The 2000 Alamo Bowl featured the
Nebraska Cornhuskers
The Nebraska Cornhuskers (often abbreviated to Huskers) are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. The university is a member of the Big Ten Conference and competes in NCAA Division I, fielding t ...
, and the
Northwestern Wildcats
The Northwestern Wildcats are the athletic teams that represent Northwestern University, located in Evanston, Illinois. Northwestern is a founding member of the Big Ten Conference and one of two private universities in the conference, the other ...
. Despite both teams being ranked, it was the biggest blowout in the game's history. Nebraska broke an NCAA bowl record by scoring 66 points, and the Huskers also set ten other Alamo Bowl records, including those for most yards of total offense (636) most rushing yards (476), most first downs (28), and most yards per play (7.7).
Nebraska scored first, following a 15-yard touchdown run by
Dan Alexander as Nebraska seized a 7–0 lead. Northwestern got on the board with a 44-yard field goal from Tim Long, to trim the lead to 7–3. Northwestern's defense stopped Nebraska and got the ball back. Quarterback
Zak Kustok hit
Teddy Johnson
Pearl Lavinia Carr (2 November 1921 – 16 February 2020) and Edward Victor "Teddy" Johnson (4 September 1919 – 6 June 2018) were English husband-and-wife entertainers who were best-known during the 1950s and early 1960s. They were the UK's E ...
for a 10-yard touchdown, and Northwestern got a 10–7 lead.
On the first play after the kickoff, quarterback
Eric Crouch
Eric Eugene Crouch (born November 16, 1978) is an American former college football player who was a quarterback for the Nebraska Cornhuskers. He won the Heisman Trophy, Walter Camp Award, and Davey O'Brien Award in 2001. Running Nebraska's opti ...
used Nebraska's option attack, and ran 50 yards for a touchdown, and Nebraska took a 14–10 lead, one they never relinquished. Two minutes later, Dan Alexander rushed two yards for a touchdown, increasing the lead to 21–10.
Correll Buckhalter
Correll Buckhalter (; born October 6, 1978) is an American former professional American football, football player who was a running back for eight seasons in the National Football League (NFL). After playing college football for the Nebraska Cor ...
scored four minutes later on a 2-yard touchdown run, as Nebraska's lead became 28–10.
Kicker
Josh Brown kicked a 51-yard field goal with 1:28 left in the half to increase Nebraska's lead to 31–10. Northwestern's
Damien Anderson scored on a 65-yard touchdown run with 1:10 left to make it 31–17. Nebraska came right back, capping a 31-point quarter, with a 58-yard screen pass from Eric Crouch to wide receiver
Bobby Newcombe stretching their lead to 38–17.
In the third quarter, Crouch hit wide receiver Matt Davison for an 11-yard touchdown pass, increasing the lead to 45–17. Crouch later rushed two yards for a touchdown, and the lead became 52–17. Bobby Newcombe later then threw a 69-yard touchdown pass to Matt Davison, making the lead 59–17. Early in the fourth quarter, Dahrran Diedrick rushed 9 yards for a touchdown, making the final margin 66–17.
The Huskers record for points stood until the
2011 Alamo Bowl
The 2011 Valero Alamo Bowl, the 19th edition of the game, was a post-season American college football bowl game, held on December 29, 2011 at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas as part of the 2011–12 NCAA Bowl season.
The game, which was te ...
, when
Baylor defeated
Washington
Washington most commonly refers to:
* George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States
* Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States
* Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States
** A ...
, 67–56.
References
External links
Review of the game by USA Today
{{Northwestern Wildcats bowl game navbox
Alamo Bowl
The Alamo Bowl is an NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision college football bowl game played annually since 1993 in the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas. Since 2010 it matches the second choice team from the Pac-12 Conference and the second ...
Alamo Bowl
Nebraska Cornhuskers football bowl games
Northwestern Wildcats football bowl games
Alamo Bowl
The Alamo Bowl is an NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision college football bowl game played annually since 1993 in the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas. Since 2010 it matches the second choice team from the Pac-12 Conference and the second ...