Injury Concerns Mar Otherwise Dominant Effort
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September 26, 2009 by
Nebraska took control early against Louisiana-Lafayette, capitalizing on some good bounces to take a 34-0 lead in the second quarter. But along the way, a number of Husker players took some punishment. Safety Rickey Thenarse left with what may have been a knee injury. Tight end Mike McNeil may have sprained an ankle. Safety Larry Asante managed to injure an ankle as he was running back an interception to give NU the 34-0 margin. Cornerback Prince Amukamara also limped off the field with an apparent ankle sprain. Not things you want to see in the last game before the start of conference play.
The Huskers were a bit slow to get started (the key word being "bit") as they were held to field goals on two of their first three possessions. Despite the relative ease with which they put points on the board, the running game wasn't all that explosive. The two 50+ yard drives by the Ragin' Cajuns might keep the first team defense out of blackshirts for another week. The offense also burned timeouts because they hadn't gotten out of the huddle in time.
But as the score would indicate, there was plenty to like. Alex Henery was his usual brilliant self. He hit two long field goals and managed a 56-yard punt to pin Louisiana-Lafayette at their own two-yard line and later pinned one at the one-yard line. The defensive line continued to control the line of scrimmage and registered the first sack of the year against the Cajuns. The special teams and defense also created good scoring opportunities setting up the Huskers in Cajun territory three times in the first half. NU quarterback Zac Lee was sharp.
Injuries aside, it was the kind of outing you wanted heading into conference play. No, the Huskers didn't play the perfect game, but they dominated a weaker team, as they should.
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WyHuskerFan Sep 27 09
Perfect example of Watson's scheme to adjust to what the defense gives you. Early on you could see they were loading the box to stop the run. Fine, we'll pass, and they did. You have to give credit to ULL offensive line, they stood their ground well. I thought Cameron Meredith was a beast. He played like a man possessed when he came in. Across the board the 2 deep roster players showed alot of passion and fire.
What does VT's thrashing of Miami say about the Huskers? Certainly more than NU's thrashing of ULL.
Oct 8 is going to be fun.
GBR!
Huskerdeck Sep 27 09
Speaking of injuries, did you see where Baylor's QB Griffin is out for the year.