NU STAR

Safety Larry Asante might have turned the game in the third quarter when he knocked the ball loose from Kansas State running back Keithen Valentine 1 yard short of the goal line. Valentine had flared out of the backfield and snared a pass from Grant Gregory. Asante knifed in just as Valentine was ready to step into the end zone, forcing a fumble that teammate Prince Amukamara recovered at the Nebraska 5. Asante also intercepted a pass in the second quarter and contributed a team-high 10 tackles in his final appearance at Memorial Stadium.

HIGHLIGHT

Punter Alex Henery was the defense’s best friend. Twice he pinned Kansas State inside the 5-yard line with field-position-changing punts. Henery averaged 45.5 yards on six punts, the best being the 45-yarder that went out of bounds at the KSU 1 and the 61-yarder that skipped out at the Wildcats’ 3.

BUSTED PLAY

Nebraska let slide an opportunity to keep the Wildcats pinned down after Henery’s 61-yard punt in the fourth quarter when Eric Hagg was called for pass interference on a third-down pass that had little chance of being caught.

OUR TAKE

The toughness of Nebraska’s defense cannot be understated. After falling behind 17-3 four plays into the third quarter, Kansas State ran 29 of its 40 second-half plays in Husker territory but failed to come up with a point. As it has most of the season, the defense came up with big plays when they were most needed. The Huskers will have a chance to play for a championship Dec. 5 against Texas because their defense has played like champions throughout the long haul.

— Steven Pivovar

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