#18 Nebraska 49 Southern Miss 20
WHAT WAS SUPPOSED TO HAPPEN?
Depending on who you ask Nebraska was either supposed to sweat out a win against one of the best non-BCS teams in the country, or dominate a depleted and outgunned C-USA foe.
WHAT DID HAPPEN?
Nebraska dominated at the start with two quick TDs (which I didn't get to see thanks to Northwestern allowing Syracuse to make a game out of a blowout), allowed Southern Miss to jump back into the game with a 100 yd kickoff return and a sustained drive for a TD, then rode Taylor Martinez's arm to a 4 touchdown victory.
THREE SUSTAINS:
- Martinez's new arm. On most of his throws, the junior QB looked like a completely different player. Throwing and running, T-magic was at his very best this afternoon. I'd go so far as to say he looked a little like RGIII today. Too far? Maybe, but it was a very, very impressive performance. Martinez starts the season with a 76% completion rate after publicly stating that he wanted to finish the year at a 70% rate.
- The running game served as a very nice complement to the passing game today. After Rex Burkhead left the game late in the first quarter, the focus on offense obviously shifted toward the air, but Nebraska was able to get yards in chunks on the ground with 3 different RBs carrying the load. Ameer Abdullah led the way with 81 yards and 5.4 yds/carry. Imani Cross justified the preseason hype with some tough running and 5.6 yds/carry. Braylon Heard made the most of his 3 carries with 34 yards and a TD. Even Rex made a mark in his limited time with 68 yards, and a career long 57 yard scamper to start the game. Finally, the fullbacks got into the mix with Mike Marrow and CJ Zimmerer combining for 19 yards on 5 carries. Good game for Ron Brown's boys.
- Zero turnovers and only 2 penalties. This was a question mark in the offseason. If only for today, Nebraska passes with flying colors.
- Nebraska got lit up by Anthony Alford on the ground today. I think if he had started and played the whole game (Seriously? Rotating 3 QBs? Dumb idea.) Nebraska would have had a much rougher afternoon. Questionable coaching aside, Nebraska's recurrent issues with mobile quarterbacks reared its ugly head again. It doesn't get any better next week against Brett Hundley and UCLA. In case you missed the ESPN telecast, Nebraska needs to work on tackling fundamentals (looking at you Alonzo Whaley).
- Nebraska special teams, and especially Brett Maher had a really, really bad day. Two missed field goals, a kickoff out of bounds, and a shanked punt? Not a good start after a very positive preseason. He hasn't been great in his last two games dating back to the Capitol One Bowl. Let's hope he figures it out before we really need him.
- Gotta fix all the little things on defense. Tackling, angles, and coverage need to tighten up. On one series before half time, Alford missed two wide open throws that probably would have been TDs, and Southern Miss had to settle for a field goal. Nebraska was burned a few times on screen plays, and it felt all too uncomfortable on defense most of the afternoon. Pelini said after the game, that he may have tried too hard to prepare his defense for everything. Maybe, but next week there will be no excuse, and the Huskers can and should win big in Los Angeles.
Nebraska wins for the 27th straight time in a season opener, and in impressive fashion. The offense looked outstanding, the defense looked OK, and the official spin is that Rex just has an MCL sprain. Nebraska can probably afford to rest Rex until the Wisconsin game, but I'm sure Rex will be clamoring to get in the game as soon as next week. That's what we love about the guy.
There's a lot of work to be done this week in practice, but if you watched UCLA play Rice last Thursday, you also know that there's plenty of reason for optimism. I'll have more thoughts tomorrow, but I've missed enough of the Michigan-Alabama game already.
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