This week with Martin suspended by Emperor....er, Commissioner Dan Beebe the Huskers had to utilize a much maligned unit to send an early message. And the Blackshirt defensive line did just that by pressuring Missouri's Blaine Gabbert on the first three plays of the game, forcing an early 3 and out.
Then it was Roy Helu's turn.
Within three carries, Helu was in the end zone twice and almost halfway to a record he would be destined to break as Nebraska ran out to a 24 point first quarter en route to a 31-17 victory over their longtime rivals and into the driver's seat in the Big 12 North.
For Helu, it was a tale of two halves on his 28 carry, 307 yard, 3 touchdown day. The first half was hit the hole or hit the edge and outrace Missouri's then-vaunted defense to paydirt. In the second half, it would be to carry the load as he had not carried in nearly a season of work. The 28 totes was the most since he also carried 28 times in the win at Kansas - also a three touchdown day in which Helu's legs were badly needed. On this day, it was due to the bone bruise suffered by QB Taylor Martinez on the second to last drive of the first half. With Zac Lee being instructed to run a more conservative offense than Martinez had been given, Helu was asked to be the offense with 21 of his 28 carries coming after half, 15 in the fourth quarter.
No carry was more important than his final touchdown, a 53 yard run which quickly turned momentum back to Nebraska after Mizzou had finally broken through on their first legitimate scoring march to close the gap to 24-14.
While the score felt safe at 31-14, Missouri was not yet done. Converting 7 of 9 third downs in the third quarter, the Tigers marched right back into scoring territory after a Gabbert scramble took the ball to the two-foot line. That's when Gary Pinkel - the same Gary Pinkel who stomped on Nebraska's carcass in 2007 with a fake field goal leading 34-6 in the fourth quarter - got cute one more time.
Instead of putting Gabbert under center, Pinkel had him running out of the shotgun. First down run: fail. Second down run: fail. Third down run: fail. Then finally yielding to intelligent football, Pinkel finally had hit QB nestle up to the center's behind - and ol' Mizzou gagged. Running back jumped, five yard penalty. Touchdown denied, Mizzou had to settle for three. Game over. It was the kind of delicious irony Nebraska fans could enjoy after watching Pinkel wizardry and gadgetry through frustrating losses in 2003, 2005 and 2007. It was unconventional failure that old school football followers enjoy when someone gets too fancy for their own good.
After that, it was ride your senior running back to first place and a cherished Nebraska record. When you have the rushing tradition that a school like Nebraska has, rushing records are the most romanticized. Helu, who in many respects is underestimated in the pantheon of great Nebraska backs, now stands alone. As Frank Solich was the first to 200, Helu is the first to cross the 300 yard barrier.
As the game ended the fans gave Helu the ultimate compliment, chanting HAY-LUU, HAY-LUU as he left the field. Helu said he never heard it but wished he would have. Maybe it's because he didn't understand what they were saying. When told about it Helu, as he had corrected Nebraska's offense throughout the day, corrected the fans.
"It's pronounced HA-LOO."
Roy Helu's post game comments
Nebraska Single Game Rushing Leaders
1) Roy Helu, Jr. - 28 carries, 307 yards, 3 TDs, 11.0 ypc - vs. Missouri 2010
2) Calvin Jones - 27-294, 6 TDs, 10.8 - @ Kansas 1991
3) Mike Rozier - 31-285, 4 TDs, 9.2 - vs. Kansas 1983
4) Ken Clark - 27-256, 3 TDs, 9.5 - vs. Oklahoma State 1988
5) Rick Berns - 36-255, 2 TDs, 7.1 - vs. Missouri 1978
6) I.M. Hipp - 28-254, 0 TDs, 9.0 - vs. Indiana 1977
7) Mike Rozier - 33-251, 4 TDs, 7.6 - vs. Oklahoma State 1982
8) Keith Jones - 26-248, 2 TDs, 9.5 - @ Colorado 1987
1) Roy Helu, Jr. - 28 carries, 307 yards, 3 TDs, 11.0 ypc - vs. Missouri 2010
2) Calvin Jones - 27-294, 6 TDs, 10.8 - @ Kansas 1991
3) Mike Rozier - 31-285, 4 TDs, 9.2 - vs. Kansas 1983
4) Ken Clark - 27-256, 3 TDs, 9.5 - vs. Oklahoma State 1988
5) Rick Berns - 36-255, 2 TDs, 7.1 - vs. Missouri 1978
6) I.M. Hipp - 28-254, 0 TDs, 9.0 - vs. Indiana 1977
7) Mike Rozier - 33-251, 4 TDs, 7.6 - vs. Oklahoma State 1982
8) Keith Jones - 26-248, 2 TDs, 9.5 - @ Colorado 1987
D-Line D-livers
Prior to Saturday, Missouri's offensive line had allowed just seven sacks. After Saturday, that number nearly doubled with a constant pressure applied to Gabbert from the opening gun. It was thought that imaginative blitzes would be the only way to apply pressure. Who knew that the Huskers could do it mostly with three and four men lines?
And if the Huskers weren't racking up sacks, they were flushing Gabbert out of his quick release comfort zone. And when Gabbert did buy himself some time to throw, NU's secondary was blanketing Missouri's receivers as if they knew what patterns were being run.
Last year, Ndamukong Suh elevated himself into the Heisman discussion with his hounding of Gabbert, but Saturday's effort brought no one singular performance. Rather it was a unit that confused Gabbert most of the afternoon with players rarely or never seen.
Meet new starters Courtney Osborne and Austin Cassidy. And who was that #37 on the field? None other than Elkhorn walk-on Kevin Thomsen who was credited for one of the six sacks on the afternoon.
Time To Rethink Team Captains
Hear Prince Amukamara's explanation of what went wrong on coin toss decision
I have never been a big fan of Bo Pelini's insistence to have alternating game captains. Saturday, it finally manifested itself into the kind of error that could have been disastrous had the Huskers not fired off to their quick start. Prince Amukamara, serving as one of the four team captains, erroneously told the officials that Nebraska would kick rather than defer after winning the opening toss. That meant that Missouri would get the choice in the second half and receive both opening half kickoffs.
After the game, Pelini explained that his captains had miscommunicated Nebraska's intentions to the officials. My point is this: if you have regular, season-long captains, you wouldn't have to explain anything. They would know what do to and how to do it.
There is a reason they are called "captains." They are the designated leaders as elected by the team. But because Pelini sees the role of a captain as ceremonial, the position is useless. I still believe it is good for a team to appoint it's field leaders. A football team is somewhat like a paramilitary organization. I cannot imagine a general or a police chief being the sole communicator of team goals and initiatives. It's time Pelini shares some of that responsibility beyond just his coaches.
Mr. C's At It Again
My phone and the message boards were lighting up after Courtney Osborne's hit on Blaine Gabbert in the 4th quarter. Once again we have a helmet-to-helmet controversy that is going to be the talk of the week thanks to overreaction by someone who seems to be carrying the banner for ending the violence in football as we know it. ABC's Ed Cunningham fired away on Osborne's hit as if he were Dick Butkus trying to rip the head off a hapless ball carrier.
It is now official, the reaction is now the story not the infraction. There is no question that Cunningham's diatribe influenced Dan Beebe's decision last week - despite what the Big 12 Ministry of Information tells you. Now Beebe is in a giant pickle because he has wrought this beast onto himself. If Martin's hit was overstepping the bounds, where does Osborne's rate? That sack is like every other sack of its kind. It is a violent collision that cannot be prevented but for a QB with lightning quick instincts or a defensive back who whiffs the tackle. If that hit is illegal, as Cunningham breathlessly exhorted, then the game of football is illegal.
Violent shots, whether they be on tackles, blocks, sacks or over-the-middle pass breakups, cannot be legislated out of the game anymore than wrecks can be legislated out of auto racing. Yes, there is room for taking out the most egregious of these shots. But routine, every day contact - which includes helmet-on-helmet - can not and should not be ruled out of competition.
It is time for the Ed Cunningham's of the world to get off their soapbox before they bring damage to the game.
It's Not Over Yet
Yes, Nebraska now controls its own destiny for the Big 12 North, but this race is far from over. The Huskers loss to Texas can still haunt NU fortunes as the Big Red is one slip-up from still being denied a chance to give the ultimate goodbye kiss to the Big 12.
Iowa State also controls its own destiny and who knows what kind of inspired effort they might put on before their fans in the last go-around with Nebraska. An experienced quarterback is always nice to have and remember that Austin Arnaud did not play in ISU's stunner in Lincoln last season.
While Kansas doesn't scare anybody right now, Texas A&M may have found its mojo with new QB Ryan Tannehill, who threw for an Aggie record 449 yards in blowing out Texas Tech. Then there's Colorado and if we know anything about the recent history of this series, the Buffs are a tough out no matter what the records say.
Let this serve as a warning as the last few toasts are made to the end of the Missouri series. The Huskers might be able to see the finish line from here, but the race isn't over by a long shot.
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