JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- held off a late surge to preserve a 26-21 win over Clemson in the Gator Bowl. Clemson had driven 67 yards to the NU 10, but Eric Hagg sacked quarterback Cullen Harper for a 16 yard loss. Harper"s next two passes fell incomplete.

Nebraska pushed its lead to 26-21 against Clemson on Alex Henery"s fourth field goal of the game, a 22-yard kick.

The Huskers drove deep into Clemson territory thanks to a 40-yard run by Quentin Castille. Castille spun out of a tackle near the line of scrimmage, then made for the sideline before being pushed out at the Clemson 9. The drive started the the NU 46 after a Nate Swift kick return.

earlier in the fourth quarter, officials overturned a 31-yard touchdown return on a fumble recovery, instead giving NU a fourth down in its own territory.

The play was quarterback Patrick Witt"s first of the game, after he came in for an injured Joe Ganz. Witt had dropped back to pass, but scrambled; the ball came loose as he was being tackled. Ganz left the game after being pulled down hard on second and 12 pass to Marlon Lucky for four yards.

NU punted the ball away, and Ganz returned to the game on NU's next possession.

Nebraska had things rolling in the third quarter, scoring 20 points to take a 23-21 lead. Clemson has fourth-and-short near midfield to begin the fourth quarter.

The Huskers took the 23-21 lead on Alex Henery"s 28-yard field goal.

NU started its drive at the Clemson 31 after Rickey Thenarse blocked a Tiger punt that followed a Blackshirt three-and-out. Joe Ganz found Mike McNeill on a 15 yard pass on the next play, but the Husker offense sputtered until Henery"s field goal, his third of the game.

Alex Henery"s second field goal of the game, this one also a 28-yarder, pulled Nebraska to within a point of Clemson, 21-20, late in the third quarter.

On Clemson"s first play after NU pulled the score to 21-17, NU linebacker Blake Lawrence intercepted a wide receiver screen at the Clemson 10 after the ball bounced off the receiver. But the Tiger defense stiffened, forcing the field goal attempt.

Joe Ganz"s 19-yard touchdown pass to Todd Peterson on 3rd and 12 pull Nebraska to within 21-17 against the Tigers. The drive started at the NU 24, but running back Quentin Castille rumbled 61 yards on the first play to put NU in business.

Clemson capitalized off another NU mistake, pushing its lead to 21-10 midway through the third quarter.

NU had cut the lead to 14-10 early in the quarter, then stopped Clemson cold on the Tigers" following possession.

But Niles Paul fumbled the punt return; Clemson recovered near midfield. A pass interference call on the next play set Clemson up on the NU 41, and Cullen Harper found Jacoby Ford on a 41-yard touchdown strike on the next play.

Nebraska came out roaring in the second half, driving 54 yards in five plays to pull the Gator Bowl score to 14-10.

Alfonzo Dennard took the kickoff to the NU 45. Two plays later, Joe Ganz hit Todd Peterson on a 34-yard pass to give NU the ball at the Clemson 16.

Nebraska soon found itself in a third and 11, but Ganz hooked up with Nate Swift for a 25-yard touchdown pass.

After trading possessions without scoring for much of the first half, Clemson and Nebraska provided some excitement just before the break. The score at the half was 14-3 Clemson.

Clemson took the 14-3 lead with 35 seconds left in the second quarter on a 25-yard pass from Cullen Harper to Aaron Kelly, only plays after Nebraska had seemingly grabbed the game"s momentum.

After an Alex Henery 48-yard field goal that cut Clemson"s lead to 7-3, Anthony West intercepted a Harper pass to set up Nebraska in Tiger territory. But Joe Ganz threw an interception on the next play; Crezdon Butler raced to the NU 13. Ndamukong Suh sacked Harper at the NU 25 on the next play, but he responded with his touchdown pass.

Henery's kick cut the Clemson lead to 7-3 with 1:10 left in the second quarter. The kick capped off an 11-play Husker drive that began at the NU 21 after Clemson"s score.

Clemson went up 7-0 after DeAndre McDaniel picked up a fumbled Joe Ganz option pitch and ran in for the score with 4:52 left in the first half. The play, which started at the NU 40, came after Ganz hit Nate Swift for a 7-yard first-down completion. The Husker drive began at the NU 26.

The score kept the trend of the game being a defensive battle. Nebraska had halted a second Clemson drive in NU territory, blocking a Clemson field goal from the 3, to keep the Gator Bowl scoreless early in the second quarter.

The Tiger drive began when C.J. Spiller returned a Nebraska punt 33 yards to the NU 48 shortly before the first quarter"s end, and Clemson kept moving. The Tigers used strong runs by James Davis and C.J. Spiller to move inside the Husker 10 to the 5, but a false start pushed Clemson back to the 10. On third and goal from the 10, Cullen Harper found Aaron Kelley for a seven-yard gain, but Ndamukong Suh blocked the following field goal try.

NU"s punt ended a possession which began after the Huskers stopped Clemson on fourth-and-one in Nebraska territory.

Nebraska and Clemson traded possessions early on in the Gator Bowl, with NU stopping Clemson"s first promising drive on a fourth-and-one play in at the Husker 32-yard line.

Clemson took the opening kickoff, but mustered little offense on its first two possessions. NU also couldn"t sustain a drive on its first two chances with the ball.

On the Tigers" third drive, defensive tackle Ty Steinkuhler sacked Clemson quarterback Cullen Harper for a nine-yard loss to the Clemson 1 on the first play. But the Tigers responded, moving in NU 32 before coming up short on fourth-and-one.

Nebraska is looking to cap off coach Bo Pelini"s first season with a Gator Bowl win over Clemson.

The Huskers (8-4 overall, 5-3 Big 12) headed into the game looking for their ninth win only a year after staying home for bowl season.

NU is led by senior quarterback Joe Ganz, who has thrown for 3,331 yards and 23 touchdowns this year. Fellow seniors Nate Swift and Todd Peterson have been his favorite targets, (60 receptions, nine touchdowns for Swift, 58 catches, three touchdowns for Peterson), while sophomore Roy Helu has emerged as the Huskers" most go-to running back (804 yards and seven touchdowns).

Clemson (7-5 overall, 4-4 ACC) heads into the game on a roll. A preseason top-10 pick by many, the Tigers started the year with a 34-10 loss to Alabama en route to a 3-4 record. Along the way, coach Tommy Bowden was fired, and Dabo Swinney took the reins. Clemson finished the season on a 4-1 run.