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.
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