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STILLWATER, Okla. — Who knew Alex Henery could run like that?
Nebraska's senior punter and place-kicker executed a fake punt on the first NU possession Saturday, converting a fourth and 8 from the 22-yard line with a 27-yard run. He rolled to his right, a designed play that gave Henery the option to punt, rugby-style, or run for the first down.
“Alex knows when he's rolling out that someone has to force him to kick it,” said assistant John Papuchis, who coordinates the special teams. “And no one forced the edge, so he kept going with it. He made a really heads up play and did a good job.”
Henery's run gave the Huskers a first down at the Nebraska 49-yard line. Three plays later, Taylor Martinez hit Brandon Kinnie for a 45-yard touchdown pass to spark the offense in the 51-41 NU victory at Boone Pickens Stadium.
The fake amazed his teammates.
“That was unbelievable,” linebacker Eric Martin said. “I didn't even know he was fast. For him to take a hit and break a tackle, that was phenomenal.”
Henery hesitated briefly and made a move on linebacker Shaun Lewis. The 6-foot-2, 175-pound kicker cut across the field for an extra 19 yards after passing the first-down marker.
“That was very entertaining to look at,” cornerback Alfonzo Dennard said. “I didn't know Al could run the ball like that.”
Henery, as usual, played it cool.
“It was a risk I took,” he said.
Papuchis said he cringed a bit when Henery, a former All-Nebraska soccer player at Omaha Burke, ran for the additional yardage. The coach said he wouldn't have encouraged Henery to go down, but he said Henery's value on special teams is too important to risk injury after he got the first down.
Count receiver Niles Paul among those also impressed. “I didn't even know we had a fake in this week,” Paul said. “I was just like ‘Wow, good job Alex.'”
Topping the list
Henery also connected on three field goals, from 32, 45 and 52 yards. His 59 career field goals (on 66 attempts) moved Henery past Kris Brown, who made 57 from 1995 to 1998, for the NU record. Henery also tied Brown on Saturday by making his 17th straight field goal. He's 9 for 9 this year.
Tiring shootout
Nebraska and Oklahoma State combined for 92 points and 1,035 yards of offense. Sounds like the kind of game an offensive player would like.
“No, sir,” said Jermarcus Hardrick, who replaced injured Jeremiah Sirles at left tackle for NU in the second quarter.
Hardrick said he grew tired as the game progressed.
“I'm ready to get on the plane and go to sleep,” he said.
Wide receiver Mike McNeill said he prefers a blowout.
“If it turns into a shootout, so be it,” McNeill said.
Injured linemen
Nebraska finished the game without defensive end Pierre Allen and offensive tackle Sirles, but coach Bo Pelini said he didn't think it was “anything real serious with either one of them.”
Allen had a medical device attached to his right knee as he left the field. Pelini said it was similar to a problem the senior dealt with last season.
Redshirt freshmen Jason Ankrah and sophomore Josh Williams picked up snaps after Allen left in the second quarter. Hardrick finished for Sirles at left tackle on the offensive line.
Martin's big collision
Nebraska sophomore Eric Martin said Joe Okafor never saw him when Martin leveled the Oklahoma State player on Niles Paul's 100-yard kickoff return in the first quarter.
Okafor was down for about 10 minutes before being carted off.
“I'm a load and he's a load, so it was just a collision,” Martin said.
OSU officials did not have a report on Okafor's injury after the game.
“I kind of felt bad,” he said. “I didn't mean to hurt the man.”
Fake frees up Reed
Kyler Reed wouldn't mind if the Huskers started calling more play-action fakes that open up the middle for him.
Nebraska's sophomore tight end caught a 41-yard touchdown pass from Taylor Martinez midway through the third quarter Saturday, scoring on a play that he's had success on before.
Reed said the play went for 79 yards against Kansas State. He was also open when they ran it against Texas.
Basically, the safety bites on the backfield fake, leaving Reed in one-on-one coverage. He typically wins the footrace. On Saturday, he just had to make the catch.
“I had no clue how much room I had on the guy, I figured he was right there,” Reed said. “I just focused, looked it in and locked (the football) up quick.”
This 'n that
More than 300 media credentials were issued for the game, the most ever for any Oklahoma State home football game. ... The win marked Nebraska's sixth straight road victory. ... The Cowboys were the highest ranked team Nebraska has defeated since a 20-10 victory over No. 2 Oklahoma in 2001 and the highest ranked team the Huskers have defeated on the road since a 27-14 win at No. 2 Washington in 1997.
— Mitch Sherman, Jon Nyatawa and Rich Kaipust
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• Video: Nebraska-Oklahoma State highlights:
• Video: NU coach Bo Pelini after the NU-OSU game:
• Video: NU's Taylor Martinez after the NU-OSU game:
• Video: NU's Niles Paul after the NU-OSU game:
• Video: Sights and sounds from the NU-OSU game:
• Video: Watch this week's edition of the Big Red Today Show:
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