Report Card: Nebraska 38, Wyoming Cowboys 14
by Husker Mike on Sep 25, 2011 5:08 PM CDT
in 2011 Nebraska Huskers Football
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PrintOne day following Nebraska's victory over Wyoming hasn't done much to change my thoughts on the game. Nebraska won - beat the betting spread even - but left me wanting more. I get the feeling that the coaching staff has a good handle on the situation. Doesn't mean they are pleased with where the Huskers are, but rather that they are comfortable with the progression of of the program.
In some respects, I think this team is very much a work in progress, and should be viewed as such. The Nebraska team that played in Laramie won't be the same one that takes the field in Madison. We saw defensive tweaks this week, and we'll see more this week. That's good, because the performance of the Huskers on Saturday wasn't anywhere near the type of performance that will be necessary in Madison. And while I'm not as optimistic about Nebraska's initial Big Ten game as I was in the summer, I'm not fatalistic about it either.
Not with Bo Pelini as head coach. Nebraska always has a chance.
QB: The previous two weeks, Taylor Martinez looked more comfortable leading the team and his passing was more accurate than we'd seen out of Martinez previously. This week, it was a step backwards. Martinez was erratic with his throws in the first half, and didn't handle the football all that well. In the first quarter, Martinez felt non-existent pressure, and ran right into the line where he was sacked. That's not the offensive line's fault; that goes on Martinez for running into trouble instead of staying out of it. Grade: D+
RB: I'm not sure I'd call Rex Burkhead's game "Sexy"...but the tough runner from Plano is a lot of fun to watch. It takes more than one tackler to bring down Burkhead as he pinballs his way for extra yardage. Great vision and effort against Wyoming, rushing for 170 and averaging over 11 yards a carry. And he took the snap a couple of times out of Nebraska's version of the "Wildcat." Did you see that Bret Bielema? The other freshmen backs looked good, except for a case of the dropsies. That needs to get cleaned up this week. Austin Jones had some impressive runs in garbage time. Tyler Legate laid out a devastating block on Burkhead's 45 yard touchdown run. Grade: B+ (downgraded only because of the fumbles)
WR: Brandon Kinnie broke out of his funk with three nice catches, and getting some nice moves after the catch. Kenny Bell and Jamal Turner both had nice catches, and Kyler Reed would have scored easily if Martinez hadn't badly underthrown him. Only downgrade was Kenny Bell forgetting the snap count and getting a brain-damaged false start penalty. Grade: B+
OL: I was as hard on these guys as anybody in the first two games...but they've been road graders the last two weeks. But a holding call deep in Nebraska's end of the field wasn't good. Grade: B+
DL: The rotation on the line was really affected by Jared Crick's absence, but early on, Nebraska really didn't miss him. Eric Martin saw quite a bit of playing time early on and wreaked some havoc. But as the game went on, we saw a little bit less effective play on defense. Grade: B-
LB: One of the things that I miss watching the game on TV versus in the stadium is following the linebackers... especially when I'm watching the game in standard definition. So I didn't get a good feeling for the play on Lavonte David, but what I saw was a little better than the last couple of weeks. Will Compton created some pressure in situations, though he didn't have much to show for it on the stat sheet. So I'm going to grade this a B- as well.
Secondary: Obviously Bo Pelini hasn't been pleased with the play of the secondary this season, and this week, it was completely reworked. Corey Cooper switched on Monday from safety to cornerback and had a rough start...played better later on. Nice to see Alfonzo Dennard back on the field, though I'm not sure he deserved that personal foul penalty, as I don't think he could have let up prior to the ball sailing out of bounds. New faces in new roles led to lots of issues. This is still very much a work in progress, but we need to see better. Much better. Grade: C-
Overall: C+ It's a win. But Nebraska is capable of more. Much more.
Versus: F I love the job Versus does with the NHL, but last night's coverage makes FSN's coverage look like an Emmy winner. Former Iowegia quarterback Paul Burmeister was pressed into service to call play-by-play, and former Tulane quarterback Shaun King was absolutely painful on color commentary. Maybe not Artie Gigantino bad...but when we finally end up on an ESPN telecast with Pam Ward, I don't want to hear any complaining. Technical production was borderline public-access cable quality. On screen graphics (clock and down/distance) were frequently missing. Replays were few.
Elsewhere in College Football:
Minnesota F How do you let the defense return a Hail Mary for a touchdown just before halftime?
Indiana F Did Kathy Ireland kick the game-deciding field goal?
Kansas State A+ Impressive victory over the "U"
Oklahoma State A Did Okie Light come back, or did A&M just choke? A little of both...
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I feel roughly the same
but I like the progression the team is making week-to-week and would give them a B – for this week, or a B if feeling generous. End of the day, held them to 14 in a hostile(-ish) environment. Offense was disjointed early but made the adjustments and the plays in the end.
I would give the coaching a much higher grade, I think they are squeezing more and more out of their players every week, which is exactly what you want to see.
I didn't give the coaching a separate grade...
…but we are seeing the coaches try all sorts of interesting twists… I think it’s all good at this point…
by Husker Mike on Sep 25, 2011 11:07 PM CDT up reply actions
I know you didn't
was more of a general statement regarding the coaching. I’ve been extremely impressed by it regardless of how the players are performing, they always seem to improve.
WRs
graded a little high. They didn’t run very precise routes, which led to a couple good decisions/throws by Martinez to look downright awful to most viewers.
Martinez was finally making some anticipation throws vs waiting for the WR to be open and then throwing. Sad thing is the WRs didn’t do their part. But they are young, so I’d rather they do this now than during conference play.
I'd opt for a B- overall
The rushing game is starting to make a believer out of me with the rotation system that’s in play the last two weeks along the line. I was never worried about our back situation this year. . Martinez’s throws were off-target and I’d love to see more precision, but it’s still a step forward from last season in that we have a functional passing game. Most of the passing misses that I can recall were because of errant throws rather than our WR’s. On the flipside, I thought the wide’s did a great job blocking down field on a few big plays.
Most of my concerns were in the secondary. Cooper just seemed slow reacting to cuts and suddenly was a step or step and a half out of position and trailing (see replay, Wyoming’s first TD, I believe). Not sure if adjustments were made at halftime or if Cassidy just looked worse, because I stopped noticing Coop in the second half and started to lament Cassidy far more often. Maybe I got spoiled by Amukamara running in a guy’s hip pocket, but I feel those old 1980s stirrings welling up in me…we’ll play with anyone until we encounter a quarterback and solid pass game and then we’ll be exposed and carved up. The defensive line got gashed a couple times, but they also threw themselves off blocks and really made life tough too. Considering they Wyoming game plan, you can’t ask much more than that.
Kicking was great. I’m sure 7,200 feet of elevation is a kicker’s best friend. And as far as I’m concerned, Maher is still perfect on field goals this season. But, hey, at least the call didn’t impact the game ala Toledo’s screw job at Syracuse.
"Gentlemen, it is better to have died a small boy than to fumble this football." -- Heisman
by ManAgainstWorld on Sep 25, 2011 6:14 PM CDT reply actions
O-line
They get an A- from me this week, The reason for that is another 300+ on the ground and that doesn’t come from Rex just being the stud that he is. The last two games Beck has all but abandoned the passing game in the fourth quarter and the O-line says " IT"S CLOBERIN’ TIME ". they just pound that ball over and over again with no mercy and these big fellas are making it look easy for the backs.
Nebraska, The Good Life
Keith Stone, always smooth
"Not with Bo Pelini as head coach. Nebraska always has a chance."
That’s our ‘it’ factor going into Madison, isn’t it?
I think Beck should just ram the ball down Bucky’s throat with our quartet at running back.
"I did dumb things." - Tim Beck, Nebraska's new OC
by Salt Creek and Stadium on Sep 25, 2011 6:23 PM CDT reply actions 1 recs
I have
been also pleasantly surprised by the o-line turn around the last couple of games. But, next week will be a whole different animal at Madison. I look for Bilema to blitz and blitz often. The question is on offense if Martinez can handle pressure, and so far this year he hasn’t. As for the defense, they had better figure it out and fast because the Badgers get you down they sure as hell will keep you there. I personally could care less about the TV coverage as long as I don’t have to pay 60 to 70 dollars to watch. They didn’t miss any plays as far as I know. So I say thank you Versus.
I guess I didn't really notice, but do the Badgers blitz often?
They always struck me as a conservative, bend but don’t break style defense.
"I did dumb things." - Tim Beck, Nebraska's new OC
by Salt Creek and Stadium on Sep 25, 2011 10:50 PM CDT up reply actions
You are correct sir!
They’re basic and keep everything in front of them.
by HuskerINtheArmy on Sep 26, 2011 12:58 PM CDT up reply actions
After watching the SD game last night
It doesn’t look like ‘Sconsin plays well against the run. SD’s line was consistently getting to the second level and they were getting great gains on the ground. If they would have just kept it on the ground I don’t think the game would’ve gotten away from them like it did. Once SD got behind it was a disaster for them, because their QB was just terrible at throwing. He made Martinez look like a polished pocket passer.
Wiscy’s defense didn’t look like they’ll be able to keep up with the Husker offensive speed either. Their offense looked well rounded however, most of Nick Toon’s gaudy receiving numbers came from short passes that he made large gains with. In turn, it exaggerated Russel Wilson’s passing numbers. Their offense executes their plays and assignments very well. Overall, after watching that game I’m not worried about this game. I think the teams are evenly matched.
by HuskerINtheArmy on Sep 26, 2011 12:55 PM CDT up reply actions
Put Dennard on Toon and Bucky's offense loses some steam.
So cover Toon and watch for the Wilson scramble, and we should be able to keep them below 20 points. It’ll be interesting to see if our defensive line comes in with a fire in their belly though. I’d love to see them manhandle the concrete blocks that Wisconsin has for offensive linemen.
Our offense should have no problem scoring. Tell Martinez to lob the deep ball and let Reed, Enenuwa, Turner, Kinnie and Bell outrun the Badger secondary. And when that doesn’t work, throw the Burkhead at them, alternating with the Triplets. Occasionally, Martinez should be able to break off the speed option, but I’d rather he didn’t try and get himself killed unless he has to. We’ve got seven more Big Ten games to go.
We can grind out a win as long as Bo keeps them focused and business-like.
See? It’s not all gloom and doom.
"I did dumb things." - Tim Beck, Nebraska's new OC
by Salt Creek and Stadium on Sep 26, 2011 1:04 PM CDT up reply actions
The secondary is really scaring me. The more I see, the less faith I have in anybody not named Dennard or Stafford.
Go Suns, Packers, Jays, and Huskers!
Green Bay Packers: Super Bowl XLV Champions!!!!
I also edit things at Ridiculous Upside. Check it out.
But Rex is a monster.
It takes a minimum of 3 defenders to take him down. Trust me, I counted on many of those runs.
Go Suns, Packers, Jays, and Huskers!
Green Bay Packers: Super Bowl XLV Champions!!!!
I also edit things at Ridiculous Upside. Check it out.
I think
we have a pretty good defense but against our third UW school in a row it will take more than good. They will need to play great. Wisconsin’s recievers won’t do us the favors that Washington and Wyoming did by dropping sure touchdown passes.
Wisconsin has receivers?
Other than Toon?
"I did dumb things." - Tim Beck, Nebraska's new OC
by Salt Creek and Stadium on Sep 26, 2011 10:15 PM CDT up reply actions
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