Nebraska's Keys To Victory Over Texas A&M

by Jon Johnston on Nov 19, 2010 9:22 AM CST in Nebraska Husker Football

A pair of four-game winning streaks are on the line Saturday night when the Huskers meet the Aggies in College Station. A Nebraska victory will give the Huskers the Big 12 North title, but they'll have to play well to earn it - and when I say that, I specifically mean "quit dropping the damned ball".

Back in August the Corn Nation community voted Texas A&M as this season's "Most Dangerous Game". As Husker Mike pointed out, the Aggies have really turned things around in the middle of the season, and Saturday night's game should be one of those four-quarter nerve-stretchers that have you drinking a lot more beer than is good for you.

So how is Nebraska going to win this game? Well, I'll tell ya.....

You Don't Attack Where They're Strong

Nebraska runs the ball well - ranking first in the Big 12 and seventh nationally. Texas A&M defends the run well, ranking first in the Big 12 in run defense and 13th nationally.

Texas A&M throws the ball well, ranking third in the Big 12 (behind the Oklahoma schools) and eighth nationally. Nebraska's pass defense is first in the Big 12 and second nationally in yards allowed and is tops in the nation in pass efficiency defense.

It doesn't make sense to attack your opponent where they're the strongest, so expect the Aggies to get after the Huskers on the ground. Cyrus Gray has four straight 100-yard rushing games - the Blackshirts need to stop that streak.

On offense, Nebraska won't be able to rely on a heavy running attack - they will have to open up the passing game. Taylor Martinez doesn't have to perform as well as he did through the air against Oklahoma State, but connecting on some long passes will set things up nicely for the run game.

Which leads us to.....

Niles The Hero

The ground game always works better when there's someone out there to stretch the field. Whether he makes you crazy or not, that guy is Niles Paul. Paul has won games with his playmaking abilities and that's the guy we want to see.

Husker fans need Niles the Hero to show up this week, not Niles the Goat.

Show ‘Em If You Got 'Em

Does anyone believe that Shawn Watson has plays he hasn't shown yet? Don't you think those would have come out against Iowa State, given how close that game turned out?

I hear this all the time - that the coaching staff is holding back, that something special is still out there, waiting to be unleashed. If it is, this weekend would be a good time for an unleashing. Watson won't be able to be conservative against Aggie Defensive Coordinator Tim DeRuyter.

Maybe there's a pass play from the wildcat formation waiting out there. If so, it's time to show ‘em if you got 'em.

Start Fast

Maybe this is a gimme, but I'm going with it anyway. Nebraska has scored on their opening possession in eight of the last 12 games (including last season) and has outscored their opponents 83-30 in the first quarter this season.

I don't have to tell you which was the only game this season that Nebraska wasn't ahead or tied at the end of the first quarter. No one wants a repeat of that game.

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This A&M team

Is like a less high powered offense than Oklahoma State but still pretty good, but with a pretty decent defense. I just hope Von Miller doesn’t re-injure Martinez. Without Martinez, our offense isn’t very good. Hopefully the blackshirts show up in a big way.

by Billgrip on Nov 19, 2010 9:34 AM CST reply actions

Without Martinez, our offense ~~isn’t very good~~ SUCKS. Hopefully the blackshirts show up in a big way.

by HerpieHusker on Nov 19, 2010 1:20 PM CST up reply actions

Sure seemed OK in the second half of the Mizzou game.

by Cheeseandcorn on Nov 19, 2010 1:41 PM CST up reply actions

Not Really

Helu had one long run for a TD. Other than that they didn’t do shit, other than the long drive at the end of the game to run out the clock. But that drive was far from impressive we were barely getting first downs. If our offense plays like it has against Iowa State, Kansas, and second half of Missouri our chances of winning are slim. But I am confident after two bad weeks we are going to come out strong like we did against OK state on offense.

by justtruckin on Nov 19, 2010 3:54 PM CST up reply actions

That last drive to run out the clock was huge.

On their last two drives, they ran out 14:46 of the 16:35 left in the game, and they did so running 20 out of 21 plays. 20 out of 21! Every single play, Mizzou was expecting Nebraska to run, stuffing the box, and every single play Nebraska ran right over ’em anyway.

What else are you expecting from a team up two touchdowns without their star quarterback? Because forget even “OK” – that sounds almost straight-up dominant to me.

by Cheeseandcorn on Nov 19, 2010 4:54 PM CST up reply actions

A defensive TD

would be ideal, but a major key is winning the turnover battle, along with edging the field position battle.

by KC Gunner on Nov 19, 2010 10:19 AM CST reply actions

I see this game shaping up like the OK State game

Only less high-scoring and closer. They will run on the Blackshirts, and they’ll get a little bit done passing (I’m thinking along the lines of how Missouri’s passing game did against us), adding up to something in the 24-31-point range.

On offense, the Huskers will have to rely on Martinez’s arm, just like against OK State. He’ll run some, too, but they’ll be going more to Helu and Burkhead on the ground. If Martinez can throw the ball and still be a credible threat to scramble (and the receivers can catch), the offense will be fine. Not great, but fine.

by Cheeseandcorn on Nov 19, 2010 12:29 PM CST reply actions