Welcome Back

It was a week of welcome backs.

Welcome back, Turner Gill. Welcome back, Taylor Martinez. Welcome back, Alfonso Dennard. Welcome back, stifling Blackshirt defense.

Welcome back, last year’s offense?

With a hobbled quarterback and an opponent that wasn’t really fooled by the lack of solid information as to the nature of Martinez’s injury, the Huskers nickel and dimed their way to 397 yards and 20 points and the earliest to nine wins a Nebraska team has enjoyed in 9 years.

In the words of their head coach, “a win is a win,” but the Huskers are losing the style that made them an instant sensation and the Big 12’s most complete football team. If we weren’t sure before we are now, the biggest difference between 2009 and 2010 is the guy wearing the number 3 jersey. That is, a healthy #3.

Taylor Martinez Postgame Comments

Martinez spoke with the usual brevity and confidence (dare I say ‘cockiness’) after the win over Kansas about how his ankle is fine, how he is “back to 100 percent”, but that didn’t manifest itself on the field against a Jayhawk defense that had given up an average of 415 yards per game. Kansas was able to concentrate more on Roy Helu and Rex Burkhead knowing that Martinez was not the same player who gashed Kansas State and Washington. It was almost by force of will that NU was able to reach 397 yards. Still, the 20 points is the fewest KU has given up to a conference opponent. They allowed 59 to KSU. 45 to Colorado. Nebraska couldn’t make half that.

Admittedly, the Huskers did play it closer to the vest in an effort to keep Martinez healthy. But the high ankle sprain he is suffering from is one that will likely linger in pain for several more weeks. Players I have spoken to about the injury all have said the same thing – you have to play through the pain. Martinez, to his credit, played the entire game but that “game” is limited. The acceleration and the quick cuts were not there. In a way, Martinez had to play a smarter game (read, less Brett Favre-like) but, as a result, Nebraska’s offense is not what it became noted for this season. It became last year’s offense.

The good news is that Nebraska’s defense was on its game all night. Turner Gill may have taken a page out of the Bill Callahan not-to-lose-badly playbook by shortening the game with 34 runs out of 47 plays. The game was played in a crisp two hours and 37 minutes. But unlike seemingly every other conference game (save for Missouri) this season, the Blackshirts gummed up the middle as if they played with 14 men. They sacked Quinn Mecham six times despite the fact he only had 13 pass attempts and held the Jayhawks to 2.1 yards per rush. Can they be this good the rest of the season? They might have to be because what was seen in Memorial Stadium Saturday night was a flashback to a blueprint drawn up in 2009.

Welcome back?

Nebraska 20, Kansas 3 Game Stats

Bo Pelini Postgame Comments

I dare say most of Husker Nation is wearing OU crimson these next couple of weeks. The romanticism of playing the Sooners in the final Big 12 Championship Game is the main motivation, but I offer that the Sooners also provide the best possible path for Nebraska to win the league crown and stick a giant “we’re number one” finger in Dan Beebe’s eye on the way out the door.

This is no indictment of the Sooners, it’s just the realization that Oklahoma State is playing the best football in the conference right now and would pose a huge problem for Nebraska’s BCS bowl aspirations. Forget the 51-41 victory in Stillwater in October, that seems months away based on what we have seen the last couple of weeks. The Big Red bravado does not seem to be there – see above – while the Cowboys are playing as if they can sniff the school’s first Big 8/12 conference championship.

While I appreciated the idea considering I needed the extra touchdown to win the Friday Husker Tailgate picks segment, not much made sense about Nebraska’s final offensive series. Why the Huskers were throwing deep down the middle of the field during this garbage of garbage time was puzzling. Pelini said afterwards that “they are always trying to score points” and that the offense “needs the reps.”

But was this really the time to do that? And don’t read any “need to keep the score down for Turner” sentiment here. It’s common football sense. When the game is won, run out the clock and move to next week. Save the “reps” for practice.

Lavonte David now has 106 tackles, the first Husker in triple digits since Barrett Ruud had 143 in 2004.

Roy Helu is nine yards shy of 1,000. He is three yards shy of passing Calvin Jones for 4^th on the all-time Husker rushing charts.

Kansas had 15 passing yards, the sixth time NU has held an opponent to 135 yards or less through the air this season.

The 87 yards of total offense gained by Kansas is the lowest in 10 years, but it does not crack the NU all-time top ten. Of those top ten defensive days, three have been against Kansas. Some “rivalry”, eh?

Turner Gill, Kansas (2010): 0-1 vs. Nebraska

Warren Powers, Missouri (1978-1984) & Washington State (1977): 2-6

George Sauer, Kansas (1946-47): 1-1

Johnny Bender, Haskell (1908-09) & Kansas State (1915): 1-2

When Oklahoma State took a 33-3 lead late in the third quarter, ABC switched viewers away from that game to Arizona-USC.

What will be missed about playing the Jayhawks every year? Honestly, I’ll miss those bi-annual cracks at their basketball team more than any football game. Yes, Lawrence provides the best on-campus scenery of any Big 12 opponent NU is leaving behind, but that will be replaced by many beautiful views of Big Ten campuses.

If you don't like what you see. complain to the writer direct.  jbishop@klin.com