Lincoln, Neb. ? Texas coach Mack Brown had some encouraging words for Ryan Bailey before the backup kicker took the field in the final seconds.

“You’re the luckiest guy in the world,” Brown told the sophomore walk-on. “You’ve got a chance to be Dusty Magnum on your first kick.”

Time will tell whether Bailey’s 22-yard field goal with 23 seconds left to beat 17th-ranked Nebraska 22-20 ranks alongside Magnum’s 37-yarder to defeat Michigan in the Rose Bowl two years ago.

For Bailey’s part, he was just happy to be on the travel roster for the fifth-ranked Longhorns. Before Saturday, he said, his biggest accomplishment in football was simply making the team at Texas.

The eyes of Texas, Nebraska and a national television audience were on Bailey after regular kicker Greg Johnson told Brown late in the game that his leg was tightening up. By then Johnson already had missed two field goals and had an extra point blocked.

“I had no idea something like this would happen,” Bailey said. “I was here along for the ride.”

What a ride it was for both the Longhorns (7-1, 4-0 Big 12) and Cornhuskers (6-2, 3-1).

The Huskers were on the verge of pulling the upset after taking a 20-19 lead with 4:54 left. But Texas caught a huge break when receiver Terrence Nunn fumbled as the Huskers were trying to kill the clock. Marcus Griffin recovered at the Nebraska 44 with 2:17 left.

Colt McCoy, with a 20 mph wind in his face, snow flurries swirling and Vince Young looking on from the sideline, drove the Longhorns to the Nebraska 5.

Nebraska (6-2, 3-1) tried to ice Bailey when coach Bill Callahan asked officials to review the previous play to see if the Huskers may have intercepted a pass by McCoy in the end zone. Replays clearly showed that the ball bounced on the ground, however, and Bailey didn’t seem to mind the delay.

After getting a good-natured slap on the helmet from Brown, he trotted back out onto the field and calmly made the kick.

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