(Sports Network) - Zac Lee threw a trio of touchdown passes in
the fourth quarter and 21st-ranked Nebraska took advantage of a pair of
interceptions to rally past No. 24 Missouri, 27-12, amid a driving rainstorm
in the Big 12 Conference opener for both teams.

The Cornhuskers (4-1, 1-0 Big 12) scored three touchdowns in a span of 3:22
and had all of their points in the last quarter, coming back from a 12-0
deficit.

"We made some plays in the fourth quarter. We had the opportunities before
that. We didn't make all those plays and they made some plays early," said
Nebraska coach Bo Pelini. "Conditions like that, sometimes, you have to take
advantage of your opportunities. We didn't take advantage of them in the first
half, but we were able to get that done in the fourth quarter. I just think
our football team showed a lot of character tonight."

Lee connected on 14-of-33 passes for 158 yards, and Roy Helu Jr. rushed for 88
yards and a touchdown for Nebraska. Niles Paul had six receptions for 102
yards and a pair of scores.

Blaine Gabbert went 17-of-43 for 134 yards, but the two interceptions he threw
were costly for the Tigers (4-1, 0-1), who dominated the Cornhuskers for the
first three quarters before falling apart.

The conditions were so rough at Memorial Stadium that a power outage shut off
one of the scoreboards prior to the start and there were problems with the
time being displayed in intervals throughout the contest.

Lee hit Paul with a 56-yard bomb for a touchdown just 64 seconds into the
final quarter, bringing the visitors within 12-7.

On the next play from scrimmage, Gabbert was picked off by defensive tackle
Ndamukong Suh. That gave Nebraska the ball at the Mizzou 18, and two plays
later Lee found Paul from 13 yards out on the right side of the end zone for
the go-ahead score with 12:59 left. The two-point conversion pass failed,
leaving the Cornhuskers with a 13-12 edge.

"It was a momentum change, but on offense, it's our responsibility to get the
ball back and score," said Gabbert.

That didn't happen the next time for the Tigers.

Cornerback Dejon Gomes intercepted Gabbert on the next series, and the
subsequent return had Nebraska knocking on the door again, at the Mizzou 10.
On 3rd-and-goal, Lee remained calm under a heavy rush and found tight end Mike
McNeill alone in the middle of the field and he made it to the end zone
uncontested for the eight-yard score with 10:34 remaining.

Missouri ate up the next five minutes, driving to the Nebraska 32, but
Gabbert's fourth down pass was incomplete.

The Cornhuskers salted away the victory when Helu broke off a 41-yard run
before scoring on the next play from five yards out with just under a minute
left.

"It feels great, it's a great start to Big 12 play," said Suh. "It's one of
those that means a little more to us. We want to dominate the Big 12 North and
start it off the right way. It was not exactly the way we wanted to win but
I'll take it. Missouri played hard but I'm really happy with the way it
ended."

Both teams had trouble with their footing and Gabbert lost the ball after
being sacked early in the opening quarter, but the Cornhuskers weren't able to
move into field goal range.

The first points of the night, a safety, came nearly a minute into the second
quarter. Cornhuskers punter Alex Henerey stumbled after taking the snap and
underhanded the ball out of the back of the end zone to avoid a fumble or
worse.

Gabbert, who had his ankle bent backward in the first half, took matters in
his own hands to give the Tigers a 9-0 lead on the final play of the half. He
threw a 38-yard pass to Jared Perry, converting a 3rd-and-10, to move the ball
to the six. After an incomplete pass and a pair of Derrick Washington runs for
short yardage, the Tigers were faced with a 4th-and-goal with two seconds
left.

Rather than kick the field goal, Tigers coach Gary Pinkel chose to go for the
touchdown. Gabbert faked a handoff to Washington and then darted for the end
zone, diving across before the ball squirted loose. Gabbert's left knee hit
the turf just as the ball barely broke the plane, but after a replay review
the score was allowed to stand.

Missouri failed to convert a fumble into points early in the third as Grant
Ressel missed a 43-yard field goal attempt, but he split the uprights from 33
yards away with 1:26 remaining in the quarter for a 12-0 margin.

Game Notes

It tied the largest fourth-quarter comeback in Nebraska's history...Missouri
plays at Oklahoma State next Saturday, while the Cornhuskers return home to
face Texas Tech October 17...Missouri lost for just the third time in the last
25 games at Memorial Stadium...Prior to Thursday, the Tigers had won the three
previous meetings in Columbia by an average of 23 points...Nebraska has won 33
of its last 35 conference openers. The only blemishes on that record are a
2002 loss to Iowa State in Ames, and last year's Missouri victory in
Lincoln...In the past 11 meetings between the two schools, none of the
matchups have been decided by single digits. The closest game in that stretch
is a 24-13 Nebraska victory in 2002...Nebraska snapped a 10-game skid against
ranked opponents...Washington ran for 80 yards.







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