Sept. 20, 2003
Final Stats
OMAHA, Neb. - Quarterback Brian Masek completed 21-of-30 passes for 321 yards and three touchdowns and added two rushing touchdowns as nationally-ranked University of Nebraska-Omaha defeated Western Washington University, 52-28, in college football action Saturday.
The loss drops the Vikings to 0-3, their worst start since 1988. UNO, ranked No.19 in the AFCA NCAA Division II top 25, improved to 3-1.
The score was tied, 28-28, at halftime, but Masek hit Chris Denney for scoring passes of 45 and 56 yards on the first two possessions of the third quarter to give the Mavericks a 42-28 lead. The Vikings then fumbled the ball away on their next three possessions, two of the fumbles coming after Western had reached the UNO 22.
Andy Severson hit a 35-yard field goal to extend the UNO lead to 45-28, then after Western's third fumble, Masek, who rushed for 89 yards on 14 carries, got outside and went 55 yards early in the fourth quarter for the final points of the game.
The two teams combined for 1,097 yards, with UNO holding a 606-491 edge in total offense. The big difference was in rushing, with the Mavericks getting 285 yards on the ground, led by Justin Kammrad's 181 yards and two touchdowns on 22 carries.
"We've got to put two halves together," said Western head coach Rob Smith. "Offensively, we made some big plays in the first half and I was very pleased with a lot of things we did until the fumbles. Defensively, we struggled all day long. We played with some young kids in and got a lesson taught to us."
Western quarterback Josh Shimek (Sr., Pasco) completed 20-of-37 passes for 267 yards and one touchdown. Shimek alternated with starter Steve Nichols (Jr., Stevenson), who completed 6-of-12 passes for 145 yards and two scores, in the first half, but Nichols did not return after limping off the field with a knee injury late in the second quarter.
Western scored on the opening possession of the game. Jake Carlyle (So., Olympia/Capital) returned the opening kickoff 50 yards, setting up a nine-play, 47-yard drive capped when running back Duncan Sherrard (So., Seattle/Roosevelt) took a screen pass from Nichols and scored from 10 yards out. But UNO responded immediately as Kammrad ran 66 yards for a touchdown on the Mavericks' first play from scrimmage to tie the game, 7-7.
UNO took a 14-7 lead on its next series as Masek scored from 1 yard out to cap a nine-play, 50-yard drive. That was just a prelude to a flurry of scoring, as the two teams combined for 35 points in the second quarter to leave the game tied, 28-28 at halftime.
Western's Michael Koenen (Jr., Ferndale) opened the second-quarter scoring with field goals of 49 and 43 yards. The Vikings later got touchdown catches of 58 and 39 yards from Andy Olson (So., Chehalis/W.F. West), both in the last 2:17 of the half. Olson also caught a 2-point conversion pass on the first touchdown. The Mavericks scored on a 15-yard run by Kammrad and an 11-yard pass from Masek to Ryan Krause, who had set up the score with a 41-yard catch on the previous play.
Krause had seven receptions for 100 yards, and Denney had five catches for 136 yards. For Western, Olson had seven receptions for 187 yards, matching the seventh-best single game receiving yardage total in school history, but had just one 19-yard reception in the second half.
The Vikings host NCAA I-AA independent Saint Mary's College CA (0-3) on Saturday (12 noon ), which did not play this week.
SCORING SUMMARYWestern Washington 7 21 0 0 --- 28Nebraska-Omaha 14 14 17 7 --- 52
WWU - Sherrard 10 pass from Nichols (Koenen kick)UNO - Kammrad 66 run (Severson run)UNO - Masek 1 run (Severson kick)WWU - FG Koenen 49WWU - FG Koenen 43UNO - Kammrad 15 run (Severson kick)WWU - Olson 58 pass from Nichols (Olson pass from Nichols)UNO - Krause 11 pass from Masek (Severson kick)WWU - Olson 38 pass from Nichols (Koenen kick)UNO - Denney 45 pass from Masek (Severson kick)UNO - Denney 56 pass from Masek (Severson kick)UNO - FG Severson 35UNO - Masek 55 run (Severson kick) Attendance: 5,300
