But for now, the review must go on.
Offensive MVP: WR Kenny Bell. Tough to pick between him and RB Ameer Abdullah after both notched 2 TDs, but I give it to Bell for the way he pumped up the crowd after hurdling the fence on the 28 yard kickoff return following Arkansas State's last FG. That sort of leadership doesn't show up on the stat sheet, but you could feel the momentum swing back to the Huskers after giving up 3 points off the turnover.
Defensive MVP: S PJ Smith. 9 tackles, a sack, 2 TFLs, and an INT for the senior. The defense played well as a team yesterday, but Smith stood out. It's nice to see Smith have such success after battling consistency issues his whole career.
Special Teams MVP: K/P Brett Maher. He wasn't asked to do much, but when he was needed, he stepped up. Hitting all 6 extra points doesn't seem like a big deal, but I cannot remember a football season in which kickers missed so many extra points. Ask Wisconsin fans how much they'd have liked an extra point right before Utah State missed a potential game winner in the closing seconds. Maher also boomed his two punts 57 and 58 yards, flipping the field on the two drives that the Nebraska offense stalled, and hit 4/7 kickoffs for touchbacks.
Freshman MVP: RB Imani Cross. I couldn't tell you why he was used earlier in the game, but the true freshman made the most of his opportunities, picking up his first TD and 66 total yards on 7 carries. Cross may lack true breakaway speed, as evidenced by him getting caught on his 44 yard romp, but he has a great burst through the line and doesn't go down without an extra yard or two.
Assistant Coach of the Game:
This has gotta go to defensive coordinator John Papuchis. Not only did his defense respond well to the adjustments made this week, but they played well in the absence of Pelini and held Gus Mahlzahn's offense to 6 points. Papuchis may have shared head coaching duties with Tim Beck, but he was the man on the field taking charge of the team. He looked like a wildman during the game, jumping around and screaming, but he composed himself in postgame interviews and came across very professional and thoughtful. Unless he has the sort of undying loyalty for Pelini that Virginia Tech DC Bud Foster has for Frank Beamer, I think we'll see Papuchis as a head coach somewhere within the next few years.
Play of the Game: The first TD pass to Kenny Bell. Bell was pretty well covered, but Taylor Martinez made one of the best throws of his career, and Bell adjusted to the ball well and was able to get into the end zone. That was the sort of big-time play we need to see more of from this offense in the Big Ten games.
Play We Want Back: Of all the fumbles, the first was probably the ugliest. I don't know if it was a miscommunication by the offensive line or just a blown assignment, but Martinez never saw LB Nathan Herrold, resulting in a textbook sack-strip, and the ball rolling into the endzone where about 30 white-clad defenders jumped on it. It didn't change the outcome of the game, but a big turnover like that could be the difference against Ohio State or Michigan.
I want to see more...
*3-4, 3-3-5, 3- whatever. Call it what you like, but it worked against the Red Wolves' quirky spread. The defense didn't give up an offensive play longer than 22 yards, and stiffened up at the right moments for a dominating win. Any time you hold a Gus Malzahn offense to less than 300 yards, it's been a good day.
*Eric Martin's stand-up role. Martin was recruited as a linebacker and moved to end last season, but he seemed to be at his most destructive yesterday as a blitzing linebacker/end hybrid. 3 hurries, a sack and a forced fumble that he recovered for the senior. I'm excited to see what happens with the 'Caveman' moving forward.
*Weight on Josh Mitchell's frame. The sophomore CB is as good a tackler as Nebraska has, but he doesn't have enough power to knock guys over, so he has to hold them until help arrives. Mitchell is one of the best corners in coverage, but he needs to bulk up to become a true difference maker.
*3rd and long. The Huskers did a much better job on first and second down this week forcing a lot of 3rd and longs. Nebraska did well on third down overall, allowing only 6/16 conversions.
*Coverage by the DBs. Most of Arkansas State's completions were short WR screens, but the downfield coverage was tight. There were some good PBUs and Smith stayed home on the WR reverse pass and snagged an interception. Good game for the DBs.
*Taylor "Manning". Maybe that's going too far, but 13/14 passing for 180 yds and 2 TDs is a great game, even if a few of those passes were low. There was even a little T-magic as Martinez bulled into the endzone on a 18 yard run in the fourth quarter.
*CJ Zimmerer's blocking. The backup FB chipped a blitzing linebacker and then got downfield to spring Martinez into the endzone. That's quality work for a backup.
*The power sets. Maybe it's because I remember the Tom Osborne offenses, but it makes my Husker heart glad to see "I" formations and 2 or 3 TEs on the field at once.
*The diamond formation. I don't think we've seen this formation before this game, but it made a comeback and there were a few decent gains out of the crazy shotgun setup.
*Ameer Abdullah's emergence at RB. Abdullah is not just a scatback, but a complete inside, outside, pass blocking, pass catching, every down running back. He broke too many tackles to count yesterday and aside from that fumbled punt return (total blown call by the refs), he had a day to remember. Obviously nobody can replace Rex Burkhead, but Abdullah softens the blow of his absence.
*Kenny Bell. The Red Wolves learned to fear the 'Fro after two fantastic TD catches. Bell is Nebraska's best WR right now, and if he keeps playing like he has, he's going to make some noise nationally. Fast, hard to tackle, good hands, decent blocking, and the right amount of attitude, Bell is the complete package.
*Ball control. This game proved that you can still dominate time of possession with a hurry-up offense. Beck's offense didn't seem to slow down a whole lot, but running the ball on 59 of 73 plays and still averaging more than 7 yards per play, while holding the ball for 34 minutes is about as perfect as it gets.
I want to see less...
*Opponent success on the perimeter. It seems like almost all the Red Wolves yards came outside the hashes on WR screens. That's probably overstating it, but the issue is there. The defense really locked down in the second half, but I was uneasy for a while.
*Defensive substitutions. Sure it worked out in the end, but I felt like Nebraska was trying too hard to get guys in and out of the game and it cost a timeout on the second play and a penalty later in the game.
*Letting the ball bounce on punt returns. The ball has not gone our way this season: it seems like every time the returners let it bounce it dies at the 1 yard line. We've gotta start fair-catching those and preventing the bad bounces like the one that "hit" Abdullah's foot.
*Turnovers. We'll ignore the punt that supposedly touched Abdullah, but 3 fumbles is too many. It's hard to fault Martinez on the blindside hit, but the miscommunication with Braylon Heard, and Mike Marrow's ridiculous fumble at the goal line need to be addressed with some disciplinary sprints or something of that sort.
*Taylor Martinez in the 4th quarter. I thought he could have come out a drive sooner, and I still want to see Ron Kellogg III throw a pass instead of handing off for the last 4 minutes.
*Braylon Heard getting blown up on swing passes. That's two games in a row that he's been tackled for loss on a quick toss outside. I don't know what the deal is, but something needs to be fixed there.
*Beth Mowlins and Joey Galloway. At the risk of sounding chauvinistic, it's just weird having a woman do the play-by-play announcing, and Mowlins didn't help her case by saying several really dumb things. Joey Galloway was more dead than alive in the box, until Pelini didn't come out after half time, and then that was all he could talk about. Probably the worst ESPN crew I've ever watched.
Armchair head coach:
Great job by John Papuchis to take control of things on the sidelines and shut down the Red Wolves in the second half. Malzahn's offense only gained 89 yards and 3 points in the second half despite being given four turnovers. That's a fantastic job, especially considering the considerable distraction of Pelini's departure. Papuchis showed plenty of fire, as well as a mastery of the defensive calls, getting his defense to tackle, cover and blitz effectively.
Hit of the Game:
Despite coming up late in coverage, safety Daimion Stafford obliterated WR Carlos McCants separating him from the ball and getting the crowd fired up. If you want to quibble, you can point out that Stafford didn't wrap up, but it was a nice play.
Jennifer's Take (my wife doesn't know much about football, but she still has opinions)
"What game? I was in the kitchen the whole time."
Good thing too, those carne asada tacos she made were outstanding.
Song of the Game
"Peaceful Easy Feeling" by The Eagles
"And I got a peaceful easy feeling,
And I know you won't let me down
'cause I'm already standing on the ground."
This one goes out to Bo, I hope he's feeling better and taking care of himself well, but he has to have a good feeling about his staff and their ability to get things done without him.
Beer of the Game
Angry Orchard Crisp Apple Hard Cider by Angry Orchard Cider Company, Cincinnati, OH.
To me, September means apples and if you're a hard cider fan who's tired of the same old Woodchuck and Strongbow, then you might want to give this one a try. It's might be little bit too yeasty for some, but it's sweet, crisp and finishes clean. And if anyone tells you that hard cider isn't beer, then punch them in the nose and tell them that it's an American classic and it's fermented with the same yeast that most beer is, the only difference is that it uses apple cider instead of grain.
Best Commercial
If you don't live in the Savannah area, then you probably don't know who Mike Hostilo is, but do yourself a favor and watch this commercial. I don't know about you, but I don't want attorney who makes me laugh unintentionally with his TV spots.
Last thought
On the face of it, this is a good comeback win for Nebraska after the debacle at UCLA. Husker nation is in for another stressful week though, as we see what comes about with the whole Bo Pelini health scare. We all hope that Bo is okay, but it's comforting to know that his staff can handle things in his absence. There's a lot of football to play, and the Big Ten looks wide open after this weekend. Nebraska can't afford to look past Idaho State, but it does seem like this could be a nice and easy week to get ready for the Big Ten schedule. Rex should be back for at least 10-15 carries this week, and it might be a good opportunity to let the 2's and 3's get some quality work. Sound familiar? We said pretty much the same thing when South Dakota State came to town in 2010 and gave Nebraska a scare, forcing a 17-3 game that was anything but comfortable. Hopefully history doesn't repeat itself, as Nebraska needs all the momentum it can get for when Wisconsin comes to town the next week.
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