Aug 26, 2001

By DOUG ALDEN
AP Sports Writer

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) - Season openers at Nebraska are traditionally one-sided affairs.

The Cornhuskers usually spend the first Saturday of the fall moving up and down the field at will against an overmatched opponent, running up scores like 76-14 and 64-21. Saturday against TCU, Nebraska actually needed its defense.

"They kept us in the ballgame," coach Frank Solich said after the No. 4 Huskers got by the Horned Frogs 21-7 in the Pigskin Classic.

Nebraska's "Blackshirts" limited TCU to just 186 total yards and six first downs. The Frogs had the ball in Nebraska territory just once in the second half, and that was only because the Huskers fumbled a punt return. The performance was encouraging for the Husker defense, coming off one of its worst seasons in decades.

"I think first games you never know quite how you're going to respond," defensive coordinator Craig Bohl said. "While we're not saying 'Hey, we've arrived,' I think we're making moves in the right direction. I was really pleased with the effort and our focus."

The game was a lot closer than anyone expected, including the Cornhuskers. Since shutting out Baylor 13-0 to start the 1990 season, the Huskers had scored at least six touchdowns in every opener except 1994, when they beat West Virginia 31-0. Last year it was a 49-13 win over San Jose State. The year before Nebraska beat Iowa 42-7.

The Huskers looked on their way to another rout after going 70 yards in six plays on its opening possession for a 7-0 lead on Thunder Collins' 6-yard run. Nebraska scored again two possessions later and put together a 98-yard touchdown drive late in the third quarter. But for the rest of the day, the Huskers struggled to move the ball.

Fifteen of Nebraska's 68 plays resulted in negative yards.

"There were a couple of drives in that ballgame that showed them they have the potential to move the football the length of the field. But certainly there has to be a lot more consistency," Solich said. "We had a pitch here and there and a few other things, but there was no consistency."

There was even less success for TCU's offense. Other than one broken play that resulted in TCU's only score - a 67-yard pass from Casey Printers to Matt Schobel in the first quarter - the Frogs never approached the end zone.

"It's kind of disappointing they got that. You always want the shutout. But seven points is not too bad, so I guess we'll take it," tackle Jeremy Slechta said. "It feels great to shut somebody down like that, but it's too early in the season. You don't want to get complacent."

But it is a good start for a defense that allowed 322 yards and more than 19 points per game a year ago.

"I will give Nebraska a lot of credit. They played really well on defense," said Gary Patterson, in his first season coaching TCU. "We have a lot of younger players and after the initial shock we settled down and played hard. I think, given a chance, they will be a good team."

Most of the offense Nebraska did manage came once again from Eric Crouch, who became the school's career leader in total yardage with 69 rushing yards and 151 yards passing. That gave him 5,510 for his career. Tommie Frazier held the previous mark of 5,476.

Crouch also scored on a 1-yard run that put the Huskers up 13-0.