Special Teams Give NU Jump Start
6 comments so far
November 27, 2009 by
Superior field position is never a bad thing. Against the Buffaloes, it seemed to be everything. The Huskers pinned Colorado deep for most of the first half. This helped set up a 59-yard punt return touchdown by Niles Paul and a 24-yard touchdown pass to tight end Ben Cotton. After Nebraska missed a long field goal attempt (giving Colorado good field position), the Buffs closed the gap to 14-7. When a dropped pass by Niles Paul killed an NU drive a good punt by Alex Henery pinned the Buffs deep again which set up a 20-yard Matt O'Hanlon interception return for a touchdown to give Nebraska a 21-7 halftime lead.
You wondered whether the Huskers would show too much against Colorado, such that they'd be out of surprises for Texas. But winning the special teams battle is a recipe you can use week in and week out. It seems like a vital one for the Big 12 championship game.
By no means were the Huskers putting on an offensive clinic. They had less than 90 yards of total offense at halftime, 60 yards less than Colorado. And yet NU took control of the game quickly and never really seemed in real danger of losing.
Injuries are of course a concern as Matt O'Hanlon seemed to hurt his shoulder and Larry Asante was dinged as well. Zac Lee had everyone worried in the third quarter. Mike Smith got rolled on the back of his knee.
But the Huskers kept much of the momentum that they've had since the win over Oklahoma. They won't be the favorite against Texas, but they'll have a fighting chance.
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cvldfg Nov 27 09
Crappy ending, but I'll take the win. We dominated them for most of the game.
We should be better next year on offense...and defense.
Do you notice how Burkhead ALWAYS falls forward after contact?
The scary thing is, should we run the option next year?
Coach Watson's name is put out there for head coaching positions, well, we may want to worry about coach Pelini, Carl that is, entertaining offers.
We NEED to smarten up with this penalty BS. texas is a whole different animal. They can make worse things happen to us when we commit stupid mistakes.
Thank you cu for keeping the hawkster around for one more year. It'll be nice putting the final nail in your coffin at home next year.
staffordcpa Nov 27 09
Watched Burkhead do that for 4 years while he was at Plano - by the time he is done at Nebraska, everyone will have noticed that. He is an animal and has the best center of gravity I have ever seen on a football field.
Spaceman Spiff Nov 27 09
Did you see Burkhead in the forth quarter do that little hop move and avoid the tackle. Wow. What instincts.
Greg Morrow Nov 27 09
It was magnificent!
Colorado again gets to feel victimized. Like they should've (would've) won. Nebraska again got "lucky" and..... WAIT TILL NEXT YEAR!
Again.
Just magnifique!
I have no doubt that each team respects each other. I saw some nice sportsmanship. Typical intensity, which is always a likely reason unlikely things happen.
Lee not getting hurt too bad, wow. That would've been major.
Pelini's not satisfied. He had a genuinely unsatisfied display for his bro, with that last Touch. Loved that they didn't have to contest the extra point. That was great.
But, when Nebraka needed some points, to go 80 yards, with only ten passing and an offsides. By punching them in their "mouf," with a freshman back... I can't believe it. Reminds me of Osborne's last game and the drives, that finished off Tennessee. Just way more unlikely.
After this season, offense will be the topic and I don't think even Wats and Pelini know how they'll configure things. At the moment, they have a squad that at least knows how to do about every thing. They've probably even practiced some "wild corn" sets.
They did get a clutch first down to Paul, in the spread. Which, was their offense.
But in that one drive, they shoved it right down their throats, right in front of everybody.
James Moore Nov 28 09
I couldn't help but think that it's a bit ironic that last year we started out trying to be an I/Power Package-type team and found out identity as a one-back with 10/11 spread principles. This year we started out with a pure 10/11 spread with the occasional one-back but found our identity as an I/Power Package-type team. . .
Bill in Iowa Nov 28 09
I'm glad Burkhead was able to put up good numbers and allow Helu to rest up a bit. Having both backs fresh and ready to play against Texas gives me more hope that we may be able to hang w/ them. Lee seems to have found his mojo and is throwing the ball well. I just wish we could pass block better and provide him more time in the pocket. We are going need to pass against Texas and keep their defense honest. We saw today how a QB who is a very good scrambler can neutralize our d-line pass rush, McCoy will be even better at it. Texas will score points on our D and special teams and the offense are going to have to answer.