Questions arise for Mo Purify

June 12th, 2007

By Josh Peterson
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What to do with Mo? This is the question every member of Husker Nation is asking today. Kick him off the team for good? Give him no chance to explain himself?

Maybe suspend Purify for the non-conference schedule, letting him come back to play for a conference title?

Or maybe no suspension, with an internal punishment, telling him one more strike and he’s out? This of course would allow for him to back for the USC game on September 15th, which to some is the biggest game on the schedule.

Why are people asking this question you wonder? Well Mr. Purify was pulled over on early Saturday morning. Was it a DUI or a DWI? This question still hasn’t been answered, leaving some fans in the middle on what to do with him.

This comes five weeks after the incident at the bar. Was he provoked as some suspect? Did the girl wander into the punch, or did he strike her on purpose? These are some of the many questions that need to be answered before a final decision on Purify is made, in my opinion.

You can’t just make a decision on the information that has come out so far. That wouldn’t be fair to Purify, or even you. Let’s see how this plays out a bit before the final call on someone’s career is made.

What Maurice did in both cases wasn’t right. He could have left the bar and been fine. He didn’t have to drive his car. He is Maurice Purify. I am sure he could find someone to take him back to his home. He wouldn’t even have to pay them for gas. They would probably pay him since he’s with them!

It would just be a shame if this was the end of a very promising career. This is a player who could end up drafted in the first round, but now he could end up being spoken of in the same sentence with Lawrence Phillips, someone who threw his career away.? Granted, this is nothing like LP.? LP had the wrong attitude towards everything and it seemed he never wanted to change what he was doing with his life. Mo is so far away from Phillips in the way he acts. You can just see it when he talks, the smile he has on his face.

I was covering a spring practice and he came up to me and asked, “Hey do you wanna trade jobs?”

“Sure,” I said. He acted like he was going to take off his jersey and I would be Mo Purify for a practice. Of course it didn’t happen, but the attitude that he had right before a practice started was something I will never forget. He has so much fun when he’s out on the field, and it’s too bad that he made the mistakes that he did.

Coach Callahan has a tough decision he will have to make before the season begins in August. Right now Purify is indefinitely suspended. Could this be Callahan’s way of saying, “Fix what you’ve done, do some of these requirements, and get on the field and help lead us to a Big XII title.”

Or is he just delaying the inevitable with the suspension? We will find out eventually, and hopefully by then all the facts will be out.

Final Drive Leaves Aggieland Stunned

November 13th, 2006

By Josh Peterson
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What a win!
Those are the only words to describe what happened on a great day/night for college football in College Station, Texas. Nebraska, needing only one win in its last two games to reach the Big XII Championship, pulled it off in amazing fashion, with a last minute touchdown drive to seal their plane ticket to Kansas City for a presumed matchup against the national champion Texas Longhorns.

With a 28-27 win over the Aggies, Bill Callahan?s team showed that no matter what is going on, how bad they have played, or how loud the crowd is, they are never out of a game. Zac Taylor took over with 1:50 left in the game, and drove the ball down the field like John Elway. He looked calm. He looked smart. But most of all, he looked in control. He threw the ball where he wanted, when he wanted.

Todd Peterson made catch after catch on the final drive of the game for the Huskers, his final being a 13 yard catch to get Nebraska to the 18 yard line. Some incomplete passes followed, until a roughing the passer penalty on third down gave the Huskers an automatic first down inside the 10 yard line. One more play was needed, as Zac Taylor just threw the ball up to Maurice Purify, and let him get it. He did, and the Huskers went on to the win.

The offense had control like this earlier in the game as well. On three straight possessions in the first half, the Huskers made Texas A&M look like a high school team, running on them at will, and taking a 21-7 lead going into halftime. It looked like the Huskers would run the Aggies out of their own stadium, but like so many games this season it seemed the Huskers thought the game ended after 30 minutes.

Slowly but surely, the blackshirts allowed bigger and bigger plays. While this happened, the offense seemed out of sync, not in rhythm, and just flat as possession after possession, they couldn?t muster anything.

Going into the fourth and final quarter, the Huskers had still only allowed three more points to be put on the board. But that?s when it looked like they had lost it for good. Stephen McGee raced 57 yards for a touchdown, while the Huskers D didn?t look like they knew what to do. Suddenly it?s 21-19 after and A&M missed extra point.

Huskers get the ball back, get a first down, and then nothing more, and Titchner comes back on the field for another punt. Another touchdown, followed by a two point conversion for the Aggies looked like the nail in the coffin, especially after a Zac Taylor interception with only 2:50 remaining in the game.

But then something happened. Something that will remembered for a long time. A great stand by the defense, then a blocked kick, followed by the great drive that will put Zac Taylor?s name with such names as Tommie Frazier, Turner Gill, Scott Frost, and even Eric Crouch. If he and the Huskers can win the Big XII Championship, that legend will only grow larger.

I, like many others in Husker Nation, am still worn out from that crazy ending.

What a win!

CAN YOU FEEL IT!!!!

November 8th, 2006

By Trevor Martin (BIGREDIOWAN)
HuskerWeekly Sports Analyst

Well it?s coming and everyone in Husker Nation can feel it. This is a very important game for us all and most importantly for this team. If we can win this game then for the first time since 1999 Nebraska 7-3 (4-2) will once again be in the Big XII Championship game in Kansas City on December 2nd.

However, you can tell that a vast majority of Husker Nation is already looking ahead and past this very talented Texas A&M team, and it?s hard not to. We are on the doorstep of the Big 12 Championship game and beating on the door along with the Texas Longhorns. Both teams need to remain focused to get to this big game and have a rematch of the slug fest that was played on October 21st at Memorial Stadium. Unfortunately for Husker Nation we lost that game in the final minutes 22-20. The 24th ranked Aggies are not just going to roll over and let the Huskers have their way with them. A lot is riding on this game for the Aggies as well. They are all but eliminated from the Big 12 South Title. They need to win the rest of their games and have help from Texas and Oklahoma in the form of losses on their respective schedules. The Aggies 8-2 (4-2) have home field advantage and anyone who has ever been to Kyle field home of the 12th man can tell you that is a very big advantage. Any school that has yell practice the night before a football game is obviously going to be intimidating to any visiting opponent.

Nebraska brings with it a very potent offensive attack with the hopes of coming away with a win and the Big XII North Title. The teams match-up fairly evenly on paper with the edge going to Nebraska on everything, but rushing. Nebraska ranks 8th in the country with an offensive average of 450.5 ypg while the Aggies rank 19th with an average of 415.7 ypg. Passing yards Nebraska is ranked 21st with 261.9 ypg and the Aggies are 65th with 203 ypg. Rushing yards Nebraska is ranked 17th with 188.6 ypg and the Aggies are 8th with 212.7 ypg. Points scored Nebraska is ranked 12th with 34.2 ppg and the Aggies are 18th with 31.3 ppg.

You can tell that this game is going to come down to how the defenses play against the offenses. While neither of these defenses are having fantastic years they both have a lot of potential for the future. Nebraska?s defense averages 120.2 rushing yard per game, 221.9 passing yards per game, 342.1 total yards per game, and 17.7 points per game. The Aggies defense averages 128.3 rushing yards per game, 181.5 passing yards per game, 309.8 total yards per game, and 18.7 points per game. So the slight edge that Nebraska has on offense over the Aggies they give up on defense to the Aggies.

Saturday is going to be a big day for both of these teams, but only one can emerge victorious and you have this feeling that the Huskers will pull this one out. They are in control of their own destiny and this would be a huge road victory for the Huskers not only because of the environment that they will be playing in, but also what it means for the Big 12 North Title. I see the first half as being 21-7 Husker?s leading at halftime. The Aggies will come back within a touchdown of the Huskers, but never get ahead of the Huskers and it will be a shootout till the end.

Final score 31-24 Huskers.

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Can the I-back conspiracy be put to bed yet?

October 9th, 2006

By David Rischling (DJR313)
HuskerWeekly Sports Analyst
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Cody Glenn is being slighted. Callahan feels the need to force-feed his prized 5-star recruit Marlon Lucky and make him the man. Kenny Wilson is the hot up-and-comer. Callahan seems to have accelerated him up the depth chart because he likes his speed. Brandon Jackson is lurking in the shadows. Cody Glenn appears to be the odd man out.

Bullshit.

Those were all story lines in the local media in the past few weeks. On Saturday night, neither Marlon Lucky or Kenny Wilson had a carry against Iowa State. The result, Nebraska wins behind 2 gutty performances from the ?overlooked? I-backs. Callahan, Norvell and Randy Jordan have maintained that playing time will be different for each back, each game and that they will go with the hot hand (or hands in this case) if it is working. Would it be possible to take what the coaches have to say at face value for once? The coaches made their stance known, and so far this season, they have stuck to that.

It seems as if an I-back controversy is a lot more interesting than having 4 capable guys that would do anything to help their team win. It does not matter to me who is back there. I love to see the line fire off on their blocks and see the back hit the hole and make someone miss or run over a defender for an extra couple yards. Take a look at what Callahan has standing on the sidelines ready to play:

Marlon Lucky:

All around, maybe the best suited for the entire offensive package. He is quick, he is a good pass blocker, he is a silky-smooth receiver, he runs with great vision most of the time.

Cody Glenn:

An absolute bruiser. This kid hits the hole and never hesitates, always cranking those tree trunks that he calls thighs forward, on his way to punishing a defender who is unfortunate enough to get in his path. He is showing that he can be something special.

Kenny Wilson:

Fast, Fast, Fast. Kenny is a very quick running back. He is still learning on the fly, but he has shown a burst that not many players have. The one thing that is unfortunate about Kenny is that he only has one more season left after this. He has proven, thus far, to be a quality complement/relief man to the other backs.


Brandon Jackson:

The wise old man. Hard to call Brandon old, since he is just pushing 21, but as far as experience with the offense, he is the most experienced. He is the resident third down back. He picks up the blitz well, he has good hands, is quick, shifty and runs with some power, always moving forward.

Most coaches would dream of having this many capable running backs. Nebraska has not seen this kind of depth at the running back position since 1995. But it?s more fun to talk controversy because one doesn?t play. I am not a coach, I don?t attend practice and I don?t break down game film of opponents to find weaknesses. All I can do is take the coaches? word at face value, root like hell for who they put back there and enjoy the game. I intend to do all three. Who is going to play on Saturday? I don?t really care. I just hope that the guy that gets his number called is ready to go and runs over some Mildcats on the way to a big game and a Cornhusker victory. Go Big Red and God Bless

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Nebraska struggles, but pulls out the win

October 2nd, 2006

By Josh Peterson (ttheKid1*18)
HuskerWeekly Sports Analyst

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Nebraska 39, Kansas 32, final in overtime. Who knew? The Huskers in their Big XII opener were taken into overtime after basically doing nothing for the final three quarters of the game, and pulled it out after scoring in two plays. Are the Huskers this bad, or Kansas this good? Maybe it?s a little bit of both. Zac Taylor wasn?t his normal self. The running game was non-existent. Our D looked like they took the day off. But after all of this, the team is 1-0 in the conference, and 4-1 overall.

This team has much to improve, but when they needed big plays, they got them. After losing a 24-7 lead, the team was down 25-24 late in the fourth quarter. They hadn?t scored since the early in the second quarter, and looked like the drive was going to end without points with a 3rd and long. Taylor dropped back, was again flushed from the pocket, and let a long pass loose. Frantz Hardy caught it and raced into the end zone for his second touchdown of the day, and gave the Huskers the lead right back. A two point conversion was successful, and the Huskers had the lead once more, 32-25.

They also scored quick in the first overtime, and held the Jayhawks to come away with the 39-32 victory. Those two scores when they were needed might be the only bright spot from the game.

So what happened?

Zac Taylor never got into a rhythm. Many of his passes were under thrown, and a few were too high. This was the guy coming into the game who was throwing over 70% passing, and ended up 15/33 in this game. The line didn?t help him at all, as he was forced to run out of the pocket for most of the second half, and didn?t ever look comfortable. Still though, he didn?t look towards the tight ends much in the game, or even the running backs, which are normally his safety valves.

The question that I really want to know though is where were the running backs? Brandon Jackson and Kenny Wilson looked great early, then were seldom used the rest of the game. When Cody Glenn made his return to the field, he had four great carries. His fifth carry resulted in a fumble and we didn?t see him again until the end of the game on a 1/2 yard TD run. The backs never got into the zone, but that was because they didn?t get a chance.

Where was the defense? After a dominating first quarter with two interceptions by Andrew Shanle, the defense didn?t do anything the rest of the game. The corners were playing too far back, and got torched by a second string quarterback. The linebackers didn?t blitz at all, and never made an impact. The players looked tired, as well they should have been. Kansas was on the field for over 90 plays, and just wore down the Blackshirts.

There is much to improve still on this team, and they better be ready for the toughest month of their lives.

Next up: The battle under the lights against Iowa State.

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NEXT!…

October 2nd, 2006

By Kevin Sinnett (borNred)
HuskerWeekly Sports Analyst

*This article was actually completed at noon on Saturday, Sept 30 - but due to a communications issue, publication was delayed. ~Editor

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Well it?s that time again, Saturday and with that comes the outlook for today?s game against Kansas. The feeling that I get coming into this game is pure excitement, I mean the revenge factor is a key to this game even though it is being denied up and down by the coach and players. Seems to be Thanksgiving Day and the Huskers are hungry for some bird, no need for silverware, because ?Skers are going to try taking meat from bone.

Passing will be huge yet again, seeing how Kansas is in the bottom three of the Big XII in pass defense. KU has a good rush defense so running the ball may prove to be a difficult task?but not too difficult. There is no doubt Lucky will be the starter, and last week he proved to the Husker nation as to why he has been getting the reps. Remember back when there was talk of how NU hasn?t had that big play running ability amongst the IB?s? Yeah, Marlon just kicked them in the teeth last week. That and the fact Kansas haven?t faced a real formidable opponent in their first four games. A side note, I have been watching the sCUm/MooZoo game and I must say one thing?pillow fight, bad news for them NU has an anvil in their pillow(got that from a Tom Shatel article).

Back to the matter at hand, look for Zac to go over 300 yards in this game tonight, and we will have at least one back over 100 for the night, and I expect that to be Marlon. What I WANT to see tonight is something that happened in the Nicholls State game, and that is Nate Swift taking some punts, that may be a needed spark if this game becomes close and needs a momentum swing. The Jayhawks have a tremendous cornerback in Talib, but the only bad thing is there?s only one of him. If they give Taylor enough time in the pocket, then the Jayhawk secondary is in for a loooong day, and it
will get ugly quick. In most cases the run opens up the pass (isolations, sweeps, counters to play action) but tonight I look for the pass open up the run (play action to isolations, sweeps, etc).

Now on to the Blackshirts, the KU starting QB is still up in the air (as far as I know) between Barmann and Meier. Personally I don?t think it?s going to matter, Barmann is an ok backup period and given a little pressure he may fold. Meier on the other hand is more mobile, but this would be his first start on the road in a hostile environment; crowd noise, pressure, and intensity will rock him and leave him unsettled the rest of the game. Two KU players to keep an eye on are Cornish (RB) and Brian Murph (WR), and a key to the game is punch KU in the mouth right away, stop Cornish and make Barmann/Meier beat you with their arms. Murph may be a good player but if the ball can?t get to him then he won?t be a factor.

Ahh, the prediction part?

NU: 42
KU: 14

Pass: 375
Rush: 188

Huskers back to early season form

September 24th, 2006

By Josh Peterson (ttheKid1*18)
HuskerWeekly Sports Analyst

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How would the Huskers respond? That seemed to be the question on everyone?s mind coming into the Troy game after the 28-10 loss to USC one week ago. Would the offense get back on track? Would the defensive backfield get burned again? Would the defensive line show why they received such high pre-season praise? Nebraska answered all these questions with great play in the 56-0 win over the Trojans, and everyone looked great.

Marlon Lucky has clearly emerged as the go-to back running the ball. 156 yards on 10 carries with 3 touchdowns was his stat line. Hello! Lucky is the man in the west coast offense, and Husker fans should feel comfortable with him carrying the ball for most of the game. Expect him to get most of the carries for the rest of the season.

Zac Taylor looked like his normal self with great play once more. He was 14 of 17 for 268 yards with one touchdown and one interception. Those aren?t huge numbers, but for only 17 passes, they were huge. He was in the zone, and you saw it on one play more than others. In the first quarter, after two penalties made it 1st and 35, Taylor was as calm as ever, finding Nate Swift for a 49 yard gain to make it first and goal. He was so calm and collected on that play, and showed why he is the best quarterback in the Big XII.


The defense was most impressive. Troy was a team that challenged Florida State and Georgia Tech, and Nebraska made them look like a 1-AA team, that should be playing and beating Colorado, not Nebraska. Without a few big plays, they wouldn?t have had the 140 total yards they had.

The line was great. They only had four sacks, but they were constantly putting Troy quarterback Omar Haugabook on his checkbook, and he was frustrated most of the game. Carriker was the most dominant on the line. He was constantly held on his way to the quarterback, and he could have easily had 3 or 4 sacks instead of the 0 he ended up with.

 

The much maligned defensive backfield didn?t allow many big plays, and were really helped by the pass rush they were getting. Andrew Shanle had an interception near the goal line that got everyone on their feet. Andre Jones put some hits on people, as did Courtney Grixby.

Nebraska starts Big XII play next week in a revenge game against Kansas, after losing to them last year for the first time in 36 games. The Jayhawks might not have their starting quarterback, and both teams have changed a lot since last years 40-15 massacre. The crowd should be rocking in the Huskers third straight night game, and the Huskers should be rocking as well.
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Big Red Rebound

September 22nd, 2006

By Kevin Sinnett (borNred)
HuskerWeekly Sports Analyst
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One week after a disappointing loss to USC, the Husker?s have the task of taking on the smaller Trojans. Think of it as USC was the Magnum, and Troyis the well?Ultra Thin.

Welcome to the pre-game point of view, and I am your host, Kevin aka borNred to my fellow Huskerboard.com members. Here we go?.

Troy comes into Lincoln with a 1-2 record, with a two game road skid to Florida State and Georgia Tech. These games were close, and FSU could barely hang in for the W, but what the ?experts? fail to realize is that those two teams have NO offense.

Aside from GT?s showing last night against a dismal Virginia team, the Yellow Jackets gave no reason to believe that their offensive woes from last season are corrected. Florida State on the other hand does have an offense, it may only be by passing the ball but it?s there. However, the staff fails to utilize the talent of Drew Weatherford and the gifted receivers. Bowden seems determined to establish the run (Sound familiar? But I do agree with Cally?s game plan, difference is we have the backs, it?s just miscues and execution?or lack there of) before unleashing the big dogs of his offense; the problem is?they can?t run for squat. Enough about GT and FSU, I?m here for Big Red talk,nothing else.

The Trojan?s run defense looks suspect, and by that I mean giving up over 3 hundred to a so-so GT team. This fact should play a big role in Callahan?s game planning. This brings me to NU?s run game?.

Look for Lucky to have a big game, with what he?s showed so far it looks like another 100+ game is in order, as only one man on their D-Line is over the 300 mark. I also plan to see his receiving ability to play a decent roll as well, slide out in the slot and get some bubble screens, and dart plays to throw them off. Play action passing will reemerge with a vengeance, bank on it baby! This game will be a lot like last week?s match up with SC, only the roles will be reversed and there will be higher scoring.

Troy will put up one hell of a fight, but count on this one to start slipping away from them in the third, when our superior depth starts to show its shining face. Pass the ball for God?s sake?sorry, I had a relapse for a second! I think that the passing game will be electric, hold on let me explain myself. For one, we have Zac Taylor and talented receivers; for two Troy?s tallest CB is Chris Bowen?s who is 6?0 and also third string. The others are as follows (LCB): Leodis McKelvin (5-11), Justin Bray (5-11); (RCB): Henry Chubb (5-10), Elbert Mack (5-10), and Darryl Watts (5-10). Now, you can?t sit here and tell me with a straight face that you don?t like the odds of that! Stick big Mo over there and play
pitch and catch over the top all day long, what we have here is our own version of Dwayne Jarrett vs. NU secondary all over again in our favor.

Now onto the Blackshirts?. and dominate is what comes to mind while eyeing their depth chart. Their starting receivers should pose a better match up then last weeks Dwayne Jarrett and Steve Smith show. Standing at 6-2, 6-1, 6-0, and 5-10 this shouldn?t be overwhelming for Jones and the rest of the Secondary, we just have to keep a lock on the Trojans QB Omar Haugabook, although not highly recruited out of JUCO he is still talented enough to cause some problems. This is what Carriker, Moore, Ruud, and McKeon are for, and I truly believe that they will hold him incheck with the help of the rest of the D.

Finally the atmosphere on game day? this will have little effect on Troy, because they have been here before and they won?t be intimidated simply because they believe that they can hang with any team in the country and you know what? They are right on.
On the other hand, crowd noise is ALWAYS a factor, so scream your little hearts out and it will be rewarded.

In conclusion comes my prediction?

NU ? 42
Troy ? 17

Passing: 339
Rushing: 215

Troy hangs in until the middle of the 3rd, but NU?s depth and talent pull them ahead big. Confidence and swagger return to top form and carry intothe Big 12 opener against KansAss.

I bid you farewell Husker Nation, and you?ll hear from me on Sunday.

GOOOOO BIIIIIG REEEDDDDD!!!

Am I the only one that noticed the Sun come up on Sunday?

September 19th, 2006

By David Rischling (DJR313)
HuskerWeekly Sports Analyst

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Trojans, 28. Cornhuskers, 10. Man, that sucked. I scratched my head. I threw my hat. I even said a couple of swear words. Should we have expected to win? If you asked me on November 5th last year if we would win this game, I would have laughed. Hard. Really hard. I may have laughed till I peed a little bit.

What happened since then?

Well, a spanking over North Champ Colorado at their house, a stunning victory over Michigan in the Alamo Bowl and a fast start over a couple of cupcakes to start this season. Confidence was high. Sky high. Things haven?t felt this good in 5 years.

Saturday night, we found out that USC is still pretty darn good because of their overall team speed and a fella named Jarrett. Some say that the coach called a conservative game, with conservative being a nice way to put it. I have even heard the word ?gutless? associated with this so-called game plan more than once in the past 2 days.

Is it justified?

No. Here?s why:

-Turnovers. If you lose the turnover battle, you lose 90% of the time. The Huskers only had 1 turnover, but it was a crucial mistake deep in USC territory. The defense also didn?t force any turnovers.

-If you get penalized more than your opponent, you lose more times than you win. The Huskers had 51 yards in penalties, but what?s worse is when these penalties took place.

-1.9 yards/rush won?t cut it. The Huskers needed to be closer to 4 yards per carry for the game plan to work. There were several blocks that were flat out missed. Some holes were missed by the running backs.

-No luck whatsoever. On a 3rd down and long, Stewart Bradley levels JD Booty and he coughs up the ball. Chauncey Washington picks the ball up without hesitation and scoots 13 yards for a first down. For the first play of the second half, Booty throws an out pattern and Grixby jumps the pattern and steps right in front of the receiver, the ball proceeds to go through his hands. There is also another play where the Trojans are faced with 3rd and Wyoming, Booty lands a wounded duck in between Andrew Shanle and Corey McKeon, who both appear to have stumbled on the play.

Take away the inopportune penalties and the missed assignments in the running game, and the Huskers were step for step with the Trojans. The stats don?t lie either. At the end of the 3rd quarter, the Trojans had 30 total yards more than the Huskers. For all the missed opportunities, they were still in it midway through the 4th quarter.

This game plan could have worked. More importantly, it should have. Chew the clock. Play the field position game. Execute on 3rd down. Keep the potent Trojan offense on the sidelines. When the USC offense is on the field, avoid the big play. Wear the defense out. Neutralize their speed so that in the 4th quarter the passing lanes open up. Then POW! Hit em hard, get them on their heels, and they won?t be able to stop it.

Does anybody besides myself think that Callahan and Co. learned a thing or two from newcomer Sam Keller? Nearly 1 year ago, Keller was engineering a huge upset against the Trojans. Up 21-3 at the half, things were looking good for the Sun Devils. Well, what happened? USC pounded the ball right at them. Keller threw 4 interceptions and the rest is history. Sam Keller is a damn fine quarterback and he got owned by the Trojans. Keller told Zac Taylor during the week that those passing lanes ?close awful quick.? Yeah, no kidding Sam. Callahan seemed to learn from the failed game plans of those before him and all the other teams that tried to get in a track meet with USC and eventually fell by the wayside(aside from that burnt orange team with a freak named ?Vince?).

The Huskers learned a lot on Saturday and will grow from that experience. As Callahan has stated, their goals are still in tact. Win the North. Get BACK to the Big 12 Championship. Win that game, and then the Order is truly Restored. Peeking ahead at the Huskers schedule, there is not one game that is a definite loss. The toughest tests ahead are visits to Iowa State and Texas A&M and home dates with Texas and Missouri. So far this season, Nebraska has appeared to be one of the top 2 teams in the Big 12.

Well, it?s about time to stop beating this dead horse and get on with the rest of the season. Up next: the Troy Trojans. Troy has made a name for itself in the recent weeks for narrowly missing upsets of Florida State and Georgia Tech. Just a warning Troy, this team is pissed off and is going to take it out on you. The Blackshirts have yet to really come alive and I look for it to happen in this game. I predict a Big Red roasting on Saturday evening. See you all there, I will be the one in red. Go Big Red and God Bless.

Confusion in SoCal

September 17th, 2006

By Shawn Winters (CENTEXHUSKER)
HuskerWeekly Sports Analyst
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Nebraska rolled into Saturday as a big underdog against a retooling USC team.? There were hopes of an upset all around the Nebraska fan base and with hopes of returning to the national spotlight.? It was improbable, but not impossible to knock off the number 4 team in the land.? The Huskers have regained momentum with five straight victories, one against a Michigan team that beat Notre Dame on this same day.? A Notre Dame team that lost to USC on the last play of the game last year.?

Nebraska came out running a conservative offense in hopes of controlling the clock.? A successful fake punt was the longest pass play of the first half.? Marlon Lucky proved unsuccessful in running the ball as the feature back with only 27 yards on ten carries before an apparent arm injury ended his day.? Kenny Wilson carried 19 times for 46 yards.? The USC defense began to key in on the Huskers strategy, making them one-dimensional.? Even with 7 or 8 men in the box, Nebraska continued to run the ball.? It seemed Zac Taylor was held back from commanding his offense through these obvious situations.? There were few play changes at the line to keep the Trojan defense honest.? Nebraska fans were more than anxious for Bill Callahan to open up the offense.? But they would have to wait until the game was all but over to see plays to their big receivers.

This was the biggest stage for Nebraska to display their new offense and the defense that led the nation in sacks last year.? What we saw was? an offense that was comparable to the pre-Callahan era, with sweeps and traps that developed too slowly for the speedy USC defense.? Every drive was a predictable run-run-pass-punt.? Taylor only threw the ball once on first down.? The defense played well, keeping the Trojans under their standard 50 points, but only managed one sack and was over matched in the secondary by NFL sized receivers.? A bright spot was the special teams play with Terrance Nunn returning punts and the coverage teams making great tackles.?

Nebraska had a chance to tie the game before halftime with less than three minutes left, but four consecutive runs indicated that they were not concerned with scoring before entering the locker room. Why not take a couple shots down the field?? Herian? ? Nunn? ? Swift? ? Purify?? You have a senior QB that has all but mastered Callahan’s playbook and an inexperienced Trojan secondary.? This particular drive may have swung the momentum in Nebraska’s favor going into halftime.? There was nothing to lose by taking a chance, if they pick him off, so be it.? Send a message to your defense that you have confidence in them and show USC that you’re not going to rollover.

It was obvious early that Callahan was trying to control the tempo of the game to prevent getting into a race with USC.? It was successful until Nebraska created their own headaches with penalties and a fumble.? At this point it seemed the coaching staff should’ve had a sense of urgency to let Taylor and his receivers try to get the team back into the game, but Nebraska continued to run the ball.?

?We continued to run the football,? Callahan said, ?and we did what we planned to do to win the game.? We felt we could come in and run the football.? In a hostile crowd, on the road, you?re going to need to run the football to win a championship.? Again, let me be very clear. We wanted to run the football.?

I think what he meant is that he wanted to run the football.? But if you are averaging less than two yards a carry, it may indicate that you may need to change things up.? Mix in a few quick outs to your big receivers to keep the defense honest.? I agree that in order to set up play action passes, you must establish a running game.? However if it is not working, then you must be able to change your game plan as the game goes along.

The message that this writer took from this game is that the coaches wanted to get out of SoCal without being embarrassed and with no injuries.? Winning wasn’t a priority, surviving was.? The goal of this team is to win the Big 12 North and get to the conference championship.? Whatever else happens is icing on the cake.? But “rolling over” for any opponent probably doesn’t sit well with the impatient Husker faithful.? A win over USC would’ve been great for the fans and it would’ve definitely attracted the attention from potential recruits as well.? Texas will be coming to town next month and I hope the Nebraska game plan will include a more aggressive approach.? The USC game can be forgiven, but if the trend continues, rest assured HuskerNation will be stirring.

A voice from the cheap seats,

CENTEXHUSKER? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? Semper Fi