No overstating importance of Saturday tilt with Wisconsin

The nonconference season is over, which means beginning this week, the rubber meets the road for the Nebraska football team beginning Saturday when the No. 22 ranked Huskers host Wisconsin.

Both clubs are 3-1, each losing to Pac 12 teams. Nebraska lost 36-30 to UCLA while the Badgers lost 10-7 at Oregon State, which defeated UCLA 27-20. Both clubs have three wins over lesser clubs. The Huskers, however, have won more decisively. Nebraska has wins over Southern Mississippi (49-20), Arkansas State (42-13) and Idaho State (73-7). Wisconsin has defeated Northern Iowa (26-21), Utah State (16-14) and UTEP (37-26).

The term “big game” can be an overstatement but for Nebraska the importance of this game simply cannot be overstated. The Huskers have visions and goals of winning their first conference title since 1999. Not beating a scuffling but maybe still decent Badger club at home would be a bad sign.

These two clubs met last season in Madison, Wisc., where the Badgers greeted Nebraska rudely in their Big Ten debut with a 48-17 shellacking on national television. This game will also be on national television with the Huskers looking to return the favor. While it is human nature to think about revenge, the Huskers also have to walk a thin line in not getting preoccupied so much that they lose sight of the task at hand.

Wisconsin is not nearly the team Nebraska played last year and the Huskers have a huge home field edge, so if all goes well, they could come out with a win. While winning this game is only Step #1 in the process of winning the Big Ten crown, a loss would hurt the season badly.

The only way the Huskers are going to re-establish their brand is to look good on some national telecasts against still competition. A big win over Idaho State was fun but it did nothing to re-establish us among the nation's college football elite. Unfortunately, Nebraska has laid a number of eggs on national TV lately. It's time to reverse that trend.

After four games we really don't know what Nebraska has. The Huskers pasted three bad teams and gave up 653 yards to a UCLA team that is probably an 8-4/9-3 type of club. There is no way Nebraska should lose this game simply based on what we've seen from Wisconsin so far. While the Huskers may have question marks you can at least look at them and say "well, there's a pretty good team."

This is the single most important game on Nebraska's schedule. You simply can't lose at home to a Wisconsin team that is nowhere near last year's level and then face going to Columbus, Ohio with a realistic chance of starting conference play at 0-2. No room for error the rest of the season if that were to happen.

The revenge aspect is overblown. It’s for fans and media to dwell on, but rarely has much to do with what actually happens on the field.

 

Nonconference apetizers over, on to main course

Cynics may despise games like this because from a competition point of view, Nebraska’s 73-7 win over Idaho State does nothing for the Huskers. Well, it’ll bring out the cynics that question the motivation for scheduling teams like Idaho State.

Unfortunately, those people miss the point. Teams will get their challenges in conference play and Nebraska is no different. So why not have games like this to build a big lead early and get the backups meaningful snaps they won’t get in close games. Also, Idaho State got a $600,000 payday that will help them continue fielding athletic programs.

The Huskers accomplished their goals of win decisively, allow the reserves some playing time, and survive without significant injuries. Sometimes when you play a lesser opponent, you can play down to your competition. Running back Rex Burkhead barely broke a sweat but shook off some rust and the defense had a chance to give some young replacements much needed snaps before Wisconsin comes to Lincoln next Saturday night. The season appetizers are over and now we are on to the main course of Big Ten play.

On to conference play after a 3-1 start. The loss to UCLA still stings, especially since the Bruins were handled at home today by Oregon St. At least we are not Iowa losing at home to Central Michigan or Illinois who got bombed in Champaign by Louisiana Tech. The Huskers have perhaps the best offense in the B1G. If the defense can step up their play, the Huskers have as good a shot as anyone to lay claim to their first ever Big Ten crown. Next week we have a shot at some redemption for the blowout loss in Madison. Here's hoping it's the first step toward a Legends Division title.

Idaho State no threat but Huskers need big win to get backups time

On the surface, Nebraska’s home game on Saturday against Idaho State is the quintessential body bag game. Or, to put it another way, it’s the final tuneup before the team opens Big Ten competition on Sept. 29 at home against Wisconsin.

The Huskers need a convincing win not necessarily because beating Idaho State by 30, 40 or 50 points proves anything but more so to give backups quality playing time. Getting practice reps are one thing but one way to show coaches you are worthy of being considered for more playing time is to produce in a game.

Nebraska also has some other meaningful goals for this game. Running back Rex Burkhead, who was considered a darkhorse for the Heisman Trophy before the season, returns after a two-game absence. Well, essential three since Burkhead compiled 68 yards and a touchdown on three carries before leaving the season-opener against Southern Mississippi with a sprained ligament in his left knee. If nothing else, this game will be good for Burkhead to re-establish a rhythm before the Wisconsin game. Ameer Abdullah has filled in very capably in carrying 61 times for 367 yards and four touchdowns.

With Burkhead back in the fold and Abdullah proving to be more than capable of filling a void, where does Braylon Heard fit into the equation? The sophomore was heralded as the future of the Huskers’ rushing attack but after being lost in a star-studded depth chart, he was briefly switched to defensive back before returning to running back in time to reap increased touches due to Burkhead’s injury. Heard has averaged 6.8 yards per carry in three games. However, even though Heard has become a viable weapon, his place in the offense becomes unclear. If nothing else, Nebraska might have the most depth at running back than any team in the Big Ten.

On the defensive side, no sooner does Nebraska have a bounceback performance from its 36-30 loss to UCLA to a 42-13 win over Arkansas State do other concerns surface. UCLA’s spread attack exposed the lack of speed and tackling troubles in the open field for the Huskers defense.

To infuse more speed on defense, coordinator John Papuchis increased playing time for junior college transfer linebacker Zaire Anderson. However, Anderson has since been sidelined for the remainder of the season with a torn ACL. Nebraska’s linebacking corps is now looking even thinner and will likely rely more on newcomer David Santos and senior Sean Fisher, who was a disappointment in 2011.

Granted, some years the talent on the field will be better than others but personnel has nothing to do with making fundamental tackles, where the Huskers were far better last week and that trend needs to continue. 

How Nebraska head coach Bo Pelini carries himself also bears watching one week after leaving the stadium in an ambulance at halftime. Pelini complained of not feeling well in the first half and was seen by ESPN camera crews having his pulse checked by a member of the Nebraska athletic medicine staff. Pelini continued to coach through the end of the second quarter but there was no word of his symptoms. Nebraska defensive coordinator John Papuchis led the team onto the field for the third quarter and shared head coaching duties with offensive coordinator Tim Beck.

 

Pelini was later released from the hospital and said in a statement released through the athletic department that he underwent precautionary tests that “checked out just fine.”

Perhaps Pelini did indeed undergo tests for precautionary reasons but do mild flu-like symptoms do not require a trainer taking your pulse and being taken by ambulance to the hospital? While Pelini has his shortfalls as a head coach, you certainly can’t question his devotion to the team. It will be interesting to see if he is a little more reserved and calm on the sidelines this Saturday.

Steele predicts Huskers to go 8-0 in Big 10 and meet Purdue in title game

There are four kinds of Nebraska fans: 1) The Kool-Aid sippers, 2) The unless we have mid-1990s success, the season is a joke crowd, 3) The realists, and 4) The Debbie Downers.

Anyone who follows the preseason magazines knows that Phil Steele over the years has been the most accurate. As flawed as the Huskers have been, Steele predicts they will go undefeated in Big Ten competition and meet Purdue in the conference title game.  

The good news for Nebraska is that no other team in the conference has been setting the world ablaze. Purdue is flying under the radar right now and getting overlooked. They appear to have a really good team and a few folks in the media are starting to catch on to them.


http://www.philsteele.com/miscpages/...Standings.html

With Ohio State and Penn State both on NCAA probation, it was generally assumed that Wisconsin, which won the Big Ten conference last season, would have a clear path to the Leaders Division title. Though the Badgers are 2-1, it is a shaky 2-1 with close wins over Northern Iowa (26-21) and Utah State (16-14) to go along with a road loss at Oregon State (10-7). Purdue has been much more impressive in defeating Eastern Kentucky (48-6) and Eastern Michigan (54-16) to go along with a close loss to No. 22 Notre Dame (20-17). Keep in mind, Purdue hosts Wisconsin on Oct. 13.

Considering Ohio State and Penn state being on probation couple with Wisconsin looking vulnerable, 4-4 could win the Leaders.

As for Nebraska, the offense has looked much better, which bodes well because with the exception of Michigan State, none of the defenses look scary. On the offensive side, no one else other than Michigan or Ohio State is anything to write home about.

Before the season began, the Big Ten was viewed as a conference that did not have a dominant team like the SEC (Alabama or LSU), Big 12 (Oklahoma) or Pac 12 (USC or Oregon). Instead, the Big Ten was seen as a conference that had a bunch of good but not great clubs clustered together like Ohio State, Wisconsin, Michigan, Michigan State and Nebraska. Records aside, Wisconsin has performed significantly under what was expected. The rest have performed slightly under what was expected. Michigan’s 41-14 loss to Alabama may end up not being so bad, considering how the top-rated Crimson Tide is rolling. Everyone knew Michigan State’s offense would need to gain experience, and its defense is still very tough.

Nebraska was not expected to lose to UCLA (but that might be because UCLA is be better than expected) and its other opponents don’t give much to go on in evaluating Nebraska. Ohio State has won all three, but has struggled at times. Purdue has probably played better than expected.

The bottom line is I don’t think anything dramatic enough has happened yet to completely rewrite the pre-season expectations, especially to predict Nebraska, or any other team, to go undefeated in conference.

I think that 8-0 is possible, but that is more a function of the overall weakness of the conference this year. I think that the Huskers have a very good chance to take care of business at home this year, including against Michigan. Right now, Nebraska should be favored to beat Wisconsin. The Badgers have looked like a paper tiger so far and the Huskers are going to be fully motivated to pay them back for last year after losing 48-17 in Madison. Michigan is definitely a decent team, but the Alabama game shows that they still have vulnerabilities to exploit, particularly with a strong running game.

Before last weekend, I would have ranked Nebraska’s chances at OSU and MSU at south of 50% for both games. Having watched both games this weekend, I’d now say the Huskers have a 50/50 shot in both games. I will say that Notre Dame does look like a legitimate top ten team to me (much as it pains me to say it) so that MSU loss may look better as the season develops.

As winnable as every game appears to be, however, the Huskers tendency of inconsistent play makes them just as likely (if not more so) to go 8-4 as it is 11-1

Don't be surprised if the Husker defense continues to rebound

One bounce back performance does not constitute all being well in the world just yet but after surrendering the second most yards in a game (653 in a 36-30 loss at UCLA) in school history, Nebraska fans were collectively beside themselves with worry about the status of the defense.

And for good reason because in last week’s 42-13 over Arkansas State, the Huskers were facing a spread-oriented offense similar in some ways to UCLA’s unit, which added further fuel to the worries but the Husker defense responded.

Arkansas State’s first touchdown didn’t come until the third quarter, and it was the Red Wolves’ defense that scored it. Tackling technique looked significantly better and Nebraska seemed better able to pursue sideline-to-sideline and defend against the misdirection.

Nebraska ended up surrendering 285 total yards and no offensive touchdowns, which should provide a little comfort to the Husker fans moving forward.

Against a hurry-up offense like Arkansas State, making changes on the fly is a challenge for any defense but Nebraska has struggled throughout the season getting defensive play calls in from the sideline. In each half, Nebraska continued its trend of burning time outs on defense when it couldn't get properly lined up.

The Red Wolves may be one of the hardest teams to align properly for defensively, given the speed with which they play and with the number of new players (notably Zaire Anderson and David Santos) that saw the field on defense, some communication issues were to be expected. However, it is an area Nebraska needs to clean up as the season progresses.

In response to the struggles against UCLA, Huskers head coach Bo Pelini made a number of personnel changes, giving time to players like Anderson, Mohammed Seisay and Santos.

The changes seemed to pay dividends. Overall, the defense showed remarkable improvement from the week before. Of course, some of that had to do with playing Arkansas State at home instead of UCLA on the road but some of it had to do with the athletes on the field. Let’s face it, you can talk about schemes all you want but quality athletes take care of schemes, not the other way around.

Perhaps the play that best showed the change was in the third quarter, when Anderson was able to beat Arkansas State quarterback Ryan Aplin to the corner and shut down a running play. It was Nebraska’s inability to make those stops against UCLA that contributed to the Blackshirts’ nightmare in Pasadena.

Bend, but don’t break is the approach we have come to expect from Pelini’s defense. While it was disturbing to see UCLA bend Nebraska like a yoga instructor, the defense actually does have hope for holding their end of the deal.

Yes, the Huskers are No. 111 in rushing yards allowed (226 yards per game) and No. 25 in passing yardage allowed (174 yards per game) but stats can also be skewed this early in the season.

Nebraska has allowed only five offensive touchdowns (four were in the UCLA game) and the Huskers have played red-zone defense 14 times and have allowed two touchdowns and five field goals.

I honestly believe that Nebraska offensive coordinator Tim Beck tried to “out hurry” UCLA and got caught. This is why UCLA ran over 90 plays. Well, that and some missed tackles but the defense kept points away from the Bruins in 7 of 11 trips into the red zone. Two of the trips resulted in field goals, and two missed field goals. I think a team that allowed those type of yards and plays, but only surrendered 34 offensive points, did not break.

I’m still waiting until after the Ohio State game to decide what kind of defense the Huskers have this year, but I do believe this defense is good enough that the offense isn’t going to have to score 35-plus points to win games.

 

 

With Pelini ailing, Huskers respond

Husker players like running back Rex Burkhead and linebacker Will Compton preached before the season that it was equally important for players to become leaders as it is head coach Bo Pelini.

Short of going inside the huddle or locker-room, there is no true way to ascertain how effective player leadership came into play in the Huskers 42-13 home win over Arkansas State. However, considering Nebraska’s trend of faltering under adversity, seeing the team finish the victory after Pelini was taken by ambulance to a hospital while team was in the midst of its victory was encouraging.

Pelini complained of not feeling well in the first half and was seen by ESPN camera crews having his pulse checked by a member of the Nebraska athletic medicine staff. Pelini continued to coach through the end of the second quarter but there was no word of his symptoms. Nebraska defensive coordinator John Papuchis led the team onto the field for the third quarter and shared head coaching duties with offensive coordinator Tim Beck.

Pelini was later released from the hospital and said in a statement released through the athletic department that he underwent precautionary tests that “checked out just fine” and that he planned to work Sunday.

With Pelini failing to show after halftime, Papuchis fired up the defense in the third quarter as the offense was playing give-away and the Huskers put away a scrappy Arkansas State squad that managed just six offensive points. In fact, without the turnovers, the Huskers could well have blown them away 56-3. To highlight the job the defense did in the second half, the Red wolves ran just 25 plays, after 44 plays in the first half and 98 in their game last week. It helped that the offense controlled the clock in the second half, and managed some lengthy drives to tire an already suspect Arkansas State defense. Granted, this same opponent was throttled by Oregon and is not nearly as good as UCLA, but after the demoralizing 36-30 defeat last week to the Bruins, the Huskers needed a solid win and a confidence builder for the defense.

The offense did about all they needed to do in the first half with quarterback Taylor Martinez going 8 of 8 passing while running back Ameer Abdullah rushing for 81 yards. Meanwhile, wide receiver Kenny Bell conjured up memories of Irving Fryar with two acrobatic touchdown grabs. Fellow wide receiver Quincy Enunwa was unstoppable and the Nebraska offensive line got a good push. The third quarter, however, was quite forgettable as the Huskers committed three turnovers within a span of five minutes. That kind of sloppy play against an overmatched defense won’t cut it against a better club.

Martinez played well and his line checks were much more successful and reflected far more poise than seven days ago. Of course, it doesn’t hurt to go 13 for 14 passing and 10 for 13 on third down conversions (another big improvement over last week). Abdullah got a career high 30 touches and 167 yards and Braylon Heard saw action running and catching as well. Imani Cross continues to impress. The stiff-arm he gave on a 44-yard run in the fourth quarter was impressive. The experience these three running backs are getting with Burkhead out with a knee injury is invaluable and I’m sure it will pay dividends as entering Big 10 play. I also liked the play calls with all three of them in the game at the same time.

Arkansas State managed 101 yards and seven first downs in the opening quarter but finished with just 286 after netting only 89 yards total in the second half. The Red Wolves also helped the defense with multiple miscues (turnovers, penalties and dropped passes) which allowed the defense to gradually figure out the high paced attack.

The Husker defense is still vulnerable to the swing pass or anything quick outside. They also bite on all misdirection, and struggle to get back in the play. Nebraska caught an early break when Arkansas State curiously went for it on fourth down and eight at midfield on their opening drive and did not convert. The short field helped the Husker offense nab an early lead.

I was pleased with the intensity the defense began to demonstrate, especially in the second quarter, as the hitting and gang tackling missing so badly thus far this season began to appear. As the game wore on, the defense got better and Arkansas State got more desperate. To face three turnovers in the third quarter and not give ground was a key to the game. Eric Martin is awful hard on quarterbacks.

Zaire Anderson made a difference on the field with his speed as he gets to the ballcarrier when others have not. Cornerback Mohammed Seisay and linebacker David Santos also made their debuts and contributed. The defensive line seemed to benefit from Joe Carter and Kevin Williams, but Cameron Meredith continues to struggle and can't seem to catch anyone. The safety play was a highlight as Damion Stafford delivered the best hits (as well as a couple of whiffs) and P.J. Smith led the team in tackles and got the first interception of the season. We really need more of these if we are to be successful. The defensive adjustments seemed to work pretty well, but we probably won't know for sure until the Huskers play more solid competition. At least in this game, they sacked a quarterback who hadn't been sacked yet this season.

There isn't much to say about special teams except that Brett Maher seemed to have found his missing punting shoe as he nailed 2 punts averaging 57.5 yards and the kickoff teams managed decent coverage. Even if the ball missed Abdullah on the punt, he shouldn't have been that close to the ball anyway. We caught a couple of breaks on Arkansas State penalties that forced re-kicks and much improved field position.

All in all, a solid bounce-back win against a gritty opponent that the Huskers dominated. Another tune-up awaits next week against a very poor Idaho State team in which the goal may be to win and not get anybody else hurt. The Legends Division of the Big 10 is very winnable and all the Huskers need is to demonstrate more consistency on both sides of the ball. Nebraska significant offensive firepower and if the defense can effectively utilize the swift newcomers, the Huskers have a real shot at the title.

Huskers need a bounceback performance

While every game is important, chances are very few would have circled Saturday’s game for Nebraska against Arkansas State as a pivotal contest but that’s exactly the position the Huskers are in after Saturday’s 36-30 loss at UCLA.

Sun Belt teams very seldom inspire fear but the Red Wolves are hardly a pushover and while the Huskers looked a long way from being a BCS bowl team last week, they need to win this one to keep those hopes even remotely alive.

Arkansas State might not have a roster littered with guys that will play on Sundays but head coach Gus Malzahn, who is Auburn’s former offensive coordinator, is a very good offensive mind. The Red Wolves gained up 530 yards on Oregon in a 56-34 Week 1 loss. Granted, many of those yards came after the Ducks raced to a 29-0 lead after one quarter but Nebraska’s defense had its own troubles in giving up the most total offensive yards in school history (632) against UCLA. That futility exceeded even the nightmare 2007 season under then defensive coordinator Kevin Cosgrove.

Arkansas State isn’t going to sniff a BCS bowl this season, but the Huskers had visions of such before the season. The loss to UCLA, however, dropped Nebraska out of the Top 25 and there’s no guarantee the Huskers return to the Top 25 even with a decisive win Saturday but lose this game and doubts will continue to fester.

 

Offensively, the Red Wolves have a talented quarterback-running back combination with Ryan Aplin and David Oku, who is not known for his power, but he can go the distance whenever he touches it. Oku has 211 yards and a touchdown on 37 carries. While Oku is not in the class of UCLA’s Jordan Franklin, who had a 200-plus yard rushing day against the Huskers, he can cause problems.

The Red Wolves won’t throw it deep a whole lot, but their short passes can be problematic. You won’t find them huddling up, and they don’t allow defenders to rest for a second. Nebraska’s pass rush has been absent the first two games.

For Nebraska on offense, running back Rex Burkhead is listed as questionable with a knee injury, in which case the onus falls on quarterback Taylor Martinez. The junior signal-caller has thrown for 533 yards, five touchdowns and one interception so far this season. He looks like a completely different passer in the pocket, and his 100-plus rushing yards in Week Two show that he can still move.

The Huskers enter the contest as a 24-point favorite but after their performance last week it’s hard to imagine them winning that decisively but the Huskers have normally rebounded well under head coach Bo Pelini after poor performances.