NU takes North title

• Video: Nebraska coach Bo Pelini at the postgame press conference:



LINCOLN -- Nebraska's defense made all the plays when it had to and its offense was productive enough in a game that certainly won't go down as one of smoothest wins of coach Bo Pelini's tenure.

But Nebraska held on for a 17-3 win over Kansas State in front of 85,998 in Memorial Stadium Saturday night, earning its first North Division title under Pelini.

Not surprinsly, the Huskers (8-3, 5-2 Big 12) used the same formula for success that's worked of late. The defense gets stingy when needed and the offense momentarily rises above its standard level of futility to capitalize.

The Wildcats drove inside the Huskers' 30-yard line four times, but never could break through with any points.

Senior Larry Asante forced a key fumble when he hit senior Keithen Valentine at the 1-yard line early in the third quarter. KSU kicker Josh Cherry missed a 32-yard field goal wide right. A Phillip Dillard sack forced a punt and the Wildcats' final possession ended with an incompletion on fourth down.

Meanwhile, after driving 70 yards on four plays right after halftime, Nebraska's offense managed just two first downs on its next four drives.

But the Huskers sealed the win by getting two first downs on its final possession. One of those came on a fourth down quarterback sneak by Zac Lee from their own 36-yard line.

Kansas State probably had a pretty good feeling after the way it started the game.

The Wildcats drove 58 yards on 10 plays (seven runs) in a little over five minutes, taking an early lead with a 44-yard field goal by kicker Josh Cherry.

But Kansas State began hurting itself with its own mistakes. An intentional grounding penalty ruined drive two. The next possession featured a second down holding penalty that forced the Wildcats out of running situations.

The Wildcats nearly stole momentum right before the break, though.

Kansas State, which had already used its three timeouts, began its final possession with just 1:01 left and looked poised to simply run out the clock. But Daniel Thomas' 24-yard run changed that, giving Josh Cherry a chance to pull KSU within four. He missed a 51-yard field goal kick, though.

So Nebraska held a 10-3 lead at halftime. It could have and arguably, should have been a larger margin.

After the NU defense forced a three-and-out with about seven minutes left in the second quarter, Nebraska drove inside the KSU 10-yard line, but quarterback Zac Lee made his two biggest mistakes of the night.

He lost 14 yards on a second down sack. Then, on third down, he threw an interception right to sophomore safety Tysyn Hartman.

• Ndamukong Suh after the Huskers' 17-3 win over Kansas State:



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Stay with Omaha.com all day for live scoring, pregame and postgame chats, live blogging, twitter updates, live, streaming video of the postgame press conference and more.

Get ready for today's game with The World-Herald's pregame section:

• Coming into focus: Huskers have one last hurdle to clear
• Quick fix becomes an offensive solution
• 2-minute drill
• Three things to watch
• Key matchup

Click here for Big Red Today, The World-Herald's comprehensive Husker source for news on game day and beyond, and keep up to date in real time with the Big Red Today blog, only on Omaha.com.

At 4:45 p.m., chat live on Husker Talk Live: Pregame, where World-Herald beat writer Jon Nyatawa will answer questions straight from Memorial Stadium.

Then, chat with other fans during an in-game edition of Husker Talk Live, a chance to see what the rest of Husker Nation thinks about the game in real time.

Jon will then return following the game for Husker Talk Live: Postgame.

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Submit fan photos to our OWH Big Red Photos group on Flickr or e-mail them to sports@owh.com and catch your photos in our fan slideshow.

Check in after the game for the live, streaming postgame press conference with Nebraska coach Bo Pelini and selected Husker players.

Also, check Omaha.com throughout the game for our award-winning photographers' photo showcases, featuring the fans, the fun and, of course, the game.

Need printable rosters? We've got them.

External links:
• Live Audio: Kansas State at Nebraska
• Live Video: ESPN360.com video coverage

Replay the video of Wednesday's Big Red Today Show to see what the Husker writers expect from today's NU-KSU matchup.

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