Michael Bishop, who improved his record as starting quarterback in college and community college to 45-1.

Bishop was nearly the martyr for the Cats after fumbling three times in the first half. However, the senior responded with 140 rushing yards and two touchdowns. Bishop also threw for 306 yards on 19 of 33 passing and two touchdowns. His final touchdown pass to receiver Darnell McDonald with 5:25 remaining put K-State up 34-30 and proved to be the winning touchdown.

"Mike played well. He was motivated for this ball game and he stayed tough," Coach Snyder said. "Sometimes turnovers can rattle a player, but he handled it extremely well and played with confidence.

"I'm happy, I can assure you of that," Snyder said, referring to his state of emotion following the victory. "I feel very good about this win. I'm humbled by it, in all honesty, because of how long it took."

For the majority of the game, however, a goalpost celebration seemed to be in jeopardy. The Cornhuskers scored on their initial possession and forced K-State to come from behind twice in the game.

"We have not had to come back from behind this year," Snyder said. "I'm not sure we've had to come from significantly behind before with this group of players."

K-State was down 14-7 midway through the second quarter when Nebraska appeared ready to add another touchdown after a pass to Shevin Wiggins set up a first-and-goal at the Cats' 4-yard line.

However, the defense halted three rushing attempts and forced the Huskers to kick an 18-yard field goal - a stand that defensive coordinator Mike Stoops said might have reversed K-State's fortunes.

"I think that was the play of the game," Stoops said. "We were a little too emotional right off the get-go. We weren't concentrating on our assignments. Once we got in a groove, I thought we played a little bit better."

K-State responded by covering 76 yards under a minute, capping the drive with a 1-yard touchdown plunge by Bishop that brought the Cats within three, 17-14.

After taking a 21-17 lead early in the third quarter, the Cats' defense held NU to a three-and-out series to force another punt. David Allen received the punt at the K-State 40-yard line and returned it for 48 yards to the Nebraska 12 before being forced out of bounds. Already tied for the NCAA record for most punt-return touchdowns in a season, Allen nearly notched his fifth and set up the K-State offense with another scoring opportunity.

However, running back Frank Murphy, who was filling in for Eric Hickson after the senior left with a leg injury, was thwarted at the 8-yard line, leaving Martin Gramatica with a 25-yard field goal that put K-State up 24-17.

A Jeff Kelly interception late in the third quarter set the Cats up at the Nebraska 31, leaving the offense with the opportunity to enter the final quarter with a two-touchdown lead. On the first play of the drive, however, Murphy coughed up the ball and cornerback Ralph Brown returned the fumble 74 yards for the equalizing touchdown as the third quarter expired.

K-State regained the lead with a 21-yard Gramatica field goal, but Nebraska answered with a 9-yard touchdown pass from Crouch to tight end Sheldon Jackson that put the Huskers up 30-27.

NU kicker Kris Brown missed the extra point, ending a streak of 125 straight.

After K-State regained the lead for good, the defense ended the Huskers' drive on their own 32-yard line when Crouch was sacked by linebacker Travis Ochs. Although it appeared Ochs grabbed Crouch's face mask, no flags were dropped, and the Cats took over.

"I got face-masked. I thought it was a penalty," Crouch said. Although unhappy with the non-call, Crouch said the K-State defense was one of the best the Huskers have seen this season.

"They played hard and physical and with a lot of heart," he said. "I knew it was going to be a war out there."

With the final score reflecting the end of one streak, the Cats continued another, adding to their school-record 18-game winning streak and moving one step closer to a berth in the Bowl Championship Series title game.

While the progression toward an undefeated season remained important, Stoops said silencing critics who doubted K-State could beat Nebraska was even better.

"It means everything to us," he said. "We're tired of them saying we're still Kansas State.

"They came into our house. We wanted to protect what we've accomplished here at Kansas State, and our kids responded like champs."