Here's a pregame rundown for Nebraska's fourth game of the season written in Army Op-Order format:
Situation:
After a dominant win last week, the unsettling news of Bo Pelini's ambulance ride, and the Big Ten opener against Wisconsin, it's almost hard to remember that there's a game this week. The fact that Nebraska is 2-1 and the game is against the lowly FCS Bengals makes it even easier to yawn and try to sell your nosebleed seats on the corner of 9th and Q. Does all this sound familiar? To me, it feels a lot like South Dakota State in 2010, and many Husker fans remember the sick feeling in their stomachs as Taylor Martinez was stuffed time and time again by the Jackrabbits defenders and the dissatisfaction with the 17-9 final score. Definitely not a Husker victory for the ages.
Take heart Husker fans, this Bengals team is certainly not as good as SDSU, and I would go so far as to say that the Huskers are a better team now than they were early in 2010. The offense possesses a powerful running game, and the passing game outside of the second half of the UCLA game, has been pretty terrific as well. The defense is not to be confused with the 2010 unit that had 6 current NFL contributors, but it's definitely good enough to beat the Bengals.
Idaho State is 1-1 coming off a win against Division II Black Hills State, and though that may not seem like a big deal, it actually is, considering the Bengals only won 2 games last season. Depending on who you ask, the Bengals are one of the 10-15 worst programs in all of Division I, but second year coach Mike Kramer has been in the game for a while, and won a few games at Eastern Washington and Montana State, so you have to think he'll have his team ready to play. Kramer and his players seem to understand that they're playing the biggest game of their lives, and you never can tell what that realization can do to a team. Obviously there's no logical way that the Bengals are even going to be competitive, but that's the beauty of football, you never can tell how the ball is going to bounce.
Mission:
This is simply a game that Nebraska should be able to just show up and win. If Idaho State is still in the game at halftime, it's a failure for the Huskers.
Execution:
Nebraska gets an easy opponent on what should be a beautiful fall day in Memorial Stadium. And everyone knows that there are very few days that can compare to a warm September day on Tom Osborne Field. Tomorrow is a day where football should be just plain fun for Husker fans.
On offense, the Huskers simply need to keep doing what they've done the first 3 games, minus the turnovers. The Bengal are small and slow on defense and there's no reason for Brett Maher to punt even once until the second and third stringers come out. The Huskers should surpass 200 yards rushing at halftime, with just enough passing to keep the Bengals honest. I expect Taylor Martinez to play a drive or two in the third quarter, and then turn the reins over to Ron Kellogg III. RKIII needs to run the full breadth of Tim Beck's offense, not just hand the ball off to Imani Cross until the time is gone. This is an important game for developing depth and getting the youngsters some real game time in what should be a fairly non-threatening situation.
On defense, the task is a bit harder, as the offensive style employed by Meyer's team is difficult to completely shut down. The Bengals like to spread the field wide and throw about every down a la Mike Leach. I would also expect Meyer to pull out all the stops and use a few trick plays in a game in which he has nothing to lose. Luckily, the Huskers should enjoy a pretty substantial talent, size and speed advantage on defense, so even though the Bengals might have success moving the ball between the 20's I will be disappointed if they score more than a few field goals on the first team defense. Again, this game is as important for getting the 2nd and 3rd stringers some playing time as it is for anything else. I think that the freshmen defensive linemen especially can benefit from a glorified scrimmage such as this.
Service and Support:
Finally, Rex Burkhead is back. The only question is: how much do we use him? Like I said the last two weeks, Nebraska does not need Rex to win this game with Ameer Abdullah playing so well, but we will need Rex to win the Big 10. It would be wise to ease him back into the game with 10 or 12 carries and then he can ride the pine.
Chase Rome decided to come back to the team after flirting with the idea of quitting. This is good news for a relatively thin defensive line, but how much damage has been done to his game with the time off, and how much trust has he lost with his teammates?
There was bad news at linebacker with emerging WILL Zaire Anderson lost for the season due to an ACL tear. This is an opportunity for David Santos to emerge, but we might also see safety Corey Cooper working at this spot too.
Thad Randle has shown that he can play on his bum leg, but with freshmen DTs Aaron Curry, Todd Peat, and Kevin Williams needing the game time, this might be a good week to get some rest.
Every other position is fairly healthy this week, and I can't foresee any major changes to the starting rotation. Again, this game is important for developing depth, so the second and third stringers should see plenty of time starting in the second half.
Command and Signal:
After Pelini's early exit from the Arkansas State game, Husker fans got to see what a solid staff he has put together in North Stadium. John Papuchis didn't seem to miss a beat taking over for Pelini on the sideline, and Tim Beck, though his offense lost 3 fumbles in that second half, called a pretty good second half, running out the clock to secure the victory.
A useful measure of a leader is the ability of his subordinates to function without him. Pelini must be pretty darn proud of how his staff pulled the team together and turned adversity into victory.
Final thoughts:
There's not much else to say. The Huskers need a dominant win to set the tone for the upcoming Big Ten schedule, but they can't think too far ahead lest the Bengals catch them napping.
If everything goes according to plan, this should be a fun way to enjoy a beautiful autumn day in Lincoln.
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