Huskers/Wolverines

I must admit, all week I had very little faith in my beloved Nebraska Cornhuskers.  The way I saw it, I had seen 8 games and they had given me little to no hope that they would go to The Big House and win.  Michigan hadn’t lost at home in nearly 3 years.  I figured NU had very little chance.  Well look what happened.  Nebraska came out and played brilliantly on Defense, and did just enough Offensively to defeat a desperate Michigan squad. On a picturesque evening in Ann Arbor, The Huskers breathed new life into their season and set up a monster game next week with Michigan State.  This game was a knee knocker that was as tight as they come.  The Huskers showed tremendous heart and grit in pulling this one out.

Offensively, Nebraska is a mess right now.  The Huskers came in missing both starting Guards and then Jeremiah Sirles left, in the 2nd quarter, with an injury one to make it 3 starters missing.  Jamal Turner is hurt, Kenny Bell is clearly not himself, and Jordan Westercamp left the game today with a hip pointer.  Don’t forget the injury of All Big 10 QB Taylor Martinez who has now missed 5 games.  The injury situation is absurd and debilitating.  Once again Ameer Abdullah was the bell cow rushing for 105 yards and 2 TDs.  The whole damn stadium knew he was going to get the ball and Abdullah was still fantastic even behind that patchwork line.  This dude is special.  Tommy Armstrong wasn’t fantastic, but he did well enough for NU to win.  Armstrong remained poised when things got rocky, and that was his greatest achievement on this day.  I thought Tim Beck was too conservative at times.  It seemed the Offense was much smoother when there was balance.  Then again it is hard to be balanced when you dont know what to expect from your Offensive Line.  I wont criticize  Beck too harshly, his job has gotten harder and harder with each injury. The Offense wasn’t great Saturday, but it did enough.  The big story was the other side of the ball.

Given one word to describe the Defense I would use ferocious.  The Husker Defense got after Devin Gardner and the Michigan Offense.  The Huskers smothered Michigan all day long, holding the Wolverines to 175 yards of total Offense including -21 yards rushing.  They did this by locking down Michigan receivers man to man and blitzing the living be-jesus out of Michigan.  The Wolverines never had an answer for the pressure packages that Bo and John Papuchis put together.  The Blackshirts sacked Gardner 7, freaking, times and hurried him countless others.  It was beautiful.  Michigan couldn’t run, couldn’t throw, and outside of one drive couldn’t do much of anything.  Time after time The Blackshirts were put it tough spots, but this group kept fighting and kept punishing The Michigan Offense.  I can’t recall a time when the Nebraska Defense was that aggressive for an entire game.  I think part of Michigan’s problem was their QB, who looks like an idiot with that number, and plays the position like a WR.  He never seemed to know where to go with the ball.  A good chunk of that was a Defense that put somebody in his lap all day long.  Finally the Defense stopped thinking, and played FAST.  The results were phenomenal, and carried The Big Red to a terrific road victory.

Saturday’s game saved The Huskers bacon.  A loss would has been disastrous for NU title hopes.  Along the way, The Huskers eliminated Michigan from winning the Legends division.  But more importantly, the win set up an enormous game with Michigan State next Saturday in Lincoln.  The winner of that game will be in control of their destiny.  The Spartan Defense will be rough, to be sure.  But that is next weekend.  Husker fans should savor a tough, hard fought, gritty victory over a desperate Wolverine team who had won 19 straight at home. These boys played with a passion, fire and resolve that has been missing at times this season.  They will need those attributes the rest of the way.

Better Late Than Never- My Midseason Husker Football Report

The only thing I don’t like about the fall is how the time flies.  I’m not sure why it does but it seems every year The Fall seems to slip through our fingers.  Believe it or not The 2013 Husker Football campaign is half over.  From this point forth there are no bye weeks and only one patsy.  Your thoughts on this season, in my opinion, put you into one of 2 categories.  You are either a Husker optimist, or a Husker pessimist.  Neither side is truly right or wrong in their assessment.  You can either look at the remaining 6 games as all winnable or all losable and in either case you would be correct.  I prefer to look at this season as a glass half full.  Looking forward I see no reason why NU cant win each of the remaining games.  This is not a credit to The Huskers but a knock on the teams remaining on the schedule.  Will The Huskers finish the second half of the season 6-0?  History tells us no.  The Huskers wont have to win them all to come out on top in their division.  I believe NU is actually a good bet to win the division.  Here are a few reasons why.

The schedule is filled with better teams than NU has played but still nobody that is great.  Michigan is a great, big, inconsistent blob playing in a huge stadium, with a QB who has a hard time throwing and a strange number on his jersey.  Michigan State appeared to be getting the Offense together but then put up only 14 against Purdue at home.  Yes that same Purdue team that NU whacked in West Lafayette the previous week.  Northwestern appeared, for a time, like the most stable team.  That squad has lost 3 in a row including a clunker to Minnesota at home.  Don’t look now but on Saturday The Wildcats head to Iowa City to play a surprising Iowa team.  Negative momentum absolutely exists in College Football and I believe Northwestern is stuck with it right now.  Iowa and Penn State are 2 wildcards.  Penn State because the game is in Happy Valley, and Iowa because of their ability to run the ball with Mark Weisman.  The Huskers have not yet proven they can be sturdy against a strong running team.  Nebraska could beat each of these teams but they will not have to.  Attrition will occur within the division and I believe 1 loss will run away with this thing.  Hell, 2 losses, as long as they are not to crucial teams, should also win the division.  Each of these teams has warts, just like The Huskers, but there are more compelling reasons that NU will come out on top of the Legends division.

The Nebraska Defense took some serious lumps early in the season.  There was the near disaster to Wyoming, the 38-0 run allowed to UCLA, and falling behind early to South Dakota State.  These lumps shook any remaining faith Nebraska fans had in their inexperienced Defense.  But this unit has undergone a transformation of sorts.  Rather than expecting the front 4 to create pressure all the time, Nebraksa has rolled the dice with blitzes from all angles.  In addition this Defense has begun trusting its corners with tight man coverage.  In short this Defense has gone from a 2 gap bend but don’t break group, to an attacking pressure style Defense.  I believe this switch was long overdue and the early results are encouraging.  Going forward this Defense should continue to be effective as I see only 1 WR remaining on the schedule that cant be locked up 1 on 1 with Nebraska Corners.  Penn State WR Allen Robinson is as good a WR as you will find.  Through 6 games Robinson already has over 700 yards receiving and averages nearly 16.5 yards per reception.  I don’t worry about Jeremy Gallon and Benny Fowler, but Robinson has me waking up with a cold sweat.  Other than Robinson Nebraska can use this pressure style Defense to suffocate the remaining WRs on its schedule.  I believe this gives Nebraska a terrific chance to win its division and play for a Big 10 Title.

The Nebraska Offense gives me another reason to believe The Huskers will win their division.  Nebraska is the best Offense of the teams remaining on the schedule.  Don’t believe me?  Here are a couple of numbers that might surprise you.  Nebraska ranks 10th nationally in both points per game and rushing yards per game.  Ameer Abdullah ranks 8th nationally in rushing yards with 816 and 14th nationally at 7.2 yards per attempt.  Some folks don’t want to believe it but this is damn fine unit.  The return of a presumably healthy Taylor Martinez should only increase this Offense’s explosiveness.  There are 2 things that could slow and even halt this Offense in the 2nd half of the season.  First and foremost replacing Spencer Long will be no easy task.  Long has been a mainstay on the Offensive Line for 3 years and you don’t just replace a road grader like him.  That said Bo Pelini has been touting the depth of the Offensive Line since the spring.  We will see if he was blowing smoke or if that depth indeed exists.  Secondly, turnovers have been a bugaboo of the Taylor Martinez era.  Last year Martinez led the nation in fumbles and NU led the conference as well.  This has to be shored up.  Everyone says it has, but until I see it I will be skeptical.    Overall I expect this unit to be productive in the 2nd half of the season and be the bell cow for this Nebraska Football team as it attempts to win The Legends division for the 2nd year in a row.

Im not saying that Nebraska has a golden road to Indy.  There will no doubt be some problems along the way.  I would not be the least bit surprised to see Nebraska drop 1 if not 2 of its remaining games.  That said there is NO REASON why The Huskers cant win this division.  Winning this division is a must for a Nebraska program looking to get out of neutral and into the national spotlight.  Many Husker fans will scoff at that remark but you cant win championships if you do not play for them.  As we all know whacky things tend to happen in these neutral site championship games.  It is Bo Pelini’s job to get this team ready each and every week and to be playing for a Big 10 Title on December 7th in Indianapolis.  It will be here before you know it.

Huskers/Boilermakers

I understand this 44-7 shellacking of the Purdue Boilermakers has some Husker fans feeling really good about themselves.  Well allow me to be the fingernail in the cobb salad.  Consider these facts about the team that was blasted on Saturday.  Purdue came into Saturday 1-4, their only win was against Indiana State, The Boilermakers defeated Indiana St. by 6 points a week after Indiana hung 73 on them, Northern Illinois at one point led the Boilers 41-10, Purdue ranks 81st in passing yards, 116th in rushing,114th in points scored, and 112th in points against.  In short, this team stinks to high hell.  There is a good chance that this is one of the 2 worst teams NU will play this season.  Nevertheless this was a good, solid, but not perfect, win over a conference opponent.  When you play one of the muts the Big 10 provides, you have to beat the pants off of them.  To Nebraska’s credit, that was done on Saturday.

Offensively The Huskers rolled out Tommy Armstrong for his 3rd career start.  Purdue had easily the best Defense that he had faced.  Armstrong struggled in this one.  There was some miscommunication, a few errant passes, and some poor choices.  On the day Armstrong was 6 for 18 for 43 yards and 3 interceptions.  In short he played like a Freshman, imagine that.  Ron Kellogg looked much more comfortable out there.  Kellogg throws interior passes with tremendous accuracy, much like his QB coach Joe Ganz.  Kellogg is clearly a film room junkie.  The myriad of blitzes that Purdue brought did not confuse Kellogg.  The result was a more efficient attack under Kellogg.  This was not the Offensive machine we saw against Illinois.  There was a lack of rhythm all day long, regardless of who was under center.  The Huskers had problems getting a consistent push due to the Purdue Defensive front.  You wouldn’t know it by looking at some of the stats, but if you saw the game you could clearly see that the Nebraska O-line struggled.  Some of that was the Purdue front 7 who is pretty damn physical.  Those guys will hit you.  Time after time Ameer Abdullah and the Husker RBs were being hounded by Purdue defenders.  I cant help but think losing Spencer Long early affected Nebraska’s ability to get a consistent push.  Replacing Long will be a chore, for sure, and could have a major impact on how the season turns out.  Overall this was a decent outing by the Nebraska Offense.  Nothing spectacular, a ho-hum day at the office.

The Nebraska Defense played easily, far and away, its best game of the season.  If not for a 55 yard TD pass with :39 remaining, the Huskers would have had their first shut out in nearly 4 years.  As Ive mentioned, Purdue does have a pathetic, dog piss terrible, Offense.  Additionally, they were starting a first time QB is Danny Etling.  Etling was harassed all day long by a Nebraska Defensive Line that smelled blood in the water.  It was beautiful.  Randy Gregory, Jason Ankrah, Avery Moss, and about 5 other guys I could mention, all combined to hound Etling into a miserable performance he would like to forget.  Take out the long TD at the end, and the Boilers amassed a paltry 161 yards.  I don’t care how piss poor an Offense is, to hold them to 161 means you did something right.  Once Nebraska established a commanding lead, the Defense turned up the pressure with blitzes from all angles to further frustrate the Purdue Offense.  The Nebraska Defensive backs also pressured and smothered the Purdue receivers.  This too was effective as Etling was unable to throw to his receivers on hot routes.   Saturday was a very good day for The Husker Defense, especially when you consider where this unit was a month ago.  My one gripe on this feel good day is with the tackling.  Too often, particularly in the run game, a Nebraska defender will get a body on the ball carrier and not bring him down.  There will be opponents who consistently run the ball right into the teeth of the NU Defense and the Huskers will be forced to be sure tacklers.  I’m sure this is not lost on the staff.  I would be willing to bet that is a point of emphasis in the bye week.

Last week the word I used to describe Nebraska’s performance was “improvement.”  In most areas we saw more of that Saturday.  The Huskers need to improve each and every week from this point forward to achieve its season long goals.  Today was a good step.  Now comes a bye week.  Time to clean up some of the sloppiness, figure out who is going to replace Spencer Long, and assess the health of Taylor Martinez.  This division is even more wide open with losses by both Michigan and Northwestern.    Everything is in front of this club, its Bo Pelini’s job to get this squad ready for a Monster November.

Nebraska football commentary- Bye Week

Believe it or not Husker fans we are 1/3 of the way through the 2013 season.  Thus far the Huskers have had a near disaster (Wyoming), a total disaster (UCLA), a solid win over a craptacular opponent (Southern Miss), and an early scare from a lower division opponent (South Dakota State).  To say this squad has been disappointing to this point is accurate.  I, for one, had very high hopes entering the season.  Hell, I’m on record calling for NU to win its division.  At the time I made that prediction I was pretty damn confident.  That confidence is nearly gone.  The good news is all of The BIg Red’s goals are still on the table.  NU could still pull it together, catch fire and win its division and maybe even the conference.  The bad news is that the Defense has not made the kind of progress Husker fans would have hoped for and the Offense spends more time confusing itself than the opponent.  These are not good signs.  These 4 games have produced more storylines this early in the season,  than any season in recent memory.  Some of these stories have gotten lost in the wash over the last month.  A bye week is a good time to give my opinions on what I consider to be the biggest of these.

One big storyline amongst fans is a perceived QB controversy.  Many fans want to see Tommy Armstrong take the reigns of the Nebraska Offense.  I think this talk is silly.  I like Tommy Armstrong, I think he is going to be a good QB going forward.  It’s also good to have an adequate replacement in case the starter goes down.  Taylor Martinez is the QB of this team.  First he needs to get healthy.  I didn’t need a practice report to know he wasn’t right.  It was easy to see.  He lacked the burst we have grown accustomed to, and his footwork in the passing game indicated that something was wrong.  He has looked a lot like his sophomore campaign when he played with a bum ankle for the entire year.  When Taylor is healthy this is HIS JOB.  Tommy Armstrong may be the future, but last I checked we are playing in the present.  I don’t like the message it sends to bench your 4 year starter in favor of a redshirt Freshman.  That message is we are playing for next year.  I find it mind boggling that some fans watch basically half a game against South Dakota State and declare the QB they see is better than the one who is the school leader is total yards and passing.  The Jacks gave up 506 yards to Southeastern Louisiana, and 458 to North Dakota (not the team that beat KState).  It’s not like Armstrong was shredding a stellar Defense.  As usual the most popular guy in town is the backup QB.  I remember when Jamal Lord and Frankie London were going to be the next Heisman winners.  Lets hold the phone on Tommy Armstrong.  Give him another year to refine his craft.  If Martinez gets hurt, Armstrong can play.  For now this is Taylor Martinez’s team.

Another hot topic of conversation is the tape of Bo Pelini ranting about fans and media.  We have all heard it.  I don’t need to go into detail about what is said.  To those outraged I would like to ask a question: Have you ever said things you didn’t mean in the heat of the moment?  I would suggest that we are all guilty of this at one time or another.  Bo didn’t mean those things.  I know he didn’t because his actions speak louder than his words.  Tom Shatel, and Dirk Chatelain, the media members mentioned on the tape, both defended Bo.  They claim they have heard outbursts one minute and the next Bo is polite and accommodating.  Pelini has allowed both of these media members special access to the team at various times since the incident.  Does that sound like he hates these individuals?  As for the fans, I don’t believe Bo hates us either.  Remember the Northwestern game last year when Bo went over and thanked the fans, calling them “the difference in the game?”  At various times Bo has applauded the fans commitment and enthusiasm.  That is not to mention Nebraska Football’s most famous little fan Jack Hoffman.  While Bo is not solely responsible for NU football embracing that little guy, he did have a hand in it for sure.  Could Bo be more fan friendly?  Sure, of course he could.  But to think he hates the fans is foolish.  Should Bo be above such outbursts?  Probably.  But this is something I think we are all guilty of at some point or another.  The difference is when most of us are bitching about work there isn’t some booster with a tape recorder and an agenda.

To me the previously mentioned storylines from the first third of the year are merely window dressing.  There are far more pressing questions at this point.  For example: Is Bo Pelini the coach to take NU to the next level?  Is Coach Bo on the hot seat?  Will Bo be the Head Coach of the Huskers next year?  To me this is the meat and potatoes part of the conversation about Nebraska Football.  I do think that Bo is coaching for his job right now.  Does that mean he is on the hot seat?  I don’t think there is any doubt, particularly after this disappointing start.  It feels like this program has been stuck in neutral for going on 4 years now.  Bo deserves credit for bringing the program out of the wilderness of the Bill Callahan era. He did a great job righting the ship and bringing NU to an above average level.  That was late 2009 by my watch.  Here in 2013 it appears this program has gotten stale.  Somewhere along the line The Huskers have turned into an under achieving bunch.  That falls directly at the feet of the coaching staff.  I don’t think these facts are lost upon NU fans and boosters.  It is Bo Pelini’s job to take us to the next level.  At this point fans and administration have been more than patient.  I think Bo needs to win this division to keep his job.  It is WIDE OPEN.  There are no monsters in this division.  Michigan looks more and more average by the day, Sparty can’t score, and Northwestern has to go through the wood chipper just to be in the conversation.  There are NO excuses.  If this Nebraska team can’t win this division with everything on its side, then it is a failure by the coaching staff and they may pay for it with their jobs.  Nebraska is a top tier program, for too long now it has been mired in the middle.  If Bo Pelini is not the man to take Nebraska Football to a championship level, then its time to find the man who is.

NU/South Dakota St. recap

Let me set the scene for you.  The score is 17-14, Jack Rabbits.  This guy is pacing the floor.  Every play Im cussing out the TV.  My wife is continually telling me to knock off the swearing.  South Dakota State is knocking the Huskers off the ball time and time again.  They look like the more physical, better conditioned team.  I must admit this was about the most helpless moment I can remember as a Husker fan.  I sent a text to a close friend of mine that the Big Red was doomed.  It wasn’t an over reaction, I meant it.  Nebraska was being dominated by the South Dakota State Offense.  From that point on The Huskers outscored The Jackrabbits 45-3.  You could not have convinced me, in a million years, that this was possible at that moment.  Yet it did.  This is the life of a Husker fan in 2013.

Defensively, it was ugly early for the Big Red.  Zach Zenner was running all over the porous Nebraska Defense.  Zenner ran for over 200 yards on the day.  The Jack Rabbits balanced attack had the Huskers on their heels.  Before you could blink they had 17 points.  I was worried, very worried.  The Huskers adjusted by bringing pressure.  Soon, Zaire Anderson, David Santos, and Corey Cooper began appearing in the Jackrabbits backfield.  Corners, Safeties, and Linebackers were being sent at various times to pressure the South Dakota State Offense.  There were 2 interceptions and 5 sacks along with countless hurries that frustrated the South Dakota State Offense.  As a Husker fan tired of the same old, same old, this was very, very refreshing.  Randy Greggory, Avery Moss, and others were getting pressure by pinning their ears back in obvious passing downs.  The coverage also adjusted by tightening up on South Dakota State receivers.  The result was a Defense that was not impenetrable, but rather was physical enough to get pressure on the QB and limit the run.  Once the Jacks were made one dimensional the Husker Defense could bring out the wolves.  It was a sight for sore eyes.  Ive been critical of John Papuchis and Bo Pelini in recent weeks, so I must give them credit for making the appropriate adjustments to slow down the opposing Offense.

Offensively the Huskers were just too much for the Jacks.  It was apparent early and often that the South Dakota State Defense could not keep up with the Huskers skill position players.  The Husker Offense put an enormous amount of pressure on South Dakota State to keep up as the game wore on.  By the 3rd quarter the game was a roster test as to who was catching the ball.  11 different Huskers caught a pass in this game.  11, That is mind blowing.  The big story will be the dual QB system the Huskers employed with the injury to Taylor Martinez.  Both Ron Kellogg III and Tommy Armstrong Jr. were very good, considering the mismatches the skill position players created.  Kellogg was 8/9 for136 and a TD and Armstrong was 12/15 for 169 and a TD.  Armstrong looked more explosive than Kellogg particularly in the run game, while Kellogg was more heady.  To me Kellogg looks a lot like Joe Ganz with his air tight throws to the seam and timely runs in the middle.  If it were up to me I would play Kellogg over Armstrong, but neither over a 100% Taylor Martinez.  The Huskers amassed 335 yards rushing, including 139 from Ameer Abdullah, and 60 from Imani Cross.  Overall I have absolutely no complaints about the Offense.  On this day it did what it couldnt do in recent weeks.  That is carry the torch for the team and put pressure on the opposing Offense.  I think Tim Beck did a fine job of slimming down the playbook and then playing to each QB’s strength.  Saturday was clearly his best job calling plays on the season.

Husker fans lets not break out the champagne over this one.  Ill admit there were nervous times but that doesn’t mean we should go overboard over this win.  This is a damn fine team for what it is, a lower division opponent.  The Jacks deserve credit for coming into Lincoln and playing their asses off.  They were not here to simply collect a check.  For that they have my respect.  That said, its still not an apples to apples comparison when it comes to talent.  So save the Gatorade bathes and congratulations for another day.

NU/Southern Miss recap

Exhale.  Yes that was a big relief.  Believe it or not this Big Red fan was pacing, nervous, prior to the game.  At the time I was following the Wyoming game (along with about 10 others), and was discouraged by what I was seeing.  What if this team struggles tonight?  What if we were to lose?  What kind of downward spiral might we be in for?  Well I am happy to say that those fears have been alleviated.  The Huskers played a pretty decent game tonight.  In many ways this game felt the way last Saturday should have felt.  Make no mistake, this performance was far from perfect but it gives a fan hope. So here is a breakdown of what I saw last night.

Defensively I saw improvement.  That is the best way to describe it.  I saw defenders flying to the ball, making tackles, forcing turnovers, and generally being disruptive.  That was very encouraging.  Nebraska had 12 tackles for loss on the night, a remarkable improvement from game 1.  Stanley Jean-Baptiste’s pick 6 was food for the soul.  I was so happy to see a Nebraska Defender break on the ball and make a play.  Ciante Evans added 2 picks for a total of 4 on the night.  That is a good sign.  The pass rush was considerably more effective this week than last.  Only one sack was recorded but Allan Bridgford was peeling himself off the ground all night.  Randy Greggory appeared to live in the Southern Miss backfield.  I thought the overall tackling by the Defense was also better.  All of the things I have mentioned are good signs, but I have some bones to pick.  First off can we ditch this 3-4 walk around Defensive End look?  It doesn’t work.  I thought the Defense performed best when there were 4 defined Defensive Lineman.  This look was also markedly better against the run.  There were also a couple of times I saw Avery Moss (#94) covering the RB on a wheel route.  This has to stop.  Any team worth its salt (Southern Mess doesn’t qualify here) will torch this all day, every day.  Yes this is a nice wrinkle if you have the personnel.  Defensive Ends with the ability to cover Running Backs down the field like that don’t grow on trees.  Avery Moss appears to be a nice player but for Christ’s sake, just let him play Defensive End.  Overall Defensively this was a good night, but this unit had better have another good week of practice because the first real test of the season comes to town the next weekend.

As for the Offense, I have to say I was pretty disappointed.  Sure 42 points and 479 yards of offense are fine on paper but it was the way this crew got there that I found disappointing.  2 of the Huskers first 3 possessions were 3 and outs.  For an offense as acclaimed as this one, against a team as poor as this one, these facts are unacceptable.  I came into this game with high expectations for the Offensive Line and was thoroughly disappointed.  Too often there was penetration in both the run and passing games.  The Southern Miss pass rush wont be confused for the New York Giant’s anytime soon, but still Taylor appeared to be hurried far too often.  Speaking of Taylor, he did not look sharp at all despite his 3 TD passes.  Martinez missed a couple of open receivers and still did not run with the kind of authority he ran with last year.  I will say he looked healthy with no residual pain from last week, which is good.  It was also great to see some of the backups.  In particular I enjoyed seeing Jordan Westercamp, Tommy Armstrong and on the O-line Ryne Reeves.  I suppose you could say it was a decent performance by the Offense but I expect much more from this particular unit.

I hate to be a wet blanket here but amidst all the excitement we must remember that Southern Miss has now lost 14 games in a row.  Their last win was the 2011 Hawaii bowl.  Last week they put up 15 points on a Texas State team that is new to the FBS.  Things are not good in Hattiesburg right now.  But you play who is on the schedule and the Huskers looked like a decent, if not perfect, team on Saturday evening.  Next week the UCLA Bruins roll into town for a mid day showdown.

Nebraska/Southern Miss-What to watch for

A week after the worst performance to open a season in recent memory, The Nebraska Cornhuskers take the field for their second game of the season against Southern Miss.  The Golden Eagles have a 13-game losing streak and are coming off an embarrassing home loss to Texas State.  In that affair Southern Miss turned the ball over six times including two interceptions by Allan Bridgford, a QB transfer from Cal, who also accounted for 377 yards passing in the loss.  This is the perfect game for Nebraska to come out, kick ass, and right the ship before a week three showdown with the UCLA Bruins.  Here are a few things to keep an eye on:

*Pass Rush- The Nebraska pass rush was inadequate in game one against Wyoming.  Sure there were moments where pressure was achieved but they were far too seldom and did not result in a sack.  Much of this has been credited to Wyoming’s QB Brett Smith who was elusive and quick to throw the ball.  But how much of that was Smith and how much was the lack of consistent pressure?  Randy Greggory, Jason Ankrah, and Avery Moss MUST get pressure on Southern Miss QB Allan Bridgford.  Bridgford is not elusive, is not a running threat, and is basically a statue back there waiting to get sacked.  If the front four cant get to him on Saturday night, then its time to worry.

*Defensive Organization- Time after time against Wyoming, NU appeared to be out of position or not prepared Defensively.  Too often the Defense was not set as the ball was being snapped.  There was also a lack of discipline in the zone read game.  This disorganization is a very bad sign.  If Nebraska is to fix its Defensive woes, it must start with the organization.  I don’t want to see blown coverages, players not getting set before plays, or an overall look of confusion this time around.  This falls directly on the coaching staff.

* Offensive Line- It’s hard to pick on a unit that produced the holes for 375 rushing yards against Wyoming, but I know this group can improve.  In fact they must improve upon last Satuday’s performance.  Too often at critical moments in the game the Offense could not get that needed yard.  That falls on the big uglies up front.  I expect a big game from this unit.  Perhaps this wont be reflected in the stat line at games end, but you should be able to see the improvement.

*Taylor Martinez’s Health- Martinez and the coaches did what they so often do when it comes to injuries.  They down play , if not flat out deny, them.  If you watch the game, the film doesn’t lie.  Taylor was clearly holding his shoulder in the second half.  It is as plain as the nose on your face.  If Martinez isn’t healthy, they should get him healthy with  needed rest.  If he is alright, his actions should show it.  Martinez is a very big part of this offense. His absence would spell big trouble long term.

*Who totes the rock?- I thought the ball distribution in the running game last Saturday was encouraging.  Ameer Abdullah carried the ball 19 times, Imani Cross had 13 carries and true Freshman Terrell Newby had 15.  I don’t believe in giving Abdullah, who is without question the #1 back, the kind of load Rex Burkhead used to get.  I really liked the way Imani Cross looked.  He seemed more nimble but still ran like a runaway truck.  Newby showed a good deal of promise with those carries.  I also like the notion of getting a back with fresh legs in the game as they did with Newby in the second half.  The distribution of carries is one of the best things I saw last Saturday.  I have to wonder if this is an isolated incident or a sign of things to come.  I’m obviously hoping for the latter.

*Killer Instinct- If the Huskers were to get a lead, as they did against the Cowboys, it is imperative that they put their opponent away.  This is what good teams do.  Nebraska had a 31-14 and a 37-21 lead in that contest and in both instances kept the Cowboys in the game.  The players themselves after the game admitted to losing focus.  It’s up to the Captains and the staff to make it clear that when you have an opponent down you MUST step on its collective throat and put the game away.  Nebraska simply did not do that against the Cowboys.

This game comes at the right time.  The Big Red should fix the kinks in last weeks game, and soundly defeat an undermanned opponent.  I’ll call for the Huskers to do just that and roll 56-17.

NU/Wyoming recap

WOW just WOW.  Nebraska could have easily lost that game.  Easily.  To Wyoming, freaking Wyoming.  A team that finished 4-8 last year and had a Defense in the bottom 10 nationally.  Consider that Wyoming missed a FG and turned the ball over in the red zone.  Thats not to mention the last possession of the game which in my mind was mismanaged by the Cowboys.  Overall this was a disgusting and disheartening performance by the Huskers.  Owch.

Offensively the Huskers were very blah.  The running backs overall looked pretty good but the holes weren’t there as frequently as I was anticipating.  The Offensive line was mediocre.  That may be kind.  At times they moved defenders and provided space, but when the game was on the line, or crucial yardage was needed the room wasn’t there.  I find this especially disappointing from a unit that returns 3 starters.  Taylor Martinez was OK to pretty good depending on your scale.  I don’t hold the pick against him as it looked like the receiver ran the wrong route. I may need to look at it again.  Martinez only had 155 yards passing but did have 3 TDs.  What I find concerning is the apparent injury.  Martinez held his left shoulder early in the 3rd and did so through the remainder of the game.  He was never the same.  It is imperative that this injury is not serious as I believe NU’s chances of winning any kind of championship hinge on his performance.  Ameer Abdullah was good, but not great.  he ran for 114 yards but 62 came on one play.  Take out that play and he runs for 52 yards on 18 carries.  That comes out to less than 3 yards per carry which isn’t good.  The bright spot was Imani Cross and Terrell Newby who ran for 105 and 76 yards respectively.  Overall it was a ho hum day at the office for an offense I have very high hopes for going forward.  It goes without saying I was pretty disappointed.

The Defense was atrocious.  There is no sugar coating it.  The Cowboys amassed 602 yards of total offense.  That is an astronomical figure considering the Huskers only gained 530 on the night.  Bo Pelini and his staff had better figure some things out in the next couple of weeks.  There was no part of the Defense that was good.  The most disheartening part is how Dave Christensen seemed to out scheme Bo Pelini and John Papuchis all night long.  For the better part of the first half the Cowboys would send a RB or WR In motion to the flat to clear out the middle and then run to the middle.  This was very effective and maddening for Husker fans.  The staff should have been able to adjust far sooner than they did.  The revamped D-line was perhaps the biggest disappointment.  Randy Greggory and Avery Moss looked good at times, but neither was able to get to Bret Smith.  Likewise the Husker DTs, and there were alot of them, continually were unable to shed blocks to stop the run.  Overall this amounts to a poor performance by the Husker D-line.  This must change.  It all starts up front for the Defense.  If the Huskers cant create pressure, or stop the run with the front 4 the rest of the Defense will suffer.  The LBs were also ineffective.  Too many times particularly early on David Santos was either out of position or would miss a tackle.  For the Defensive Staff of the Huskers this has to be unacceptable.  If there isn’t a night and day difference in the next few weeks it is going to be a very long fall in Huskerland.

Another item I find concerning is the fact that the Big Red had at one point a sizeable lead and took their foot off the gas.  That is not a good sign.  When NU was up 37-21 and driving, they should have put their foot on the Cowboys collective throat.  Instead they opened the door up with a turnover and allowance of a TD.  Too often early and late it seemed the squad was uninspired.  In particular the beginning of the game was uninspired.  This team is not good enough to come out snoozing as they did last night.