Sunday, October 27, 2013

Sunday Review: Minnesota

OK.  Stop.  Breathe.  Repeat.  Survey surroundings.  House intact.  Internet still operating.  The sun is shining.  The world does not appear to have ended.  Phew.

24 hours after Nebraska lost to Minnesota (that hurts to type) it appears that everything outside of the Husker universe is still just fine (or as fine as it was yesterday).  That is important to note, because everything inside the Husker universe is in shambles.  Or something.  I don't really know.  I'm about as lost as David Santos trying to cover a TE on a playaction pass.

The reality is that yesterday's loss hurt really bad.  The 2013 Huskers are a weak football team.  Period. They were exposed in all of their ignominy yesterday, physically, mentally, emotionally and just about any other way you can be weak, the Huskers showed it.  The Golden Gophers applied smothering pressure on both sides of the ball and the Huskers caved.  There's no nice way to put it: the whole psyche of Husker nation has done a complete 180 in 24 hours and instead of a Big 10 championship game in Indy, the Husker faithful (if there still are any) are now seriously concerned about making a bowl game.

We might want to pump the brakes on the doom and gloom though.  There are still five games to play, and no amount of hand-wringing by the fans is going to make it any easier to beat Michigan State.  This team is still talented enough to win every game on their schedule if somebody, anybody steps up and takes ownership of the team.

On with the review:

Offensive MVP: Phillip Nelson, QB Minnesota.  Nelson came in for Mitch Leidner midway through the second quarter and led the Gophers down the field on his first drive and threw a 33 yard TD on 4th and 10 to give the Gophers a halftime lead.  Minnesota had success with RB David Cobb, but Nelson's timely throws and gutsy running made the difference for Minnesota yesterday.

Defensive MVP: RaShede Hageman, DT Minnesota.  Hageman did his best Ndamukong Suh impression, blowing up runs, running down screens, and making life miserable for Taylor Martinez and Mike Moudy.  Hageman was credited with a sack and a TFL, but he had two other sacks negated by facemask penalties.  No doubt Bo would trade any of his guys for Hageman.

Special Teams MVP: Pat Smith, K.  Smith was the only Husker who did his job 100% of the time yesterday, hitting three field goals, including two from beyond 40 yards, and relieving the anxiety over his lack of attempts this season.

Freshman MVP: Donovahn Jones, RB Minnesota.  The true freshman RB played an integral role in the sweep game yesterday.  Even when he didn't take the ball around the end for ten yards at a time, he was consistently in motion, and the linbackers accounting for him watched David Cobb rumble up the middle for six or seven yards.

Assistant Coach MVP: Tracy Claeys, Minnesota DC.  Claeys, acting as interim head coach, made several gutsy calls, and his aggressive game plan paid off as the Gophers stymied the Husker offense and blasted through the Blackshirts.  Claeys is now 2-0 as acting head coach with wins over teams perceived to be at the top of the Legends division (Northwestern and Nebraska).

5 Who Stood out:
*Alonzo Moore WR.  We've heard so much hype over the freshman and seeing him on the field on the first play, taking a little WR screen for 13 yards was exactly the sort of thing we've been waiting to see. He did an alright job returning kicks, but disappeared from the offense after the first quarter.

*Jordan Westerkamp WR.  His 17 yard punt return in the first quarter was seemingly Nebraska's longest punt return since DeJuan Groce was back there.  He got a little cocky though, taking a few shots the rest of the first half before he started calling for fair catches in the second half.

*Avery Moss DE.  The freshman does a better job setting the edge and collapsing a pocket than Jason Ankrah.  Why he's not starting over the senior is a mystery to me.

*Ameer Abdullah RB.  165 yards and 8.7 yards per carry.  The fact that he only had 19 touches in a game like that is damning for Tim Beck.

*Sam Cotton TE.  Nice job on the easy touchdown catch.  The freshman TE is beginning to make the plays that will get him on the field more often, he shows well blocking, and ran his delayed route perfectly.

Key Stat:  95.  Midway through the fourth quarter, ESPN flashed a graphic that showed that 95 of Minnesota RB David Cobb's 112 yards rushing came after contact.  Nebraska defenders either missed tackles, or simply got run over all afternoon and couldn't get stops when it mattered.

Play of the Game: Taylor Martinez's 42 yard pass to Kenny Bell was the one nice play that Nebraska wide receivers made yesterday.  Bell adjusted to the under thrown ball, and secured the catch to set up Nebraska's first TD.  Martinez tried to duplicate that success several more times yesterday, but his passes were continually under thrown and his receivers, with DBs draped all over them, couldn't find the handle.

Play We Want Back:  With about four minutes left in the game, Nebraska was down four points and took over at their ten yard line.  After a one yard run and an incomplete pass, the Huskers faced 3rd and 9 and Tim Beck called a QB draw.  And it failed miserably.  On a day of questionable play calls, this one stands out.

Blown Call:  I cannot believe they waved off that personal foul penalty after Martinez's long run in the third quarter.  I've seen so many light taps on the sideline draw a 15 yard penalty that it's maddening when a clear penalty gets waved off.  Coupled with the missed targeting hit two plays later, it lends some credence to the conspiracy crowd.  Didn't really affect the game, but it was just one more thing that went against the Big Red yesterday.

Hit of the Game: Quincy Enunwa, known for delivering crushing hits, took a shot to the ribs in the first quarter from a Minnesota safety and had to come off the field.  Enunwa didn't really seem like himself for the rest of the game.

I want to see more...
*Spencer Long.  The right side of Nebraska's offensive line is much softer without Long.  Mike Moudy got run over several times by Rashede Hageman, and the line that allowed three sacks coming into this game allowed three in the first half (two were negated by penalties).
*Option.  Martinez isn't as proficient as Tommy Armstrong, but if he can move the ball to the edge and flip it to Abdullah, this play is still one of the best in Beck's book.  Too bad Beck is fixated on making WR screens work instead.
*Leadership.  Nebraska is a very fragile team mentally, especially on defense.  When the Blackshirts are down, nobody seems capable of making a play to take back momentum.  There weren't any sacks, no turnovers, heck making a stop after only a yard would have been something.
*Flags for defensive holding.  Granted the Nebraska WRs had their share of issues yesterday, but they certainly weren't helped by the constant grabbing employed by the Gopher DBs.  I don't even know how to express my disgust with the overall performance of the referees yesterday.
*Takeaways.  On a day when the defense is getting pounded into the ground, someone, anyone has to make a play.  I don't recall anyone coming close to getting a takeaway yesterday.

I want to see less...
*Of that super annoying shadow covering half the field in the first half.  Pet peeve.
*Missed tackles.  And by missed tackles, I'm including all the plays where a ballcarrier ran over a Nebraska defender for 3 extra yards.  Which was almost every play.
*Wide open tight ends.  Memo to Ross Els: Tight ends are eligible receivers and need to be covered at all times.
*FUMBLES.  Taylor Martinez got blindsided and sack-stripped, Abdullah got the ball punched out on after a 15 yard run, Martinez made an ill-advised pitch (albeit while having his facemask pulled) and the Huskers continued their ball security futility.
*Gut-busting drives.  The Gophers shredded Nebraska's front seven on their first quarter TD drive, with 14 rushing plays in the 75 yard drive.
*Worn footballs.  Seriously.  Every game ESPN calls, they feel like they have to mention Nebraska's worn out footballs.  Getting kind of annoying.
*Clock mismanagement.  Nebraska's two-minute drill at the end of the first half was far from a thing of beauty.  Once the Huskers got near field goal range, the play-calling became conservative and the clock management got sloppy.  15 seconds were wasted before the Husker's last timeout was called.
*Drops.  Kenny Bell is the main culprit here, letting several passes, including a sure TD at the end of the first half, go through his hands.  Enunwa dropped two first downs in the third quarter.
*Stupid camera angles inside the red zone.  ESPN kept putting the camera behind the running backs inside the 10 yard line because you know, it's not like the goal line view is important or anything.  So annoying.

Armchair coach: 
With Abdullah averaging 7 yards per rush, Beck called 3 straight passing plays in the first quarter. When Nebraska fell behind by 11 in the third quarter, Beck forgot about the running game altogether until Martinez busted off a nice 35 yard zone read.  On Nebraska's last drive that mattered (the one that started at their own 10), Abdullah was tackled after a one yard gain, and Nebraska immediately went to a pass (incomplete) and a QB draw on third and 9 for a two yard loss.  And so it was, that Ameer Abdullah, who rushed for 165 yards rushing yesterday, was a complete non-factor on the most important offensive drive of 2013.  Ridiculous.

Jennifer's Take (my wife doesn't know much about football, but she still has opinions)
"I think the defense is protesting Martinez's comeback."

Makes as much sense as anything else...

Opponent Watch:
*Iowa beat Northwestern 17-10 in an overtime slugfest.  Northwestern was still missing it's best offensive weapon in Venric Mark, and fell to 0-4 in the Big Ten.  Iowa on the other hand, is looking good after taking Ohio State to the brink and beating the former Legends division favorite.  The Hawkeyes play tough defense and run the ball pretty well, so pump the brakes on any thoughts of another Black Friday beat down.

*Michigan State continued it's offensive renaissance at Illinois scoring six TDs (all by the offense!) in a 42-3 shellacking.  The Spartans remain the best statistical defense in the nation, allowing 128 total yards to the Illini.

*#4 Ohio State seems to have got the memo about needing to win more impressively to improve their BCS standing, and they proceeded to crush Penn State in a 63-14 bloodbath.  Penn State turned the ball over three times and allowed 686 yards to the Buckeyes.  Penn State hasn't been beaten so badly since a 64-5 beatdown by the Duquesne Athletic Club in 1899.  Fun fact.

*Zach Zenner had 106 yards and a TD as South Dakota State eked out a 37-34 overtime victory over Northern Illinois.

*Southern Miss was down 41-7 at home against North Texas and went on to lose 55-14.  The Golden Eagles committed five more turnovers and managed a measly 39 yards rushing against the mighty Mean Green.

*Wyoming lost a 51-44 shootout to San Jose State and falls to 4-4.  If the Cowboys don't make a bowl game, how bad does that Aug 30th game look?

*#12 UCLA kept it tight through three quarters, but a 21 point 4th quarter onslaught by #3 Oregon led to a 42-14 win for the Ducks.  Oregon QB Marcus Mariota still has yet to throw an interception this season.

Keeping an Eye on the Rest of the College Football World...
*Two more unbeatens fell last night as #5 Missouri and #10 Texas Tech fell apart in the 4th quarter of their respective games against #21 South Carolina and #15 Oklahoma.  #7 Miami needed a one yard TD in the last minute to win at home versus Wake Forest and remain unbeaten.  The winner of the Miami-Florida State game next week should be one of four unbeaten teams in the top four 3/4 of the way through the season.  I can't wait for the visceral outpouring of BCS hate if they're still unbeaten the first of December.   And watch out for #8 Baylor lurking just outside should one of the top 4 go down.

*And of course there are the BCS Busters.  #17 Fresno State eked out an overtime win over San Diego State, while #18 Northern Illinois blasted Eastern Michigan 59-20.  It's likely that only one of those two can get into a BCS bowl if they stay undefeated, so style points really matter.

*#1 Alabama continues to roll, this time through a helpless Tennessee team in Tuscaloosa, 45-10.  Not much to say about the Tide, they play great defense, run the ball and score lots of points.

*Coaches always downplay the revenge angle, but you know that #2 Florida State had to enjoy leaping out to a 35 point lead in the first quarter of their grudge match with NC State.  The Seminoles eased off the rest of the game, cruising to a 49-17 win in their final tune-up for the Miami game next week.

*#14 Virginia Tech lost a 13-10 snoozer to Duke at home.  Both teams threw four interceptions and were flagged six times each, but Duke K Ross Martin hit 51 and 53 yard field goals while his counterpart hit only 1 of 3 field goals to doom the Hokies.

*Remember Boise State?  The Broncos fell to 5-3 last night with a 37-20 loss to BYU.  The hardest part of the schedule is behind the Broncos, so their 9th consecutive 10 win season and their 4th consecutive berth in the Maaco Las Vegas Bowl is still a distinct possibility, despite their numerous injuries.

*TCU was on the wrong side of a 30-7 beat down at home versus Texas.  The Frogs are now 3-5, so maybe Gary Patterson will be looking for a defensive coordinator job in December...

Last Thought
So what do we do about these infuriating Cornhuskers?  At 5-2 the season is hardly over, but looking at the stretch of games remaining, it's easy to imagine a 7-5 finish.  Or 5-7.  Or 10-2.

We just don't know, and that's the most maddening part of this season.  There's nothing that this team can hang it's hat on, no identity.  Yesterday, Ameer Abdullah was clearly the best player on the field, but it just seemed like Tim Beck wanted to put the game in Martinez's hands, and he simply was not capable of making plays to win.  Where does this team go?  

Depends.  Tim Beck needs a dose of humility.  He might need to put a little more Alabama into his offense and take out a bit of the Texas A&M.  Perhaps the future is now for Tommy Armstrong or Ron Kellogg.  Abdullah and Imani Cross need at least 5 more touches per game each.

And John Papuchis needs to go.  I'm not saying that a midseason firing is in order, but there is no reason he should still be around in January.  Bo needs to take control of the defense now and figure something out; the defense is good enough to survive the rest of the season while leaning on the offense.  Come January, we need some fresh blood.  Will Muschamp might be available.  So too might Gary Patterson.  Perhaps someone from the Nick Saban tree.  Bo made a huge mistake not wooing Mike Stoops to town when he had the chance, and now he needs new ideas and new methods because his current staff is clearly at a loss.  I'll reserve judgement on the head man until the end of the season, but he's officially on notice now, and he needs to make some bold moves.

Fan forecast: stormy, cold and bitter.  


Sunday, October 13, 2013

Sunday Review: Purdue

Have you ever been so worried after a 37 point win?  Despite the dominant defensive performance, there are plenty of concerns heading into the bye week.

It all starts up front.  All-American G Spencer Long went down with a knee injury in the first quarter and for the rest of the game, the Huskers struggled to move the ball with anything resembling consistency.  After the game, Coach Pelini couldn't put our worst fears to rest, saying only that he would wait for the medical staff to make a full evaluation before commenting on the injury.  The tone of his voice wasn't comforting.  Then he mentioned the impending MRI, and the collective hearts of Husker nation sank under the depressing reality of another all-star senior getting his career cut short.

As if that weren't enough, freshman phenom Tommy Armstrong played so poorly that even the staunchest haters will be calling for Taylor Martinez to hurry back.  If you think about it, Armstrong actually did us all a favor, picking the best possible week to struggle and pop a hole in the burgeoning quarterback controversy.  With the bye next week and a perfectly placed road trip to Minnesota,  T-Magic can rest another week and then have a nice warm-up game to get back in the groove for a rugged November.

On with the review:

Offensive MVP: Ameer Abdullah, RB.  Another 126 yards, a TD and those astoundingly quick cutbacks.  The yards were harder to come by, but when his team needed him Abdullah made plays.

Defensive MVP: Randy Gregory, DE.  This one's a no-brainer.  If it weren't for the late Purdue TD, Gregory could have single-handedly outscored the Boilermakers with his third quarter safety.  Add another sack (and another that was negated by a penalty), and a fumble recovery and it adds up to the sort of game that we envisioned when he signed with NU out of junior college last winter.

Special Teams MVP: Sam Foltz, P.  Nothing too special from the freshman punter, but he did what he was asked and consistently put Purdue deep in their own territory the entire game.

Freshman MVP: DeAngelo Yancey WR Purdue.  Tip your hat to the kid, he played hard and was rewarded with a long TD to avoid the shutout.  5 catches for 146 yards and a TD.  The Huskers are likely in for a few more years of getting burned by this kid.

Assistant Coach MVP: Rick Kaczenski, DL.  Coach Kaz's boys (and I mean boys) continued to improve, taking a big step forward in West Lafayette.  The front four got the best pressure I've seen since Jared Crick was in the trenches, racking up 4 sacks, all from first year players.  Throw in LB Josh Banderas' sack, and you have promising development from the Husker youth.

5 Who Stood out:
*WR Quincy Enunwa.  We'll excuse the drop that would have bailed Nebraska out of a 3rd and 19, and the one that went through his hands on Armstrong's last pick because Enunwa was Nebraska's most consistent WR and made electrifying plays all afternoon.

*RB Imani Cross.  He's really good at closing out drives and getting those short TDs.  Really good.  Cross is also coming along as an every-down back too, making a few nice open field moves and geting yards in chunks.

*LB David Santos.  The Sophomore led the Huskers with five tackles and earned unsolicited praise from Bo after the game.  The early season benching lit a fire under Santos and he's come on strong the last two weeks.

*CB Mo Seisay.  He took over for Nebraska's best defensive player after Stanley Jean-Baptiste was ejected, and played solidly in relief getting a pass break-up and locking receivers down in the seocnd half.

*QB Ron Kellogg III.  The offense suffers from his lack of rushing ability, but there's a lot to be said for his accuracy, and arm strength.  RKIII didn't win the backup job yesterday, but he certainly closed the gap.

Key Stat:  1.3 yards per rush for the Boilermakers.  Two freshman QBs in this game, and both of them were mostly awful.  The biggest difference between the two?  Armstrong got a lot more help from his offensive line and running backs than Danny Etling did.

Play of the Game: Late in the second quarter Quincy Enunwa took a short pass and decided to do his best Barry Sanders impression, hurdling, spinning, and straight up powering through the entire Boilermakers' secondary for a 35 yard gain.  I can pretty much guarantee that Bo would like to go back in time and redshirt Enunwa back in 2009.  As it is, Enunwa is building a fantastic case to be Nebraska's first wide receiver drafted in the first two rounds since Irving Fryar.

Play We Want Back: I lost count of how many deep passes thrown by both QBs went just a liiiitle bit too far for their wide receivers to get under.  It's a game of inches, and with a few more inches under a couple throws, Tommy Armstrong's stat line looks much better than 6 of 18 for 43 yards and 3 INTs.

Blown Call: I'm going to sound like a homer when I say that SJB's hit wasn't targeting, but dangit, He's a 6'3" corner screaming downfield to tackle a 5'9" running back in the flat.  When you watch the play in slow motion of course it looks like SJB dropped his head, but when you think about the situation, it's the only thing that made sense for him to do: he had to get low and make a good tackle because there was nothing but green for the RB if he had missed.  That's the maddening part of the new rule.  Harvey Jackson made essentially the same play on Purdue's next drive, but because TE Justin Sinz is 7 inches taller, Jackson's helmet bounced harmlessly off of his shoulder.

I'm all for player safety, but rules that make it impossible to play defense aren't the way to do it.

Hit of the Game: When offensive line coach John Garrison said that Purdue's safeties were some of the hardest hitters in the Big Ten, I though it was lame coach speak.  Ask Cethan Carter, Terrell Newby, or Ameer Abdullah if they think the same thing after taking some serious shots yesterday.

SJB deserves credit for his suplex sack on Etling in the first quarter.  To pull that off without committing a penalty is smooth stuff.

I want to see more...
*Option.  Last week it was Abdullah who burned Illinois off a pitch, this week, Armstrong, with those fantastic fakes, gets a TD from four yards out.  The only other time the Big Red ran the play, freshman DT Evan Panfil blasted into the backfield and dropped Armstrong for a four yard loss.  Two option runs aren't enough.
*Spencer Long.  How good is Spencer Long?  Let's just say that Nebraska might have gone North of 400 yards rushing had they had the same success rushing the ball as they did on their first drive, when Long was in the game.
*Three-and-outs.  The Blackshirts started the game with three 3-and-outs and an interception in Purdue's first four drives.  Though they only managed one more three-and-out the rest of the game (not counting the safety that happened on 2nd down), the 14-0 lead the offense built would be all the points the Huskers would need.  Hopefully this game is a springboard for the rest of the season.
*Fourth down guts.  It's sort of ridiculous that it took four downs to move three yards at the end of the first quarter, but I love the decision to go for it on 4th down.  The offensive line (and Imani Cross) imposed their will on the Boiler's defense, and finished a 12 play drive with six points.
*Ron Burgundy Dodge commercials.  It's been a bad year for commercials, but Will Ferrell is single-handedly rescuing the advertising industry with his hilarious Durango commercials.

I want to see less...
*FUMBLES!!!!  I feel like I'm taking crazy pills watching this offense.  Jordan Westerkamp and Imani Cross are the latest offenders.  Westerkamp committed one of the most mind-numbing fumbles I've seen since Niles Paul's goal-line drop in '09; luckily he threw it out of bounds.  Cross earns my ire for failing to secure the ball all the way to the ground on a third quarter run near the goal line.  We didn't lose any this week, but that is small consolation with the schedule we have coming up.
*Missed opportunities.  The Big Red Offense's average starting field position was their 41 yard line.  Perhaps I'm being unrealistic, but I expect more than six TDs with only 59 yards to travel.  Armstrong's three interceptions definitely hurt, but the offense went three-and-out too many times and were a weak 11-21 on third down overall.
*DeAngelo Yancey.  The freshman from Atlanta made several nice plays all afternoon, not the least of which was the one-handed grab in double coverage while he was being interfered with.  And there was that little play right at the end of the game too.  That huge body and his speed is going to give us a few more headaches for the next two years at least.
*RB rotation.  I never thought I'd say that Ron Brown was rotating his running backs too much, but lo and behold, after three years of criticism of riding one back for too many carries, causing two heralded backs to transfer, Brown went too far the other way.  I swear, no back had more than three carries in a row yesterday, and on a day when Armstrong was struggling, I thought we should have seen at least 5-7 more carries from Abdullah.

Armchair coach: 
Yes, Josh Mitchell (who played an awful 4th quarter, committing two stupid penalties) got absolutely roasted by freshman wide receiver DeAngelo Yancey, but why in God's name did we squib that last kickoff and set the Boilermakers up at midfield?  Mauro Bondi has one of the best touchback percentages in the NCAA, and even if he didn't get the TB, our kickoff coverage has been excellent so far this year.  You might think I'm being a little bit greedy considering we won by 37 points but dangit I really wanted that shutout.

Jennifer's Take (my wife doesn't know much about football, but she still has opinions)
Jennifer took the kids to Roca Berry Farm yesterday, and missed the game.  She'll be back with her takes when the Huskers travel to Minnesota.

Opponent Watch:
*Indiana kept it close in the first half, but Sparty's offense blew it open in the third quarter to cruise to a 42-28 win.  Indiana's defense is so bad that it's hard to know for sure, but if that Spartan offense is for real, then they're unquestionably the favorite in the Legends division.

*#19 Northwestern really missed injured RB Venric Mark at Wisconsin.  The Wildcats couldn't move the ball on offense, and were run over on defense in a 35-6 loss.  Wisky coach Gary Andersen looks like the real deal.

*I didn't see much of #18 Michigan's loss at Penn State until the end of the first overtime when Michigan K Brendan Gibbons had his 40 yarder blocked.  What followed was the most intense three periods of overtime that I can imagine, complete with missed kicks, converted 4th and short and a controversial pass interference.  I was rooting for Penn State to pull off the upset, but I can't say that I am pleased with how the Legends division has performed so far.  It's anyone's division at this point.

*Wyoming nearly managed to blow a 21 point lead to New Mexico, but QB Brett Smith racked up 140 yards on the ground, scoring the deciding two TDs in the 4th quarter.  Wyoming is sitting at 4-2 and an eight or nine win season is within reach.

*Zach Zenner and South Dakota State got back on track, beating Western Illinois in a Missouri Valley Conference game.  Zenner racked up 133 yards and 2 TDs.  That's right, Western Illinois' defense did a better job of shutting down Zenner than the Blackshirts.

*#11 UCLA coasted to a 37-10 victory over Cal late last night.  Brett Hundley racked up 410 yards of passing with three TDs and no interceptions.  The Bruins travel to Stanford next week.


Keeping an Eye on the Rest of the College Football World...
*Upset Saturday this week, let's start with the least surprising one.  Missing 4 of their 5 best playmakers, #7 Georgia welcomed #25 Missouri into Athens, and the Tigers slapped the Dawgs around for four quarters.  I told my buddy not to worry about the Tigers because of Gary Pinkel's penchant for not showing up in big games, but I'll eat my words and give the Tigers (one of my least favorite teams) their due.   That's a scary defensive line they have and a good offense.  #17 Florida limps into Colombia next week, and # 14 South Carolina the week after that.  If the Tigers win those games, then their November 30 tilt against #9 Texas A&M will be the new biggest game in school history.

*And the one that shocked everyone: #5 Stanford dropping a nail-biter at Utah.  The Cardinal's normally outstanding defense surrendered 414 yards and their offense lost two turnovers to give the Utes the upset.  Remember how I said I thought Stanford would be the team opposite the SEC Champ in the national championship game?  More words I have to eat.

*I can't explain it, but I had a feeling that Mack Brown might pull out a win in the Red River rivalry, because that's the sort of infuriating inconsistency that's defined the last 5 years of Texas football.  Is  the win enough to save his job?  Probably, but it shouldn't be. Texas is still trending down, and there's really no excuse for it.

*They didn't get the win, but credit Kansas State for being the first team to hold #15 Baylor to less than 60 points.  The Bears proved themselves capable of overcoming adversity after losing a comfortable lead in the third quarter, scoring two late TDs and getting defensive stops to ice the game.

*#3 Clemson almost got caught napping by a tough Boston College team, but the Tigers were able to get the win and set up the ACC's dream matchup with #6 Florida State next week.

*Another near upset that's going to get a lot less time on ESPN was #23 Northern Illinois' 27-20 squeaker versus Akron.  The last time we saw the Zips, they were three yards away from beating Michigan.  Yesterday, Terry Bowden's team was 55 yards away from tying the Huskies.  Read into that what you will.

*I watched #17 Florida get beat at #10 LSU, and I have to wonder why the Gators' are so insistent on talking smack, especially on offense.  The Gators are the very definition of offensive ineptitude, and their schedule doesn't get any easier with games at Missouri, Georgia, South Carolina, and Florida State still to go.

*#1 Alabama took a full quarter to get going at Kentucky, but when they did they couldn't be stopped, racking up 668 yards in a 48-7 win.  The Tide allowed only 170 yards to the Wildcats, and have to more tune-ups against Arkansas and Tennessee before LSU comes to visit.

*#2 Oregon took #16 Washington's best shots, but still managed to pull away in the second half for a comfortable 45-24 win in Seattle.  If the Ducks get by Stanford and UCLA, I'm not convinced that any SEC team can slow them down.  QB Marcus Mariota is Johnny Manziel-like with an uncanny ability to fit footballs in tight places on the run.  And he does alright running the football too.

*Ole Miss gave #9 Texas A&M a scare, but Johnny Football was just too much for the Rebels in the end and the Aggies iced the game with a field goal as time expired.  Johnny Manziel reminds me a lot of Taylor Martinez when he runs (read: he carries the ball like a loaf of bread) but he has laser-like precision when he throws that Martinez couldn't begin to duplicate.  I'm not saying that he won't be a great NFL quarteback, but if he gets picked up by the Jaguars and is forced to take a beating, I'm not sure his slender frame can handle it.

Last Thought
Pass me an icepack and a bottle of Motrin.  Grab some for Spencer Long too.

Yesterday was the sort of physical, hard hitting football that everyone expected going into the Big Ten. The game didn't feature the sort of physical torture of an SEC tilt, but there was plenty of pads popping and paint trading going on to satisfy the soul of old-school fans.  The Boilers are perhaps the worst team in the Big Ten, but they didn't lack for effort and nasty physical defense.  I suspect that they will be a much stiffer test next season, but there's plenty of other things to worry about until then.

Like toes and knees.  So many Husker dreams hinge on the health of their two captains, and if they're both back in time for a road trip to Minnesota, let's just say that the remaining schedule looks far less daunting today than it did Saturday morning.

Fan forecast: another bye week with much better games (Clemson-Florida State, Stanford-UCLA) and much better feelings than last time.

Sunday, October 6, 2013

Sunday Review: Illinois

Once again, the Huskers gave us what we all expected coming into this year: great offense and a shaky defense capable of making timely stops.  If this is what we get for the remainder of the Big 10 slate, then things don't look nearly as apocalyptic as they did after the UCLA game.

Plenty of questions remain, and the program will have to batten down the hatches for a full-blown quarterback controversy over the coming weeks, but I think the Huskers took a big step forward in their Big 10 opener, nowhere more than on their much-maligned defense.

To sum up the game: Tommy Armstrong still looks like the second coming of Tommie Frazier, Ameer Abdullah looks even better, and the defense seems to be coming along.

On with the review:

Offensive MVP: Ameer Abdullah, RB.  225 yards and 2 TDs rushing and a clutch 15 yard reception tell you most of the story, but his reaction in the post-game finishes it.  Abdullah went out of his way to mention his line, receivers, and even the fullbacks for their outstanding blocking, essentially saying that his career game was simply the result of his teammates' hard work.  Great back, and great teammate.

Defensive MVP: Ciante Evans, CB/NB.  Evans didn't do much in coverage, but he shined as a blitzer, ending one Illini series inside the Nebraska 10 yard line, getting another TFL, and forcing a fumble after a big run.  On a young defense, it's about time the man with the most experience steps up.

Special Teams MVP: Nebraska's kickoff team.  Facing the best returner in college football, these Huskers answered the bell and shut V'Angelo Bentley all afternoon.  Nothing spectacular, but always solid.

Freshman MVP: Tommy Armstrong, QB.  There aren't any of the outlandish stats or the big plays that defined Taylor Martinez's freshman campaign (though his field-reversing option play was pretty nice), but there is that indescribable calm that fills the stadium when Tommy is at the helm.  We still have yet to see how he reacts to a big turnover in a tight game, or how he rallies the team when the Huskers are behind in the 4th quarter, but you get the sense that he might handle it better than most kids his age.

Assistant Coach MVP: John Garrison, OL coach. When your team racks up 335 rushing yards (219 of which came in the second half), you know that the offensive line is doing a lot of things right.  It's also worth mentioning that the Huskers haven't had a single false start in two games.

5 Who Stood out:
*Jason Ankrah.  Nebraska fans have rightly been hard on the senior so far this year, but he responded with one of the best games of his career yesterday.  Ankrah had a sack and a TFL and led the defensive line in a much improved effort.

*Quincy Enunwa.  Another TD and some timely grabs accompanied his always fantastic downfield blocking.  There's nothing flashy about Enunwa, but he's one of the Husker's most consistent and valuable performers.

*Sam Cotton.  There were more than a few grumbles when the youngest Cotton was the only Nebraska high school kid offered a scholarship in 2012, but Sam finally got the chance to show us why that was the case.  His downfield blocking was reminiscent of his big brother, and seeing him drag defenders for five extra yards on his lone reception was incredibly gratifying.

*Michael Rose.  Rose was flying around all afternoon yesterday.  He wasn't always in the right spot, but he made a few nice stops and led the team with11 tackles.  It seems the future is bright for the freshman.

*Avery Moss.  The young DE doesn't show up as much on the stat sheet, but he crashes the pocket better than any other defensive end currently on the roster.  If Nebraska's defense can survive this season, their future is bright in the front seven.

Key Stat:  11.2.  That's Abdullah's yards-per-carry average on 20 carries.  That's amazing.

Play of the Game: 
I just couldn't decide between:

The option run for a TD by Abdullah, which was a thing of beauty.  Good job by Tommy Armstrong stretching the play outside and making the accurate pitch to Abdullah while he was running at full speed. Abdullah did an outstanding job reading his blocks downfield and made an amazing cutback to take the ball into the endzone.  Maybe not a perfect play, but darn close.

And of course Kenny Bell's leaping one-handed grab for a TD was pure magic.  And it came at a good time with the Husker's offense seemingly stalling inside Illini territory.  It was a perfect statement play for Bell who had a rough game against SDST and hadn't done much up to that point against the Illini.

Play We Want Back: 
I don't like to question the Almighty Beck, but when you have 3rd and 11 at your own 3 yard line, that is not the time to make Imani Cross run laterally.  Terrell Newby or Abdullah maybe, but not Cross.  You gotta play to your player's strengths, and when you don't, you get bad plays like that safety.

Blown Call:  Pretty good game by the stripes overall but I'm seriously starting to wonder if our defensive line needs to work on some sort of flopping technique (as if they need one MORE thing to work one) in order to start getting some holding calls.  It's getting a little bit ridiculous, and it makes it that much harder to set the edge on those gashing perimeter runs that were killing us yesterday.

Hit of the Game: I almost threw something at the TV when Illinois WR Steve Hull caught that ball on 4th and 11, but praise Rex for CB Stanley Jean-Baptiste and his hard hitting prowess.  He's unquestionably been the Blackshirts' best playmaker this season.

I want to see more...
*Jack Hoffman.  ESPN reported late Friday night that little Jack is in full remission and his father is hopeful that it might be for good.  Jack will still have to get regular MRIs to monitor his tumor of course, but he's done with chemo and he will get a chance to be a little boy again.
*Tommy Armstrong.  Several of his throws went high yesterday, but we'll chalk that up to the wind.  What we can attribute to the young quarterback is a calm sense of control over this offense and the ability to move the football (with the exception of the 2nd quarter safety).  If I'm Bo Pelini, Taylor Martinez sits against a bad Purdue team and has 2 more weeks to heal before the all-important November stretch.
*The option.  Seemed like every time the Huskers ran those speed option plays, it went for big yards. There's no better way for a quarterback and an offensive coordinator to endear themselves to the Nebraska fans than running the plays that won those now mythical championships in the 90's.  Extra credit to Tommy Armstrong for the bags of ice on his shoulder in the post game news conference.  Some of my first Husker memories are of Scott Frost and those bags of ice on his shoulders after a game.  That's Saturday romance at its best.
*Soul crushing drives.  Nebraska took over with 3 minutes to go in the second quarter at their own 4 yard line with an opportunity to mount a long drive and take a four score lead into the second half and get the ball back.  Instead, the Huskers get conservative and Cross is tackled in the endzone for a safety.  A big return set the Illini up at midfield with the potential to steal the momentum going into the half.  Gregg Easterbrook often writes of the disaster that comes with being too conservative at the end of football games, and his rule held true yesterday.
*Jamal Turner.  Other than a pretty block to spring Abdullah for a few extra yards, Turner had a quiet day yesterday, and hasn't done much this season.  Theres's a tweaked hammy at issue, but hopefully he has a breakout game soon that gives him a boost for the rest of the season like his TD catch in the Northwestern game did last year.
*Blitzing.  Imagine that, a quarterback under pressure repeatedly makes hurried, inaccurate throws...

I want to see less...
*Missed tackles.  The Blackshirts did an OK job yesterday, but there were several plays in which the  Nebraska defenders either lost the handle on the ball carrier, whiffed completely, or mystifyingly got turned around as CB Jonathan Rose did late in the 3rd quarter.
*Fumbles.  Fortunately Nebraska didn't lose any yesterday, but Abdullah and Newby seemingly lost the ball every time they went out of bounds or after they hit the ground, and the law of averages (and past experiences) states that eventually, those balls will come out at less opportune times and be recovered by the other team.  Something different needs to happen in practice.
*Free running RBs.  Illini RB Josh Ferguson repeatedly gashed the Blackshirts around the edges, averaging 6 yards per carry.  Add to that his 82 yards receiving and there's plenty of teaching points for these Huskers this week.
*Miscommunication and substitution errors on defense.  I counted 4 substitution penalties and even late in the game, you got the feeling that the Blackshirts were really discombobulated between snaps.  That falls on the coaches, and it's something that needs to get fixed before Northwestern comes to town.
*Missed XPs.  With an ongoing competition at kicker, the last thing you wanna do as a place kicker is miss an extra point, wind or no wind.  Which is exactly what both kickers managed to do yesterday.
*Catches out of the backfield.  Nathan Scheelhaase continually burned the Husker linebackers with swings to his RBs, notably on a 4th and 5 conversion in the 3rd quarter.
*Ron Kellogg III.  I hate to even write this because of all that RKIII has done for the program as a backup, but there's a reason that Armstrong is starting in front of him. When Kellogg III was on the field yesterday, the offense just seemed stale because he wasn't a running threat.  I love the kid and his selfless attitude, but his greatest contributions come on the sideline and the attempts to get him in the game yesterday seemed forced and didn't amount to anything.
*Boring 4th quarters.  Sure the game was sort of out of reach, but neither team showed even a whiff of urgency to close out the game yesterday.  That was disappointing.
*NASCAR.  Seriously ESPN?  NASCAR at 3:30 on an October Saturday afternoon?

Armchair coach: 
I wanna talk a little more about the safety, because it was a classic example of Tim Beck outsmarting himself:
With Ameer Abdullah averaging 9 yards per carry around the edges, Beck decided that it was a good time to put Cross in the game to bang it inside.  I can understand that conservative philosophy down near our own goal line-I don't agree with it, but I can understand it- what I don't understand is that mystifying decision to run Cross around the left edge of the offense on third and 11.  Granted, Cross made a poor decision not getting upfield faster, but that wasn't a good play call by any stretch of the imagination.
The Huskers can get away with that against teams like Illinois, but that sort of blunder will cost us against Michigan.

Jennifer's Take (my wife doesn't know much about football, but she still has opinions)
"I think that Martinez's turf toe might be the best thing to happen to Nebraska this year."

Opponent Watch:
*Penn State was granted a reprieve from their Draconian scholarship reductions a few weeks ago, but that isn't going to help them this year.   They have some nice pieces, but there isn't enough depth to put together a full game against a decent team, as evidenced by their 44-24 loss to Indiana, the first loss to the Hoosiers in program history.

*I was one of those predicting a 10-3 score from the Iowa-Michigan State game, but the Spartans actually managed a bit of offense and beat the Hawkeyes by a sound 26-13 score.  If Sparty can keep that progress going, they're a real threat in the Legends.

*Minnesota kept it tight early, but #19 Michigan pulled away in the second half and cruised to a 42-13 win.  It still looks like the best way to beat the Wolverines is to make Devin Gardner throw the ball.

*#12 UCLA survived a 34-27 scare at Utah while you slept Thursday night.  The Bruins are good enough to beat every team in the PAC 12, but they're not good enough to sleepwalk against any of them.

*Southern Miss squandered their best opportunity to win their first game in 17 tries, taking on one of the worst teams in the NCAA in Florida International and losing 24-23.  Turnovers continue to kill the Golden Eagles as they gave the Panthers a pair of fumbles and a couple interceptions in the loss. Southern Miss has lost 19 turnovers in 5 games.

*South Dakota State lost to Southern Illinois 27-24.  Yet another FCS team managed to hold SDST RB Zac Zenner to less than 4 yards per carry...

*#4 Ohio State benefited from some *ahem* generous officiating to eke out a 40-30 win (with the last six coming on the Wildcat's botched final play) at #16 Northwestern.  The Big Ten is officially on notice: if you want to beat the Buckeyes, don't leave the game in the hands of the officials.

Keeping an Eye on the Rest of the College Football World...
*I watched the 4th quarter of the Iowa State-Texas game the other night, and even though Iowa State had some questionable calls go against them, they weren't egregious.  Texas may be a shell of what they once were, but they're still going to get the benefit of the doubt with refs in the Big 12.  What should be of greater note was the way the Cyclones, with their undersized and much slower athletes, whipped the Longhorns on both sides of the ball.  I can't think of any reason Mack Brown should be on the sideline next season.

*Spoke too soon on Virginia Tech.  I thought the Hokies were in for rough season after that OT scare against Marshall, but they've rebounded nicely with relatively easy wins against a good Georgia Tech team and a decent North Carolina squad.

*#3 Clemson is quietly dominating opponents and staying out of the spotlight after their season opening win against Georgia.  There's a potential trap game against Boston college next week and then a mammoth test against Florida State the week after.

*Put #25 Maryland firmly under that "pretender" label.  The Terrapins surprised us all with that 4-0 start, but were quickly and soundly brought back to Earth at #8 Florida State, losing 63-0, which is the worst beating a ranked team has ever taken.  The Seminoles' sensational freshman QB Jameis Winston threw for almost 400 yards and 5 TDs to keep his Heisman campaign alive.

*I can't help but be impressed with #17 Baylor's third consecutive 70 point game against West Virginia.  The Bears racked up 864 total yards and for the fourth game in a row, they scored four TDs in the first quarter.

*On the topic of impressive offenses, #2 Oregon shook off a sluggish start to blast Colorado 57-16.  The Ducks scored three TDs in the last 5 minutes of the first quarter after Colorado had taken a 10-8 lead.

*When the Heisman voters are deciding which QB is going to get the award this season, I hope they take into account everything that Georgia QB Aaron Murray has had to endure early this season.  No, I'm not talking about the three games against top 10 opponents in September.  At Tennessee, Murray was already missing his best RB and WR, then lost his second best RB and two more of his top 5 receivers through the course of the game, and still managed to put together a TD drive to force overtime and get the win.  Murray needs to keep winning, but through six weeks, he's got my vote.

*Speaking of the Georgia-Tennessee game, you feel for Tennessee RB Alton "Pig" Howard, whose fumble out of the endzone essentially gave the overtime win to the Bulldogs.  Of course one play doesn't win or lose a game, of course your teammates support you, and of course tomorrow will come, but dang.  Ya kinda blew it in the worst way possible dude.

*#5 Stanford got away with one against #15 Washington.  The Cardinal were outgained 489-279 by the Huskies but got a kickoff return TD and timely defensive stops to get the win.

Last Thought
So I'm on record saying that Taylor Martinez should sit against Purdue.  Let's face it: the Boilers are the worst team in the Big Ten, and they provide a perfect opportunity for Tommy Armstrong to cut his teeth on the road.  Nebraska gets another bye week and then a trip to Minnesota presents a perfect opportunity for Martinez to work out the kinks before Northwestern comes to town.

I still believe Nebraska is capable of winning every game left on the schedule, especially if the defense continues to improve, but proper management of the incredibly fortuitous midseason schedule is going to be the key.

Fan forecast: Wind-burnt cheeks heal up in time for a smile-inducing road trip to West Lafayette.