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.
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