Sunday School: That Just Happened

I am at a loss for words to describe what happened Saturday night.

Heck, I am at a loss for words after what happened this week.

For awhile it looked like this shiny, commemorative program celebrating Nebraska’s first Big Ten home game and first ever matchup in Lincoln with Ohio State would be the only thing worth a plug nickel.

And then Lavonte David happened.

The linebacker who has been the only one of “the big three” on Nebraska’s battered Blackshirts to look even close to the preseason hype, made what looked like another deflating Braxton Miller first down run into the pivotal moment in a school record come from behind victory over the Buckeyes.

At the time, the fumble recovery looked like a lone bright spot in an awful night at Memorial Stadium. But after Taylor Martinez finally found some open pasture to run through on a zone read for an 18 yard touchdown run, the mood turned upbeat. Then on OSU’s next series, when Miller got his ankle pinned against a teammate on the only time NU corralled him in the backfield all night, the momentum shed Scarlet & Gray for Scarlet & Cream.

Really, this was the only appropriate way for this game to play out considering the week-that-was in the soap opera…er…pro wrestling spectacle that has become the Bo Pelini era. More on that later. First, let’s discuss the real big story of the week. The comeback.

Taylor Martinez, who never should have been in the bulls eye of last week’s loss, earned his nickname against Ohio State. You aren’t really magical when you run roughshod over weakened defenses with inferior talent. You are more an illusionist. Like David Copperfield. But when you do it under duress against players who are your equal or superior, yeah, that’s more like real magic.

Martinez made plays with his feet, but mostly with his arm and his mind. He made one mistake late in the first half. An ill-advised thrown down the middle of the field that was intercepted by Orhian Johnson and compounded by another Braxton run and converted into 3 points. The pick drew boos from the crowd that I believe were more directed at the coaching decision to mistakenly press on the gas pedal from 78 yards away with less than 50 seconds to go in the half, than it was towards Martinez. Maybe I am wrong, but that is my interpretation.

The 36 yard touchdown to Quincy Enunwa was a ball that I was certain from my vantage point in the press box that was overthrown. But perhaps that awkward throwing style allowed for the ball to drop at just the right point. Who knows? Bottom line it was a perfect throw in that situation that solidified that the comeback was really on and it was Martinez’s best play of the night. Until……

Scrambling like a madman (or Fran Tarkenton), Martinez made two plays with his feet. First, a scramble on 3^rd and 3 for a first down at the Bucks 30. Then, on a play that looked broken at first, Martinez avoided pressure and found Rex Burkhead open across the field. Burkhead made a nifty move to make a man miss and in the span of almost exactly one quarter of football, the Huskers had improbably tied the game.

Want more improbable scenarios? Try Stanley Jean-Baptist. A converted wide receiver moved to cornerback picking off a Joe Bauserman pass while looking like the receiver he used to be. That pick led to the final score, another nifty run by Burkhead and Nebraska’s comeback was complete.

The result is a win that is part satisfying, part euphoric, part relief and mostly, the most important of Pelini’s tenure. A loss – especially at the rate the game was going through 2+ quarters – would have thrown everything into a two week whirlwind of chaos, finger pointing and anger. 

The victory does not fix the ills that continue to plague the defense. It doesn’t make Martinez necessarily a master of the John Elway save nor the great reader of defenses that Husker fans all want him to be. But games like this can be a magic elixir. They can provide a confidence that result in a little better focus, better effort and the kind of momentum that can aim a season down a winning path. But only time will tell.

Wow, what a night!

Nebraska-Ohio State Final Statistics

UPDATE (Monday): For additional thoughts on the Bo Pelini/media situation, I have an EXTRA edition of Sunday School here.

We’re all at fault for building up stars and tearing them down. The press, the fans, the coaches, the families and even the players themselves. So perhaps it’s not even fair to claim Martinez is “T-Magic” again. But heck, that’s what is fun about sports! These are our mythical heroes. The ones Shakespeare and Homer used to write about. At the end of the day, they really aren’t heroes in the heroic sense. Just as the villains aren’t really evil and nasty. But it’s our fun.

So why is Bo Pelini insistent on throwing a giant bucket of ice water on this historic night?


Bo Pelini Postgame Audio

Why is the us-against-the-world mentality such a prevalent part of Pelini’s M.O.?

Let’s be completely clear. The anti-Martinez sentiment after the Wisconsin game came from all corners. The message boards blitzed Martinez more than any Wisconsin defender. Former teammates, like Phil Dillard, voiced their displeasure via Twitter. Then the media took the ball and made it the topic du jour of the week.

Martinez didn’t help his cause by pouting at Monday’s press conference. But please, stop telling us that “it doesn’t matter what you write, because I don’t read it anyway” because if it really didn’t matter you wouldn’t be reacting to it.

Pelini then got defensive after Thursday’s practice and intimated that the media might have an agenda to tear down his quarterback.

It couldn’t be further from the truth.

Many, still in post celebratory jubilation, will cheer Pelini’s postgame comments and his blunt force approach to public relations. But don’t be fooled. How many of you saw Pelini’s gesture to fans after the Martinez interception and booing crowd on television? As much has he has had enough with the media, it also appears as if he’s had enough of the fans.

I’ve said it many times before and will continue to say it. Fans have a right to boo. You pay your money; you invest your time and your emotions on this program. When you like what you see, you can cheer. When you don’t, you can either walk out, or you can boo. I don’t have to agree with it, but I respect your right to do it.  A coach who accuses some of “sitting on their hands” should be able to understand that if you want emotion you get all sides of emotion. If you want passion, you get passion. The good and the bad.

A coach who isn’t afraid to bear his emotions publically should understand that.

Leave. Get out now. If you truly have an invite to join the SEC – and why else would you be making these dramatic overtures if you didn’t (can’t believe you’d screw that up twice) – then get the heck out of the Big 12 before it truly becomes the rebirth of the Southwest Conference.

So the Big 12 is getting TCU. Whoopie! Another Texas mouth to feed. Sure, it is a good football program, but it is another Texas football program with Texas sized ego and Texas sized problems. Talk about a culture fit? Yeah, TCU will fit right in. But you, Missouri, will not.

The SEC really isn’t much better in terms of a cultural fit, but for Missouri it is all you have left. It is move now, or forever be stuck with Bevo & Friends. That is until Bevo wants to leave you. Ignore the huffing and puffing from Kansas about killing your rivalry, you have an option that they only wish they had. 

You know what you are going to get with any conference that includes Texas and while the competition is steep in the SEC, it might finally serve as the motivation to unify your divided state (between St. Louis and Kansas City interests) and move your underachieving sports programs forward.

1 – Taylor Martinez. A great comeback needs a great leader. This was #3’s finest hour against a unit that was 13^th in total defense. Bravo.

2 – Rex Burkhead. He had rushed 11 times for 10 yards in the first half. Second half: 15 carries for 109 yards and a TD, plus 1 catch for 30 yards and a score.

3 – Lavonte David. His forced fumble and recovery not withstanding, David was the screamin’ demon once again with 13 tackles, a QB hurry and a TFL.

4 – The Coaching Staff. As poorly as things looked early in the third quarter, you had to wonder if the tents were going to get folded up. Comebacks like that don’t happen unless you learn to make adjustments and do them without panicking.

5 – The O-line. Here’s your fourth quarter numbers. 22 rushes for 144 yards. The Huskers went from barely 3 yards per carry to over 6.5 in the final 15 minutes. Can’t do that unless the big uglies are doing their thing.


Taylor Martinez Postgame Audio

Rather than the traditional top 5, 10, 20 or 25 rankings, I’ll give you my list of the teams I see as BCS National Championship material.

1 – LSU. Saw a tweet Saturday quoting an NFL scout that said the Tigers have 9 defensive starters that could play at the next level. Yikes!

2 – Oklahoma. The Sooners were so dominate over Bevo that their defense outscored Texas, too.

3 – Clemson. Still waiting for the collapse.

4 – Alabama. Shut out Vanderbilt. That script’s been written in Crimson ink before.

5 – Wisconsin. A week off? If the Big Ten doesn’t find a way to look better it could be two months off for the Badgers.

6 – Stanford. Biding their time until Oregon.

7 – Boone Pickens State. 56 in the first half against Kansas.

8 – Boise State. Yes, your win over Fresno was impressive. But it was Fresno. Everyone above you has better quality wins.