Will Saturday be the first of two trips to Pasadena?

The Huskers are headed to the Rose Bowl. The question is, will Saturday’s game against UCLA be their only trip or the first of two?

If Nebraska wins its first conference title since 1999, a return trip to Pasadena would likely await them.

Nebraska had a solid season-opening performance in a 49-20 home win over Southern Mississippi but the Huskers must continue that forward momentum if they are to continue to have visions of having a breakthrough season.

Yes, UCLA appears to be better under head coach Jim Mora but they are still a fair-to-middling Pac 12 club who is college football ticket # 2 in Los Angeles behind USC.

Although the Nebraska defense struggled at times, the Huskers won in large part because of what appears to be the “new and improved” version of quarterback Taylor Martinez, who went 26-for-34, passing for 354 yards and five touchdowns with no interceptions. The only downside was that running back Rex Burkhead left the game in the first quarter to an MCL sprain and is listed as questionable for the game against UCLA. Wide receiver Tim Marlowe will also be out until late October with a broken clavicle.

UCLA, meanwhile, blasted Rice 49-24 on the road as redshirt freshman quarterback Brett Hundley at went 21-for-28 for 202 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for 68 yards and a touchdown. Hundley’s debut started in electrifying fashion as he rushed a 72-yard touchdown. Running back Jonathan Franklin rushed for 214 yards and three touchdowns, and UCLA compiled 651 yards of total offense against the Owls.

This matchup certainly has intrigue and importance for both clubs. For Nebraska, the game is an opportunity to go on the road and establish itself as a legitimate top-10 team by beating what has been a talented but underachieving UCLA squad on its homefield.

For UCLA, if it can upset Nebraska it would be an opportunity to generate some momentum for what had become a downtrodden program. the game has the possibility to set a positive tone for new head coach Jim Mora, Jr. Yes, the Bruins represented the Pac-12 South in the inaugural conference championship game but that was more reflective of USC being on probation than anything the 6-8 Bruins did.

While it is easy to point to the quarterbacks, Martinez and Hundley will once again play vital roles in the outcome of Saturday’s contest. Even though Martinez looked dynamite as a passer against Southern Mississippi, teams are likely to still make sure to shut down the Nebraska ground game (even if Burkhead is out) and make Martinez beat them.

As for Hundley, it is no secret that mobile quarterbacks have given the Huskers fits. Hundley is definitely mobile as he carried 15 times for 84 yards against Rice.

The Nebraska offense that took the field last week in Lincoln will also need to be present in Pasadena. While Martinez’s numbers were tremendous, the Huskers also looked like a much different offense from last season, running out of the no-huddle with far more efficiency.

With the addition of fullback Mike Marrow and true freshman running back Imani Cross, Nebraska now has a between-the-tackles threat to compliment a speed threat posed by Ameer Abdullah and Braylon Heard. However, Abdullah runs between the tackles more than his 5-9, 175 pound frame would suggest. If the Nebraska offensive line can perform as it did a week ago, the offense will be difficult to stop. What stood out was that not only did the Huskers run and pass block well but avoided the untimely penalties that had hamstrung the offense in the past.

On the defensive side, Nebraska, Pelini teams versus mobile quarterbacks has become a mixture of punch-line and cliché. The notion against mobile quarterbacks is usually a mixture of “keep them in the pocket” or “rush four and drop seven.” Pelini usually prefers the latter approach, the problem is that Nebraska lacks the personnel its front four. In the win over Southern Mississippi, Nebraska’s best pass rush involved blitzing. However, I’m of the mind that even against a mobile quarterback the “keep them in the pocket” or “rush four and drop seven” is not necessarily the best approach because if a quarterback is on the run, he’s not going through his reads.

The Huskers last trip to the West Coast against a Pac-12 team thought to challenge NU ended in a rout, with Nebraska beating Washington 56-21. UCLA’s offense should be good enough to keep up and put points on the board but UCLA’s defense, which gave up 347 yards and 24 points to Rice, should struggle to stop Nebraska's offensive diversity.

In the Pelini era, the Huskers have lost one game per year against a team they have “no business losing to,” but those losses have normally come at home (see Iowa State 2009, Texas 2010, Northwestern 2011).

 

Fullback prescence key to making option game better

In the wake of freshman running back Aaron Green transferring from Nebraska to TCU back in April, Omaha World Herald columnist Tom Shatel theorized, “Is Sausage Ball making a comeback at NU?”

The truth of the matter was the Green was caught in a logjam at running back and wanting playing time, which considering Nebraska already has running back Rex Burkhead and quarterback Taylor Martinez running the ball, there are not too many carries left.

Though speedy Ameer Abdullah could at times give Burkhead a breather, the additions of Mike Marrow (6-foot-2, 250) and freshman Imani Cross (6-1, 220) could give the Huskers an added dimension. Burkhead is neither a speed burner nor a power-back, just very steady and reliable. In addition, you also have returning junior C.J. Zimmerer (6-0, 230-pounds).

Since Cross is a true freshman, it will be interesting to see if he redshirts. And if he does not redshirt, will he get enough carries to make an impact.

The wild card of the equation is Marrow and Zimmerer, who are battling for the starting fullback position. Mike Marrow is set to make his Nebraska playing debut in 2012 after being on the sideline for the past three seasons. Marrow brings a different dimension to the Husker backfield with a powerful, bruising rushing style. Marrow, who is the son of Nebraska graduate assistant Vince Marrow, began his college career at Alabama, before transferring to Eastern Michigan and then to Nebraska. NCAA transfer rules have kept him out of action until this season.

Zimmerer has been a regular contributor on special teams the past two seasons, but the Omaha native will look to expand his role in 2012. The 6-0, 230-pound Zimmerer heads into fall camp as one of the top candidates to take over the starting fullback spot, which was occupied by Tyler Legate the past three seasons.

The reason why the fullback position becomes significant in Nebraska’s offense is because with the increasing number of teams running spread oriented offenses, the fullback is a position that for many teams has gone the way of the horse and buggy. While offensive coordinator Tim Beck and head coach Bo Pelini have publicly preached the desire to be “multiple,” Nebraska will be a running team. True, you might not see 400 yard rushing efforts but the Huskers will probably have about a 60-40 run-pass ratio.

In Beck’s first season, Nebraska ran its share of option whether it was zone read, pistol and yes, even the I-formation like fans had grown used to seeing for years. However, last season, only eight carries (all by Legate) went to the fullback. Oddly enough, the very first play of the season was a give to Legate. While a cynic would look at that play as pandering to the masses that long for the days of option football, the fullback will need to be more involved this season.

For an option play from the I-formation to work, it needs three components – fullback, quarterback and pitchman. The plays are rarely predetermined. The decision of who is to carry the ball is made during the play by the quarterback, who makes the decision whether to give the ball to the fullback or to keep the ball based on what the defensive end does. If the end pinches down, the quarterback pulls the ball. If the end runs straight upfield or directly at the quarterback, then the quarterback gives the ball to the fullback. On the keep track, the quarterback may run upfield for yardage or pitch the ball to another ball carrier, normally the halfback (otherwise known as the “pitch man’). Linebackers or defensive backs are normally assigned to the pitch man. If the linebacker converges on the quarterback, then he’ll pitch it to the running back. If the linebacker stays on the pitch man, then the quarterback’s job is to run upfield.

For Nebraska to run the triple option effectively out of the I-formation, all three components need to be a threat. Based on last year’s version of the triple-option, opponents could go after Martinez and Burkhead without even worrying about the fullback.