Week 2 Recap and Ramblings
3 comments so far
September 11, 2006 by
Coach Callahan failed to heed my advice and left Zac Taylor in the game for 3 quarters Saturday. He was rewarded with a 56-7 victory over Nicholls State but was lucky not to lose any key players. Combined with Troy State’s impressive effort versus Florida State and Beau Davis now seems as likely to play this year as I am.
Marlon Lucky broke the 100-yard barrier for the first time in his career and leads all running backs in rushing and receiving after two games. Matt Herian scored his second touchdown in as many weeks and now leads the Huskers in receiving yards (with Maurice Purify second in that category). Both Adam Carriker and Jay Moore are tied for the team lead in tackles for losses with three apiece. On paper, this is what you would expect from Nebraska’s top playmakers and these are likely the same players (in addition to Zac Taylor) that will need to make plays if the Huskers are to prevail at USC.
Special teams have been solid, but not spectacular. Terrence Nunn leads the team in receptions but both he and Nate Swift have done more damage as punt returners than receivers. Dan Titchener has averaged a very respectable 42 yards on 4 punts. Jordan Congdon has been perfect on extra points but missed his only field goal attempt on a wet day. Special teams are often the difference in close games, so the Huskers must find a way to get more out of this group.
More Nicholls State coverage on our Game Day page
Around the Big 12
Around the conference, Missouri looked good dispatching with Mississippi 34-7. Oklahoma State also won comfortably 35-7 for the second week in a row hosting Arkansas State. The same could also be said of Texas A&M as they disposed of Louisiana-Lafayette 51-7. Aside from Nebraska, these were the only Big XII teams that have put together back-to-back blowouts to open the season. No team has matched the Huskers’ 52.5 scoring average or 44-point average margin of victory, though the aforementioned teams are in the top four in both scoring average and scoring defense.
A number of Big XII teams improved in the second week. Oklahoma found some offense as they took out Washington 37-20. Kansas State played substantially better in their 45-0 win over Florida Atlantic. Baylor rebounded from a loss to TCU with a 47-10 win over Northwestern State.
Three more conference squads simply survived. Texas Tech needed overtime to escape with a win over UTEP 38-35. Kansas squeaked by Louisiana-Monroe 21-19. Iowa State defeated UNLV 16-10, however many of the Runnin’ Rebels believed that they had actually scored a game-tying touchdown as time expired.
Both Colorado and Texas lost big games, the Buffaloes fell 14-10 to their hated in-state rival Colorado State and then #2 Texas lost 24-7 to #1 Ohio State. While the Buffaloes actually might call their loss a sign of improvement (after all, losing on a neutral site to a I-A team by four points is not nearly as bad as losing at home to a I-AA squad by nine), Texas went from offensive juggernaut in their opening win over North Texas to punchless creampuff versus the Buckeyes. The Longhorns next have a get well game at Rice, while CU hosts 22nd ranked Arizona State.
The Longhorns still showed they have the talent to contend for a Big XII title. The Buffaloes now have to face the real possibility that may not win a single game this year. Home dates against Baylor and Kansas State might be their best hope, but these teams have played much better than the Buffs so far. A November home date against Iowa State who came into the season with high expectations but has not played well will be another opportunity for CU to grab an elusive victory, but at that point you’d wonder whether a 10-loss Colorado could find the wherewithal to beat any team.
Photo: Lincoln Journal Star
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Darren Sep 11 06
Well, I was wrong in 2 predictions - Texas and Texas Tech. Though, I did think Texas moved the ball well at times. Their leaky secondary and the difference at quarterback was obviously the difference. And, do I get credit for coming CLOSE on the Tech upset call?
I'll have to take some pride in knowing Missouri would roll over Ole Miss.
About Colorado - Not only did they lose, but Montana State (1AA) lost to Division 2 Chadron State (of NE) on Saturday! WOW.
Grant Sep 11 06
Glad Colorado sux...but want to know the status on USC. What are the "experts" saying, and what is the realistic thought on leaving southern california with an upset? Can the front 7 apply enough pressure on Booty to give the secondary a fighting chance? Will we see Carricker more at DT than DE? How will our offensive line stack up against the Trojan's speed on defense? I'm more than a little excited about this week's game!
Steve Sep 11 06
Grant,
I would temper expectations of an upset. You have to go back to 1997 to find a Husker team that went on the road and beat a higher ranked team on their campus. Prior to that, you have to go back to the mid-80's. It's extremely tough to pull off and USC showed how potent they can be when they went to Fayetteville in week one.
Beyond history, their strength at wide receiver plays directly into the Huskers' weakness in the secondary. To have any hope, the Husker front 7 must dominate.
So if an upset is a 10-1 proposition, failing that I want to see the Huskers keep it close. A close loss like the one to Florida State can still be a step forward for the program. It can give the Huskers confidence that indeed they can compete with the top programs in the country once again. Michigan in San Antonio is one thing, USC in L.A. is another altogether.
Wherever they line up Carriker, he needs to have the game of his life. The same can be said for Zac Taylor, Matt Herian, Marlon Lucky, etc.
It's an exciting game, but unfortunately the deck is stacked against Nebraska this week so a win would truly be an upset - that is, an unlikely occurrence.