On this day: Crouch leads Huskers to 38-7 win over UAB in first start

Nebraska's 2020 season was put on hold by COVID-19, and today was originally slated to be the Huskers' season opener at home vs. Purdue.

While there won't be any action at Memorial Stadium this afternoon, we decided to turn back the clock and relive one of NU's most memorable games on this day in history.

On Sept. 5, 1998, a redshirt freshman quarterback by the name of Eric Crouch made his first career start and helped Nebraska pull out a 38-7 home victory over Alabama-Birmingham that was much closer than the final score indicated.

Crouch would go on to become to cap an illustrious college career as Nebraska's third Heisman Trophy winner. But back in 1998, he wasn't even the opening day starter.

First-year head coach Frank Solich had given the keys to sophomore Bobby Newcombe after an intense offseason competition. But Newcombe suffered a knee injury in NU's Week 1 win over Louisiana Tech, leaving him sidelined for the next game vs. UAB.

As a result, the Huskers had to turn to Crouch, the former 1996 Nebraska Player of the Year at Millard (Neb.) North.

Crouch more than held his own, accounting for 196 total yards and three touchdowns despite missing the majority of the second half with full-body cramps.

The redshirt freshman completed 11-of-17 passes for 127 yards and rushed seven times for 69 yards. He connected with tight end Sheldon Jackson for a 15-yard touchdown pass and then ran in another score from 11 yards out in the second quarter to give NU a 21-7 lead at halftime.

But the early-September heat got the best of him in the third quarter, as he needed emergency intravenous injections of sodium chloride to help with full-body cramps.

Crouch was able to return to the field in the fourth, and he helped put the game away with a 59-yard touchdown scamper that made it 31-7 with just under six minutes left to play.

Crouch ended up starting four more games that season, including the next week at Cal and then the final four games of the year.

He and Newcombe would again go head-to-head for the No. 1 quarterback job in 1999, with Newcombe again getting the nod to open the year. But just like in '98, Crouch eventually claimed the starting role mid-season and never gave it back.

Crouch would go on to set numerous school records, win the 2001 Heisman Trophy, the 2001 Davey O'Brien Award, the 2001 Walter Camp Award, and was a two-time Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year in 1999 and '01.

But it all started on Saturday, Sept. 5, 1998.

While Crouch answered the call as well as expected in stepping in for the injured Newcombe, his cramping issues put Nebraska in a bit of a precarious situation in the second half.

Not only did Crouch's temporary absence force the Huskers to turn to senior walk-on Monte Christo for most of the third and fourth quarters, but it did so with the game still very much on the line.

When Crouch went to the sideline with just over five minutes left in the third, NU was only up 21-7. That score held on into the fourth quarter, as the offense failed to get much of anything going after halftime.

But after a Kris Brown field goal provided a little more cushion to open the fourth, Crouch returned to finally put the game away with his 59-yard touchdown run with 5:47 remaining in the game.

While Christo guided a scoreless third quarter, he also didn't make any costly mistakes. Christo ended up completing all four of his pass attempts, highlighted by a 63-yard touchdown bomb to redshirt freshman tight end Tracy Wistrom - his first catch as a Husker - with 2:19 to play.

Newcombe had passed for 168 yards in the opening 56-27 win over Louisiana Tech. But a knee injury forced him to watch Saturday’s game from the sidelines, where Crouch joined him midway through the third quarter when leg and hip cramps left him unable to maneuver efficiently.

That provided Christo, an oft-injured senior from Kearney, Neb., a chance to put in some significant playing time. He responded by completing all four of his passes, including a 63-yard touchdown toss to redshirt freshman tight end Tracey Wistrom -his first catch as a Husker-with 2:19 remaining.

The win over UAB improved Nebraska to 2-0 and kept its quest for a fourth national championship in four years alive and well. But based on some of the grumbling from fans and media alike after the game, some were hardly satisfied with the season's start.

In 1998, the Huskers had experienced a level of consistent success and opponent domination that few others in the history of the sport could ever fathom.

So when Solich's first season opened with a 56-27 win over Louisiana Tech, in which the Bulldogs set multiple NCAA passing records, followed by a too-close-for-comfort win over a Blazer team that was in just its third season of Division I-A, there was plenty of handwringing around Lincoln.

Nebraska needed a key defensive stop at the end of the third quarter and two late touchdowns in the final minutes to finally put away UAB, which came to Memorial Stadium with I-A record of just 10-13.

The Huskers still won the game, though, and did so by 31 points. They also earned their 44th consecutive home victory, 16th consecutive win, and 62nd win in their past 65 games.

Yet Solich was still answering questions about why his team had "only" won its first two games of '98 by a total of 60 points.

"You don't just step on the field and count a win," Solich said, as reported by the Lincoln Journal Star. "There are a lot of people that do, but most of them aren't in coaching and most of them aren't playing.

"I'm pleased with those two wins just the way they came. I'm satisfied."

***Kicker Kris Brown drilled a 27-yard field goal with 10:13 left in the fourth quarter to put Nebraska up 24-7. Not only did the kick give NU a needed cushion, it also marked his 17th make in a row and made him the school’s all-time leading scorer at 313 points.

Brown's eight points on the day moved him three past Mike Rozier, who scored 312 from 1981-83.

***One reason Nebraska sputtered a bit against UAB was the fact that it was without five starters. In addition to Newcombe, NU played I-back DeAngelo Evans, wingback Lance Brown, free safety Clint Finley and defensive tackle Jason Wiltz.

***After giving up an NCAA record 590 yards passing in the season opener to Louisiana Tech, the Blackshirts stepped up in a big way against a UAB triple-option attack that initially gave them plenty of problems.

Defensive backs coach George Darlington told the Associated Press the next day that, "Literally, 85 or 90 percent of what we worked on during practice (for UAB) was useless as far as the game was concerned. ... In essence, we were completely unprepared."

When the game was on the line, though, the Husker defense answered the call. The Blazers finished with just 210 total yards, and 80 of those came on one drive in the second quarter and ended with UAB's only score.

After some halftime adjustments, Nebraska allowed just 92 yards for the rest of the game.