Sunday Review: Big Ten Conference Championship Game

It's all a little tiring, isn't it?  Nebraska pushes it's boulder to the brink of the pit, only to watch it roll back down.  Actually it crashes back down.  And explodes.  Bo's Sisyphean horror show continues.  
When the Badgers moved 79 yards in 4 rushing plays and 1 minute, to go up 42-10 at halftime, my buddy sent me a text that read: "We have them right where we want them!"
Alas, not this time.  Wisconsin kept their foot on the pedal, and kept running around, through, and over the "Blackshirts" and when it was all over, 6 games worth of football karma had bitten Nebraska hard.
There's not a lot more that needs to be said, so we'll just forge on with the review. 

Offensive MVP: Wisconsin RB Melvin Gordon.  Before he took those last few meaningless hand-offs in the fourth quarter, Gordon was averaging better than 40 yards a carry.  He scored from 56, had a 60 yard run to set up another TD, and was a terror around the corner all night, finishing with 216 yards on 9 carries. 

Defensive MVP: Wisconsin CB Marcus Cromartie.  Cromartie snatched a pass that went through Kenny Bell's hands and took it back 29 yards for a TD to put Wisconsin up 14-0 and get the rout started.  Cromartie had 2 more pass break-ups and 7 tackles on the night.  

Special Teams MVP: P/K Brett Maher.  19 yard shank aside, Maher was the only Husker to perform up to standard last night.  For whatever it was worth.

Freshman MVP: RB Imani Cross.  Cross' 26 yard TD at the end looked exactly like a lot of Wisconsin's TDs last night: straight up the middle, break a tackle or two, accelerate to the endzone. 

Assistant Coach of the Game:  
Wisconsin's O-Line coach Bart Miller.  The Omaha native coached his offensive linemen to a stunning success last night.  Badger offensive linemen blew Nebraska's defensive linemen off the line, and decimated the linebackers, forcing Nebraska's secondary to make tackles they were incapable of making.  Miller was a graduate assistant at the beginning of the year, but he figures to get quite the raise at the end of the season.

Key Stat: 10.9.  Wisconsin averaged 10.9 yards on 50 carries.  Madness.

Play of the Game:
One of the worst things about this loss is that it overshadows the greatest play I've seen since Eric Crouch's 95 yard run at Missouri.  Under extreme duress, Taylor Martinez zig-zagged, cut, and sprinted 76 yards for a TD to answer Cromartie's pick six.  If Nebraska gets back on track, and wins the Capital One Bowl, plays like that will fuel a Heisman run in 2013.

Play We Want Back: 
If I had to pick one, it would be Gordon's first TD, a 56 yard jet sweep in which he broke the tackles of both safeties and sprinted into the endzone.  That play provided a preview of the night our defense was in for.  The Huskers couldn't shut down the perimeter runs, and Wisconsin exploited that weakness over and over.

I want to see more...
*Takeaways.  In order to force fumbles, you must first tackle.  In order to get interceptions, you must first force your opponent to throw.  Nebraska did none of those things.
*Ground game.  Nebraska had success early, but after falling behind, Tim Beck abandoned the run game in favor of fruitless passing.  Wisconsin deserves credit for knocking Nebraska off it's game, but our offensive performance left a lot to be desired.
*Baker Steinkuhler.  It's impossible to say for sure how big a difference the senior DT would have made, but let's just remember that Wisconsin had a net of 56 yards rushing the last time these teams met.
*Punt returns.  Yes, Wisconsin did punt yesterday, and Nebraska's pun return woes continued, even with Rex Burkhead back deep.  When Nebraska doesn't field punts, they roll back for a mile, when Nebraska does field punts (that one time...), Rex lost a yard.  At least we didn't muff any.
*Breaks.  All of the breaks that the Huskers received in the 6 game winning streak vanished last night.  Bell's tip-six, Tim Marlowe's first down catch reversed, Jamal Turner's TD called back.  Wisconsin LB Chris Borland said it best after the game: "Unlike 5 other times this year, the ball bounced our way." 
*TD toss winner Brad Walker at QB.  The winner of Dr. Pepper's halftime promotion couldn't have done any worse. 
  
I want to see less...
*Turnovers.  Martinez doesn't get a pass because the defense was playing poorly.  I would think by now that Taylor would be so tired of ball security drills that he wouldn't dream of fumbling.  His first interception was mostly Bell's fault, but the second was a desperation heave that he shouldn't have thrown.  When your defense is getting torn to shreds, the last thing you want to do is put them in bad field position.
*Penalties.  You can't say that penalties changed the outcome of the game, but dangit, how are guys supposed to play football if they get flagged every time they make a nice hit.  The personal foul on Daimion Stafford was bad, but the call on Bell was just plain stupid.  I'm not quite ready to commit to making personal fouls reviewable, but I'm more in favor now than I was a week ago.
*Missed tackles.  On Gordon's 56 yard TD to start the game, Stafford missed him at the line of scrimmage, and PJ Smith whiffed about 20 yards downfield.  On Montee Ball's 57 yard TD run, he spun out of Jason Ankrah's hands and used a stiff arm to put Ciante Evans on his butt.  That was the most pathetic display of tackling since the UCLA game.  Something needs to change.
*Defensive confusion.  On most plays, the Husker defenders were scrambling around before the snap in the the most confused way possible.  Don't think Wisconsin didn't notice, dialing up plenty of motion, formations, and trick plays to keep the Huskers off balance.
*Trick plays.  Wisconsin ran about a thousand last night and they all worked.  That's just the sort of night the Huskers had.
*Offensive line miscommunication.  When the Badgers started showing their Pittsburgh Steelers stand-up defensive line, the Husker offensive line wilted, and pass rushers came free.  Martinez was scrambling all night.
*Games on FOX.  I said this after the UCLA game and I'll repeat it again.  Everything from the poor production quality, to Gus Johnson's WWE-style commentary irritates the heck out of me.
*Late season losses.  It's far better to lose early than late.  We're headed for another long, negative offseason.
*Brett Bielema's fat face.  Seriously.  Every time I see that arrogant squinch in Bielema's piggy eyes, I want to kick puppies.  Ugliest coach in football.   
    
Armchair coach:
If I'm Bo Pelini after a loss like that, I'm not picking fights with Dirk Chatelain in the postgame news conference.  Yes, Dirk was asking a douchey question, but Bo was not in a position to take offense to anything.  He used up all of the goodwill he earned in that winning streak with yet another blowout loss, and he needs to circle the wagons and rebuild some optimism.

Hit of the Game:
Kenny Bell gets this award for his epic de-cleating of Devin Smith.  If you missed it because you'd already turned the game off, shame on you, but here it is.  Watch it again.  And again.  
Devin Smith should hide his face, not just for getting cartwheeled by a 180 lb wide receiver, but also for the penalty.  That was very necessary roughness.

Jennifer's Take (my wife doesn't know much about football, but she still has opinions)
"That was absolutely the most painful game I've ever watched."
She nailed it again.

Keeping an eye on the rest of the college football world...
*There was another conference championship game in Atlanta, perhaps you heard about it.  Alabama's ground game was too much in the end, and Georgia's bungled redzone opportunity was salt in the wound for Bulldog fans.  When I saw my friend Joe at church this morning, he gave me a hug and said "We both need this."
*Kansas State continued their uncanny dominance over Texas, and they'll probably finish right behind Oregon at #5 in the BCS.  Great season for Bill Snyder's squad.
*Northern Illinois won a wild OT thriller over Kent State in the MAC championship and might have secured a BCS bid.  Coach Dave Doeren then promptly signed on as NC State's new head coach.  A step down in my opinion.
*Had we beaten Wisconsin, we would have played a stronger, faster Wisconsin with a better QB in the Rose Bowl.  Stanford's rise as a power on the West Coast is nothing complex: strong running game, physical defense, smart QB play.  It's sort of refreshing after Nebraska's game last night.
*Florida State needed a late red zone stand to hold off Georgia Tech in the ACC title game.  I hate the Seminoles.
*Oklahoma held off TCU, but they might get bounced by Northern Illinois for a BCS berth.
*Mark Stoops is in at Kentucky, and Skip Holtz is out at South Florida.  The coaching carousel continues to spin.
*Who is the only team with 10 wins every year since 2006?  Boise State.  The Broncos locked up another 10 win season with their victory over Nevada.

Song of the Game

"Holland Road" by Mumford and Sons

"But I'll still believe though there's cracks you'll see,
When I'm on my knees I'll still believe,
And when I've hit the ground, neither lost nor found,
If you'll believe in me I'll still believe"

The Huskers have suffered the worst loss (in every sense) of the Bo Pelini era, and fans are jumping ship.  The more level headed among us realize that one game, no matter how disastrous doesn't have to sink a program.  The Huskers have failed in their primary goal for the season, but there's still a Capital One Bowl to be played against a big bad SEC opponent.  No time for moping.   

Beer of the Game
Shiner Bock by Spoetzl Brewing Company, Shiner, TX





Shiner Bock is an American institution, and proof that not all things in Texas are evil.  Shiner tastes crisp and finishes clean like a good lager should.  If you happen to travel in Texas, Shiner Bock is ubiquitous, but it's available for a decent price pretty much everywhere.

Best Commercial
Maybe it's because I have a keen memory of how I was when I was a little kid, but this AT&T commercial really cracks me up.  I can't wait until my son says stuff like this.

Last thought
I still can't quite believe what happened last night.  Teams don't run for 539 yards on anybody, let alone Nebraska.  Honestly, I think Nebraska somehow overlooked Wisconsin and paid the price in a heartbreaking fashion.
Still, the season isn't over.  There's an SEC opponent waiting in Orlando, and Bo desperately needs a bowl win to pacify the civil war that's brewing in the fan base.
Fans need to take a step back and get a little perspective.  Nebraska is 10-3, and headed into a pretty decent bowl game.  No, we didn't meet our goals for the season, but that doesn't mean that the year was a waste.  Nebraska is in the hunt for several program changing recruits, and with a good offseason, the Husker's are still poised for a National Title run next year.  Sure, the road to a conference championship will never be easier, but there's nothing that happened last night that a nice string of wins won't erase.  
On to Orlando.

Sunday Review: Iowa

With the regular season all wrapped up (What?! Already?!), we finally have a handle on this Nebraska team.  We know for sure that they're always going to play ugly, physical football, and they're never going to panic or quit.  We know that the defense is not talented enough to dominate opponents, but they're speedy, and tough enough to make the stops they need when it counts.  We know that the offense can shoot itself in the foot a thousand different ways, but still outsprint the other team to the finish line.  Most of all we know that this team, like their coach, is one ugly, beautiful piece of work, and the Big Ten is lucky to have them carrying the conference's flag into the post-season.
On another blustery day with an Arctic bite in the wind, the Big Red outslugged a surprisingly plucky Hawkeye team, warming the hearts of Husker fans with a 10 win season, a Legends division title, and a trip to Indianapolis for a rematch with Wisconsin.

Offensive MVP: RB Rex Burkhead.  16 rushes for 69 yards and a TD doesn't sound overly impressive, but it was the way in which Rex got those yards, and the timing of his carries that earn this award for the rugged senior.  Coming out of a sluggish first half, the Husker offense needed something to fire them up on a frigid day, and Burkhead didn't disappoint.  Breaking tackles and literally carrying the entire Hawkeye defense (and by extension, the entire Husker offense) on his back, Burkhead provided the boost that Bo hoped he would, and partially vindicated his lost season.

Defensive MVP: DE Eric Martin.  Cavemen don't mind the cold.  Martin set up camp in the Hawkeye backfield, sacking James Vandenberg once, stripping him once, and hitting him two other times.  Throw in 3 tackles for loss, and 7 overall and you have a career day for the senior.  Martin seems to be peaking at the right time, and with the serious injury to Baker Steinkuhler, Nebraska will need another big game next week.    

Special Teams MVP: P/K Brett Maher.  Considering the gusty, swirling wind Friday, Maher might have played the best game of his career.  3/4 kickoffs for touchbacks, a 26 yard field goal into the wind, a 52 yarder with the wind, and a 43 yard punting average with 2 inside the 20.  Maher's ups and downs this season have been well documented, but his performance Friday was sweet redemption.

Freshman MVP: FB Andy Janovich.  Yes, he dropped a pass, and yes he caused a fumble, but Janovich had some crushing blocks on Friday that would have made Joel Makovicka proud.  Nebraska's walk-on program has turned out some gems, but I can't remember the last time a true freshman walk-on had this big of an impact.  What a steal.

Assistant Coach of the Game:  
John Papuchis.  On a day when Nebraska's offense was struggling to move the ball, or even to hold on to it, Papuchis' defense made the plays it needed to, and the Huskers were able to walk out of Iowa City with an important win.

Key Stat:
138.  After a 62 yard touchdown drive on their first possession, Iowa only managed 138 yards on 11 drives after that.  That's 12.5 yards per possession, and 0 points. 

Play of the Game: Rex's 3 yard touchdown run.  This was the kind of play that Nebraska hasn't been able to make all season at the goal line.  Rex did what no other back on the roster can do: slide around the tackle, lean forward, and squirt through tacklers into the end zone.  Rex can't make up for the season he lost, but saving the Huskers' hide is a nice way to go out.

Play We Want Back: Early in the second quarter with Iowa leading 7-3, the Blackshirts forced a 3 and out inside the Hawkeyes 10 yard line, forcing a punt into the wind from the Iowa endzone.  Ameer Abdullah had an opportunity for a fair catch at the Iowa 41 yard line, but the ball went right through his hands and was recovered by an Iowa defender.  Instead of a first down in Hawkeye territory, the Husker defense returned to the field and Iowa would move the ball into Nebraska territory before giving the ball up on downs, costing the offense 20 yards of field position and several minutes of possession.

I want to see more...
*Takeaways.  It seems like every turnover is sweeter than the last.  Ciante Evans made one heck of a play batting Vandenberg's pass into the waiting arms of Daimion Stafford.  Eric Martin made a good looking sack-strip that Vandenberg managed to fall on, but still forced an Iowa punt.  Alonzo Whaley made the best play of his career jumping that slant route like he was Darrelle Revis.  The Blackshirts seem to be playing with more confidence every series, and that confidence is showing up on the stat sheet as turnovers. 
*Shutdown defense.  For the second week in a row, Nebraska dominated an opposing offense, especially through the air.  Vandenberg won't be confused with Jim Kelly, but he has a big arm that was almost entirely useless against an aggressive secondary and a certain Caveman that was in his face all game.  The Blackshirts are peaking at the right time.
*Sexy Rexy.  The most eligible bachelor in Lincoln swooped in and saved the perception of the Husker's season with his Herculean runs Friday afternoon.  Rex isn't the fastest or the strongest running back in the country, but show me another back who does what Rex does.  It's a lucky NFL team that picks him up next April.
*The diamond formation.  Nebraska's longest runs of the day (including a 15 yard run by Braylon Heard in the 4th quarter that was called back on a questionable clipping call) came out of this hybrid pistol/wishbone formation that Beck debuted last season.  Unfortunately, opposing teams have taken notice of this formation's utility, with Michigan starting their game with a long run by Denard Robinson out of the diamond on Saturday.
*Mark Pelini. No, not the head coach, the backup center who came on cold and played most of the game for the injured Justin Jackson.  Pelini missed a block or two, but his snaps were crisp and he got some valuable playing time towards next season.  It'll be interesting to see if he or Cole Pensick starts in Indianapolis next week.  
*Braylon Heard.  The true sophomore averaged 11 yards on his 4 carries, including a 16 yard run on a zone read that set the Huskers up on Iowa's 7 yard line prior to Rex's TD.  Heard's lack of playing time has been a mystery all season, but he got the most playing time he's seen all season in Iowa City.
*Ciante Evans.  Bo said this week that Evans is the best DB in the Big Ten, and Evans backed his coach's words with a nice performance Friday, batting a pass to Stafford, making 3 solo tackles, and blanketing Hawkeyes all day without getting flagged.  The one play where Evans was clearly beat, the receiver dropped the ball, so evidently Evans possesses a corner's best skill: luck.
*Daimion Stafford.  Stafford played lights out yesterday, snagging his 4th INT in 5 games, breaking up a TD pass (with an assist from the wind), and cutting down Mark Weisman for a 1 yard loss in the 3rd quarter.  Stafford is another defender who is peaking at the right time.
*Kenny Bell.  Nebraska's most explosive weapon had 0 touches, and only 2 targets, both batted away.  Obviously the wind was a big factor in the passing game, but Nebraska didn't try any of the screens that were so effective last week, or any end-arounds to get Bell the ball in space.  At least he'll be rested for next weekend.
  
I want to see less...
*Turnovers. You have to think that Nebraska lost at least 6 points with their two fumbles inside Iowa territory in the second quarter.  And don't think I forgot about the interception that was somehow dropped by Omaha native Tanner Miller on an ill-advised deep throw.  Once again, the Huskers found a way to win despite their turnover issues, but the problems are the same ones we've seen since the UCLA game: muffed punts, mishandled handoffs, and crazy, inexplicable collisions between ballcarriers and blockers that end up with the ball on the ground.
*Punt return blunders.  Seriously.  I've never seen anything so comically horrible as Nebraska's punt return team.  I don't presume to know what needs to be changed, but something needs to happen before one of those muffed punts, or the balls downed at the 1 yard line really hurt us.
*Injuries.  Other than Rex, Nebraska has been pretty lucky with injuries this year, but within a few plays Friday, the Huskers lost Baker Steinkuhler and Justin Jackson, the cores of their offensive and defensive lines.  Mark Pelini, Cam Meredith, and Chase Rome filled in nicely, but the loss of those two seniors was definitely felt.  Bo said both will be out until the bowl game, but lets hope that doesn't turn out to be the case.
*Penalties.  There weren't as many Friday afternoon, but both of them erased long gains by the Big Red.  The clipping call on Jeremiah Sirles was bogus, and on the opposite side of the field from Braylon Heard's big run.  An Illegal forward pass called on Martinez erased a 9 yard gain and a first down by Abdullah.
*Shiftyness in the pocket.  Martinez's biggest improvement this season had been his vastly improved pocket presence, but for some reason he looked mighty uncomfortable in the pocket Friday.  Martinez took 2 bad sacks when he had time to throw, and couldn't escape when he needed to scramble.  Hopefully this was just an aberration on an otherwise impressive year.
*Wind.  That's three games in a row that were significantly affected by the wind.  Playing in Lucas Oil Stadium next week will be nice.  I hope they keep the roof on.
*Commercials.  The 2 long drives in the first quarter had ABC running commercials every chance they could in the second.  It was pretty tiresome.
    
Armchair coach:
There's many things the Iowa fans have a right to be disappointed in their coaches for, but the pre-halftime clock management was possibly the worst I've ever seen.  Taking over at Nebraska's 42 yard line after a 30 yard punt return with 1:34 left and 2 timeouts, Iowa inexplicably used short passes over the middle, and short runs up the middle to move to the 19 yard line; a drive complete with mishandled snaps, wasted time between plays, and an illegal shift penalty.  Iowa then missed a 42 yard field goal into the wind with :04 seconds left on the clock.
Consider this: Kirk Ferentz makes 3.65 million per year, which is about $300,000 per game, which is about $5000 per game minute.  So for that bungled 1:34, Ferentz earned $7500. 

Hit of the Game:
On the aforementioned pre-halftime drive, with Iowa facing 3rd an 15 at the Nebraska 19, Eric Martin came screaming in and smashed Vandenberg as he released the ball, which went fluttering harmlessly away.  Iowa missed the 42 yard field goal on the next play and, Nebraska went to halftime only down 7-3.

Jennifer's Take (my wife doesn't know much about football, but she still has opinions)
"Rex Burkhead is a beast, is it too late to rename our son?"

Not too late, too expensive.  If he delivers a Big Ten Championship and a Rose Bowl win, I might think about it a little harder...

Keeping an eye on the rest of the college football world...
*Moral conundrums don't get more complex than this: does one cheer for Notre Dame to win and go to the National Championship game, or for Lane Kiffin and USC to win and virtually assure another all-SEC NC game?  I found myself weakly rooting for the Irish.  My conscience hurts.
*As it is, the SEC is likely to finish the regular season #2, #3, #4, #7, #9, and #10.  Unless there's some epic bowl upsets, it's gonna be a fun offseason hearing how great the SEC is.
*Stanfod handled UCLA in round 1.  Round 2 is set for next weekend.  Who would you rather play in the Rose Bowl?
*It was nice to see Texas get knocked around at home by TCU.  If the Longhorns can beat Kansas State in Manhattan, then Oklahoma will win a back door Big 12 championship (provided they beat TCU in Dallas).   
*Auburn finishes 3-9, and 0-8 in the SEC with 6 of those SEC losses by 17 points or more.  Two seasons after winning a National Championship.  Toss in an NCAA investigation into his staff's recruiting habits, and it will be no small miracle if Chizik is around next season.
*Remember how impressive Nebraska's season opening win over Southern Miss looked back in September?  The Golden Eagles just finished 0-12 with a 18 point loss to 4-8 Memphis.  Ellis Johnson will be lucky to be on the sidelines wherever the game is played next year.
*Kent State is 11-1?  Whaaaat?  The Flashes' win caps a 3 game skid for Frank Solich's Bobcats.  Also, the MAC has 4 teams with at least 9 wins.  The Big Ten has 3.
*If you didn't see Washington State's comeback win over Washington, you missed out.  Not only did it make Mike Leach's first season, but it ruined Steve Sarkisian's.  Awesome.
*Ohio State won "The Game" the same way it won so many this season: ugly.  The Wolverines committed 4 turnovers allowing the Buckeyes to overcome 9 penalties and 2 turnovers of their own, and close out a back-and-forth game.  So now Ohio State is 12-0 and we're doomed to 10 months of hearing how great Urban Meyer is.
*Worst team in the Big Ten? Easily Illinois after their blowout loss to Northwestern leaves them 0-8 in the League.  Second worst?  Probably a tie between Iowa and Indiana; each won games they shouldn't have, and lost games they should've won.

*I'm sure Jim Delany is thrilled that his Leaders division representative in the Big Ten title game finished 3rd in the division standings with an 8-5 record.  Wisconsin is dangerous, but they're not a great team, Nebraska should handle them a little easier this time around.

Song of the Game
"Winter Winds" by Mumford and Sons

"As the winter winds litter London with lonely hearts
Oh the warmth in your eyes swept me into your arms
Was it love or fear of the cold that led us through the night?
For every kiss your beauty trumped my doubt"

Emerging from the frozen wastelands of Iowa,  Nebraska is the undisputed Legends division champion, and riding a wave of momentum into the warmer confines of Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.  This isn't the best Nebraska team, but it just might be the mentally toughest Husker team in memory.  If mother nature can't beat down the Big Red, do the Badgers stand a chance?

Beer of the Game
1554 by New Belgium Brewing, Fort Collins, CO




This beer was allegedly brewed using a centuries old recipe from a Belgian monastery; apparently the brewers had a difficult time with the antiquated measurements and tranlations.  However they figured it out, New Belgium hit it out of the park with this beer.  Imagine a perfect mix of Guinness and Newcastle, and you'd have this rich, bold, but still clean tasting beer.  Another great offering by New Belgium.

Best Commercial
People outside of the South are really missing out on some great local commercials.  I featured a Mike Hostilo commercial earlier this season, but the man keeps cranking out the gems.  I can't believe that anyone would hire this tool to represent them for anything.

Last thought
We gotta bring back those "Bo Knows Football" t-shirts.  Bo said it best, when he made his "Win out." pronouncement, we all looked at him like he was a 'crazy man.'  It probably had somehting to do with the 30 point loss we had just witnessed and the fact that his defense couldn't stop a geriatric running back on a scooter with a dead battery.  Win out?  Nonsense.  We would be lucky to win 3 of the 6 remaining games. Winning 6 straight is something that Bo's teams just don't do.
Until they did.  After so many questions about his ability to break through the inconsistency that mired his first 4 seasons, Bo seems to have willed his team through the glass ceiling in year 5.  Win or lose in Indy next week, Nebraska has a season to hang its hat on, showing grit, determination, and no small amount of luck during its 6 game winning streak.  The most encouraging thing?  The players' actions after the win at Iowa.  No parades, no overblown celebration. 
The players know that the 6 game winning streak doesn't mean much if the Huskers lose a game they should win next week.  It's back to business against a completely different Wisconsin team, without 2 key pieces of the offensive and defensive lines.  Nebraska can and should win this game, but like everything else this season, it probably won't come easy.  It's been 13 years since the Huskers' last conference championship, maybe that's our lucky number.   

Sunday Review: Minnesota

On a day in which the entire college football world turned upside down thanks to upsets, coaching changes, and new realignment rumors, Nebraska treated its fans to a stunning bit of normalcy.  Tom Osborne, in his 500th game at Nebraska in some official capacity, and his final game in Lincoln, led the players onto the field where Bo Pelini took over and coached his team to a blowout so workmanlike, it was almost boring. 
In this brave new world of parity and massive weekly upheavals in college football, it was nice to see an old school beatdown of an overmatched opponent at Memeorial Stadium.  Granted, these Huskers can't compare to the deified mid-90's squads, or even the fantastic 80's teams, but after finishing a perfect 7-0 at home this season, we get the sense that the Cornhuskers are working themselves back to that point. 
Nothing could stop Taylor Martinez and Kenny Bell on this day.  Nothing could get past Baker Steinkuhler and Will Compton.  The heavens opened, and for three and a half quarters, seemingly every ball bounced NU's way.  This was a retro performance in every great sense of the word, and if the Huskers can duplicate it against a woebegone Iowa team next week, they will roll into Indy on a 6 game winning streak. 
But first, the review:

Offensive MVP: WR Kenny Bell.  9 catches for 136 yards and 2 TDs, and another catch that put Nebraska in business inside the Minnesota 5 yard line.  Bell has transformed from a fast skinny kid into Nebraska's best playmaker on the outside.  All 8 of Bell's TDs this year have come from at least 25 yards, showing you exactly how explosive he is as a playmaker.  Getting up after taking a hard shot over the middle while catching a 3rd down pass showcases his toughness.

Defensive MVP: Nickelback Ciante Evans.  Evans had 6 solo tackles, including a good looking sack on a nickel blitz on a 3rd and 8 in the second quarter.  My only gripe with Evans' performance yesterday was the pick he dropped early in the second quarter.  Terry Joseph touts his junior nickelback as the best defensive player on the team.  Hard to argue. 

Special Teams MVP: PR Jamal Turner.  Nothing exciting or flashy about his performance, it's just really nice to see someone actually catch a punt and then hang onto it.  

Freshman MVP: RB Imani Cross.  "Iron" Cross struck again, picking up another pair of TDs as well as converting a 3rd and 1 to start the second quarter.  The true freshman might have got another TD to end the first half, but Cross tried to leap the pile instead of driving through an admittedly small crease at the line of scrimmage.  As good as he looks now, I think that Cross' future is far brighter.

Assistant Coach of the Game:  
Rick Kaczenski.  Nebraska's defensive line earned their share of criticism earlier this season, but they dominated the Gophers all day and spearheaded the Blackshirt's 3 1/2 quarter shutout with 3 tackles for loss, and several for 2 yards or less, Minnesota was living with 2nd and 7 or 8 all game, which is a tough start for any offense.  Baker Steinkuhler, Eric Martin, Jason Ankrah, Joe Carter and Cameron Meredith consistently met the Gophers' running backs at or behind the line of scrimmage and generated a decent amount of pressure on freshman QB Riley Nelson.  Nelson won't ever be confused for Braxton Miller, but the Gophers QB has some decent wheels, and the Huskers held him to a net of 4 yards rushing yesterday, thanks to the D-line's successful containment.  Great day for this group.

Play of the Game: Taylor Martinez's 36 yard TD pass to Kenny Bell into the wind.  Despite starting with a 5 yard penalty for illegal motion, Nebraska took the ball from their own 10 yard line and in a very methodical 8 plays and 3:40, drove the field and put the Huskers up 10-0.  Under no great deal of pressure, Martinez's gorgeous toss to Kenny Bell set the tone for the type of afternoon the Gophers were about to experience.

Play We Want Back: It didn't have any impact on the game, but Ameer Abdullah's inexplicable fumble in the third quarter shows us that Nebraska doesn't have everything figured out just yet. 

I want to see more...
*Takeaways.  The Blackshirts picked off two tipped passes yesterday, with Daimion Stafford the beneficiary of a deep pass that bounced off WR MarQuies Gray's hands, and Stanley Jean-Baptiste taking another tipped pass 48 yards for a pick six.  There's rooms for improvement though, as Evans dropped an interception, and Stafford couldn't quite recover a punt that hit a Gopher's heel in the 4th quarter.
*Shutdown defense.  The Gophers were 0 for their first 12 third down conversions, and didn't cross the Nebraska 35 yard line until late in the 4th quarter.  The Gophers had 60 yards at halftime, and finished with only 177 total yards (90 passing, 87 rushing).  The Gophers managed only 57 plays and 3.7 yards/play.  It would have been nice to maintain the shutout, but you can't argue with that performance.
*WR Screens.  Tim Beck called the WR screen early and often, and after several 3-7 yard gains, Bell finally broke on for a 30 yard TD.  It was a nice wrinkle on a day when Nebraska couldn't get any traditional ground game going.
*Taylor Marino.  Sure that's a bit of an exaggeration, but aside from a few errant throws, Martinez looked great yesterday throwing for 303 yards at a 72% completion rate.  Martinez showed defensive coordinators that he can beat you with his arm when you sell out to stop the run.
*Running game.  The passing game was nice, but it was a little worrisome to see one of the worst run defenses in the Big Ten hold Nebraska to their lowest rushing output of the season.  Abdullah squirted free a few times, but the Gophers mostly did a good job limiting the Huskers' backs from getting past the second level.
*Discipline from the backups.  Judging by Ron Kellogg III's fourth quarter performance, Husker fans better pray hard that Taylor Martinez stays healthy.  Kellogg didn't get any help from his offensive line, or receivers, but his 1-4 passing performance, as well as the two fumbles on two consecutive plays, doeesn't exactly inspire confidence in Nebraska's number 2.
*Aggressive secondary.  Minnesota threw a total of 28 passes yesterday.  10 were caught by Gopher's receivers, 10 hit the ground or went out of bounds, and 8 passes were in some way altered by Husker defenders.  That's a pretty good game by the back 7.
*The CJ Zimmerer and Cole Pensick bulldozer.  Just like we saw last week against Penn State, when Nebraska needed a yard to get a TD, Pensick pulled right and along with FB CJ Zimmerer, blew the Gophers' defenders a yard past the goal line allowing Imani Cross to walk in his first TD of the day.
*Andrew Rodriguez at fullback.  With Ben Cotton lined up right behind Spencer Long, and A-Rod behind Martinez, the Huskers rushed right and Cross was able to walk in for his second TD.
*Facial hair.  Jase Dean's beard looks epic.  Martinez's?  Not so much.  Steinkuhler's is somewhere in between.  If Nebraska wins the Big Ten, Bo should grow a mustache.   
  
I want to see less...
*Turnovers.  They didn't alter the outcome of the game, but Kellogg III's late 4th quarter fumble gave Minnesota a TD, and Abdullah's fumble was irritating.  Nebraska still sits at -8 on the year.
*Boring 4th quarters.  I understand that Nebraska was up 38-0, but if Tim Beck had been a little more aggressive in the fourth quarter and allowed Kellogg III to throw it around a little more, maybe Nebraska could have shortened the game and the 4th quarter wouldn't have taken so painfully long.
*HB Passes.  The Huskers tried one in the 2nd quarter and it resulted in a 5 yard loss for Abdullah.  It coulda been worse, but I don't see any reason to try a trick play at that point.
*Juggling.  Credit Quincy Enunwa for making the catch at the two yard line after bobbling the throw 3 times, but he needs to secure that catch sooner.  And he needs to stop extending the ball on the way to the ground, he wasn't anywhere near the goal line.  Jamal Turner and Kenny Bell had a few shaky catches too. 
*Late hits out of bounds.  Seems like Stafford is getting flagged for this every game.  His 15 yd personal foul yesterday was close, but he should have pulled up.
*Goal line fails.  With two seconds left in the first half, Imani Cross tried to leap over the Gopher defense and was stuffed, ending the half on a sour note.  Nebraska was up 24-0, so we didn't really need the TD, but it's always good for the team's confidence to punch it in from a yard out. 
    
Armchair coach:
I liked the way the offense played for 3 quarters yesterday, but once Taylor Martinez and the bulk of the starters came out, the offense went into a shell and unnecessarily extended the game.  Dropped passes and missed blocks played their part, but I think Tim Beck played it too safe, calling short runs and quick passes with all that time on the clock.  Going into the wind, it forced short punts from Brett Maher, which allowed the Gophers to score some late TDs.

Hit of the Game:
Following Martinez's near turnover late in the third, Maher punted and as Gopher PR Marcus Jones was trying to get the sideline, Ben Cotton chopped his legs, windmilling him through the air and landing him hard.  Jones was understandably shaken up, and it turned out to be the biggest play for Cotton on his Senior Day.

Jennifer's Take (my wife doesn't know much about football, but she still has opinions)
"They finally took my advice and played the whole game like they usually do the second half."
Good call babe.

Keeping an eye on the rest of the college football world...
*The SEC haters are awful quiet this morning.  Kansas State looked hapless against a mediocre Baylor team, and Oregon wasted their best defensive performance of the year in an overtime loss to Stanford at home.  If Notre Dame loses to USC next weekend, we'll probably see 2 SEC teams in the BCS National Championship game.
*Speaking of USC, they lost for the first time in 5 tries to UCLA last night.  The Bruins could lose to Stanford next week and then play the Cardinal again in the PAC-12 championship game the next week.
*If Oregon wins the PAC-12, and misses the BCS National Championship game, they'll likely play in the Rose Bowl against Nebraska.  That would not be fun.
*Going into the 4th quarter, #9 South Carolina was tied at 7 with FCS Wofford.  The Gamecocks ended up scoring 17 in the 4th, but games like that can mean the difference in a BCS at-large berth and the Cotton Bowl.
*With Collin Klein and K-state losing, and Oregon's pathetic 14 points at home, the Heisman race is down to Johnny Manziel and Manti Te'o with 1 game left for each. 
*Keep an eye on Oklahoma.  Even with 2 losses, they're quietly positioning themselves for an at-larger BCS berth.
*Michigan State is now 5-6, with those 6 losses coming by a total of 30 points.  Take out the Notre Dame loss, and Sparty's average margin of defeat is less than 3 points.  Is there a better 6 loss team in the country?  Something tells me the Spartans don't relish that distinction.  They must win at Minnesota next weekend to go bowling.
*Following their OT loss to Ohio State, Wisconsin must beat Penn State in Happy Valley to avoid a 2 loss streak heading into the conference championship game in Indy.
*Unless they miraculously beat Northwestern in Evanston, Illinois is going to be 0-7 in Tim Beckman's first year in the Big Ten.  6-6 under Ron Zook doesn't seem so bad now.
*Purdue needs to beat Indiana at home to go bowling.  Pretty sad for a team that had every opportunity to win the Leaders division this year.
*After getting blown out by Michgan, Iowa is only playing for pride at home against Nebraska on Friday.  Whether that makes the Hawkeyes dangerous, or helpless remains to be seen. 

Song of the Game
"Pressing On" by Relient K

"I think we're going somewhere.
We're on to something good here.
Out of mind, out of state.
Trying to keep my head on straight.
I think we're going somewhere.
We're on to something good here.
There's only one thing left to do.
Drop all I have and go with you.
Somewhere back there I left my worries all behind.
My problems fell out of the back of my mind.
We're going and I'm never knowing (never knowing) where we're going.
To go back to where I was would just be wrong.
I'm pressing on."

After the blowout loss at Ohio State, there were many fans who quit on this team.  5 games and 5 wins later, the Huskers are 1 win away from accomplishing Bo's "Win out." declaration, and the first phase of their goal to win the Big Ten is almost complete.  If the Huskers press on and take care of business in Iowa City, then a trip to Indy and a rematch with Wisconsin is at hand.

Beer of the Game
90 minute IPA by Dogfish Head Craft Brewery Inc. Milton, DE



Full disclosure: I don't really like IPA's.  They're too hoppy, too bitter, and just not my cup of tea.  However, my buddy insisted that this one was different.  Smoother.  He was right.  Dogfish Head manages to craft a smooth, almost creamy beer that still retains the hoppy punch intrinsic to an IPA.  The 9% abv gives the beer a warmth that is hard to match, and it finishes nice and clean.  My only gripe: at 9 bucks for a 4 pack, this beer is too expensive for anything but special occasions.

Best Commercial
It doesn't make me want to switch to DirecTV, but this one's pretty funny.

Last thought
The Husker Train keeps rolling.   One more stop in Iowa City, and then it's on to Indy.  Nebraska did exactly what it was supposed to do yesterday, a refreshing anomaly in a topsy-turvy college football world.  If they do exactly what they're supposed to do Friday, then they should beat Iowa handily and have an extra day to prepare for a very different Badgers team than the one the Huskers beat in September.
But that's looking too far ahead.  5 down, 1 to go.  Bo and his Huskers have almost fought themselves out of the corner they backed themselves into in Colombus.  

Sunday Review: Penn State

Seriously, somebody needs to step up and make better pregame speeches.  Nebraska has come out sloppy in their last two games and had to rely on second half comebacks from two score deficits to win key Big Ten games.  Sure, you like the Husker's resolve, but at some point you wonder when the luck is going to run out.  With 2 relatively easy games left to go, the Huskers sit at 8-2 and first place in the Legends division, 2 games away from a rematch with Wisconsin at Lucas Oil Stadium.  The Huskers emerge from a murderous 6 game stretch in better shape than most expected in the preseason, but 10 games into the season, we still have grave questions about this teams ability to come out of the gate and beat any team for 60 minutes.  Any team but itself that is.  Credit Bo Pelini and his staff for simplifying the defensive calls in the second half, and shutting down Bill O'Brien and Matt McGloin's tricky, quickie offensive attack.  Credit Tim Beck for simplifying the offense in the second half and pounding out 21 points to give the Huskers another comeback win.  But why the heck do we need all of this halftime simplification?  Nebraska is entirely capable of dominating teams like Penn State from start to finish, but the Huskers seem like they'd rather try to out-scheme them first.  It's all a little tiring.
Of course a win is a win, and like Bo said, that's 4 down and 2 to go.  Two games against teams in the bottom third of the Big Ten.  Two games against teams that shouldn't be able to hang with the Huskers for even 5 minutes.  Two games that have no business being closer than 17 points.  Can the Huskers put together two 60 minute games and lock up the Legends division?
That's a question that'll have to wait 6 days.  Let's continue with the review:  

Offensive MVP: RB Ameer Abdullah.  31 carries, 116 yards, 4 catches for 29 yards and no turnovers.  Just another day at the office.  Of course we'd like to have Rex Burkhead back, but Abdullah has taken almost all of the sting out of his loss.  

Defensive MVP: S Daimion Stafford.  After a rough first half that included a sideline 'discussion' with Bo, Stafford came out and picked McGloin's first throw of the second half and returned the ball to the PSU 4 yard line.  Stafford broke up another pass in the third quarter, and jumped on Lehman's fumble in the endzone to end PSU's final scoring threat.  Stafford plays better every week and if he keeps improving, he'll be making big plays in the Rose Bowl. 

Special Teams MVP: K/P Brett Maher.  3 field goals, 3 extra points and a 69 yard punt that pinned Penn State at their own 2 yard line make up for a few short punts into the wind that put the Husker defense in a bad position.  The 33 yarder to ice the game was nice to see after all of the senior's inconsistency this season.

Freshman MVP: RB Imani Cross.  "Iron" Cross finally got an opportunity to showcase his most valuable skill: short yardage running.  Cross plowed 3 yards past the goal line twice in the second half, and even though he was stopped on a late 3rd and 1, you get the sense that the coaches finally trust the freshman when the game is in the balance.

Assistant Coach of the Game:  
Ron Brown.  Once again, the RBs racked up big yards the whole game, and committed 0 turnovers.  Braylon Heard continues to average 8 yards per carry off the bench and Imani Cross is finding his niche as a short yardage back.  My only beef is that Ameer Abdullah had 31 carries while Heard only got 3.  Does he have bad practice habits or something?

Play of the Game: Apparently, Jamal Turner likes catching game winners.  Down 23-20 at Penn State's 5 yard line, where the Huskers had struggled all day, Turner ran an inside slant and hung on to a quick throw from Martinez to put Nebraska ahead for good.  After 1 1/2 seasons without a TD, Turner has cashed in with the two most important TDs of the season.

Play(s) We Want Back: On Nebraska's first drive, Turner caught a pass from a scrambling Martinez and set the Huskers up at the Penn State 6 yard line.  The next three plays were a microcosm of Nebraska's woes in this game: Abdullah -6 on a zone read, Abdullah -2 on a toss, Martinez -1 on a scramble.  Nebraska would get a field goal from Maher, but it wouldn't be until the 3rd quarter that Tim Beck would remember that he had a viable power option in Imani Cross when the Huskers got inside the 10 yard line.

I want to see more...
*Takeaways.  The Huskers forced three timely turnovers that erased at least 10 points off the board for Penn State and directly led to 10 points for the Huskers.  Alonzo Whaley forced another fumble that rolled out of bounds at the PSU 23.  This is the sort of effort we need to see every week.
*Breaks.  Tom Shatel wrote last week that Bo's teams are due for some breaks after so many things went awry his first 4 years.  I agree.  If pressed, I would say that Penn State probably should have been given the TD on Matt Lehman's catch, but that wasn't the call.  It adds more spice to this burgeoning Big Ten rivalry.
*Will Compton.  The senior is playing pretty good football right now.  Like the rest of the defense, he got crossed up a few times in the first half, but he led his Blackshirts back in the second half, and finished with 10 tackles, a fumble recovery, and two pass breakups.
*Baker Steinkuhler.  The gentle giant made some nice plays yesterday, none better than his sack right before Stafford's INT where he blew through the guard and smashed McGloin.
*Cole Pensick.  Pensick pulled right and along with FB CJ Zimmerer, he blasted through the Penn State defensive line to make Imani Cross' second TD a walk-in.
*Kyler Reed.  Often underutilized, Reed had another huge catch yesterday, taking a short throw 56 yards to set up Jamal Turner's go ahead TD. 
*Resolve.  For the 4th time this season, Taylor Martinez and the Husker offense have shrugged off mistakes and won games for this team.  Credit the Blackshirts for shutting down the Penn State offense for most of the second half.
*Power tosses.  For most of the second half, Nebraska ran up and down the field sweeping left then right to deliver a victory over the gassed Nittany Lion defense.
*Punt returns.  Nebraska has to figure something out here.  The punt return game has gone from bad to just plain silly.  When our returners do attempt to catch the ball, they drop it.  When they don't, the ball rolls back 20 yards.  I've never seen anything so pathetic.

I want to see less...
*Turnovers.  Taylor Martinez fumbled at the Penn State 5.  Tim Marlowe muffed a punt.  Business as usual for this team.  Unfortunately.
*Field goals.  Credit Maher for hitting all three of his attempted field goals, but Nebraska needs more TDs when they get inside the ten yard line.  
*Tackles for loss.  Penn State had 12 TFLs yesterday, including 3 by freshman DE Deion Barnes.  Most of the blame goes to the offensive line, but PSU DC Ted Roof clearly had Beck's number a few times, blitzing right into Nebraska's running plays.
*Penalties.  Several bad ones on the Nebraska O-line, including an iffy late hit on Jeremiah Sirles that erased the only good screen play Nebraska's run this year.  Eric Martin had a potentially back-breaking facemask while he ran McGloin out of bounds on a key 3rd down in the Nebraska red zone.  The infamous "review" made up for the mistake.
*Defensive timeouts.  Bo used all three of his timeouts in the first half because he couldn't get his guys lined up correctly against Bill O'Brien's fast paced offense.  If O'Brien stays at PSU, he's going to be a tough out for Bo every year. 
*Zach Zwinak.  The unheralded back carried the entire Nebraska defense all over the field yesterday.  He finished with 141 total rushing yards and 1 TD, but I'm sure he'll remember his first quarter fumble at the NU 5 yard line.
*Dropped passes.  Jamal Turner dropped one after getting rocked by a safety, which is sort of excusable, but it still deserves a mention.  Will Compton let a potential INT hit him in the face right at the end of the game.
*Wind.  That 40 mph breeze wreaked havoc on both teams yesterday, but never more so than on Brett Maher's punts.  Punts of 35, 30, and 16 yards put the Nebraska defense behind the eight ball in the second quarter.  Martinez didn't have a whole lot of luck throwing the ball against the wind either.
*Time for opponents to throw.  Sure the Blackshirts got 3 sacks yesterday, but too often McGloin had all day to throw, and made the defense pay for it.
    
Armchair head coach:
Give credit to Tim Beck for finding the weakness on the edge in two consecutive opponents, but Beck deserves a stern finger in his face from Bo for making 3 trips inside the Penn State 10 yard line without a TD.  Instead of turning to his power game, Beck fell into the same trap that so many spread offense coaches do in the red zone, and his offense too often back-pedaled inside the 10 yard line.
Beck was also too conservative after Nebraska took the lead in the 4th quarter.  I'm not saying that Martinez should have been chucking it around in such a close game, but Penn State had long since adjusted to his power sweeps, so he needed to try something else. 

Hit of the Game:
Nebraska's offense took the ball into the endzone to open the second half, and on the ensuing kickoff Alonzo Whaley blasted Jesse Delle Valle at his own 19 to bring the crowd back to life.  Three plays later, Daimion Stafford picked off McGloin, and a little more than 5 minutes into the second half, Penn State's 14 point lead was gone. 

Jennifer's Take (my wife doesn't know much about football, but she still has opinions)
"It's like they're an entirely different team in the second half."
Yep.

Keeping an eye on the rest of the college football world...
*Alabama loses at home to a first year head coach and a freshman QB?  I had to see it to believe it.
*Kansas State will likely take the #1 spot in the BCS this week.  Texas looms large in 2 weeks.
*No SEC team in the National Championship game?  Notre Dame, Oregon and Kansas State will all need to keep winning impressively to hold off Alabama and/or Georgia after conference championship week.
*Louisville had a good run, but they're still a young team and the Big East is still the Big East.
*Louisiana Tech keeps inching their way towards the top 12.  Their 2 point loss at Texas A&M looks better every week and they have the offense to bust the BCS in a big way.
*Nebraska should have a 1 game cushion in the Legends division right now, but thanks to Northwestern's punter, and a miraculous 53 yard, one-handed catch by Michigan WR Roy Roundtree, the Wolverines escaped the Wildcats in OT, and Nebraska needs to stay perfect in November to guarantee a trip to Indy.
*Wisconsin rose to the occasion in Bloomington.  Facing a de facto Leaders division elimination game, the Badgers blasted Indiana 62-14 and punched their ticket to Indy.  Jim Delany is breathing a huge sigh of relief.
*Illinois is obviously the worst team in the Big Ten, but Iowa is probably second worst following their loss to Purdue yesterday.  Kirk Ferentz shouldn't survive this offseason.
*Minnesota had to sweat out a win at lowly Illinois, but don't think the Gophers can't pull a shocker in Lincoln next week.  Bo hasn't lost his annual game to an unranked team at home yet, so you can consider Nebraska officially on upset alert starting now.
*Carl Pelini and FAU picked up their 3rd win over Western Kentucky. 

Song of the Game
"The Wind" by Zac Brown Band

"Where the wind blows babe, you can bet
I'll be riding high with it
Holdin' on for my dear life just like I always did.
Close your eyes babe, take a breath
Say my name and I'll be there
My love will find you anywhere
Anywhere my love"

40 mph wind?  No problem, Nebraska rode the wind to a victory over the last realistic obstacle on the way to Indy. 

Beer of the Game 
UFO Hefeweizen, Harpoon Brewery, Boston, MA


Call me a snob, but I think if you're going to use the German term for a wheat beer, you should use it correctly.  Harpoon's offering only barely qualifies as a true cloudy hefeweizen by looks, and it tastes more like a krystallweizen.  This beer is too light, it lacks a balanced hops taste, and it has an unpleasant metallic aftertaste.  If you're looking for a good unfiltered wheat beer, stick with Boulevard or Shock Top and pass on this one. 

Best Commercial
I guess I don't 'get' the whole Clay Matthews hoopla that's choking up the advertising world right now, but it sure is funny.  Like this Fathead commercial.  Matthews does the tongue in cheek perfectly.

Quick Shout-Out
From one veteran to another, happy Veterans Day to Ed Guthrie the 94 year-old Pearl Harbor survivor who was honored at midfield yesterday.    

Last thought
Like any red-blooded man, I like to play with fire.  Maybe one more squirt of lighter fluid on my charcoal.  Maybe one more firecracker tied to my GI Joe.  Maybe one more log in the fireplace.  It's fun to play with fire, to let it get just a little bit bigger.  To see just how big it can become before it gets out of control.  Thing is, the fire always wins.  I always lose some hair on my arms, and my wife gets to say "I told you so." 
Nebraska has played with fire the last 6 games.  We got burned at Ohio State, but we've inexplicably pulled victories from the jaws of defeat in the other 5.  Now the Huskers are likely sitting inside the BCS top 15, atop the Legends division, and staring at a trip to Indy if we can just take care of business in the two easiest games since September.  Time for Bo and Beck to put the lighter fluid down and take the prize that's dangling in front of their faces.

Sunday Review: Michigan State

Stop me if you've heard this one before: Down ten points early in the 4th quarter, Nebraska is driving inside the opponents' 10 yard line.  Taylor Martinez makes a bad read and throws right to the opposing cornerback, who picks it off and weaves 96 yards to score and put the game away, ending Nebraska's chances of a comeback, and throwing a huge wrench in Nebraska's designs for the Legends division championship.  Sound kinda familiar?
Sorry, but this isn't 2011. Nebraska caught a break with a personal foul that put Michigan State back on their own 10 yard line, forced the three and out, and went on to score two TDs and steal a road win and remain in the proverbial driver's seat in the Big 10.
In a messy, physical game, the Huskers took better advantage of their breaks than Michigan State did, and down three points near the end, Martinez, Kyler Reed, Kenny Bell, and Jamal Turner needed only 1 minute and 14 seconds to make everything all right again in Husker Nation.  The Spartan players and coaches, understandably hurt by the turn of events, cried foul against the refs, but nobody can deny the immense fortitude and mental toughness of this Husker team.  Halfway through Bo Pelini's "Win out." gauntlet, we've discovered that it's never going to be easy or pretty, but you can never count out the Huskers until the clock says 0:00.
Now that I'm not having a heart attack, any more, let's review:

Offensive MVP: QB Taylor Martinez.  With Rex Burkhead on the sideline in sweats yet again, Nebraska needed every bit of T-Magic the junior could muster.  Obviously, there were plenty of T-Muggle moments yesterday, with 3 entirely awful INTs and some bad sacks, but Martinez willed his team to victory in the final minute, and completed his third 4th quarter comeback of the year for the win.  And to top it all off, he's already the school leader in career total yards with 1 1/4 seasons still to play, passing Eric Crouch in the first quarter yesterday. 

Defensive MVP: Michigan State CB Darqueze Dennard.  There's some good cornerback genes in the Dennard family.  Alfonzo's cousin picked off 2 of Martinez's passes yesterday, snagging a long ball, and jumping a slant intended for Ben Cotton.  Had the other corner, Johnny Adams, not leveled Kenny Bell from behind, Dennard's weaving 96 yard INT return would likely have put the game away early in the 4th quarter.  The pass interference called on Dennard right before the game winner was iffy in slow motion, but at game speed, it looked like a decent call.  Dennard is still my vote for Big 10 defensive player of the week. 

Special Teams MVP: Michigan State P Mike Sadler.  This dude's got a leg.  Sadler put 3 of 7 punts inside the 20, and constantly flipped the field, keeping Nebraska's field's long.  If he had taken just a little bit off his last punt and put Nebraska inside their own 5 with a minute left, we might have had a much different result.  Good game overall for the kid.

Freshman MVP: LB David Santos.  He was only credited with one tackle, but the freshman LB was instrumental in holding Michigan State's best pass catcher, TE Dion Sims, to one catch for 10 yards.  Santos is playing for next year, and his future looks brighter every game.

Assistant Coach of the Game:  
Tim Beck.  Beck made some bonehead calls, and the Huskers never seemed to settle into a rhythm, but you have to give the head guy credit, he has molded Martinez into a clutch QB, and he clearly knows how to move down the field quickly when we need a score in a hurry.  To put 313 yards rushing on Michigan State's bruising defense shows Beck's emerging skill as an offensive mind.

Play of the Game: The only logical choice is Martinez to Turner for the win.  Perfect play call, perfect pass, perfect catch, perfect end to a crazy game.  Is there a better way to catch your first career TD?

Play We Want Back: Since we can't have the entire 3rd quarter back, I'll go with Kenny Bell's dropped TD.  Inside the red zone and facing 3rd and 6, Martinez wafted a beautiful pass that dropped right into Bell's hands as he fell into the endzone.  Problem is, the ball kept dropping, right through Bell's hands, hitting the turf between his feet.  Maher missed a 30 yard field goal on the next play, and instead of 14-7 Nebraska, 2 minutes later it was 14-7 Michigan State.  How different would the game have turned out if Bell hangs onto that pass?  We'll never know, but it's easy to think that Nebraska uses the momentum to cruise to a more comfortable win. 

I want to see more...
*Takeaways. Yep, this one's still here.  Technically Nebraska recovered two fumbles yesterday, but I'm not going to count the lateraloosky on the final kickoff.  When a QB only completes 33% of his passes, is it crazy to expect at least 1 INT?  Stanley Jean-Baptiste was in good position, but he let Tony Lippett beat him to the ball for a 46 yard TD in the second quarter.  Penn State plays much better football than the Spartans, so the Blackshirts will need to be more aggressive next week.
*Credit for Taylor Martinez.  The ESPN crews keep talking about him like he's on a lower tier than Braxton Miller and Denard Robinson.  The reality is that Martinez is every bit as talented as the other two, but suffers from Nebraska's team breakdowns the last 3 years.  If T-Magic finishes his career with a couple Rose Bowl wins, he'll get his due.
*Ameer Abdullah.  The super sophomore did a fantastic job beating the ends to the corner and getting 12 yards a pop on several plays.  He didn't have as much success inside, but his 110 rushing yards were a great compliment to Martinez's career day.  One question: why didn't Braylon Heard and/or Imani Cross get a shot to contribute?
*Justin Jackson.  He did a much better job snapping this week, with a few exceptions, but he makes his money pulling, and he was a bulldozer yesterday.  Jackson kicks out fast and gets effective blocks to set the edge.  Good game for the senior from what I saw.
*T-Magic.  Runs of 71, and 70 yards were vintage, but I like that he audibled into the 71 yard TD run (and got a crushing block by Kenny Bell) and stayed composed after 3 INTs and several dropped passes to make some nice throws on the final TD drives.  For the record, Tom Brady couldn't throw that end zone slant any better.  He's obviously maturing with every game and he's painting an ever more impressive masterpiece to close out the season.
*Blackshirts.  Everyone's talking about Michigan State getting robbed with bad calls, but the flags flew both ways yesterday, and Nebraska did a better job responding to the adversity than the Spartans.  Aside from a few missed tackles, the Husker's did a decent job shutting down Le'Veon Bell and minus the 46 yard TD to Lippett, Andrew Maxwell didn't have a whole lot of luck either.  The Blackshirts buckled down in the 4th quarter after being on the field for most of the 3rd, and gave their offense the time they needed to get the win.
*Games decided before the 4th quarter.  I took an aspirin before Nebraska's final drive.  I did not have a headache.  Good thing my wife knows CPR, I might need it if the Huskers keep this up.

I want to see less...
*Turnovers.  Yep, this one's still here too.  3 INTs and a fumble that Jeremiah Sirles was fortunate enough to fall on for a 15 yard gain.  How many other teams would be 7-2 with such a disastrous turnover margin?
*T-Muggle.  As great as he was at times last night, Martinez made some bad decisions too.  On his first interception, he had Quincy Enunwa open shallow, and Bell open deep, but he threw right to the Michigan State defender between them.  On his second INT Martinez made a poor decision to throw deep to a well-covered Enunwa, and later he made another poor decision to force a throw to Ben Cotton that was nearly a 96 yard pick six.  Martinez also fumbled, and compounded his error by trying to scoop it up and run with it; luckily Sirles was there to bail his QB out.  Throw in several other off-target throws and a few bad sacks, and it was a pretty schizophrenic day for Martinez.
*Missed tackles.  Safeties Daimion Stafford and PJ Smith combined for 23 tackles, but they both missed on Le'Veon Bell and allowed him to go for big gains.  The safeties aren't the only guilty ones, but since they're the last line of defense, they stick out when they miss.
*Dropped Passes.  This old bugaboo reared it's ugly head for the first time this year.  I suppose we can blame the chilly air just this once.
*Jet Sweeps.  Kenny Bell and Jamal Turner both lost yards on this play, while the Spartans had some success early in the game hitting a few sweeps for quick yards.
*Whatever the heck happened in the 3rd quarter.  Nebraska had 8 plays for 4 yards in the period as well as the second of 3 interceptions.  Defensively, penalties extended Spartan drives (including the egregious call on Stafford for late hit out of bounds), but the Blackshirts forced a fumble, and got a stop inside the 10 yard line, to minimize the effect of the offensive collapse.
*Marks on my wall.  Several frustrating turns of events left my walls a little worse for wear.  Better the walls than my TV I suppose.

Armchair head coach:
If I'm Bo Pelini, facing 2nd and 10 at the MSU 20 yard line with 27 seconds left, I would have had Martinez run to the middle of the field, take a knee, and then spike the ball with about 5 seconds left.  That would have been a conservative way to take the game to overtime, and given the way our defense had shut the Spartans down, I'd like to think it would have worked.  Bo played it considerably more aggressive, and I don't fault him for that. 

Hit of the Game:
PJ Smith got absolutely leveled by Le'Veon Bell in the 4th quarter, very similar to what happened on Bell's first TD, but this time Smith somehow managed to hang on until help arrived and held Bell to a three yard gain.  Pretty sure he's still feeling it right now.

Jennifer's Take (my wife doesn't know much about football, but she still has opinions)
"I'm glad Nebraska won, but I don't appreciate what they did to my husband's mood all afternoon."
Yeah, things were a little tense in the Burruss house for a while.  I scared the bejeebers out of my one year old son with my reaction to Turner's game winner.  I had to change a diaper soon after.

Keeping an eye on the rest of the college football world...
*So Alabama isn't invincible, but if you're an SEC team the only stat that matters is the final score.
*Kansas State had another dominant game against a ranked opponent.  I agree with Lee Barfknecht, the Wildcats look a lot like some old Tom Osborne teams.  I don't mind cheering for them now that they're no longer ripping Nebraska quarterbacks' heads off.  
*Being on the East Coast, I don't get the chance to see Oregon play football often, but I saw a bit of their victory over USC last night, and holy crap.  That offense is fast, and they are talented.  USC isn't on the same level as Alabama defensively, but I think the Ducks could give the Tide a good game.
*Notre Dame didn't do itself any favors with their 3 OT win over Pitt.  The Irish need to win their games decisively to have a chance of leapfrogging Oregon and K-State.
*Georgia has only to beat Auburn on the road to secure their spot in the SEC title game.  Sucks to be Florida, who need the Bulldogs to lose that game to get a shot at Alabama.
*Penn State looked really good at Purdue, but a trip to Nebraska should be far more taxing.  Bill O'Brien's offense looks like a third string version of the New England Patriots, and his defense is tough, but they'll need some luck in Lincoln.
*Michigan looked good with Devin Gardner at Minnesota.  Makes you wonder why he didn't at least get a shot at Nebraska.
*If Indiana beats Wisconsin at home next week, both teams will be 3-3 in the league.  Wisconsin finishes with Ohio State and Penn State, the Hoosiers play Penn State and Purdue.  A 6-5 Indiana team in the Big 10 championship?  It's looking mighty possible.
*Navy rushed for 250 yards on Carl Pelini's FAU Owls, winning 24-17. 
*Frank Solich's Ohio team got back on track with a 45-14 beatdown of Eastern Michigan.  There's 4 MAC teams with only 1 loss.  The Big Ten would kill for that.

Song of the Game
"I'm Coming Home" by Diddy Dirty Money ft. Skylar Grey

"I’m coming home
I’m coming home
Tell the World I’m coming home
Let the rain wash away all the pain of yesterday
I know my kingdom awaits and they’ve forgiven my mistakes
I’m coming home, I’m coming home
Tell the World that I’m coming..."


Cheesy, I know.  But Nebraska is perfect at home this year and they'll need all of that mojo to beat a better-than-you-think Penn State team next weekend.  After 3 of the last 4 games on the road, it will be nice to be in the friendly, imposing confines of Memorial Stadium.  

Beer of the Game 
Amber Ale by Bell's Brewery Inc. Comstock, MI

I figured since the team was going to be in Michigan, my beer taste might as well make the trip as well.  This Amber Ale is far superior to the more popular Fat Tire.  I like the way the bitterness is balanced with a hint of sweet and most importantly, it finishes clean.  This is a really good beer, and at 7 bucks for a 6 pack, you can't argue with the price either.
 
Best Commercial
Every now and then, a commercial comes along that makes you realize that the things you do are pretty darn hilarious.  Like this Volkswagen commercial.  I do this all the time, I hope nobody's watching...

Last thought
I really, really hate close games because they make me grumpy.  Especially when you see the sort of miscues that we saw yesterday.  As long as we're winning however, I will endure.  Bo said "Win out."  He backed himself into that corner, and we should have known that his teams play their best when they're fighting out of a corner.  This team can take all sorts of shots and make all sorts of mistakes and find a way to win.  I like that, but now it's time to play a clean game from start to finish and dominate every quarter instead of just the fourth.  Can the Huskers do that against a decent Penn State team?  We'll see.

Sunday Review: Michigan

With the huge variety of storylines that can be taken from Nebraska's big win yesterday, I'm going to follow Bo Pelini's lead and and stick with the 'Enjoy the win, but get ready for next week.' mantra.  This was undoubtedly the biggest win so far this year for the Huskers, but it won't mean much if we come out flat in East Lansing next Saturday.  Nebraska has to get back to the 0-0 mentality that they've shown the last 2 games and avoid the letdown.  Bo thinks the idea that Nebraska is 'in the driver's seat' in the Big Ten is a bunch of crap, but truthfully all Nebraska has to do is win out, and they're going to Indy in a month for a probable rematch with Wisconsin.  Finishing 10-2 would take a lot of sting out of some poor performances earlier this year, but let's not get too far ahead of ourselves. 
For now, let's just review:

Offensive MVP: RB Ameer Abdullah.  With Rex Burkhead on the sideline in sweats, Abdullah pounded out 24 carries for 109 yards and the game clinching TD in the fourth quarter with none of those pesky fumbles. Abdullah was shut down pretty well in the first half getting 21 yards on 8 carries, but he came alive in the second, grinding, twisting and juking for 5.5 yards per carry.  On his best run of the night, Abdullah sat behind C Justin Jackson on a long developing shotgun sweep that went 11 yards for the TD and put the game away.  Yeah, our best player is hurt, but there isn't a lot you don't like about Abdullah's relief work right now. 

Defensive MVP: LB Sean Fisher  After all of the injuries and junk he's been through, Fish played the game of his career last night, stuffing Fitz Toussaint pretty much every time he tried to get the edge.  7 tackles, 2 TFLs and decent work in coverage were a vindication of sorts for the senior.  If he's your doctor someday, ask him about tonight's game and you can be sure he'll remember it fondly.

Special Teams MVP: K/P Brett Maher.  It's been an up and down year for the senior from Kearney, but he was all 'up' last night.  3 field goals right down the center, including the rocket from 51 yards that would have been good from 61, and a solid 42 yard average on those funky rugby punts.  Minus the kickoff out of bounds, it was a great night for Maher. 

Freshman MVP: LB David Santos.  This is a long time coming, as we've heard so much about this redshirt freshman since he arrived last fall.  Santos finally showed us what the talk was about, racking up a team leading 10 tackles; 6 solo, and 1 TFL.  Santos fills holes well, hits ball carriers really hard, and he provides some of the speed we've been missing since Lavonte David graduated.  I don't know what took him so long to get on the field, but if he plays like he did last night, we shouldn't have to wonder any more.

Assistant Coach of the Game:  
Ross Els.  Nebraska's linebackers have been consistently inconsistent so far this season, but they had a marvelous game last night racking up 30 of the team's 71 tackles last night.  Other than a few moderate gains on some WR sweeps, Michigan had very little success running the ball, and the LBs got excellent penetration all night.  If this keeps up, Nebraska defense will be hard for any of the remaining opponents to pierce.

Play of the Game: Taylor Martinez's deep pass to Kenny Bell for the first TD in the second quarter.  Decent enough throw, great route by Bell, even better rub by Tim Marlowe to spring Bell loose, and a fantastic adjustment, catch, run, and leap by Bell for the TD.  Best WR in Nebraska history?  He's making a solid case right now.   

Play We Want Back: Martinez's interception to open the second half.  He was on the run and he had  Marlowe wide open for the third down conversion, but Martinez just didn't get the ball high enough, and it was tipped and picked.  It didn't end up hurting us because Russ Bellomy threw a pick 3 plays later, but if Nebraska had scored on the opening drive of the half, I don't think Michigan would have hung around so long.

I want to see more...
*Takeaways.  It was really nice to get the three picks off the freshman backup QB, but sadly enough, it doubled our total INTs for the season.  We need to take a little momentum from this week and get a lot more takeaways down the road.
*Taariq Allen.  Bo said his knee injury was pretty serious after the game, but here's hoping we see him on the field soon.
*Cam Meredith at DT.  Meredith has the strength to play the position, and it's worked fairly well two weeks in a row now.  Let's keep it going.
*Ending the game on the field.  Nebraska took the ball at their 20 yard line with 6:50 left in the game, and they ground out the final 7 minutes with a good mix of Imani Cross, Abdullah and Martinez on the ground.  Abdullah had an amazing twisting, lunging 3rd and 6 conversion around midfield, and Brady Hoke didn't bother calling his timeouts.  Martinez took a knee to kill the last 40 seconds showing that even in Tim Beck's fast paced offense, the Huskers can still eat some clock.
*Improved safety play.  Daimion Stafford and PJ Smith took a beating on and off the field at Ohio State, but they each got a pick last night, and showed well in coverage and against the run.  They won't be confused for Matt O'Hanlon and Larry Asante, but they're improving.
*QB pressure from the front four.  Asked after the game, Bo tried to deny that his front four were playing to keep Denard Robinson in the pocket, but it was clear that they had no intention of letting him slip out, even if it meant giving him 30 seconds to throw.  It worked okay, but it still rankles my inner Christian Peter to see such a conservative strategy.  Even after Robison left the game, Nebraska had to blitz to get any serious pressure.
*Martinez's toughness.  Taylor tweaked both ankles in the second and third quarters, but he kept coming, eventually breaking a 29 yard run in the fourth quarter that set up Abdullah's 11 yard TD.  For all his faults, he's every bit as tough as Eric Crouch and Scott Frost were.
*Eric Martin.  The Caveman had another sack, 2 TFLs, a batted pass and a QB hit last night.  He's so much better at rushing the passer than every other defender the Huskers have, that I don't expect him to leave the field at Michigan State next week.  Martin eats pocket QBs for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

I want to see less...
*Turnovers.  2 more yesterday, both by Martinez (though he looked like he was down on the fumble), and both within a few minutes of each other.  Key difference this game: 0 points off turnovers for Michigan.  I don't know what it will take for Martinez to stop putting the ball on the ground, but he needs to figure out in a hurry.
*Shallow kickoffs.  I'm not sure why Maher was kicking shallow, but Michigan was close to breaking a few returns, and it seemed like they always started at their 30.
*Penalties.  8 for 105 yards.  That looks much worse than it was, as at least half were questionable at best.  The targeting penalty on Josh Mitchell was beyond ridiculous, ditto on the pass interference in the endzone on Andrew Green.  At least the refs were consistent, the hit out of bounds on Martinez was far from egregious, but the refs flagged Michigan 15 yards anyway.  Poor calls aside, Nebraska needs to be a little more disciplined in the weeks to come, we don't need future refs to look for calls based on reputation.
*Unblocked defenders.  I remember 5 or 6 plays getting wrecked last night because a LB or DE wasn't touched getting into the backfield.  Those sort of plays kill drives.
*Time of possession for the opponent.  Take away the 4th quarter, and Michigan held the ball for 28:03 compared to 16:57 for Nebraska.  I appreciate the Husker's fast paced offense, but that's too long for a defense to be on the field in most games.  The Huskers have to do better than 4/12 on third down.
*Fair catches on punts.  Abdullah didn't seem like he was even trying to make a return, which might have been wise given his fumbling struggles.  I realize I'm being a bit greedy, but I want ball security AND long returns.
*Snapping issues.  Justin Jackson was chucking 'em high all night, and if not for Taylor's good hands, we'd have lost a couple.  LS PJ Mangieri put his first snap at Maher's ankles, but Brett managed to get the punt off.  That's gotta get fixed.
*Dropped passes.  It hasn't been a huge issue this year, but last night Kyler Reed dropped a TD pass that was admittedly a little low.  Jamal Turner let another TD pass get lost in the lights and sail past his face.  It didn't hurt us last night, but I don't want to see any more.
*Field goals.  3 trips to the red zone and only 1 TD?  Laaaame.  If I'm Tim Beck, I'd like to pound the ball in from the 4, but he clearly doesn't have as much confidence as he should in his power game.  Once again, it hasn't been as big a problem this year, but I don't want to see it again.
*Joe Ganz's pink hat.  C'mon dude. 

Armchair head coach:
If I'm Brady Hoke (and I'd have to gain 70 pounds to be even close), I would have been in Al Borges' ear to make him find a running game.  The Wolverines had some early success attacking the perimeter on some WR jet sweeps, but once Denard was hurt they mostly stuck to attacking the middle to no avail.  A redshirt freshman QB with precious little game experience gets thrust into a big game at Memorial Stadium at night with no running game?  There's no way that ends any differently than it did.

Hit of the Game:
This one's easy: Baker Steinkuhler for his seemingly innocuous tackle that put Denard Robinson out of the game.  I won't go so far as to say that we won because Robinson was hurt, but it made things a whole lot easier.  There's a cautionary tale here for Husker fans, how would our offense respond if Martinez couldn't come back into a game?

Jennifer's Take (my wife doesn't know much about football, but she still has opinions)
"OK it's over, turn it to the World Series!"
Being from Fresno, Jennifer is a huge Giants fan and she spent the whole game watching the World Series gamecast on espn.com. 

Keeping an eye on the rest of the college football world...
*Alabama looks pretty darn invincible.  I don't see anyone beating them this year outside of an epic choke in Baton Rouge or the SEC title game.
*I watched most of the Florida-Georgia game, and it looked like both teams indulged in the World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party before the game.  It was ridiculously sloppy.  On a sidenote: if you hate the way Bo Pelini can go off on a player, watch Georgia DC Todd Grantham some time.  He almost beheaded a Georgia player after a dumb penalty.    
*Kansas State has scored 50 points in back to back games against top 15 teams.  Collin Klein has 11 TDs in those games.  Only an epic choke keeps them out of the National Championship game.
*If you haven't seen Oregon's De'Anthony Thomas return a punt 73 yards vs Colorado watch it now.  That was cool.  You think Scott Frost enjoys putting 56 on Colorado at halftime?
*Notre Dame just won't be beat.  It's never pretty, but it's always a W.  Makes me sick.
*Can we stop talking about Matt Barkley now?  Without Marqise Lee, he's barely an average QB.
*If you wonder why the Big East doesn't get any love in the polls, just look at Rutgers' 12 point loss to Kent State at home.
*I feel sorry for Frank Solich losing to Miami (OH), but that's what happens when you don't put winnable games away early.
*Carl Pelini's FAU Owls got a nice win over Troy yesterday.
*Penn State is the latest to fall victim to the Braxton Miller bug.  Actually, Ohio State's defense did the most damage to the Nittany Lions; Matt McGloin has definitely hit his ceiling.
*After losing at home to Michigan State, Wisconsin faces an unexpectedly big game at Indiana next week.  If the Badgers lose that game, they'll need to beat Ohio State or Penn State to clinch the Leaders division.
*Don't ignore Northwestern in the Legends.  If the Huskers stumble twice, the Wildcats can sneak in if they win out.  

Song of the Game
"Everything is Alright" by Motion City Soundtrack

"I used to rely on self-medication,
I guess I still do that from time to time.
But I'm getting better at fighting the future,
"Someday you'll be fine.."
Yes, I'll be just fine.

Tell me that you're alright,
Yeah everything is alright.
Oh please tell me that you're alright,
Yeah everything is alright."

If only for another week, everything is still alright in Lincoln, NE.

Beer of the Game 
Red Hook ESB by Red Hook Brewing Company, Portsmouth, ME


If you're looking for a beer that's smoother than a porter, but bolder than a brown ale, you want a classic British Extra Special Bitter.  Red Hook's attempt at an ESB is very drinkable, but still full-flavored and delicious.  At 7 bucks for a 6 pack, it's easy on the wallet too.

Best Commercial
Not a lot of good ones to choose from until this gem from Sportscenter in the 4th quarter.  Matt Stafford is not a funny guy, but he sells this one well enough.

Last thought
I just saw Alfonzo Dennard get his first NFL interception.  It's nice to see him work through his off field issues to contribute at the next level.

Anyways, I will argue to the death with anyone who thinks this win was cheapened by Michigan's loss of Denard Robinson.  Nebraska's best player sat on the sidelines all night, and the Huskers managed to get it done without him.  As many hits as Denard Robinson takes, it's really inexcusable for the Michigan coaches not to have a reliable backup.
In any event.  Nebraska sits atop the Legends division with a tie breaker over 2nd place Michigan and 3rd place Northwestern.  Typically, this is where Bo's teams manage to choke away a game or two.  Michigan State is more than capable of causing that choke, as are Minnesota, Penn State or Iowa.  Nebraska absolutely has to stay composed and focus on winning every game left on the schedule.  Even if they manage to limp into Indy after dropping another game, the torches and pitchforks are going to be at Bo's door, Nebraska simply must win out.
Good thing we're 0-0 going into this weekend.

Sunday Review: Northwestern

Immediately following yesterday's game, Bo Pelini aptly summarized the contest as "Good for TV, not for the heart." in an interview with Maria Brown.  
Now that everyone's blood pressure has had a chance to normalize, let's all take a moment to forget everything else that happened in yesterday's game and just admire the Husker's gumption in finding a way to win a road game that had no business being that close.  Ready?  Okay, go...
Now that that's out of the way, yikes.  What the heck was all that about?  Why do these Huskers insist on trying to lose a game for three and a half quarters before squeaking out a win?  How can we play so brilliantly most of the game and so poorly in small patches that lead to opponents carving out big gains and tons of points?  That 'C' word that we've been waiting for, the consistency that the program desperately needs, still eludes us, and I fear that even though Bo made a step in the right direction towards his "Win out." proclamation, we're just being set up for a disappointment next week versus Michigan.
But that's still a week off, let's keep plugging with the review:

Offensive MVP: WR Quincy Enunwa.  Kenny Bell is still the teams' best receiver, but it was Enunwa who got the offense fired up with 4 key grabs late in the 4th quarter.  Big time performance by the junior: 6 catches for 110 yards, setting up both of Nebraska's last 2 TDs with clutch receptions including the beautiful 31 yard grab that set up Taariq Allen's TD catch.   

Defensive MVP: CB Stanley Jean-Baptiste.  Yes, he got beat on a 26 yard TD pass right before halftime, but SJB was picked on all afternoon, and he rewarded the Northwestern QBs with 5 pass break-ups for their trouble.  Sure he dropped an interception, but so did practically everyone else in the back 7.  This was a great performance by one of the biggest corners in college football.

Special Teams MVP: Northwestern P Brandon Williams.  No his 38 yard average wasn't great, but his wobbly punts were muffed twice, and twice took ridiculous bounces and died inside Nebraska's 10 yard line.  And you can't ask for more from your punter than to flip the field and pin the other team at their own 24 with 4 minutes left, clinging to a 5 point lead. 

Freshman MVP: WR Taariq Allen.  Allen's contributions this year have mostly been limited to blocking when Enunwa needed a break, but the redshirt freshman made an outstanding 8 yard grab above his head in the corner of the endzone to pull the Huskers within 5 points.  If you're going to have 1 catch for 8 yards in a game, it might as well look like that one.

Assistant Coach of the Game:  
Rich Fisher.  Nebraska's wide receivers made some terrific catches, some nice yards after catch, and did a solid job blocking on the perimeter.  The wide receivers were a liability 2 years ago with plenty of poorly run routes and dropped passes.  Under Fisher's guidance, they're the strongest position group on the team.   

Play of the Game: Taylor Martinez's magnificent laser to Ben Cotton for the go ahead score.  After all that went wrong yesterday, the 7 yard perfectly placed pass to the middle of the end zone was a breath of fresh air to Husker fans everywhere.      

Play We Want Back: Ameer Abdullah's muffed punt.  Nebraska's first turnover came right after the Cats had gone 3 and out, and instead of a chance to build on a great start defensively, the Huskers fall behind 7-3 after NW quickly moved the 15 yards to score the go-ahead TD.  To have any chance of making Bo's "Win out." proclamation a reality, the Huskers have to stop giving away points.

I want to see more...
*Takeaways.  This is going to remain a bullet point until the Huskers do something on defense to affect that horrendous -12 turnover margin.  PJ Smith twice dropped interceptions that he had two hands on, at least 1 of SJB's pass break-ups should have been picked, and let's not forget Daimion Stafford's ridiculous personal foul that negated Ben Cotton's recovery of a NW muffed punt.  I want to see somebody, anybody step up and make a play.
*Points.  Teams that roll up a balanced 543 yards of offense (201 rushing, 342 passing) should probably get more than 4 TDs and a field goal.  Nebraska gained 108 yards per score, which means that the poor field position, penalties and lack of third down conversions left a lot of points on the field.  That's gotta improve in a hurry.   
*3rd down success.  Holding your opponent to 5/20 on third down is great.  Converting 3/14 of your own is disgusting.  Failing to convert a bunch of third and shorts is even worse.
*LB David Santos.  Not a perfect game from the freshman by any means, but his tackle for loss was sweet and he was usually in good position.  I like his speed compared to Alonzo Whaley.
*Eric Martin's improvement against the run.  This was the most complete game I've seen from the senior.  He didn't get any sacks, but he got decent pressure, and more importantly, he stuck his arms out and nabbed NW's ball carriers several times as they burst through the line.
*Imani Cross and Braylon Heard.  If Rex is going to be hurt, I'd like to see these two spell Abdullah more than they did.  Heard is a fantastic North/South runner, and Cross is too talented to be wasted on the sideline.
*Kenny Bell.  The skinny kid from Boulder, CO did some great work yesterday.  6 catches, a TD, a 50 yard kick return (negated by a penalty of course), a timely tip that turned a touchback into a punt downed at the 1, and several key blocks including a nice chip block that helped protect Brett Maher on his last punt .  He did enough to make up for the muffed punt. 
*Clap and snap.  Martinez took a page out of Braxton Millers' handbook with this funky snap count, and you can't argue with zero false starts.
*Press coverage by the corners.  This aggressive sort of coverage opens the defense up to deep balls and penalties, but it was an absolute nightmare for Northwestern's short passing game.  If we could just get a good pass rush...
*Red on the Road.  Really Husker fans?  You can only fill 50% of the opponents stadium?  Pathetic.
*Big smiles on Bo's face.  Bo had a priceless expression after NW missed that field goal; relief, joy and pride replaced the usual detached grimace.  It's a good look on him.   

I want to see less...
*Busted plays.  The difference between a good defense and a great defense is that great defenses don't allow big plays like the 80 yard run by Venric Mark in the third quarter.  Santos, and Stafford were both caught up in the middle of the field and couldn't compensate for Mark's speed.  Credit the Husker defense for manning up instead of folding like they did against Ohio State, but two of NW's TDs came on big, busted plays, and that needs to change quick with Denard Robinson coming to town next week.
*Turnovers.   3 more yesterday.  And two throws in a row that should have been picked before Enunwa's long catch.  I don't know what this staff is or isn't telling their players, but it's not working.
*Short fields for opponents.  The Cats scored from 15 yards out, and from midfield after muffed punts.  That disturbing trend needs to stop.
*Sustained drives by opponents.  Northwestern had a good march to start the 4th quarter, converting 2 third downs, and a 4th and inches to put the Cats up 28-16.  That could have been a backbreaker.
*Offensive meltdowns.  You know the one I'm talking about.  Beginning of the 4th quarter, Martinez is sacked twice in a row, but on third down he escapes, makes a nice throw and forces a pass interference for the first down.  But Seung Hoon Choi was too far downfield and the penalties offset.  Then there's a sideline interference penalty that makes 3rd and 19.  No problem, Martinez escapes and makes another nice throw to Turner to convert, but Jeremiah Sirles was lined up a foot too far back making 3rd and 24.  Martinez can't convert this one and Nebraska was forced to punt.  The ghost of Shawn Watson came back to haunt us.
*Players without names on their jerseys.  The roster says #36 is Eddie Ridder.  I've never heard of him, but he did a good job getting downfield to stop Tony Jones, who had just fumbled Maher's punt with 8 seconds left.

Armchair head coach:
I'm all for aggressive play, but I probably would have taken a chance at the field goal instead of going for a 4th and 3.  It would have made an 8 point game midway through the 3rd quarter, instead a confusion in the blocking scheme had Kyler Reed running into the pulling guard, resulting in a 10 yard loss.
I'm not as against the 2 pt conversion try, as some fan are, but in retrospect it probably was a little early to chase those points. 
Both plays would look daring and cavalier if they'd have worked.

Hit of the Game:
This award goes to Ciante Evans who jammed Kain Colter just enough to get him to drop a late 4th quarter pass on 3rd and 4.  The three and out gave Nebraska the ball back with plenty of time to run down the field.  The ESPN announcers thought Evans should have been called for pass interference, but it was typical of the aggressive play by the Nebraska corners yesterday.

Jennifer's Take (my wife doesn't know much about football, but she still has opinions)
"They need to play the whole game like they did the second half."
Yep.

Keeping an eye on the rest of the college football world...
*Alabama, Florida, Oregon, and Kansas State all get enormously impressive wins this weekend, and are a clear top 4.  We'll see how it shakes out, but if Oregon and Kansas State win out, it'll be another controversy in December.
*While we're on the subject of the Wildcats, my Heisman top 5 looks like this: 1. Collin Klein; 2-5. Not even close.
*Lots of relieved faces in church this morning as Georgia squeaked out a win at Kentucky.  That would have been a tough one for Mark Richt to explain.
*Ohio State was lucky to escape two weeks in a row against inferior teams.  Purdue finally made them pay for their reliance on Braxton Miller by knocking the QB out late in the third quarter, and only a late collapse kept the Boilers from getting back in the Leaders race.  Wisconsin can likely clinch the Leaders with a win over Michigan State next week.
*Speaking of the Spartans, they've got to be the best 4 loss team out there.  That defense is too good for their offense to be so bad.
*Michigan is on a roll coming into Lincoln, but it will be interesting to see what kind of success they have against the best offense they've seen so far.
*Bill O'Brien is everyone's pick for Coach of the Year because he's done so much with so little.  Penn State might be the toughest game remaining on Nebraska's schedule.
*The rest of the Big Ten is hardly worth writing about, Indiana lost their one of thier last winnable games to Navy, Illinois lost to BYE (kidding...kind of), and Iowa and Minnesota keep playing down to their skill level.
*Carl Pelini's Florida Atlantic team lost a heartbreaker in 2OT to Southern Alabama.  The battle continues uphill for him.
*Southern Miss is 0-7 after getting blasted 59-24 by Marshall.

Song of the Game
"Breakdown" by Tom Petty

"It's all right if you love me
It's all right if you don't
I'm not afraid of you running away
Honey, I get the feeling you won't

There is no sense in pretending
Your eyes give you away
Something inside you is feeling like I do
We've said all there is to say

Baby breakdown
Go ahead and give it to me
Breakdown honey take me through the night
Breakdown now I'm standin' here can't you see
Breakdown it's all right
It's all right
It's all right
Breakdown"

Tom Petty is right, we Husker fans could run away, but we won't.  Husker fans filled Northwestern's little stadium, survived several Husker breakdowns, and were treated to an exciting, if a little disappointing, back and forth football game. 

Beer of the Game 
Georgia Brown Ale by SweetWater Brewing Co., Atlanta, GA

I wish it hadn't taken me so long to try this fantastic local brown ale.  I judge all brown ales against the Newcastle standard, and Sweetwater exceeds that standard.  Easy to drink, and a little bit sweeter than most brown ales, the Georgia Brown Ale stills retains the warmth you'd expect from a darker beer and finishes clean.  I'm not sure how widely available it is outside of Georgia, but if you see it in a store somewhere, it's definitely worth the money.

Best Commercial
I guess this Fiat Abarth spot is an older commercial, but it's still pretty funny.  By the way, it's a total coincidence that all of my best commercial awards go to the ones with pretty girls.  Total coincidence.

Last thought
A win is a win.  I said that after the Wisconsin game and it's no less true after the sloppy showing in Evanston.  In any event, it's one down and five to go. 
Michigan rolls into town with all sorts of momentum and another mobile quarterback.  And by mobile quarterback, I mean the best pure running quarterback maybe ever.  Denard Robinson is simply magical on the run, and the Huskers need to play the game of their lives to shut him down or outscore him at home.  It's possible, but it will require a much cleaner game than the Huskers have played recently.  Oh, and it will likely decide the Legends winner.  No pressure.