LINCOLN, Neb.—This was the kind of game Nebraska would have lost last year.
Joe Ganz, Nate Swift and a defense that got better as the game went on weren’t going to let that happen, not against Baylor at Memorial Stadium on Saturday.
Ganz and Swift teamed up for touchdowns on consecutive series in the second half, wiping out a 3-point halftime deficit and carrying the Cornhuskers to a 32-20 victory.
The defense, meanwhile, shut down Robert Griffin after Baylor’s star freshman quarterback had gouged the Huskers for 99 yards rushing in the first quarter alone. Griffin netted just 22 yards on the ground from the second quarter on, and Baylor was held scoreless the second half.
Ganz, 32-of-46 for 336 yards and three touchdowns, said the locker room was spirited at halftime. That was different than last season, when the Huskers crumbled under pressure and lost five straight under former coach Bill Callahan.
The Huskers won for the first time in 23 games after trailing at halftime, since the Frank Solich-coached 2003 team did it against Penn State.
“People were getting fired up, talking about how we’re not going to let ourselves go into a fall again, like we had,” Ganz said. “Everyone was real positive, and the guys did a great job coming from behind.”
The Huskers (5-3, 2-2 Big 12) took a 24-20 lead on Ganz’s 9-yard pass to Swift. The catch allowed Swift to pass Johnny Rodgers on the Nebraska career receptions chart. Swift ended up with a career-high 11 catches for 121 yards, running his four-year reception total to 147. Rodgers, the 1972 Heisman Trophy winner, made 143 catches in three seasons.
Ganz later connected with Swift for a 53-yard touchdown pass to make it 30-20.
After scoring touchdowns on three of its five first-half possessions, Baylor (3-5, 1-3) punted three times, missed a field goal, turned over the ball on downs and surrendered a safety on six second-half series. The Bears generated just 124 of their 350 yards in the second half and converted none of their 10 third downs in the game.
Coach Bo Pelini said he didn’t make a lot of defensive adjustments at half.
“We just played better. We executed better,” he said. “We did some bonehead things to start the game. We were missing tackles early and took some bad angles. We were our own worst enemy in that first half. But I liked the way the kids hung together.
“I didn’t have to say much at halftime because they came together as a group and said they were going to win this football game and they took control of the situation.”
The offense also found some rhythm after a wobbly first two quarters.
“In the past, there may have been a letdown,” said Shawn Watson, held over as offensive coordinator from the Callahan staff. “These kids have proven they will fight through adversity. That’s what happens when a team comes together. You can feel it.”
Baylor gave Nebraska its most competitive game in Lincoln since the Bears won here in 1956. Four of Nebraska’s previous six home wins over Baylor had been by shutout. In six meetings as Big 12 opponents, Nebraska had outscored the Bears 277-69, scoring 48 or more points five times.
All that was ancient history Saturday.
“Our guys are fighters and they’ve got a lot of belief,” Baylor coach Art Briles said. “We felt like we were going to come up here and win the football game.”
For a while, it looked as if the Bears could.
“We thought we we were in a good position to get a chance to win the game at halftime, and as a defense, if we don’t let them score, then we win,” Baylor safety Jordan Lake said. “So it was pretty deflating to come out and let them come down like that and take the lead, and continue to work their way down the field on us.”
Baylor came in 2-47 all time in Big 12 road games, including losses in eight straight. But the Bears had Nebraska nervous early, with Griffin always a threat to break a long run. He finished with 121 yards rushing, and he threw for 134 more.
Baylor scored two quick touchdowns after Nebraska opened a 7-0 lead on Ganz’s 6-yard pass to Ryan Hill. Jay Finley busted a 32-yard touchdown run, and Griffin went 47 yards around left end for the tie-breaking touchdown on a fourth-and-1.
Nebraska was up 17-14 after Marlon Lucky’s 18-yard run, but Griffin led the Bears 80 yards in six plays just before half. Griffin passed 35 and 16 yards to Ernest Smith before Jacoby Jones scored from the 1 for a 20-17 halftime lead.
The Huskers embarked on their go-ahead 80-yard drive after Ben Parks missed a 19-yard field goal attempt. Ganz scrambled and completed a 15-yard pass to Swift on third-and-10 before hitting him with the record-breaking touchdown pass on a short square-out on the left side of the end zone.
Baylor had its ensuing possession kept alive by a roughing-the-punter penalty, but Nebraska got the ball back when safety Larry Asante sacked Griffin on fourth-and-4 at the Nebraska 31. Ganz then found Swift on a deep fly pattern to make it a 10-point game.
