For those of you who were not in attendance or watching yesterday’s game: I feel sorry for you. The game itself ran like a children’s book. This happened and…and then this happened and and then, well you get the idea. From the no-look toss fakes to the Wildcat Formation, Mark Mangino and his crew got outcoached. Instead of keys to this game, Bo and his bunch just kicked the door down.

1.) Bring the “Hyde” out of Reesing – Coming into the game, a lot of people I spoke to (or just talked at me and I chose to ignore) went on about how Reesing was going to carve the secondary up like a Thanksgiving turkey, but thanks to the defensive line having its best game of the year (See: Suh, Ndamukong) that was far from the case. Suh may be the Man of No True Position what with playing fullback and catching touchdown passes aside from enveloping quarterbacks, but he wasn’t the only guy doing damage.

Zach Potter put his hands out in a heads up play and snagged one of Reesing’s passes, Pierre Allen got all up in his grill even Tyler Wortman and Eric Hagg got in on the anti-yard-retention effort against the Jayhawks. Forget Reesing, I think the “Hyde” got brought out of the Blackshirts and it was pretty to watch.

2.) It’s Either Lucky or Helu – BZZZZT. Quentin Castille must’ve had duct tape and a football in one hand this week which was promptly removed before game time. Admittedly during every one of his impressive runs I was saying, “Hold onto the ball” in repetition until the whistle. I can apparently do that very quickly, but that’s not the point. Castille is a force, but again when holding onto the ball. I was surprised to see Lucky cough it up for what I believe was the first time this season. Watching him run though, I can’t be led to believe he’s 100%

What I believe we are witnessing here though is a passing of the torch. I don’t think Marlon will ever get the credit due for what he’s actually done as many compared him to the next Reggie Bush and thought national titles would ensue with his signing, but unfortunately NU’s OL is not as good as USC’s and ain’t gonna be for a while. Fingers crossed it is some day though. That said it’s obvious that Roy Helu is the future and the only major aspect of his game that needs to be fine-tuned his is catching. Other than that he has an insane ability to cut while running a straight north-south line. With 115 yards and two touchdowns punctuated with a 52 yard long run and hurdling tacklers, Nebraska has seen the future at I-back and it wears #10

3.) Keep Bo Happy – Bo’s demeanor was a complete 180 from Oklahoma. He acted like your standard Division 1-A coach which impressed me for several reasons. It shows that he actually cares how he represents himself and understands where his temper can get him. As a matter of fact, I thought it was not only appropriate but hilarious when Bo went after the refs the most he had Memorial Stadium screaming just as loudly! It was kinda fun. I see why he gets into it.  

For those who visit the site and were thinking that perhaps Mike Eckler is in the doghouse, I wish you could’ve seen Eck and his players on the sideline yesterday. I think he could move into a DC slot some day and he doesn’t just handle the ‘backers when it comes to spreading the love. He gets into every aspect of the game and celebrates along with the players. I can see why he’s so good at his job from coaching to recruiting.

In Summary: I like Mark Mangino a lot and I know he’s a good coach. Definitely is good enough to beat Nebraska and was good enough to beat them yesterday, but he was out-foxed by Pelini’s crew. That’s a pretty nice feather in your cap and best of all Nebraska is officially bowl eligible. With Kansas State and Colorado coming down the pike along with a likely mid-tier Big Televen team, 9-4 looks like a distinct possibility after the toppling of Kansas. Wildcats and Buffs alike beware: The chain has been released because the Cornhuskers are now officially off it for the duration.