Escape from Wake
21 comments so far
September 8, 2007 by
Nebraska's hopes for a big season and a highly-anticipated match up with USC nearly wilted under the heat of a North Carolina day and a very prepared Wake Forest football team. But, in the end, the Husker defense made enough plays to preserve a 20-17 victory for the Huskers.
Scene Setting
I'm posting this from the air conditioned comfort of the Fox and Hound pub in Winston-Salem, and not from the sweltering blacktop of the tailgating lots around Groves stadium. The home fans were gracious and generous to the 8,000-10,000 Husker fans that my BRN cohorts and I estimate came to support NU. While the stadium environment was not intimidating in the least, the weather and the tightness of the game outcome made me about as uncomfortable as I have been in a while at a game. Many of the fans around our section were absolutely spent from cheering in the sun. I can only imagine how the NU players were feeling.
Learning Without Losing
If NU coaches can't find room to teach from film of today's game, then they aren't earning their paychecks. NU did not look good in many phases of the game. Keller made some throws, but looked rattled and made big mistakes that nearly cost Nebraska dearly, particularly the fumble in the fourth quarter. Wide receivers and tight ends continued to drop passes. Mo Purify looked particularly rusty in his return to game action following a one-game suspension. Perhaps worst of all, the Blackshirt defense (especially the linebacking corps) did not tackle well in trying to defend Wake's mis-direction based offense.
The big upside for Nebraska and its fans today is that NU played poorly against a good opponent on the road...and still managed to win the game. They can learn the lessons from today and apply them without having the specter of an L on their results. Learning without losing is a luxury. And, NU's big defensive players were the ones making the big plays. Ndamukong Suh looked like an absolute beast along the line of scrimmage. Steve Octavien made key tackles and Zack Bowman made a game-saving interception in the end zone late in the game. It is nice to see play makers at all three levels of the defense.
On the offensive side, there were signs of a tough day from the very start. When Nebraska settled for field goals instead of cashing in touchdowns on two first-half drives you could sense that the Demon Deacons were going to hang around. If NU can perform better in the red zone, those 14 points would have put a lot of pressure on Wake and their backup quarterback to press and make plays. The tone and pace of the game would have been much different. Instead, Wake could stay within their game plan and feel like they had a handle on the game.
Respect to the Opponent
Wake Forest is a good football team. Their run defense is for real. They controlled the line of scrimmage for much of the day, and never let NU get its running game up to speed. Their offense mixes legit athletes with enough gadgetry to really put a team off balance. Their ability to execute draws and end-around plays frustrated NU for much of the day. The Deacons were undone by inexperience at quarterback. Hodges' first interception led to NU's first points and his last one ended a late Wake rally.
After watching what Boston College (who beat Wake in week 1) did to NC State today, I think you would be hard pressed to find a better 0-2 team in the country than Wake. Those who chalk today's close game up to just the Huskers playing poorly are underestimating how well Jim Grobe's club blocked and tackled.
What did NU Do Well?
I won't have a great gauge of the Husker performance until I have had a chance to watch the game on screen a few times and look at plays. But, at first blush, there are a few pluses that fans can take with them this week as USC looms. First, the two-minute drill at the end of the first half was well executed and swung momentum greatly. And, considering that Callahan has never won at NU when trailing at the half, it was likely the difference in the game. Also, Nebraska's goal-line defense saved the day more than once. You can't say enough about the way Suh changed the line of scrimmage every time Wake tried to run between the tackles. Finally, Callahan did show a willingness to adjust and adapt on offense. When he wanted to back Wake away from the line of scrimmage he threw some deep balls. When their corners gave NU some cushion, the threw the quick hitch routes to Purify and gobbled up 9 yards. It was the first time I've seen Callahan really play "checkers" instead of "chess".
Here Come the Trojans
So, NU's escape from Wake with a win hardly inspires confidence among many, considering the mighty USC Trojans come calling to Lincoln in seven days. But, remember that you never really know who your team is until they change time zones for a game. NU took a big step to getting better for having traveled to play this week. And, getting USC in Lincoln for their first true road test is a silver lining. As I look at the screens in the Fox and Hound for games in progress this afternoon, it is evident that college football parity is more real than ever, too. The margins between bad and good and good and great just keep getting slimmer. Nebraska got a real wake up call today, and it could improve their focus in practice this week. They will need to be much sharper, especially on offense for them to go toe-to-toe with the Trojan's next week.
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ze Sep 08 07
I give Wake alot of credit, especially their defense which was much better than I thought it would be. Their offensive misdirection stuff was also a total pain in the a$$. Had they had Skinner in there they probably would have gotten the W.
But, we got the W, with a mediocre offensive showing. Keller was not that sharp. Our defense played great on the whole and won the game for us.
A W's a W.
Go Big Red!
Scott Sep 08 07
A win is a win....ask Michigan and Notre Dame about that one right now. Wins never need to be pretty, although it would be nice if they were as easy as the 1995 ones were. It's nice going into the USC game 2-0 instead of 1-1. I hope the coaches have begun disecting film as early as Saturday night for this one. To say it's a huge game is an understatement.
Benson National Sep 09 07
You guys are all positive and upward-looking about this win but we need to be shaking in our boots right now. USC is the number one team in the country and they may not have ooked like it the first week but there's a reason for it. If Keller plays even remotely like he did today or the receivers keep dropping balls or the O-line is soft...any single one of those things and we'll wish Billy C had tucked his head inside the shell like he did last year. I love Nebraska football as much as anybody from this great state has a right to do, but I'm real worried about our 'Skers next week.
Bill in Iowa Sep 09 07
At best we can hope that this was a "look ahead" game or one of the Huskers "lets play to half or our potential just to make it interesting" games. At worst, the game reflects that we have a very talented yet inexperienced qb that is easy to rattle, an average group of experienced receivers who drop well thrown passes, and a young inexperienced defense (as a whole). Maybe its a little of both. At this point, I am hoping the team grows up fast and puts together a flawless and inspired performance...cause thats what its going to take against USC.
ze Sep 09 07
I predicted NE 45, Wake 17--I got half of it right. Had we won by a larger margin I would feel as confident as I did last week about our chances against USC. As it is, I think our only hope is if we(NE) play out of our heads for 4 qtrs. and SC has a mediocre showing.
I was surprised at Wake's ability to bottle up our run offense, but I think their D line was the strength of their team, and note that they were in a BCS bowl last year(right?). So give Wake some credit for playing tough as well as NU for finding a way to win.
Keller did alright. I haven't seen any college QB who is playing flawlessly from week to week: they all make bonehead mistakes. The guy hadn't played for over a year and I guess I can say I expected him to be a little rough around the edges for the 1st 4-5 games. We will have to rely moreso on the running game until Keller gets totally up to speed, which brings me to my next point: WE NEED SOME MISDIRECTION IN OUR RUNNING GAME! It's way too predictable and we're not going to be able to just line up and blow most of the rest of our opponents off the ball.
Andrew Sep 09 07
Watching the game in person made me feel like I was watching the Nebraska Auburn game last year, one team did most of the things they needed to win, but in the end the team that played worse still won.
doombob Sep 09 07
Defense won it for us - but what worried me most was that long bomb that got us. Wake almost ran it right three other times. I won't exactly be excited come USC game time - more like having an anxiety attack.
Grant Sep 10 07
Here is a post someone made at rivals.com. Corny...but it gets the blood pumping. Thought you could use it on the BRN site this week.
I have read posts on this board for a while, you are all very educated football fans. No question. I love reading the insight shared.
With that knowledge we know that we face a big challenge this week.
On paper, they are the better team. Period.
As a fan, go to the stadium on Saturday night wearing your red,
scream as loud as you can.
The most amazing thing about college football is that the best team on paper doesn't always win. We all know that. I could talk about playing with emotion at home etc. but we have all heard that before many times...
Here is where the usual email changes...(or may get strange to some of you)
I am challenging you all to do something even greater.
This is the type of game that we wake the echoes...of the past great
coaches and players. We will scream with the thought in our minds about being young and hearing Lyle Breamser calling the game on the radio...and hearing it in your front yard from the neighbors garage....
We have a chance to win ONLY BECAUSE WE BELIEVE WE CAN WIN.
Stop the bashing of coaches and players this week. We know have issues
to work on. Hell, some fans stopped loving our program because of names
of the AD and Coaches that will change in time. Imagine if that would have happened with Dr. Tom in his first few years.
The point is, come together and support like you have never supported before. Whether it's Tagge or Keller we ARE THE BIG RED!
Do we have a chance at winning?
You bet we do. It's a sacred place to all of us from Nebraska
called Memorial Stadium.
WE CAN WIN BECAUSE WE BELIEVE WE CAN WIN. I don't care how good you are.
The players need to hear the echoes of former greats again,
and we can stir that by our atmosphere on Saturday night.
I know that USC hasn't seen it at Washington or ASU.
It's our duty to wake the echoes...
(This may seem corny, and if it does I apologize...but you
don't get it...)
SC 24
NU 27
When we stop believing and don't expect to win, we are finished.
Just some perspective...from a Husker fan.
Go Big Red.
Scott Sep 10 07
Appalacian St. was supposed to be a "fill-in" game for Michigan. What we all need to embrace is that this is why games are played. Upsets happen. USC is NOT invincible....UCLA already proved that.
I hope that the people that are being negative don't watch the game this Saturday. They are probably the same ones that wanted Tom Osborne fired in the 80's and early 90's for not winning the big one or for not beating Oklahoma enough. And if they are too young to remember that, then it was probably their father that was making those types of comments.
Hey Benson National, it's a brand new week. USC could come in and play just as bad.
Hey Andrew, remember when the Ravens won the Super Bowl? They played worse in a lot of their games but they found ways to win. This is a game we can win and it's also a game we could lose and lose big.
OU7times Sep 10 07
WOW! Have times changed or what? Listen to yourselves. Trying to convince yourselves that "I think I can, I think I can". Holy smokes, you guys are only 10 point underdogs! If you are going to act this way over this game what would you do if you were 20 point dogs? This isn't the NU fan base I know. Normally you folks would take it as a challenge. After all, isn't this game being played in Lincoln, for cripes sake? Sounds to me like you subconsciously have resigned your selves to the fact that USC is unbeatable.
John Allen Sep 11 07
Just like the Orange Bowl, the better team lost the game. Nebraska staff deserves credit for in-game adjustments - WF Kevin Marion was WIDE open much of the first half. Nice, objective piece - good job with this. Good luck v. USC.
Grant Hendrix Sep 11 07
As a Wake fan, I was extremely disappointed in the outcome, but took some comfort in the fact that we lost to a very good football team. A lot has been said about us not having Riley Skinner, but the fact remains, the Huskers did what they had to do to win. No excuses, we lost where it matters -- on the scoreboard. I think my Deacs are going to have a strong season, but we weren't good enough to win Saturday. Here's wishing you the best of seasons!! BEAT USC!!
Dan Sep 11 07
Wake fan here. Good article. Fair assessment. Good luck to the Big Red. You will hear more from Wake this season. Good things are about to start happening
ze Sep 11 07
'...Just like the Orange Bowl, the better team lost the game...'
Hey Wake Fan, where were You last week leading up to the game when we were inviting you on our boards for a good old fashioned Smack Down(well, smack on the Web is a relatively new phenomenon, whatEVER)? I surmise that ya'll were hiding out in the secluded corners of your homes and offices just praying to whatever God(s) you pray to out there in NC that NE wouldn't score 'off the hizzle' on yo' beee-luv'd Deacs. As it is, you made a game of it and are now coming on here beating your collective chest and spitting fire and such. O.k., well, most fans do that after a victory....
Fact: Wake is 0-2, NE is 2-0, deal with it!
Fact: Deacs lost every game to a ranked opponent last year--Clemson, VT, and Luh-vuhl.
O.k., ya'll squeaked by GT(#23), but everyone knows of Tech's tendency toward inconsistency.
Fact: Last year, Wake hit the 30+ points mark in only 2 games--34 vs 'Liberty'(who the heck is THAT?), and 30 vs the recently hapless FSU.
WOOHOO!
Fact: It's a complete miracle that Wake won the ACC, and only did so as a result of intraconference 'cannibalism', and a temporary downturn of the historical power teams in your conference. NE can boast of beating the ACC champ and a BCS contender, but I hope their heads aren't too much in the clouds over it, since beating the champs of last year's ACC is a dubious distinction.
Fact: you have a good coach and a good defense, but your O is no great shakes. For all their running hither and yon, they don't put up a hell of alot of points. You played NE well, but there's no doubt that NE is the superior team. We will only have to recapitulate at season's end and see who's standing taller. But after you finish at or below .500, I doubt you'll be much in the mood to come 'round here like proud peacocks ag'in.
Prediction: Wake will lose to GT, Clemson, and VT this year, and will be lucky to finish 6-6. Seems your glory years(year) have passed.
P.S. thank you Granr Hendrix, I know I just dissed on your team, but it just doesn't work for another Wake fan to say that the better team lost last Saturday.
ct Sep 11 07
just so you know..we don't play GT or VaTech this year....instead we play UNC,UVA,and Duke.
Hot Deacon Cider Sep 11 07
ze,
You're as classless as it gets. Fortunately, your Husker brethren are not. They were a fantastic group to host, and though the outcome wasn't what I anticipated, the afternoon (save for the heat) was incredible.
Nebraska fans should take this tool out to the woodshed after the above post!!!
ze Sep 11 07
UNC, UVA, Duke. I guess I just assumed that
wake was playing the bigger boys in their conference. O.k. let me get back to you on that....
ze Sep 11 07
Revised prediction for Wake's '07 season(i.e.,incredibly soft schedule):
BC--L
NE--L
Army--W
Maryland--W?
Duke--W
FSU--Toss up
Navy--W?
NC--W
Vir--W
Clemson--L
NCS--W
Vandy--W
So, giving Wake the benefit of the doubt inthe FSU, Maryland, and Navy games where they should drop only one of those if they are what they say they are('a darn tootin' good l'il team), the best skeee-nario for Deacs is an 8-4 regular season finish.
So, please accept my apologiies in advance and enjoy your 'Winner of A Soft Schedule' award come post season.
Again, I will make my point that your absence from our boards(not you guys in particular) last week was quite conspicuous given all the smack that Deac Fan brought here, uninvited I might add, last spring!
DG Sep 11 07
I think, (I hope), the positives I saw on Sat. turn out to be a small sampling of the things that the Huskers need to do against USC. 1) Sam's arm didn't look all that impressive, but on 2 long drives, when needed, he hit the 10yd out, the 10yd curl, both with zip, the touch pass for a TD. He kept drives going to use clock. 2) On Marlon's TD run he wasn't even touched. Throughout the game, he continually got to the 2nd line of defenders. He had 3 opps. that I remember when small things kept him from big runs, ie. shoestring tackle, he stubbed his cleat into the turf. 3) The QB keeper was open ALL DAY, EVERYTIME! Look at the replay! The end around reverse was never handed off. Only twice did we go deep. Purify is big and was open more than it seemed. Don't get me wrong, they didn't play well, but they did have bright spots to expand on. BUT!!! I sure as hell hope Bill and his merry band of coaches got the post birdie screw up out of the way after signing a new contract.
Whit Sep 11 07
It would be an honor to have a home and home resheduled with your great program in the next decade. I hope our coaches and ADs get together and do this. I was proud as a peacock to see all the "local" Cornhusker fans come out of the woodwordk and visit downtown Winston 'cause I was sporting my WF shirt proudly too. I hope you pull off a National Championship but watch out for Boston College. They're very good too.
Andrew Sep 11 07
I am not a Wake fan, I was just making an observation.....