Nebraska 56, Kansas State 28

1234T
NEB (7-4)142102156
KSU (4-7)777728

Final

3:35 PM ET, November 15, 2008
Bill Snyder Stadium
MANHATTAN, KS

Ganz rolls up 365 yards, 4 TDs to lead Huskers past Wildcats

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Team Stat Comparison
 
1st Downs2913
Total Yards610247
Passing270188
Rushing34059
Penalties7-565-25
3rd Down Conversions7-132-13
4th Down Conversions1-11-4
Turnovers21
Possession36:3523:25
Air/Ground Leaders
Nebraska Passing
 C/ATTYDSTDINT
Ganz16/2527021
Kansas State Passing
 C/ATTYDSTDINT
Freeman7/1811410
Coffman5/87400
Nebraska Rushing
 CARYDSTDLG
Ganz1195225
Helu Jr.1372224
Kansas State Rushing
 CARYDSTDLG
Brown1349015
Dold91906
Nebraska Receiving
 RECYDSTDLG
Swift498036
McNeill352129
Kansas State Receiving
 RECYDSTDLG
Pierce494163
Murphy465051
Scoring Summary
FIRST QUARTERNEBKSU
TD11:51Courtney Herndon 57 Yd Interception Return (Brooks Rossman Kick) 07
TD07:13Roy Helu Jr. 1 Yd Run (Alex Henery Kick) 77
TD02:28Quentin Castille 37 Yd Run (Alex Henery Kick) 147
SECOND QUARTERNEBKSU
TD14:07Ernie Pierce 63 Yd Pass From Josh Freeman (Brooks Rossman Kick) 1414
TD11:33Roy Helu Jr. 24 Yd Run (Alex Henery Kick) 2114
TD07:05Todd Peterson 5 Yd Pass From Joe Ganz (Alex Henery Kick) 2814
TD00:44Mike McNeill 18 Yd Pass From Joe Ganz (Alex Henery Kick) 3514
THIRD QUARTERNEBKSU
TD02:52Carson Coffman 1 Yd Run (Brooks Rossman Kick) 3521
FOURTH QUARTERNEBKSU
TD14:47Joe Ganz 25 Yd Run (Alex Henery Kick) 4221
TD14:33Brandon Banks 98 Yd Kickoff Return (Brooks Rossman Kick) 4228
TD11:57Joe Ganz 14 Yd Run (Alex Henery Kick) 4928
TD03:05Marcus Mendoza 31 Yd Run (Alex Henery Kick) 5628
Associated Press

MANHATTAN, Kan. -- Joe Ganz accounted for 365 total yards and four touchdowns and Nebraska manhandled Kansas State for the second straight year, rolling over the Wildcats 56-28 on Saturday.

Nebraska (7-4, 4-3 Big 12) routed Kansas State 73-31 last season, setting school records with 519 yards and seven touchdowns passing.

The Cornhuskers did it with a balanced attack this time, punishing the Wildcats (4-7, 1-6) at the line of scrimmage for 340 yards and four touchdowns rushing. They complemented it with Ganz's arm to finish with 610 total yards.

Nebraska established the running game early. Roy Helu Jr. scored on runs of 1 and 24 yards, and Quentin Castille had a 37-yarder on a fourth-and-1 late in the first quarter.

That set up Ganz, who had 270 yards and two touchdowns on 16-of-25 passing after his first attempt of the game was intercepted and returned for a touchdown. He also had 95 yards rushing on 11 carries, scoring on runs of 25 and 14 yards in the fourth quarter.

Nebraska's defense wasn't bad, either.

The Cornhuskers finally earned the coveted Blackshirts in practice this week and responded by harassing Kansas State quarterback Josh Freeman from the opening snap and completely squashing the Wildcats' running game.

Freeman, the nation's 13th-ranked passer at 292 yards per game, faced constant pressure and was sacked five times. He had to hurry or throw off his back foot on several other throws, going 7-for-18 for 114 yards before being replaced by Carson Coffman midway through the third quarter.

Kansas State's running game certainly didn't help, managing a dismal 59 yards on 32 carries.

The result was another disappointing finish for the Wildcats, who had hoped for a little revenge after Nebraska piled it on last year in Lincoln and to maybe pull out two wins to send coach Ron Prince to a bowl in his final season in the Little Apple.

Kansas State at least seemed to have a chance early.

Courtney Herndon intercepted Ganz's first pass of the afternoon and returned it 57 yards for a touchdown, then Freeman answered two Nebraska TDs by hitting Ernie Pierce on a 63-yard scoring pass to tie it at 14-all.

The momentum carried over to the defense, which held Nebraska to three plays and a punt.

Then Deon Murphy fumbled the punt at his own 30. Momentum gone.

Helu scored two plays later on a 24-yard run. Ganz hit Todd Peterson for a 5-yard touchdown pass on the next possession, then found Mike McNeill for an 18-yard score to put Nebraska up 35-14.

Kansas State had a chance to pull closer in the closing seconds of the first half, but Nebraska pressured Freeman into an incompletion after Prince decided to go for a touchdown instead of a field goal.

College Football Scores

Other Scores:

Saturday, November 15th
3 Texas 35 Final
Kansas 7
12 Missouri 52 Final
Iowa State 20
13 Oklahoma State 30 Final
Colorado 17
Nebraska 56 Final
Kansas State 28
Texas A&M 21 Final
Baylor 41