Huskers Come Up Big in Second Half
This week the Big Red Network's Brandon Vogel listed five reasons the Huskers would win and BRN's Darren Carlson outlined his nightmare that could cost the Huskers victory. In many ways, they were both right. The Huskers played strong defensively for most of the day, yielding only 210 total yards and 14 first downs. But mistakes by the Husker offense and special teams nearly cost them the game as they gave up 21 points off of three turnovers.
The blackshirts played like the blackshirts of old, piling up 5 sacks and holding the Tigers to a total of 4 yards rushing on the day. They picked off two passes, blocked a field goal and a punt. If the best gift for the head coach and defensive coordinator in the wake of their father's death was a big day by the defense, they delivered in a big way.
But despite some mistakes and injuries to key players, the offense also got rolling in the third quarter. Todd Peterson had a huge day collecting four catches for 96 yards and a touchdown. Quentin Castille silenced critics like me with 125 yards rushing on 18 attempts and no lost fumbles (the option pitch is on Joe Ganz). Alex Henery was perfect on the day (and he needed to be), his longest kick being a 48-yard field goal.
Best of all, the Huskers won a big game with the whole world watching. For the second straight game they also did it in dramatic fashion which tends to make it all the more memorable. There may be NU fans who wanted more from the Huskers this season, but this team seemed to do everything you could ask. The Huskers just won nine games and played on New Year's Day.
Seems like old times.
1/1/2009
awesome game, awesome!
GBR, Happy New Year!
Blackshirts RULE!
1/1/2009
Spiller/Davis, 5 yds rushing?!
That’s just SICK!!!
woot!
1/1/2009
The defense was amazing. WOW.
1/1/2009
How enjoyable was it to watch the defense. Haven’t said that in 5 years.
1/1/2009
I don’t know if it was because our 2ndary was playing great or that their QB was just rather inept, but it didn’t seem like he could find too many open receivers all day.
I’ll assume it was the former!
Great job Murillo, West, O’Hanlan, Assante, et. al.!
1/1/2009
Thank you Cornhuskers and especially Quentin for making me eat my words about you. What a good win for us.
1/1/2009
Can you feel the love, tonight?
Nebraska made enough mistakes to lose 3 games and still out played, out gutted, especially out coached, the opponent. Amazing!
There was nothing flukey about the W, though. The opponent gets no excuses, in this one.
Nebraska even won it the “Nebraska Way.” Strength and savvy beat speed and raw emotional bravado. I mean, the entire Clemson team marching down the field like some conquering Roman Army?!
I underestimated Nebraska, both sides of the ball. I bought into the speed aspect. I have no doubt that Clemson underestimated them, too. While fast and intense, Clemson played the usual deep south style of lofting it deep after a couple of runs, trying to out athlete your guy for the ball. Make some big plays, then dominate on defense, FSU style. Our guys were all over it- and for the most part, had pretty good sportsmanship about it.
Something else Nebraska demonstrated, was what being “multiple” is all about. They kept showing run, then Castille, incredibly, becomes a key to the win. Sure, the offense takes a while for the players to master, but it ended up being too much for Clemson to keep up with. Right on schedule!
Does Clemson know they got beat by a walkon receiver? Do they know Nebraska sported two walkon linebackers as starters and a walkon safety who made a clutch pass defend in the endzone? The top 11 tacklers including special teams, were walkons!
In hindsight (of course) Nebraska did have some talent advantages. Joey was so much better than their kid. Joey gave another qb demo. Once again, he had good accuracy and poise under fire, even after the pics. He didn’t take a sack, he gutted out the hits. He defined the purest form of leadership possible… He set the example. Toughness which IS heart, tenacity, skill honed by patient practice. HE DEFINES leadership. Like Zac Taylor, it’ll take a minute to replace him.
Their interior D-line, while very good, didn’t disrupt and literally win it, like the indomitable Ndamukong and big Steinkuhler, who almost single handedly kept ‘em in it, first half. They both reached their college potential, under the Pelinis.
The biggest advantage was Bo and Co. Finally, a top quality, hungry staff! Granted, Clemson had the new HC, but Swinney seemed to do a great job getting his kids remotivated. Other than that, their staff was the same. Bo and his staff got the most out of their players, by far.
The Clemson program overcame much. A credit to the college game, how they regrouped after the firing.
But, once again, southern speed found out that these Corn… are tough to chew.
1/1/2009
Thanks to all those walk-on linebackers and D-backs that have the intelligence to understand schemes and adjust to calls.
1/1/2009
Ooey, I just found a booboo. 3 of the top 11 tacklers were walkons, is what I meant to say.
Gomen.
1/1/2009
Greg Morrow, your entry wasn’t posted before I was typing mine. You must have been typing your entry, and posted it, as I was typing mine. I didn’t know the stats on the walk-ons, but I’ve been saying all the last half of the season that the fans and media haven’t said enough about the contributions of our massive number of contributing walk-ons and the coaching it has taken to have them contribute in such a large manner. Is there another team in the nation or a past Husker team that has had so many walk-ons contribute(on the field) to a 9 win season? I can’t name any.
This is one of the better stories in football existence.
1/1/2009
Teamster,
I think you can, if you dig through the annals. Even the conference winners or better, were well represented by walkons. Remember walkon rich o-lines and receivers and tight ends? There’s always been walkons in the mix at safety and linebacker. Shoot, even Jared Tomich was a walkon!
That’d be a good topic for an industrious BRN staff member to address!
1/1/2009
Oh and Teamser,
“This is one of the better stories in football existence.” That’s a great quote!
It’s existential!
1/1/2009
Greg Morrow
“....I mean, the entire Clemson team marching down the field like some(g@y)Roman Army?!...”
There, fixed….
GBR!
1/1/2009
whoa, I just can’t get over looking at the stats sheet and seeing a ‘4’ in the Clemson total rushing yds column!!!
HA!
...after hearing about freaking Spiller/Davis for the last month and 1/2….
suckas….
1/2/2009
Seeing this performance on national TV, especially by the Blackshirts…how could you not want to be part of it?
Defensive Tackle Ndamukong Suh:
“I’m not 100 percent sure (about entering the NFL), but my mindset is that I would like to come back to school. I have a year of school to finish, and I want to come back and play for Bo. I love playing for these coaches.�
1/2/2009
If this team could have ever put 4 consecutive quarters together it could be scary. Hopefully harbingers of what may be in the very near future. Great defensive effort. By far the best of the year. I guess I’m acclimated to the offense being tentative and sluggish in the first half before finding their rhythm. Better late than never. I will confess during the first half I had to pause by DVR and go outside and scream at the rocks and trees. Congrats to Bo & Co. There was no quit in this team all year, and it really showed in the end. GBR!
1/2/2009
If this team could have ever put 4 consecutive quarters together it could be scary. Hopefully harbingers of what may be in the very near future. Great defensive effort. By far the best of the year. I guess I’m acclimated to the offense being tentative and sluggish in the first half before finding their rhythm. Better late than never. I will confess during the first half I had to pause my DVR and go outside and scream at the rocks and trees. Congrats to Bo & Co. There was no quit in this team all year, and it really showed in the end. GBR!
1/2/2009
Yea, I was pretty livid at halftime mainly because of the hating on Joey that I read on some other boards—was just unbelievable to me how some ‘fans’ could be throwing him under the bus when the O-line was giving him no protection.
He was playing injured from the latter 2nd qtr onward.
Plus, I felt strongly we would come back and win since Clemson’s m.o. is not that of a 2nd half team. They’ve got a lot of flash: for about 2 qtrs.
1/2/2009
Slightly off topic, did anyone notice the picture of Matt Slauson in their starting line-ups graphic? If you have the game saved on your DVR, or have the CBS broadcast DVD, check it out. I don’t know who the picture was of, but it was definitely not Slauson. The guy in the picture wouldn’t scare me in a dark alley late at night. Slauson would.
1/2/2009
Chez bOp,
Thank’s for the more accurate meaning of Clemson’s marching arm lock!
Obviously, I mistook Romans for Greeks!
1/2/2009
‘Romans R US’!....‘er….them….