Army coach Bobby Ross breathed a big sigh of relief.
His Black Knights snapped the nation’s longest losing streak at 19 games Saturday, with Tielor Robinson scoring five touchdowns and Carlton Jones running for 180 yards in a 48-29 victory over Cincinnati.
“You can’t imagine how the pressure starts to mount with your football team when [you have a losing streak],” said Ross, who came out of retirement to take over the struggling program. “It’s difficult to deal with.
“It’s a great win for us, a monkey off our back.”
Robinson scored his fifth touchdown on a 93-yard pass from Zac Dahman with 11:32 left to secure the win for Army (1-4, 1-2 Conference USA). Robinson ran for 82 yards as Army amassed 284 yards on the ground and had 111 yards receiving.
Thousands of West Point cadets swarmed the field and tore down the goalposts in celebration. Ross wiped tears from his eyes as the academy’s alma mater was played.
Army’s last victory came on Nov. 16, 2002, against Tulane, and its last home win was on Oct. 27, 2001, also against Tulane.
Now that hurts
How far have the once-mighty Nebraska Cornhuskers fallen?
Texas Tech handed Nebraska its worst loss in the Cornhuskers’ storied 114-year history as Sonny Cumbie threw for 436 yards and five touchdowns on 44-for-56 passing in the Red Raiders’ 70-10 victory.
Texas Tech (4-2, 2-1 Big 12) recorded its first victory in eight tries against Nebraska (3-2, 1-1), which set school records for points allowed and margin of defeat.
Before Saturday, the most points scored against Nebraska came in a 62-36 loss to Colorado in 2001. Nebraska’s largest previous margin of defeat was 54, set in a 54-0 loss to Minnesota in 1943 and matched in a 54-0 loss to Indiana in 1944 and a 61-7 loss to Minnesota in 1945.
Cumbie, who came into the game leading the nation in passing yards at 417 yards per game, threw for more than 400 yards for the fourth time this season.
For Nebraska, it was a numbing low for a longtime power that hasn’t contended for a national title recently.
Former Oakland Raiders coach Bill Callahan, who was coaching in the Super Bowl less than two years ago, was brought in after a long search and replaced Nebraska’s traditional run-first mentality with the West Coast offense, which emphasizes the short pass.
But Saturday, the passing game backfired, leading to five interceptions that set up easy Tech scores.
“I’m very disappointed in our team’s effort,” Callahan said. “We are certainly capable of being a better ballclub. It just came down to turnovers and we had a lot of them in the second half.”
Youth is served
While Texas running back Cedric Benson finished with a respectable 92 yards rushing in the No. 5 Longhorns’ 12-0 loss to third-ranked Oklahoma, he won’t be the running back everyone remembers from this game.
Oklahoma freshman Adrian Peterson outclassed Benson with 225 yards in his Red River Shootout debut. He displayed a blend of power and speed that Benson couldn’t match.
“A lot of people put a lot of things on this game, saying this game would make or break the Heisman for me,” Benson said. “The season’s not over.”
Benson’s numbers were far below his 186.5-yard average. He did not score a touchdown for the first time in 12 games.
Bad break
Southern California sophomore receiver Steve Smith fractured his left fibula in the top-ranked Trojans’ 23-17 victory over No. 7 California.
Smith, the team’s top receiver, left the game for good after a 31-yard over-the-shoulder catch in the third quarter that led to the Trojans’ second touchdown. He entered the game with 25 catches for 338 yards, both team highs. Smith had two catches for 76 yards against Cal.
Can’t touch ’em
Mt. Union won its 99th straight regular-season game Saturday, with Zac Bruney completing 17 of 24 passes for 229 yards and four touchdowns in a 49-7 victory over Wilmington.
Aaron Robinson had touchdowns rushing and receiving for the Division III Purple Raiders, who have won 89 straight in the Ohio Conference.
Mt. Union (5-0, 4-0) hasn’t lost an OAC or regular-season game since Oct. 15, 1994, when Baldwin-Wallace beat the Purple Raiders 24-10.
