Kansas Post-Mortem

1 comment so far November 16, 2009 by Tom Cudd

I've got to admit, this was a week that had me both apathetic and worried at the same time. After such an emotional game last week, I wondered how our team would be able to respond to a team that many consider to be underachieving. Kansas has the pieces and the talent to be dangerous, but haven't been showing it since their initial 5-0 start to the season. People outside of Kansas and Nebraska will probably look at 31-17 and think that Nebraska didn't have their share of troubles in this game. I saw a Husker team that did what it absolutely needed to in order to win the game, but it could have easily been much closer and even an upset if a couple of things hadn't gone NU's way.

On the first drive of the game, the whole direction of the afternoon could have changed if Roy Helu Jr. doesn't jump on the Zac Lee's fumble that ended up in the end zone. But this play showed something that I have been seeing the last few weeks. It seems like the Huskers have really paid attention to the situations on the field since the mistakes of Texas Tech and Iowa State.

Nobody seems to want to give up until the whistle blows. Players are quick to jump on the ball any time it bounces in the air or hits the turf. I have noticed a sense of "urgency" on the offense, not in the sense that they had to score now, but that every play is important, not just plays at the end of the half or game. If not for this attitude, we don't go on a three game winning streak. It's just one of the many things that have been reminding me of what made Nebraska football such a great program.

There's a number of other things that have been reminding me of the past and the Tom Osborne era. At the start of the game, redshirt freshman Tim Marlowe returns the kickoff 40 yards to put NU in position to score. In the past, you saw young players wanting to make an impact on special teams so that they could earn regular playing time. But not just the young players, we saw other players making big plays when needed on special teams and offense. Niles Paul looks like the most athletic player on the team next to Helu. His big return, one-handed circus catch, and play when he dragged a defender for almost 10 yards were all examples of his skill.

Paul was on the receiving end of a couple of Zac Lee's accurate throws, but it was Lee's feet that made plays that keep the chains rolling. Lee's decisions were immediate and, well, decisive. On his roll out where he took off for 20 yards, it was clear that he was determined to get the first down and more. No hesitation.

I love that Dr. Tom Osborne can contribute ideas to Shawn Watson, but it's clear that the players NU has do not have the ability to run options in the same way as the past. I like utilizing some of the features of an option attack, such as bootlegs, rolling the quarterback, and moving the pocket. And the fake option pass was one of the best offensive plays I've seen from the Huskers all year. But on the flip side, I'm done with the short side option runs. It seems like they lose yards, don't gain yards, or fumble on that type of play. Rarely does the blocking line up in such a way that Helu can gain yards.

Of course, I didn't mention a couple of the biggest parts of the game, like Helu just controlling the fourth quarter. But in my mind, Dejon Gomes forced fumble on Kerry Meier was the play of the game. Totally changed the tone of a defense that couldn't pressure the same way that they have in other games this season. But for all the great things that happened to the Huskers on Saturday, I've got to say that it's good to see another team make the same mistakes against us that we've been making quite a bit all year.

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