Texas vs Alabama National Title Game Shows A Lot About Nebraska
by Jon Johnston on Jan 8, 2010 8:15 AM CST
in Nebraska Husker Football
22 comments
Well, you have to admit, no one saw that coming. While plenty predicted an Alabama win, they certainly didn't predict Colt McCoy's injury and subsequent early exit from the national title game. At the time, the game was a one-sided butt-kicking in Texas' favor. After McCoy's exit, Texas' offense fell lifeless for most of the game as backup quarterback Garrett Gilbert was ineffective until he threw two touchdown passes in the fourth quarter to Jordan Shipley to bring the Longhorns back to within three at 24-21.
Unfortunately, just when it looked like Gilbert had Texas in position for a possible comeback, he was sacked and coughed up the ball deep in his own territory. On the ensuing short drive, the Crimson Tide put the game away a touchdown run to make it 31-21.
Mark Ingram will go down as one of the few Heisman winners who didn't jinx his team, mostly because he didn't play the whole game. You could take it as a sign that maybe Ingram really wasn't as good as advertised, that he was nursing an injury, or that his backup Richardson was just as good or better, but then you'd have to wonder why Ingram won the Heisman Trophy.
There are a few things Husker fans can take away from the game, even beyond the fact that Alabama couldn't kill a Texas team with a struggling backup quarterback (as if that weren't enough to convince people that the Blackshirt defense is much better than Alabama's Sabinator defense).
First and foremost, the Husker defense ends the 2009 season as the top scoring defense in the nation. Nebraska and Alabama were neck and neck coming into the final game of the season (11.2 vs 11.0 points per game), but the Huskers blanked Arizona while the Crimson Tide gave up 21 points to the Longhorns. That left Nebraska as the leader, giving up 146 points on the season compared to ‘Bama's 164. Over 14 games, Nebraska opponents averaged only 10.4 points per game, compared to 11.7 for Alabama. It is the first time since 1984 Nebraska finished first in scoring defense.
Husker fans have complained about Shawn Watson's "multiple offense", the chief complaint coming because it's too complex and therefore takes too long for quarterbacks to learn. Simple is better is the argument there.
Yet Watson's offense gives Nebraska the diversity to work around the issues that Texas faced last night. Texas doesn't run a heavy set, nor do they even have a fullback. Given Gilbert's inexperience and an ineffective run game, the Longhorns could have used both especially when ‘Bama downed a punt at the the Texas two late in the second quarter. Texas couldn't get the ball out of their own end zone and ultimately had to punt, giving ‘Bama a short field at the Texas 29-yard line. Even then, the Tide had to settle for a field goal.
Texas could have used some alternatives while Alabama's offense was stumbling over itself, unable to put the game away in the third quarter. Instead, they chose to spend the second quarter stifling their own offense while trying to limit Gilbert's potential mistakes. Watson's offense wouldn't have left them in that predicament.
Watching Texas punters John Gold and Justin Tucker lose the field position battle while trying to keep the ball away from Crimson Tide punter returner Javier Arenas had to have Husker fans thankful for Alex Henery. It should have left no doubt that Henery is a game-changer, as much or moreso as a dangerous punter returner like Arenas.
With a minute left, Alabama ran the ball into the end zone from the Texas two for a meaningless touchdown to make the 37-21 finalscore look more lopsided. Saban probably felt like he had to add a punctuation mark, as if those extra points would remove the asterisk. Tom Osborne would have taken a knee there, but if you needed proof those times are gone and that grace is dead, there it is.
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Disappointing "championship"
After watching the game, I can’t help but think Boise State has an excellent argument to be national champion. How can we say that Alabama is the best team in college football (as the BCS supporters would claim) when it didn’t play the Texas team (i.e., Colt McCoy) that managed its way to the nat’l championship, and then it struggled against an inexperienced, true freshman QB?
Guess the only way to resolve that issue is to have Alabama and Boise State play each other. Oh wait…
Mistakes were from Texas...
Running McCoy into the teeth of the finest, hardest hitting defense in college football — coaching mistake. Failure to score a TD after either early turnover — poor coaching and playcalling by Texas. Not having a back-up QB worth squat — poor coaching by Texas. Trying for a miracle play with 15 seconds left and a dazed and confused QB, only to have it backfire into a TD for the Tide — Texas coaching mistake.
All the coaching mistakes were from Texas. Did we watch the same game?
I think
if Florida plays either team that night they beat them by two touchdowns. Neither team looked that good for four quarters. The injury was bad luck for Texas not a result of a great defense. Run that same play a hundred more times he gets up and walks off unharmed 99 times, sorry Texas sometimes @$$! happens. But on the other hand, Bama had them down but could’t put them away. Which makes me think that if McCoy doesn’t get hurt I like the Longhorn’s shot at beating Bama. At the beginning of the game Texas hit the Tide in the mouth and had them realing, I would have liked to see that game with Colt the whole way. Would they have been able to sustain that initial intensity? We will ever know. What I do know is Ingram looked very good. I was impressed with his relentlessness running the football. He looked the way a Heisman winner should, I also wish he would not have been sidelined for a lot of the second half, probably part of the reason that they couldn’t put the Horns away. Barring injury he looks to have a very bright future playing on Sunday. Enjoy him while you can Tide, they don’t come along very often.
One last thought. Did anyone else think it was a little bush league scoring that last touchdown. The game was over why not kneel it down? Did Saban bet the overs? Personally I didn’t think it showed very much class, and what goes around comes around. Maybe that is why God let him get smacked in the side of the head when he got his Gatorade shower.
apparently
you don’t think calling a fake punt from your own 20 early in the game (whether or not his punter checked to it is immaterial) is a mistake.
Yeah, we watched the same game. Mistakes were made on both sides of the ball. The game dragged on for most of the second and third quarters. ’Bama’s unwillingness (coaching?) or inability (not that great a team) to put a Texas team away despite Texas having an inexperienced quarterback leading the offense made it a decent game long enough to keep some people watching.
BTW, where was Ingram for a while?
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Not sure I agree
with this statement…
“they chose to spend the second quarter stifling their own offense while trying to limit Gilbert’s potential mistakes. Watson’s offense wouldn’t have left them in that predicament. "
Replace the name Gilbert with Lee (injury aside) and it applies more than once this season, against OU in particular.
that applies to this season, yes
but not to Watson’s overall philosophy. perhaps I should have made that point more clear. Stop thinking of Zac Lee as the end all, be all. It’s the philosophy that counts over the long term.
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by Jon Johnston on Jan 8, 2010 12:03 PM CST up reply actions
Huskers would have put up a goose egg...
Bama D would have held the Huskers scoreless. Deep down, you know this is true.
First time in years NU would have been shut out
With NU’s kicker they would have been able to at least get some field goals. And with NU’s D that may have been enough.
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To be honest
Bama’s defense didn’t blow me away. They’re very good, no doubt, but are clearly inferior to the defenses of OU and Nebraska based simply on direct competition and Bama got Texas with a Freshie leading their offense.
With the progress NU’s defense made in the bowl season, along with Alex Henery, I have little doubt that we’d dent the scoreboard more than once.
"My hardest job is to convince the people of Nebraska that 10-1 is not a losing season." - Tom Osborne
Hey Jon Johnston!
Alabama did take a knee against Florida in the SEC championship when they could have run up over 500 yards total offense and a higher score, but the game was over. Out of respect for the Longhorns comeback, the ball was given to a freshman to run the ball up the middle with the intent to leave no time for Texas or increase the score. Obviously, Alabama underestimated Texas and their freshman quarterback evidenced by their play calling in the third quarter. Texas played a great game and should be proud of their team and up and coming quarterback. I have always had respect for the Nebraska program. I love the tradition and toughness they have exhibited throughout the years. You certainly have a great defense this year. Maybe better than Alabama’s. However, since you do not have the team that Alabama has and did not make it to the BCS National Championship game, shut up about what Tom Osborne would have done. You are not him. Nebraska was not in the Championship. You can b*tch about Alabama being lucky, but if luck is what it takes to hold up the crystal ball at the end of a season, every team wants it. So Alabama did not get 9 sacks against Colt. They got one tackle that meant more than Nebraska’s 9 sacks. So put your * next to Nebraska’s season and call it whatever you want, but in the end no one will remember it.
please
don’t feed this troll.
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by Jon Johnston on Jan 8, 2010 8:46 PM CST up reply actions 1 recs
Nah
was just exhausted after a long week and didn’t want the rest of this community to jump on you before I had a chance to respond.
I’m not going to shut up about what Tom Osborne would have done and I believe that after watching him throughout his coaching career I can tell you (without reservation) that he would have taken a knee at the end of the game.
The point is – that kind of sportsmanship is dead. Is there an argument you have with that statement?
Nowhere in this article did I imply that Nebraska should have made the BCS title game. We didn’t have the team nor the season. We did, however, have a better defense.
Any argument with that statement?
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Response
No, I don’t have a real problem with you saying Nebraska has a better D. You certainly have some numbers to back that up from this season.
I do have a problem with you * comment, and your shots on Mark Ingram and Saban for not taking a knee.
The reasoning that this game needs * because Colt was taken out by a clean hit is ridiculous. That’s football. Should we give OU a bunch of *? USC? Pitt? AL for Donta Hightower? By that reasoning put an * on the AL/LSU game because their quarterback was knocked out a few plays, starting running back suffered a broken collar bone, and star DB was cramping up when it mattered. So either every game gets an * for a key injury or for some play that changed the course of the game. I prefer to leave out the * and call it football. Personally, I hated to see Colt hurt and removed from a game he had worked his whole life to play in. He seems to be a great all around guy and I wish him the best.
As for Ingram. He and his team avoided the Heisman jinx because he didn’t play the whole game? Really? I figure a guy who cramps in the third quarter but still finishes the game against the “best rushing defense” with over 100 yards and 2 td’s is pretty good. It’s hard to imagine playing an extra quarter would have hurt those numbers. As for Richardson, yes, he’s good. They say bigger, stronger, faster than Ingram. But, he wasn’t ready to be Ingram for the Tide this year. Leadership is key.
As for Saban. Yes, I was surprised when they did not take a knee after watching the Florida game where they did take the knee in the red zone. Damned if he does. Damned if he doesn’t. By everyone’s arguement Alabama would have lost if Colt was in the game. The proof? Look at the score. Well, can you imagine how much louder that would be screamed if the score was closer. Anyway, Saban did take a knee. The last play. So maybe he didn’t take it when you wanted him to. But, the knee was taken so those times are not gone as evidenced by Alabama taking a knee in both the SEC and BCS Championship games.
To be clear...
If Florida plays either team they beat them by two touchdowns??? Alabama already played Florida and beat them convincingly and just as tradition13 pointed out we did take a knee versus Florida when on the verge of scoring once again. Nebraska fans are so hungry for the successes of old that they are willing to read into anything to pull away some kind of moral victory for the season. Just be classy Nebraska and wait for next year to prove that you guys can be champions.
It just
didn’t look very good, Saban could have run the clock out and didn’t, maybe he has a beef with Mack Brown from way back I don’t know and could care less. I agree that it takes luck to win a national title we had ours in 97’ against Mizzou, it doesn’t get much luckier than that. I just think that Alabama didn’t play a very good game against Texas. They couldn’t deliver the knock out blow when they had the chance and let the Longhorns back in the game with busted coverages on defense. Trust me as a Husker fans we know all about busted coverages this year ei. Va Tech. But, the Tide did make enough plays to win the game and that is what matters. 14-0 is 14-0 congrats to you and your title. And again enjoy Ingram while you can that guy is pretty special.
what
does Florida have to do with any of this?
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Guess things are a little slow down in SEC country...
Or did the trolls already get banned there already?
I think
what they’re finding a little different is that they’re getting a taste of their own conference allegiance medicine from someone else – that being the Big 12.
Funny thing is – I don’t think I ever implied that Nebraska would beat Alabama in here – did I? Nor really even alluded to that match up.
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To clarify...
SEC country would like to celebrate but silly Husker fans are forwarding this link to us to undercut the fact that the SEC beat the BIG 12 in the national championship again.
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