LINCOLN, Neb. -- Nebraska Coach Tom Osborne looked like a kid with a sackful of Halloween Saturday.
'I was really surprised the way it went,' Osborne said. 'I thought it would be a close game. I didn't see any way we would be Colorado that badly.'
That, however, is what the eighth-ranked Cornhuskers did, smashing No. 9 Colorado, 52-7. Nebraska stayed unbeaten in the Big Eight, handed Colorado its first loss of the season and ended the Buffaloes streak of 25 straight conference games without a setback.
Osborne did not foresee Colorado throwing three interceptions and losing three fumbles. Nebraska scored 24 of its first 31 points after Colorado turnovers.
'Turnovers make you look bad,' Osborne said. 'Colorado is a better football team than what they showed today, but the turnovers just make you look like you're not getting anything done.'
For Colorado Coach Bill McCartney, it was a nightmare.
'We fumbled the opening kickoff, then threw an interception on the first play and it was downhill from then on,' McCartney said. 'They outplayed us in all phases of the game.'
Nebraska's victory was its first over Colorado since 1988. Colorado drops to 6-1-1 overall this season and 2-1-1 in the conference.
Outside linebacker Travis Hill had two of Nebraska's six takeaways with an interception and a recovered fumble he also caused. The Buffaloes' turnovers that Nebraska turned into points gave the Huskers the ball at the Colorado 15, 36, 27 and 26.
Nebraska, meanwhile, did not have a turnover.
Nebraska held Colorado to 144 total yards and a net 8 yards rushing, thanks to five sacks. Colorado, which came into the game ranked fourth in the nation in passing offense (334 yards per game), completed 12 of 34 passes for 136 yards. Colorado managed just two first downs in the second half.
'The key was the pass rush,' Hill said. 'We created a lot of pressure. There were a lot of balls they just got rid of to avoid the sack.'
Nebraska, which had 428 total yards and 373 yards rushing, held a 92- 56 edge in offensive plays and a more than 25-minute advantage in time of possesion.
'We didn't physically dominate like the score indicates,' said Nebraska I-back Calvin Jones, who rushed for 101 yards on 21 carries. 'With their turnovers, their defense was on the field a long time and fatigue finally set in.'
Jones scored three first half touchdowns to lead Nebraska to a 24-7 halftime lead. The Huskers converted two Colorado interceptions and a fumble recovery into 17 points.
Colorado freshman quarterback Koy Detmer, starting in place of injured starter Kordell Stewart, completed just 9 of 24 passes in the first half for 119 yards and was sacked three times. He finished 9 of 26 before giving way to Stewart late in the third quarter.
Nebraska freshman quarterback Tommie Frazier threw two touchdown passes and rushed for 86 yards.
'I didn't announce Koy starting because I didn't want the story to turn into two freshmen quarterbacks,' McCartney said. 'I didn't want to subject Koy to that. Frazier has better players around him and is running an offense they've ran for years. Our guy is running a brand new offense.'
On the first play of the game, Hill intercepted a Detmer pass in the flat and returned it to the Colorado 15. Five plays later, Jones scored on a 3-yard run.
A 47-yard run by Jones raised the Huskers lead to 14-0 with 13:26 left in the half. Two plays after the touchdown, Steve Carmer intercepted a Detmer pass that led to a 24-yard field goal by Byron Bennett for a 17-0 Nebraska lead.
The Buffaloes narrowed the difference to 17-7 on a 3-yard run by James Hill. That capped an 81-yard, 12-play drive in which Detmer completed 6 of 9 passes.
With 1:43 left in the half, Detmer, the brother of former Heisman Trophy winner Ty Detmer, was stripped of the ball by Hill, who returned the ball 8 yards to the Colorado 27.
A 16-yard run on a, 'fumbleroosky,' play by offensive guard Will Shields set up Jones' 1-yard touchdown run on fourth down with one second left to give Nebraska a 17-point lead at intermission.
'Travis' fumble recovery got the momentum back,' Osborne said. 'Of course, my heart was in my throat on that fourth down play. Common sense would tell you that you ought to kick the field goal, but we wanted the touchdown.'
A Mike Anderson interception at the Buffaloes' 26 set up a 5-yard touchdown pass from freshman quarterback Tommie Frazier to Gerald Armstrong for a 31-7 lead heading into the final quarter.
The Huskers added a 34-yard touchdown run by Lance Lewis, a 1-yard scoring pass from Frazier to William Washington and a 5-yard TD run by Corey Schlesinger. A 48-yard pass from Frazier to Corey Dixon set up Frazier's last scoring pass.
