I would be a little surprised if there were a ton of points scored.  By the Bowl Game, there are lots of reels of tape to study and the Offenses have had a lot of time off.  Usually quality Defenses have an advantage in Bowl Games…I said quality.  That doesn’t include Baylor or Washington.

One key is keeping Gamecock QB, Connor Shaw, from making plays with his feet.  The former high school option quarterback has adapted his game to Steve Spurrier’s offense.  He’s passed for 1218 yards and run for 483 yards.  His real strength lies in his leadership and stability.  He certainly isn’t the best athlete that NU has to stop, but he may be the most important.

Watch the matchup between Alfonzo Dennard and Alshon Jeffery.  Jeffery is a big time, big play receiver who will play on Sundays.  Dennard has taken on some great receivers one-on-one this year and can raise his NFL stock even more with a big day.  Jeffery has 6’4” and 229 pounds.  Dennard is only 5’10” but packs a lot of muscle on his 205lb frame.

The Gamecocks have lost three straight Bowl games and have vowed that they have learned from their mistakes.  The Huskers embarrassing performance last year in the Holiday Bowl vs Washington increases their desire to end this season right.

Prior to every Bowl, it’s fun to see what wrinkles have been put in by the Offenses.  Nebraska has done a lot of different things this year so I would be surprised if there is anything to different from what we have seen this year.  With the strength of the Carolina Defense being the front, especially the DE’s, I would think that it will be difficult to get the edge on straight-forward run plays.  Some formation and scheme-trickery might have to be used to create some openings.  The one advantage that NU might have is that although SC has seen some great athletes in the SEC, the Offensive diversity is not widespread.  The key will be to have the ball enough to get into an Offensive rhythm…we did that in the second half against Ohio State and Michigan St, we DIDN’T vs Wisconsin and Michigan.

Winning Bowl Games is about which team prepares better and which team really WANTS it more than the other.  The difficult thing is that most of us don’t have the luxury of watching the practices and preparation.  It’s a crapshoot and a guessing game.

Under the category of “What I’d Love to See:

Jamal Turner getting some touches in the open field.

Rex with 25 touches in a variety of ways…catches, Wildcat, toss sweeps, inside zones.

Kenny Bell running behind the athletic SC Secondary.

No turnovers and good decisions with the football from T Martinez.

Two interceptions from the Blackshirts.

A Defensive Front that is flying to the ball and making plays.

Of course, a win over a well-respected SEC team.

I think that athletically, we are at a disadvantage.  I’m not sure we are the best team but that certainly doesn’t mean we can’t win.  As usual, the team that makes the least mistakes and makes the most plays usually wins.

Good luck to Carl Pelini as he takes his talents down to South Beach or thereabouts.  Our friend Marvin Sanders with be running his Defense.   Ross Watson (Shawn’s son) will get his first real paying gig, and there might be another familiar name or two that pops up on that staff.  Along with Ohio and Liberty (where Turner G ended up), Florida Atlantic will now be on the radar of many of us.  I think Carl will win there, which could lead him to bigger and better things.  The time was right for him to move on to a Head Coaching job.

Welcome to Rick Kaczenski, hired away from Iowa Univ to coach the D-Line.  He sure looks like a great fit…played at Notre Dame, lots of Big 10 coaching experience, successful recruiting experience in Ohio-Pennsylvania-South Florida, and a history of developing players.  I look forward to meeting him and watching him make this program better.

Not surprisingly, Coach JP will take over the Defensive Coordinator position.  All of the people who wanted a “splash” hire names Stoops or Zook don’t understand the chemistry and systems that have to be in place to complete a successful staff.  This is Bo Pelini’s Defense.  Just because the Blackshirts weren’t up to the normal standards doesn’t mean that wholesale changes are needed.  It is very difficult to integrate a former head coach into the staff as a subordinate piece of the puzzle.  Sometimes a “big name” disrupts more than he fixes.

Ross Els has come a long way, huh?  From Hastings College to Special Teams Coordinator at UNL is a nice advancement.  Ross can coach and organize and the spotlight will be on him heavily from this point on.  The way that the Huskers handle their Special Teams though included all of the assistants so even though he will be the primary organizer, he will have a braintrust around him.

Finally, the Recruiting Coordinator spot has not been announced as of yet.  John Papuchis did an exceptional job of this as well as we have seen Nebraska get into the homes of some very special high school players over the last couple of years.  This class, although small, has a chance to be very special when it comes to quality…depending on how the last month or so shake out.  Recruiting is always a drama but the job of the Coordinator is to organize, identify talent, and get players on campus to visit.  I’m  not sure anyone has done a better job of that than JP so there are some big shoes to fill.

Tuesday was the first Bowl practice and on the injury front, things look a little better.  Ben Cotton was back although he was sporting a big brace for his arm.  Brent Qvale and Brandon Thompson were back practicing at Guards, a spot that looked like a MASH unit a month ago.  Khiry Cooper, who hadn’t practiced since PSU, was running around as well.  On the down side, Aurora native Andrew Rodriquez did not make the trip to Orlando as his foot injury hasn’t healed enough to play.   I’m sure that Taylor Martinez and Rex Burkhead haven’t been this healthy in a long time either.  I guess that is one good thing to having so much time between the end of the regular season and the bowl game.

Quote from Bo, “ We want the players to enjoy themselves, but know why you came.  We’re down here to win a football game.”  Has any coach in bowl game history ever said, “You know what, this is a vacation…winning doesn’t matter.  This is a nice, fun time for our team and coaches.”  Although some are very true, MANY clichés come out during bowl preparation.  Let me go ahead and give you some more that I’m sure you’ll see  before Jan 2^nd.

“This team has great character and leadership and we want to end this season right.”

“We are playing this game for the Seniors and for what they have given to the program.”

“We are playing a great opponent, but it’s not about them, it’s about us and execution.”

“This is a business trip.  We are here to enjoy ourselves, but our main goal is to win.”

Bowl Game Blog #1 in the books…it sure is nice to be playing in Florida in January, huh?

Take a look at the top statistical LBs in Husker history-

1. Barrett Ruud

2. Jerry Murtaugh

3. Lee Kunz

4. Clete Pillen

6. Steve Damkroger

7. Ed Stewart

8. Marc Munford

9. Jim Wightman

10. Mike Knox

A real dilemma occurred when someone asked me if I thought LaVonte David was the best Linebacker in Nebraska Football history.  Here are my thoughts…

Can you imagine Jerry Murtaugh or Mike Knox covering a Running Back on a wheel pattern out of the background?  Clete Pillen, one of my all time favorites, and Steve Damkroger would have struggled mightily to cover an inside receiver in the Spread Offense.  Lee Kunz, Marc Munford, and Jim Wightman could run but were also outmatched when it came to matching skill players in the open field.  Ed Stewart was more versatile than most on the list, but just didn’t combine the total package of blitzing, pass coverage and inside gap responsibility.  Barrett Ruud, the top Tackler on the list, was constantly around the ball and has obviously had a very good pro career, but his over-all playmaking ability lacks behind Lavonte Davids.  While his play was consistent, when it comes to number of big time play in big time games and situations, he falls behind #4.

If you look over the entire body of work, THAT is where it gets tough to compare.  LaVonte David was a two year player coming out of a JUCO.  How do you judge overall productivity when some of the players on the list played at Nebraska two more years?  This turns into a quality versus quantity argument and there isn’t really a right or wrong answer.

My opinion is that NO Linebacker over a two year period was better than LaVonte David.  He blitzed from the inside and out.  He filled A and B gaps.  He covered slot receivers on crossing patterns.  He stuck to running backs out of the backfield.  He chased running/mobile QBs  all over the field.  He intercepted passes.  He caused fumbles.  He made huge 3^rd and 4^th down tackles after taking on blockers.  He ran sideline to sideline to chase the ball.   WHAT MORE DO YOU WANT???

He is #1 on my list…argument anyone?

I know this isn’t a surprise to anyone, but the stars of this game were the same guys who have led NU all year.  I ‘ll go into more details later in the week involving my  man-crush on him, but what LaVonte David has done for the Huskers the past two seasons is nothing but spectacular.  Once again, LD was all over the field…8 tackles, a sack, 2 pass break ups, caused fumble and subsequent recovery, plus covering RBs-TEs-Recs ALL over the field.  Seemingly every week he makes a play that would make ANY highlight reel.  Meanwhile on the Offensive side of the ball, it was Rex being Rex.  Superman had 160yds on 38 carries.  He constantly is making those little cuts and jukes followed by slashing power where the play always seems to end in another yard or two.  I can’t say enough about him and his effort.  He was simply…Rex.

The amount of injuries that this team has withstood would’ve crumbled many teams.  There are so many guys hurting that the training budget might be looking for a “Sugar Daddy”.  On the first play from scrimmage, Baker Steinkuhler and Terrance Moore went down.  Taylor Martinez tweeked an ankle in the 1^st Q, which hampered his mobility.  Rex B couldn’t find a part of his body that wasn’t injured but his foot would’ve kept lesser players on the sideline.  Eric Martin couldn’t play because of injury.  Ben Cotton was relegated to cheerleader in a shoulder sling beside future NFL-er Jared Crick.  Offensive Tackles, Marcel Jones and Yoshi Hardrick were both helped off the field during the game.  Every team has injuries, but this sort bad luck has been above and beyond normal.  Again, a ton of credit has to be given to this team and its resiliency.  Many squads and programs would have folded the tent on the season.

After the first couple of punts, I wondered who had kidnapped Brett Maher.  He bounced back from a 16 yarder (that clocked an unsuspecting security guard on the melon) to booming several field-position changing kicks later in the game.  Plus, he remained perfect for FGs inside of 50 yards…16 for 16 now.

How nice is it to have a speedy receiver who can make a play?  It’s even better when he is a redshirt frosh.  Kenny Bell caught 5 for 93 and a spectacular diving 3^rd down grab.  Even though he has dropped some balls and made some mistakes, he has kept battling.  Don’t worry, Kenny, I also see you improving on that whole blocking thing too.  There were several times when he flat out locked up Cornerbacks in the running game.  I see Jamal Turner learning from Bell’s attitude, effort, and demeanor and those two becoming real weapons next season.

While talking about attitude and effort, I have to comment on Brandon Kinnie.  We have been critical of his drops and productivity throughout the year.  I know the season wasn’t quite what he had imagined, but throughout, his Leadership and encouragement toward the younger players has been inspiring.  When Quincy Enunwa caught a 3^rd down hitch to move the chains, there was BK right there yelling and cheering from the sideline.  THAT kind of character means a lot.  It’s easy to be a Leader when things are going well for you and the team.  It’s not so easy when things are tough.

There are certain players who quietly have been a big part of good things this season.  Ciante Evans has improved while learning the Nickel and inside spot…he will be very valuable in the next couple years.  It’s been a long time since we have had a “thumper”  like T Legate.  I LOVED the collisions that he had with those Iowa Linebackers.  Andrew Green took some early lumps at Corner this year, but has learned a bunch.  He finished with 6 tackles and has really looked like a more confident athlete the past few weeks.

Kyler Reed caught his first TD of the year on a very well designed “dump/pop” pass off the QB follow-play action.  Two plays earlier, Tim Beck had Martinez had run a QB keep with the sole purpose of setting up the TE pass over the LB after the fake.  There really wasn’t a ton of multiple looks to the Offense as injuries affected the plan.  There was more 5 receiver/0 backs than we have seen but there was a steady diet of old-time I Formation multiple TEs with short sided toss plays, ISOs, and G-Power plays to the outside.  You could see that Beck wanted to try to attack the Flank of the Hawkeye Defense with Jet Sweeps and Outside Speed runs.  Again, Option was a bigger part of the plan until Taylor M dinged his ankle.

GOOD NUMBERS –

88 – # of Rushing Yards by the Hawkeyes.  A key part of shutting Iowa down.

2/12 – 3^rd down conversions for Iowa…kind of looked like NU last week vs Michigan

37:47 – Another reversal from last week as NU hung on to the ball, sustained drives, and controlled the Line of Scrimmage.

38 – Record setting # of carries Rex had in the game.  Did you remember that Cory Ross had that record vs Michigan St in an Alamo Bowl.

4 for 29 – Catches and Yard from Marvin McNutt, who will play on Sundays.  Credit “Fonz” Dennard for shutting him down.

Quotes –

“Our team was very upset w/ ourselves for the way we played in that Mich game.  Just because we didn’t play our best football, no one on our team made an excuse.  No one pointed a finger.  Everybody, on a short week, came back and approached it the right way. “ —- Bo Pelini

“That was a group of warriors today.  We’re a beat up football team.  We have a lot of guys that were hurt, a lot of guys that had to play a ton of snaps because of other guys being hurt.” —Pelini

9 win season!  Is that “good enough”?  Should we be happy with just 9 wins?  More on that later in the week, but for now.  Congratulations to the Seniors who have been through more than any other group when it comes to facing adversity and change.  Their character is solid, they do things the right way, they have proudly battled through every bit of adversity.

You want to throw Coaches under the bus?  Go ahead.  You want to quit?  Feel free.  You want to act like you are more disappointed than the players & coaches?  Go for it.  All I know is that this is College Football and here comes another game.  Here comes another challenge and whining about it, crying about it, pointing fingers at people is NOT the way to get this thing better by Friday.

Is there any good news?  Maybe, maybe not.  There are a lot of  you that don’t think there is any.  Possibly, you are ready to be a “fan” of another team.  You are tired of disappointments and tired of losing.  OK then, stop reading and click on to another Link or another Blog that likes to identify problems (the easy part) but not offer any real suggestions other than “fire everybody” or “cut them all”.  Meanwhile, the rest of us have to take a look at that mess that was NU vs Mich 2011.

Talk about ugly numbers.  How about these?

3 -  Fumbles Lost.  All deep in our own territory and all leading to Michigan scores.

4 -  Number of Personal Fouls on the Huskers.  Were they all correct calls?  No!  Do they need to be eliminated anyway?  Yes!

3 -  Successful 3^rd Down conversions by NU.  The problem wasn’t just 3^rd down though.  Poor early down success, penalties, and poor blocking led to lots of 3^rd and longs.

10 – Rex Burkhead’s carries.  I’m not criticizing Tim Beck because when you run so few Offensive plays, it’s tough to get any tempo or rhythm to the play calling.

54 – Total number of Offensive plays ran by the Huskers.  Bad pitches, penalties, dropped passes, poor protection by the O-Line all contributed to the mess.

18:39 – How much time NU had the ball compared to 41:13 for Michigan.  No wonder the Defense was tired in the 4^th Q.

The Special Teams play, which had been stellar most of the season was a disaster.  Two fumbled KO’s (one of the worst Turnovers in Fball) happened twice by two different Returners.  There was a dropped snap which led to a blocked punt then led to a MU touchdown.  A fake field goal, one which NU practiced against worked.  A personal foul on a Punt & a block in the back on  KO Return cost NU valuable field position.  A very questionable Roughing the Punter penalty after NU had finally picked up some momentum in the 4^th Q was a killer.  A poor call by the official, but still another mistake.  Execution was bad.  Focus was bad.  Special Teams was a big factor in this loss.

If LaVonte David doesn’t win the Butkus Award, there should be an investigation.  I’m not sure there has been a better LB at NU…ever.  Saturday was a perfect example…17 tackles, blitzing, chasing receivers, filling holes, running down Denard Robinson…he is something else.

Terrance Moore played inspired football on the day of his father’s funeral.  His tipped pass, interception, attempted pitch was one of the few Defensive highlights.

The Offensive highlights were few, but the 3 yd Touchdown play in the 3^rd Q was maybe the coolest play from scrimmage I’ve ever seen.  It was a Zone Read handoff from Martinez to Burkhead who then option-pitched the ball off the unblocked force man to Abdullah.  Urban Meyer who has studied about every play and option imaginable who dumbfounded and impressed in the broadcast booth.   The other nice twist was the Diamond Set Zone Fake play-action to BK for the opening TD.  Tim Beck has some creativity…you gotta give him that.

Does anyone have any ideas of how to keep receivers from dropping the ball?  Kyler Reed, Tim Marlowe, Kenny Bell, and Quincy Enunwa all had ball catching-fumbling issues.  Ouch and Yuck!!!

Michigan did a nice job of disguising who was going to run and who was dropping into coverage.  With so many passing downs, UM had a lot of opportunities to dial up different looks.  There aren’t very many teams who can overcome 3^rd and 11, 7, 15, 25, 5, 6, 10, 4, 7, and 8…those were the failed 3^rd down distances.

Ok people,  purge yourself of the debacle in the Big House.  Don’t look now but Iowa is coming to town and rumor has it that their fans could REALLY be a pain in the butt for 364 days if the Corn doesn’t win.  Who am I kidding, their fans will be a pain no matter what happens on Friday.  As bad as 8-3 sounds to most of us, 8-4 in the regular season is just yucky.  All I know is that the character of this team and this staff is really going to be tested this week.  Short week, tons of injuries, the hope of a Division or League title gone…I hope the team is more resilient than the “Fans”.  I hope, I hope, I hope.

I do know that I wanted to watch Penn State and Nebraska play on Saturday afternoon and try to forget about all of the garbage and nonsense that I’d heard over the past week.  I wanted blocking and tackling and play-calling to help me push aside thoughts of horrific acts against children.   I realized as I saw the pregame prayer led by one of my personal heroes, Ron Brown, that I needed perspective…I needed clarity…and I needed a reminder of what we can control and what we can’t.  I was reminded that sometimes it takes horrible things to bring people together.  That moment when I saw players and coaches kneeling together to listen to a man deliver a message while talking to God, I  felt a comfort and a peace that I had been missing since the onslaught of terrible accusations against a monster of a man, a University, and a legendary Head Coach.   Thank you, Ron Brown and GOOD people who reminded us that God is in control even during chaotic times.

On to football…

Nebraska found a way to deal with distractions and did just enough to win against an inspired and brave Nittany Lions.  This was Big 10 football at it’s finest with 15 punts, 11/32 3^rd Down Conversions, and  almost identical Team stats.

The key to being a great coach is knowing your team…it’s strengths/weaknesses, what they can do and how much is too much.   It was obvious that the NU Offensive Coaches felt that just lining up and trying to run through this PSU team was a bad idea.  There must have been 15 or so different Offensive sets i.e.  Wildcat with Rex, Rex under center at QB, Taylor M at I-back as the pitch man as well as at Split End, Empty Backfields, Traditional I Formation, Diamond Formation, moving Kyler Reed out wide to take advantage of his strength vs Cornerbacks, Zone Read, Option, Screen Passes, Option Passes…I could go on and on.  Remember, Tim Beck can’t control dropped passes, missed blocks, or botched assignments, which have been the problems when this Offense stalls.  The diversity and play-calling have been such an improvement over the past few years.

Speaking of dropped passes…I hate them.  I loathe them and for the life of me, can’t understand how they can keep happening.  Nothing fixes the “drops” more than hard-work and repetitions before practice, during practice, and after practice.  It is concentration, focus, and muscle memory.  The only way I know how to fix them is hard work.

I’m not sure what the Taylor Martinez critics are currently saying (I don’t listen to the haters or the lovers).  All I know is that #3 has developed a TON over the past year and a half.  His decision-making and leadership makes all the difference in the world.  I don’t want to hear about his passing mechanics…I don’t care if he throws it underhanded.  He has been getting the ball to the right place and keeping it away from the guys in the other jerseys.  He is never going to be Johnny Unitas…all he needs is to be the best Taylor Martinez he can be.  Keep working, keep battling, keep developing.  I like to think that having Joe Ganz around him is helping.

LaVonte David is a STUD!  I wouldn’t trade him for anyone.  That play he made on 4^th and 1 in the 4^th Q was All-American like.

When PSU receiver Curtis Drake caught a ball off of another receiver for a 31 yd gain in the 1^st Q, I was thinking that it might not be our day.  Glad we didn’t lose because of that.

It’s nice to see Kyler Reed back in the mix…he is a tough matchup.  I’m not sure how hurt Ben Cotton is but our TE corps are a bit thin.  Jake Long did a nice job filling in but it sure would be nice to have Ben and Kyler both healthy next week.  Speaking of hurting…to get through the game with only two legitimate Offensive Guards is tough.  Spencer Long and Seung Hoon Choi pulled yeomen’s duty by taking all 74 snaps.  Our Defensive Line was also thin as Chase Rome was still hurting but Moore, Meredith, and Martin combined for 14 tackles and played very well in a tough and physical battle.  November football in the Big 10 means that there are very few players who aren’t dinged or banged up.

Will Compton made 13 tackles and even though he wasn’t perfect, he played well in a style that fits his strengths.  By the way, re-watch the 4^th & 1 play late (where L. David makes the stop).  Will C. ran a “gut blitz” and was absolutely tackled before he could make the play.  The officials swallowed their whistles on that one or else just flat out missed it.

Not since watching 8 man football have I seen a QB pitch the ball and then lead block in the hole for a TD.  One more play to add to the Rex Burkhead “He is Amazing” file.

A game ball goes to Brett Maher and his punting.  The former Bearcat averaged 45 yds on eight punts.  One went 61 yds and five landed inside the PSU 20 yd line.  Field position in these kind of games is essential!

I loved the call but hated the result on our big turnover in the 4^th Q when Rex and Tyler Legate lost the ball.   We had run G-Option with Rex at QB with some success and the Linebackers were flowing so the call was a G-Trap to the FB.  I could definitely see the logic behind the formation and call.  Unfortunately, the PSU lineman anticipated the snap and shot the correct gap. The OT didn’t get his head across and we fumbled.  Sometimes the difference in a great call/great play and a turnover is a very small amount.

I would love to talk to the Offensive staff about the decision in the 4^th Q to continue with the hurry-up tempo even though ahead two scores.  The fast tempo has led to us wearing down defenses and the philosophy is engrained in the team BUT taking that play clock down to the wire might have milked enough time so PSU couldn’t have gotten the ball back their last two drives.  I can argue both ways and did so with myself during the game.  Hindsight is always 20/20.  Again, we were very close to “closing the deal” several times, but didn’t get it done.

Whew!  That was a GREAT win in a very tough environment!  Now it’s on to another legendary Stadium versus the winningest program in College Football History.  This Big 10 road doesn’t get any easier…I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Some writers are making a big deal out of Nebraska losing a home game to an unranked opponent for the 5^th straight season.  I don’t think this is an indictment of Bo Pelini as much as a statement as to how the College game has changed.  That kind of stuff hardly ever happened but every week, goofy things take play in the world of College Football.  More upsets, more parity, more fun for underdogs.

I hate to say it, but it certainly looked like the motivated Wildcats had more energy, more passion, and certainly less to lose from the start of this game.  It’s hard to believe with everything that they had to play for that this Husker team could “lay an egg” as Eric Martin said.  Blame it on youth, blame it on a “trap game”, blame it on the coaches, but every player has to evaluate their performance and what happened on Saturday.  Coaches talked about practice this week and how it wasn’t bad.  To me, It comes down to players making plays and everyone doing their job better.  There is not one player or one coach to blame for the performance, but there is plenty of blame to go around as it was a TEAM loss.

In the first half, the Offense moved the ball, but just couldn’t get over the hump.  Key fumbles by Rex Burkhead and Quincy Enunwa were killers as it felt like everyone was just waiting for the dam to break.  In the second half, the Defense was the issue as they could not get off the field.  Did anyone ever think that “mighty” Northwestern could chunk it at us running the ball?  Multiple receivers and motions kept NU from putting more than 6 in the box  (1 of which was Peso Lance Thorell).  The D-Line has been depleted with injuries, which certainly contributed to the problem.  Jared Crick out. Chase Rome out. Thad Randle out.  Terrence Moore hurting.  Throw in the hurry-up Offense by the Wildcats and there were up-front issues that led to bad things.  With 8:48 left, things looked okay.  Nebraska had pulled to w/in 3 and had some momentum.  What happened?  A 13 play, 7 minute drive that made me and most others in red want to throw up.

Northwestern averaged 16 yds a completion.  Coverages were blown, eyes were in the wrong place, players were a step slow.  Things were bad enough that Carl Pelini didn’t even talk to the media afterwards.  I seriously was concerned that his head was going to explode.

The Northwestern players talked about how “fun” it was to come into Memorial Stadium.  If I was coaching a visiting team, one of the keys would be to do everything possible to get out to an early lead because this front-running crowd has NO IDEA how to cheer a team that is not winning.  If I had a belt sander, I would get rid of the “best fans in America” etchings on the stadium.  I would replace it with the “best fans for showing up in red and cheering when their team is ahead and being loyal when things are going well”.  That might be a separate Blog topic.

By the way, lost in this ugly game was the performance of Taylor Martinez.  28 for 37 w/ four drops.  289 yds, 2 TD and no INTs.  He also rushed for 53 yds.  Nope, you can’t blame him for this one…he was on the money, a lot.

How little faith does Bo and Tim Beck have in NU’s short yardage Offense?  Several times we were about at midfield with a 4^th and short and we played the field position game.  I’m not disputing the decision but there are issues on Offense when so little faith is placed on our ability to get a yard or two versus Northwestern.  In the 3^rd Q, on a 4^th and 2 we do go for it and Burkhead loses three yards.  Short yardage Offense has been a struggle all year.

Poor Lance Thorell.  Few people care about his 15 tackles and his good plays…he is the whipping boy for people who are looking for a scapegoat on Defense.  He was put in some tough situations and got beat a few times.  The crossing route that he jumped vs Michigan State hurt him and then when he jumped it a couple times, he got beat on a pivot route.  I still love the kid and his heart…keep battlin’.

Baker Steinkuhler played maybe his best game as a Husker.  Unfortunately, his fellow Defensive Linemen weren’t helping out much.  You know it was killing J Crick watching that mess, especially when it was his day,  hosted by the fine people of Cozad, Ne.

There is no doubt the Rex B is wore down.  Even Superman needs a break now and then.  People fall in love with freshman and there is no doubt that Aaron Green, Braylon Heard, and Ameer Abdullah all have bright futures.  Believe me, if Coach Brown thought that the team would be better with them in the game more and getting more touches, he would do it.  Hindsight is 50/50 and maybe he wishes there were times when he would give Rex a break, but going with what you know and saddling up your horse is usually the route that veteran coaches take.  This is the time of year where freshmen tend to get a little worn down mentally.  They aren’t used to practicing this hard and long…it’s kind of like Rookies in the NBA or NFL.  Bottom line, somebody has to step up to the challenge and give Rex a break.

Wow, it doesn’t get any easier from here on out.  Penn State in “Not So Happy Valley”.  The last time the Huskers visited there, they came home embarrassed.  It’s not like the Nittany Lions have looked unstoppable, but it’s never easy to get to that place and it’s equally hard to win there.  I guess we’ll see what this team is made of…I’m afraid I found out what a lot of “fans” are made of.  I’d rather depend on the Team.

If a tone can be set on one play, the opening kickoff did just that.  Eric Martin blasts a blocker leaves him limp on the field.  Fortunately, he wasn’t hurt badly, but the tone and stage was set for a tough, physical battle.  Speaking of EMart, his two sacks were a sight to behold after the Front Four had struggled so much getting pressure this year.

How about Lance (Loomis Legend) Thorell making the defensive play of the game?  Great read and reaction on the first big 3^rd Down play of the game.  Thorell, as the Peso, also had 4 unassisted tackles.

I get tired of constantly talking about how good Rex Burkhead is…but I’ll keep saying it.  He is the best 3.5 yd back in College Football.  His ability to get a first down when he seems to have NO ROOM is uncanny.  You have to watch in slow motion to see all of his little shakes and steps that get positive yards.  Oh yeah, how about carrying 35x for 130 plus coming back after leg cramps to catch a HUGE td pass?  He does it all.  He is sick.  Ok, I’m done talking about him…until next week.

Sparties hadn’t lost a Conference game in 364 days.  They had spanked the Buckeyes, Wolverines, and Badgers in a brutal October schedule.  Kudos to them for their performance this year, but much credit has to go to this Husker team and the way they dominated this team.  There wasn’t much talk of this “bully” Defense and the toughness of the Spartans after the game.  They were humbled and classy in defeat.

The Fonz is back!  Alfonzo just flat out shut down BJ Cunningham.  Having a lock-down, physical corner makes such a difference in the secondary.  Speaking of the Secondary, Bo talked about their preparation and great practice this week.  The fact that they matched up so well with the Mich St patterns is a testament to the Coaches.  We’ve heard it when they struggled…we heard it after the game…reading keys and execution is a MUST.  It happened Saturday.

Andrew Green got the call over Stanley Jean-Baptiste this week.  Who knows who is going to get the call next?  Again, competition and practice performance are so important and make a difference.

Daimion Stafford played very well over the top at Safety, but missed his chance for a pick-6 in the 2^nd Q.  He was already on his way to a 90 yd TD sprint when he realized that he forgot something important…the ball.

The physicality advantage came through again when Brandon Kinnie stoned a Defender on a crack-back block.  Dennard ran right through a knock out/blind side shot in the 4^th Q.  Our Receivers can block and even if they draw a penalty or two (which they did), it is worth it in the end.  The old Ron Brown coaching style has been transferred to Coach Fisher and I am noticing.  Yes, you can have big play receivers who still are physical.

Let’s talk Taylor.  Think about the transformation of Martinez in the short time he has been here.  He used to be a one-trick pony who would get a crack and outrun everyone to the end zone.  Once teams have seen that on film and adjusted, that piece has been taken away from him game.  On Saturday, he was a manager of the game who made audibles, took care of the ball (for the most part), and made good decisions.  He doesn’t have to be great for this Offense to be good.  Right now, we are better being multiple, saddling up Rex, running play action passes, and getting him 10 or so carries a game (which increase the chances of him scrambling or breaking a few for big yards.  Probably the biggest sign of growth was the discipline of the Offense in using the hard count.  Twice the Mich St Defense jumped offsides and TMart recognized it and went for the big pass (having nothing to lose).  It’s a small thing but a good sign.

All the people and the pundits who talked about the lack of changes in the NU Offense after a couple weeks just weren’t paying attention.  This Tim Beck philosophy is nothing like a Shawn Watson plan.  It’s different.  It takes a while to evolve.  It just looks better and better each week.  The interesting thing is that all cries for an Identity are exactly coming true.  The Offense is becoming multiple but does have the physical ideals that HAVE to be in place to be successful.  Two big, time consuming drives in the 3^rd Q were evidence of progress.  The success came through a variety of plays…Rex power, Option, short passes vs Corners who were bailing out, QB keepers, “Wildcat and Diamond” formations, a screen pass etc…it was a thing of beauty to people like myself who love diversity.

I loved two calls by Beck.  In the 2^nd Q, we run Wildcat with Rex but hand off to Tim Marlow on a sweep.  It broke away from a pattern, it was well blocked, and few people expected the steady Marlowe to be the benefactor of the hand off.  The second great call was on a 3^rd and 10 play in the 2nd Q.  Instead of asking Martinez to drop back and make multiple reads (like at Wisc), Beck dialed up a middle/jailbreak screen to K Bell (who is still fast)…1^st down and NU is on its way to a 24-3 lead.

How about the “Radar” look with the Front Four all up and moving before the snap.  Sometimes just a little tweak give the opposing blockers a little trouble.  Nice work Carl.

For all of the Will Compton criticizers (me included), the kid played a great game and it was nice to see him not only in the right place, but making the play once he got there.

It wasn’t all good.  Nothing is more frustrating when the Offense has a 1^st and Goal (especially from the 3) and it has to settle for a Field Goal.  Give credit to the MSU Front as it stiffened inside on three straight runs.  Hindsight says an Option would have been nice, but that same Option led to problems on the Goal line vs Minnesota.  With Red Zone Offense, the basic rule is that if it works,  it’s a great call and if it doesn’t, it was a bad call.  Bottom line is that good execution trumps play calling every time.

Quote of the Day from Lance Thorell – “Every day I come in and I work my tail off…when things don’t go your way, you can’t get all mad and quit on yourself.  You’ve just got to keep working day in and day out, and that’s what I’ve done.”    Words that we ALL can live by.

Kirk Cousins is a good QB.  He was also 11 of 27 for 86 yards.  His poor statistics weren’t all his fault as the lack of success by MSU on early downs really hurt them.  There were a lot of 3^rd and longs for the Spartans. A credit to him is that when receivers weren’t open (which they weren’t most of the time), he didn’t throw it to the wrong team.

William Gholston is a MAN.  The MSU DT had a hand in 15 tackles and was a load.  He won some battles but obviously lost the war.  Jerel Worth is another HUGE man who will play on Sundays for a while.  The fast tempo of NU’s Offense as well as the physicality seemed to have worn down their great Defensive front.  There is a trend that NU has been the better team in the 2^nd Half.  Include some nice halftime adjustments and I like what I see in quarters 3 and 4.

OK – now what?  A home game vs a team that we should beat.  Don’t look ahead Husker Fans…remember the goal.  Be 1-0 this week.

Three new starters on Defense – Lance Thorell in the Nickel, Stanley Jean-Baptiste at Corner, and Chase Rome replacing the Crickster at DT.  You’d think at this point the lineup would be more solidified, but that is Pelini Defense.  The reward good competition in Practice and adjust playing time according to the game plan in place.

I really liked the diversity and versatility of the Offense in the 1^st half.  More and more sets are making their way into the Offensive look.  This week we had I-Formation, Double Wing Motion (Georgia Tech look), Pistol Run Game and Dropback out of it, Diamond  Reads and Gives, 3 TE Motion Power, Shotgun, Multiple Receivers.  Not all of it was smooth but Defensive Coordinators are having more and more to prepare for when looking at NU on tape.

Kenny Bell is still fast and looks really good running in the open field.  Part of the reason his 82 yd TD  was a success was because we are getting to be a pretty good Toss Sweep team, especially w/ Rex.  I love the threat of Reverse in slowing the LBs down and holding the backside tight.

Screen Passes slow down the Pass Rush.  I would hate to think we used them all up this week as we just might need to slow Michigan State from pinning their ears back, especially in passing situations.  Brandon Kinnie is sure to take some abuse from his buddies for getting  “State Troopered” (caught from behind) at the two.

1^st and Goal from the 2 yd line CAN’T end in a Field Goal.  Poor blocking and execution in that tight can drive Coaches crazy.  Yuck!

Austin Cassidy passed me on the career scoring list with his second TD of his career…don’t worry, I don’t hold grudges.  You know, I’m only 387 pts off of #1.

I hate seeing Receivers drop balls.  There were three that were on the money and a couple that were potential big plays.  I doubt that Jamal Turner is going to drop too many in his career.  Tim Marlowe made one of the all-time great catches with a one-handed, ball-behind him play.  That one was special.

Speaking of Special…Rex Burkhead had 23 carries for 117 yds, but he had a 3 yd run for a first down where he had no business getting back to the line of scrimmage.  He had another 10 yd run where he stiff armed a tackler, made a sneaky little cut, and had a three step burst that you just can’t teach.  All the kid does is run for 1^st downs.

Glad that Brett Maher’s “off-game” came when it wasn’t that key.  I have a feeling he is going to be very important over the next five games.

I’m willing to bet that Chase Rome doesn’t cheap shot someone again in his career.  He got a face full of Bo after he blasted a guy after the whistle on Austin Cassidy’s TD return.  Besides getting screamed at, he had to sit in “timeout” on the bench for a while before he returned to the game later.

Did anyone notice that our QB was wearing gloves on both hands during the game?  I always wondered why more QBs didn’t wear those to help them grip the ball or to hang on to it when getting hit.  There are certainly some cold games in the future and doesn’t sound like a bad idea to me.  If receivers don’t have the “dropsies”, he is 16 for 22 for about 220…that’s pretty good even if it was against Minnesota.  I don’t care if he throws it underhand, we just need completions and yards.

It’s a good Road Trip when eight guys carry the ball and eight guys catch it.

The Defensive puzzle looked better this week with fewer mistakes and missed assignments.  Besides LaVonte David, I’m not really sure who is a real Playmaker.  Of course Dennard could be, but he doesn’t get tested much and doesn’t get many chances to make too many plays.  We are going to need some big Defensive plays this week from anyone and everyone.

THIS week became very special after that HUGE win by Sparty in East Lanning on Saturday against Wisconsin.  I’m not sure that there is another team that feels more destined or more “meant to be” than the Green and White right now.  Hope the preparation is good…I bet there will be some focus in Practice this week.

It sounds like practices have been long, intense, and physical since our last game vs Ohio St.  I wouldn’t expect it to be any other way.  Except at LB, the overall depth and competition makes for great practice battles for playing time.   We are still looking for someone to break out of the pack in the Secondary as so many Corners are battling for time.  There are also some very athletic safeties who are not getting game reps other than Special Teams.  I always tell Fans not to give up on certain players…just because someone isn’t starting after a couple of years, it doesn’t mean that he is a “bust”.  Again, the words PROCESS and PROGRESS comes into play.

The “hot” players right now are Stanley Pierre-Baptiste, the converted receiver who is long and big, and Kenny Bell, who has always been known for his hair and his speed.  Lately, we are noticing that he can cut block too.

Speaking of the cut…it’s been a couple weeks since I have mentioned how much I love the cut block from receivers and fullbacks so I will get on my soapbox again.  LOVE seeing Defenders on the ground and the HATE it.

The Kickoff Return Game has improved a ton this year and so much of the credit goes to Ameer Abdullah and his bursts.  Don’t forget the fact that blockers like Alonzo Whaley, Kevin Thomsen, Tim Marlowe, Tyler Legate, and others are getting their job done.  The Punt Returns have improved as well.  The field position makes a HUGE difference when it comes to starting and finishing a drive.

Frosh Cornerback Josh Mitchell said he weighed 138 lbs when he arrived in Lincoln???  Now, he says he weighs around 160 with a goal of someday getting to 180.  Those numbers are crazy…I’m all for speed, but that has to be tough trying to be physical with big receivers at that size, let alone playing run support.  Mitchell, who started vs Washington is one of the guys who has road the roller coaster of emotions and playing time this year.

The Man vs Zone Blocking Scheme Debate is on again as O-Linemen talked about making a switch at halftime in the Ohio State game.  All I know is that there are very successful teams who have done both…there are many ways to make things work.  Whatever was done vs OSU…let’s keep doing it.  To me, the main difference is the responsibility of the OL when they do not have a man on them.  The ability to get moving and pull to the perimeter or get up field on a Linebacker is important.  Anyone who has been paying attention knows that there are some guys who are better on the move than others.  Knowing your players and what scheme is best for them is key…AND the ability to adjust when things aren’t going as well.

We will use a bunch of Nickel and Dime this week which means Blatchford and Thorrell will get some clock.  Save me all of the “there are much better athletes than them who should be playing” talk.  Again, the Coaches are going to play who they feel will give them the best chance to win.  Period.  Is it our hope that the best athletes ALSO know their scheme and responsibilities the best?  Yes!  Does that always happen?  No!  Will watch these two players from Ponca and Loomis and see how they fair in the Nickel.

Finally.  We are a one-loss team.  We are right where the majority of people thought (and hoped) we would be at this point form a record standpoint.  Do we need to get better?  Yes!  Speculating how the rest of the season is going to go at this point is futile and mindless.  Beat the Gophers…then prepare in a way that will give yourself a chance to beat Michigan St and so on and so on.  That is the message.  Be 1-0 THIS WEEK.