The moment of truth is almost here for the Capital One Bowl. It’s either tinkle or get off the pot.
No. 21 Nebraska (9-3) meets No, 10 South Carolina (10-2) in the Capital One Bowl on Jan. 2. Though it is time for good old fashioned football we still have time for some final thoughts before ringing in the New Year.
Husker fans remember the last time their team took on a squad coached by Steve Spurrier was the 1996 Fiesta Bowl as Nebraska crushed the Spurrier-coached Florida Gators 62-24 for the National Championship. However, that game will zero bearing on the outcome of Jan. 2, 2012. For all of his success as a college head coach (196-75-2 overall record), Spurrier’s teams have had a checkered history in bowl games going 7-10 while Nebraska’s Bo Pelini is 3-1 with the one loss coming in last year’s Holiday Bowl 19-7 to Washington.
The extra time to prepare certainly plays into Pelini’s hands especially since Nebraska is essentially running a new system. That extra preparation will be crucial because if the Huskers young offensive line gets overwhelmed early and has to abandon the running game, it will be a long day. The biggest key to the game and will probably be a requirement for Nebraska to win is to rush for 200 yards. South Carolina is second in the nation in pass defense but 44th against the run (135.9 yards per game). Nebraska averages 223.9 yards per game (good for 13th in the nation).
Defensively, both teams are in the same boat in that they both head into the game having lost their coordinator. Carl Pelini (older brother of Bo) is now the head coach at Florida Atlantis. Defensive line coach John Papuchis has since been elevated to replace Carl Pelini. For South Carolina their defensive coordinator and assistant head coach, Ellis Johnson, has since been hired to become the new head coach at Southern Mississippi. Lorenzo Ward has since replaced Johnson. Ward was the defensive coordinator by title but Johnson actually ran the defense.
However, since Pelini is a defensive oriented coach and Spurrier is offensive oriented, this scenario will seem to affect Nebraska less. The Huskers, however, will have their challenges even though South Carolina lost star running back Marcus Lattimore for the season with a serious knee injury in Game Seven. The Gamecock offensive line has done a serviceable job run blocking, but their pass protection is a question of “what gives” because it has been suspect but so too has the Husker pass rush. Nebraska, however, at least needs to generate enough pressure to make quarterback Connor Shaw throw a fraction of a second too soon.
While in theory special teams is one-third of the game just like offense or defense, this is where the Huskers have an advantage and if they are to become victorious, the edge needs to manifest itself. The Huskers are ranked sixth in kickoff returns, 23rd in net punting and 60th in punt returns. South Carolina is ranked 70th in punt returns, 72nd in kickoff returns and 93rd in net punting. They do not necessarily need returns for touchdowns but a few extra yards on a return or a great punt can be the difference between being within field-goal range or having to kick the ball away on fourth down. Sometimes, it is little things like field position that can give the edge to one team.
The field goal kicking game also falls into Nebraska’s favor as Brett Maher has made 19 of 22 field goals for the Cornhuskers, and his only misses on the season came from 50 yards or further. South Carolina’s Jay Wooten is 7-for-10 with three misses between 40 and 49 yards.
The TV analysts might say that South Carolina has the speed advantage but I’m not as certain. Keep in mind, Pelini has been recruiting speed since he became Nebraska’s head coach in 2008.
I think the Huskers motivation will definitely be better than last year’s bowl game. Could it be worse? Just a matter of do they make the necessary plays to win? As I stated on a previous blog entry, win or lose, I don't look at the season as a huge success but it's about "how do want the season to be defined?" You know as well as I do, you remember your last one the best. What makes college football different from say the NFL is that if you win your bowl game (even you are 8-5 like say Texas) you can still go into the offseason feeling good on some level. Whereas in the NFL, if you go 14-2 and lose in Round One the season suddenly becomes a major failure.
I think it comes down to the type of game - if NU never trails by more than seven, I think they'll be able to wear down South Carolina.
No comments:
Post a Comment