Sunday School: High Gear, Old Style

While many in Husker Nation were excited two weeks ago when Tim Beck brought the belly (or sprint) option back to Nebraska’s offense, the real sign that the offense was going back in time showed up on the first play of the game against Washington.

The run-pass option, a play run from to Turner Gill to Jammal Lord, was delivered with old school flair by Taylor Martinez to Kenny Bell to set the Huskers up for their quickest offensive score (by game clock) in 16 years. And that was just the beginning as Nebraska outdueled Washington in a 51-38 shootout in Memorial Stadium.

By the time Nebraska had taken advantage of Husky mistakes to turn a three point game into a 34-17 advantage, the toss sweep had been brought out of hibernation as Aaron Green and Braylon Heard combined for 70 yards rushing on 10 carries as part of a 309 yard rushing day.

The early knock on this Husker offense was its inability to sustain drives and its over-reliability in Martinez to shoulder the load. While Martinez carried the ball 17 more times Saturday, he was extra careful not to take the big hit. Plus, five other Huskers toted the mail in the running game led by Rex Burkhead’s career high 22 carries.


Taylor Martinez Postgame Audio

Rex Burkhead Postgame Audio

Big plays? Sure there were big plays. But there were also drives. Four scoring drives of seven or more plays, including a 10 play “marathon” late in the third that was capped with another Brett Maher field goal (he’s now a lucky 7 for 7 this season.) In all, 11 Husker playmakers touched the ball against Washington. Playmakers like Tyler Legate who rumbled 36 yards on a fullback trap in the third quarter that will be replayed in the minds of Husker fans all weekend and had to be the subject of two dozen postgame questions.


Tim Beck Postgame Audio

All this was done with a brand new starting left guard in Seung Hoon Choi and multiple appearances by junior Brandon Thompson as Nebraska produced it healthiest offensive line since before the start of fall camp. The pregame scuttlebutt was that NU would pass heavy through a UW secondary that had yielded a nation-worst 806 yards through the air. While the first pass was good for 50, NU would throw for only 105 more the rest of the game. This one would be won on the ground. Old school.

Just the way the Husker Nation likes it.

Nebraska/Washington Final Statistics

While Bo Pelini’s demeanor wasn’t a public downer, Carl Pelini was one of the least happy individuals to come across in the postgame interview room and with good reason. For the second week in a row, the opposition struck big plays in the passing game and at times ran at will through the heart of the defense.


Carl Pelini Postgame Audio

As former Husker Blackshirt Jason Peter said on the Friday Husker Max Tailgate, for the last three seasons the strength of the Nebraska defense has been the secondary. This year, it is the weak link. Andrew Green has struggled with the double move while Carl said after the game that his unit doesn’t play with the necessary aggression that has been the hallmark of the secondary.

Of course, you cannot expect Nebraska to have the kind of production in the back end when you have lost four NFL-caliber players (with Alfonso Dennard still out due to injury.) But while Ciante Evans, Green, Josh Mitchell, Daimion Stafford and other young pups are taking their licks (and their shots from opposing quarterbacks), it is incumbent on the front seven to generate pressure – particularly the front four.

That pressure was not there in the first quarter but was starting to come around in the second. But as long as there is not consistent duress applied by Jared Crick, Cam Meredith and company, the defense is going to yield yards. Nebraska fans may have to get used to a lot of bend and hope for few breaks. To the opposition’s credit, the Huskers have seen two pretty good quarterbacks and they likely won’t see any better receivers than the group UW brought to town the rest of this season.

Boy, did the Huskers catch one late in the first half when a UW punt bounced off the hip of Husker returner Tim Marlowe and into the awaiting hands of the Washington defender for what looked to be a gift six points. But the play was called back due to the first of three (?!?) kick catch interference flags against the Huskies. None of the three were particularly good calls, but the first one was a serious game changer. One that you could argue Washington would not shake off until the fourth quarter. 

Husker fans will likely be fuming this week over ABC’s Matt Millen belaboring that point, but Washington has a legit argument and it did make a difference in the game. Would it have affected the final outcome? That is not known, but I don’t think the third quarter would have played out like it did had the call not been blown.

…you had Head Coach Bo Pelini figured out; he comes up with this…

 

I was expecting “surly” Bo after his defense gave up back to back 400+ yard games, but Pelini was upbeat saying that Washington “threw a lot at us.”  I think it gives us an indication of what Pelini thought of this Husky team coming into the game. He’s happy to be 3-0, style points be damned. Are you?

NEXT WEEK

Wyoming, which needed a blocked PAT to hold off Bowling Green.  First time in Laramie for the Big Red (and the smallest opponent stadium since Southern Miss.)  Plus, 1400 KLIN is bringing back our Radio Sync Broadcast so you can listen to the Husker Sports Network call while watching the television feed.

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Follow me during the game on Twitter @JohnBishopKLIN. We always appreciate your comments. Send me a message, jbishop@klin.com.