LINCOLN, Neb., Oct. 1 -- One week ago, the Nebraska Cornhuskers had a Heisman Trophy candidate at quarterback and were battling Florida for the No. 1 position in the ratings. Now, though still unbeaten, the Cornhuskers' national-title hopes have taken a hit and they may soon be down to choosing between a former walk-on and their starting free safety at quarterback. Brook Berringer, filling in for injured incumbent Tommie Frazier, ran for three touchdowns Saturday to help No. 2 Nebraska rally from a 14- point deficit for a 42-32 victory over Wyoming. Lawrence Phillips also ran for three touchdowns for the Cornhuskers (5-0), who scored all of their points in the final three quarters to avoid a major upset. 'You don't want to win like that,' wide receiver Reggie Baul said. 'This game was good for the team and we have to realize we have to concentrate every game if we want to win every game.' The news got worse for the Cornhuskers on Saturday night, when Berringer checked into a Lincoln hospital for treatment of a partially collapsed lung suffered during the contest. Hospital officials said the junior would be held overnight and likely be released Sunday. Berringer was starting in place of Frazier, the Heisman Trophy candidate who is out for at least two weeks after being diagnosed with a blood clot in his calf. Frazier was released from the hospital Wednesday after spending three days receiving treatment. 'I thought Brook Berringer played well today,' Nebraska coach Tom Osborne said.
'There wasn't a whole lot I could fault him on.' There could be a big problem if Berringer isn't ready to go next week against Oklahoma State. Matt Turman, a former walk-on, is Nebraska's third-string quarterback. The Cornhuskers also could go with junior free safety Tony Veland, a former quarterback who took eight or nine snaps in practice Monday. 'We stay with our slogan for the season: Unity,' I-back Clinton Childs said. 'We try not to let things get to us and stick together, no matter what happens.' The Cowboys (2-3), who never have beatenNebraska in five meetings, took a 21-7 lead on a 1-yard touchdown run by Terry Hendricks with 2:12 left in the second quarter. But Berringer's 5-yard scoring run with 12 seconds left in the half allowed Nebraska to pull within a touchdown and the Cornhuskers scored on their first three possessions of the third quarter. Berringer's 24-yard touchdown run 2:55 into the second half tied the game, and Nebraska scored again just 29 seconds later following a turnover by the Cowboys. Phillips darted 40 yards to give Nebraska the lead for good, 28-21. Berringer added a 10-yard touchdown run with 8:11 remaining in the period to give the Cornhuskers a 35-24 advantage. 'I thought we needed to execute better,' Berringer said. 'They came out and did what we thought they were going to and we just needed to execute better.' A 40-yard field goal by Taylor Sorenson and John Gustin's 6-yard scoring toss to Jeremy Gilstrap pulled Wyoming within 35-32 with 9:09 to go. But Wyoming fumbled a punt return at its own 8-yard line and Phillips scored on the next play to seal the victory. 'The turnovers really hurt us,' Wyoming coach Joe Tiller said. 'In the second half, we weren't able to match them on the turnovers.' Phillips rushed for 168 yards on 27 carries, lifting his season total to 785 yards. Berringer rushed for 74 yards on 12 carries and completed 15 of 22 passes for 131 yards and one interception that ended an early Nebraska drive. Freshman Jeremy Dombek connected on 17 of 35 for 264 yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions, while Gustin hit on 8 of 11 for 80 yards. Marcus Harris caught eight passes for 149 yards and Eddie Pratt had eight catches for 126 yards for the Cowboys. 'It's like I told our kids -- nobody has a monopoly on playing hard,' Tiller said. Wyoming jumped to a 14-0 lead on a pair of first-quarter touchdown passes by Dombek. He connected with Harris on a 39-yard touchdown toss and later hit Gilstrap with a 6-yarder.
