Remember the Alamo (Bowl)

5 comments so far August 13, 2007 by Darren K. Carlson

My friends and I were just itching to watch football again, so I dug in to the Nebraska game DVD library last week (props to my brother-in-law for providing those...) and re-watched NU's win over Michigan in the 2005 Alamo Bowl. In revisiting this game from two years ago, I was struck by one thing. Well, two things really, but we're not going in to how poorly officiated that game was.

I was really floored by the total talent makeup of that team from Callahan's second season. Much of the coveted 2005 class wasn't ready to play, and we didn't know a thing about the two most recent classes. When you compare the quality and quantity of players that were on the field that night to what NU has entering the 2007/2008 campaign, you immediately notice the shift in both talent and depth on NU's roster.

At a number of positions, here are a reminder of who NU had on the field in San Antonio on Dec 26th, 2005, and who will likely participate to open this season on Sept 1st.

Offensive Line

I start here because it is the unit with the biggest improvement in my mind. The same 5 players manned the offensive line spots almost the entire night. No wonder they were so worn down by Michigan's front 4. And, let me drop a few names on you - Greg "bionic knee" Austin, Seppo Evwaraye, Brandon Koch, Jared Helming. All nice guys, I'm sure. But none are NFL caliber talents. Matt Slauson and Lydon Murtha pitched in a freshman, and were just giving us a glimpse of the talent they possessed.

Flash forward to today, and you see an NU squad that offensive line coach Dennis Wagner feels has 11 players who can participate along the offensive line. That's not just great, it can and should be the expectation at Nebraska. The aforementioned Slauson and Murtha are better prepared and positioned today, and could have big years. There are two other starters the coaches believe have NFL-caliber talent in center Bret Byford and tackle Carl Nicks, and the bevy of beef in the form of redshirt sophomores like Keith Williams and DJ Jones makes Husker fans optimistic for not just this year, but also the mid-term future.

Linebacker

Adam Ickes. That's all I should have to say, really. I don't mean to disparage the kid. By all accounts, he played very well, and forced a late Michigan fumble. But injuries to NU's starters forced the Huskers to play the same three linebackers in the Alamo all night, including walk-on Ickes and first year starters in sophomore Bo Ruud and Corey McKeon. It went well, as McKeon was lights out for much of the night. But, hardly an unit that inspired confidence versus the Wolverines.

Heading in to 2007, the linebacking corps is so deep and talented that it is NU's best unit, and considered by many to be the best in the Big 12. It's led by grizzled seniors at all three starting spots (Ruud, McKeon, and Steve Octavien) has backups that include yet another senior - Lance Brandenburgh - and an uber talented MLB prospect in Phillip Dillard. No doubt, this unit has gone from an area of relative concern to one of obvious strength.

Wide Receiver

Here is a list of wide receivers credited with catches in the Alamo Bowl - Terrence Nunn (4 for 91 yards), Nate Swift (3 for 31), Frantz Hardy (3 for 27). And some freshman nobody named Todd Peterson caught a crucial 2-point conversion pass. That's it. That's the list. Not exactly a powerful fleet on the outside for a team that threw the ball 31 times that night. But, I did see Isaiah Fluellen on the sidelines. No, he wasn't icing his hamstring.

Heading in to 2007, Nunn is now a senior with a chance to break NU's record for all-time catches. Juniors Swift and Peterson are coming off of contributing seasons as sophomores, and are expected to be even more productive. And, the Huskers have this guy named Mo Purify. You might have heard of him. Behind them, Hardy who could move from highly-anticipated newcomer to borderline irrelevance because of the influx of new players. Menolik Holt, Will Henry, Chris Brooks and Niles Paul are just a few of the names bandied about this August and NU rolls out a wide receiving corps more befitting a balanced attack.

Defensive Back

In San Antonio, sophomore Courtney Grixby and newcomer Zach Bowman manned the corner spots, while future NFLer Daniel Bullocks and the Blake "big effort" Tiedke played safety. Titus Brothers also played in the defensive backfield that night. It is an absolute shame that Bowman lost 2006 to an injury, because he flashed amazing talent against Michigan. Other than that, the secondary play was fairly pedestrian, and Michigan's Chad Henne made good yards with his arm...and his feet. I found myself screaming "where is the strong safety?" as Henne burned NU on scrambles up the middle.

There is no question in my mind that NU's defensive backfield will be significantly better than what they had in 2005 and in 2006. At safety, any combination of seniors Bryan Wilson and Tierre Green or big talents like newcomer Larry Asante and sophomore Ricky Thenarse is better (overall) than Bullocks and Tiedke, or last years combination of Green and Andrew Shanle. And, at corner, it is fair to assume that a healthy Bowman and Grixby are better as seniors than they were two years ago. Far beyond that, you have Andre Jones in his second year out of junior college and Armando Murillo in his first. Then, you factor in the phalanx of sophomore and freshman corners that NU has on the roster, and it get very clear that both the quantity and quality of talent has increased substantially.

Quarterback

Zach Taylor took every snap. And, while he proved his mettle that night by making throws and taking sack after sack, he was still just midway on his journey to becoming the conference offensive player of the year in 2006. Behind him stood a very long haired and lumpy looking Harrison Beck. The rest of the quarterbacks included Beau Davis (remember how that worked out in 2004?) and some short guy in a visor named Joe Ganz. Also occupying a jersey and a scholarship was Mike Stuntz. I had forgotten about his time as a Callahan player until I saw him on the sideline and said to my wife - "hey, there's 'The Play' ". Anytime a nickname starts with 'The', it is good for a laugh.

The 2007 quarterback battle is well documented, real or not. Choosing between a talent like Keller and a technician like Ganz who has been entrenched in the offense is a great problem to have. Keller will likely be the man, but the 'lil guy in the visor is all grown up and has the respect of the team. Honestly, NU knows who the starter and the backup are heading in to the season. That's real luxury. And, there are three players taking a swing at being the #3 guy. Odds are that Zach Lee beats out Beau Ganz and newbie Patrick Witt for that clipboard-holding job.

Running Back

Cory Ross played very well in the Alamo Bowl. Wow, I loved watching that kid play. And, he really was an MVP that night. But...again, he played the entire game. Even with NU's current corps of backs depleted with Jackson leaving and Wilson hurt, they still have three backs who could play tomorrow if necessary. Lucky and Glenn are obvious, and Culbert has at least had a spring to prepare. I'm not going to argue about the talent of any current player to the beloved Co Ro. But, it is clear that NU is deeper at running back now.

Defensive Line

This is the one unit where I feel NU has potentially less to offer in 2007 than it did on that night in 2005. Against Michigan, the defensive line starters included seniors LeKevin Smith and Titus Adams at tackle and Jay Moore and Adam Carriker at end. All are currently playing professional football. They were backed up by Ola Dagunduro and Barry Cryer, who would become the starting defensive tackles themselves in 2006, and then freshman Barry Turner made an appearance for the Huskers.

Looking at the defensive line for the upcoming season, there are many question marks to go along with some sizable talent. Few doubt that a mature Barry Turner could be solid at end, and sophomore Ndamukong Suh could be a force at nose tackle. Ty Steinkuhler also returns at the other defensive tackle spot. The base defensive end spot is a question mark, with Zach Potter the leading candidate to step in and start. I wouldn't trade that group of starters for the Alamo Bowl crew quite yet, folks. There is a curious assortment of backups in the wings, including Brandon Johnson, Shukree Barfield and Kevin Dixon looking to play defensive tackle. At end, Clayton Seivers and played extensively in the spring, and Pierre Allen has bulked up significantly. A lot must be sorted out.

So, it is perfectly clear why defensive line is the area that gives most Husker fans pause for 2007 . But, in my estimation, it is the only unit on this year's squad that is not remarkably improved or at least better stocked than the squad that beat Michigan in the 2005 Alamo bowl.

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