Just Like the Muppets…

… the Huskers take Manhattan.

Methodically Lulling You to Sleep

That’s what Nebraska is doing to the opposition right now. The Big Red gets a big lead, and then gives you a slow and painful death. It’s been a while since I’ve seen a Husker team this good at holding onto a lead (save for the Kansas game this year). Nebraska held nearly a 10-minute time of possession advantage. That’s impressive, especially on the road.

B-Jax Taking Control

Brandon Jackson got the start, and got the ball rolling with a 48-yard run in the first quarter. That set the tone. Jackson is the best back when it comes to seeing the holes and darting through them. As John Madden would say, “It’s not the speed to the hole… it’s the speed through the hole.” And B-Jax does a great job of that.



Josh Who?

The blackshirts downplayed it all week, saying that Josh Freeman’s decommitment from Nebraska to Kansas State would not be a factor on Saturday. On Saturday, Freeman wasn’t a factor, either.

Freeman attempted 47 passes, throwing for 272 yards. That’s only 5.8 yards per attempt. He was sacked 5 times, and was never able to take his time in the pocket. He was on the run for most of the second half, with the Huskers coming up with two interceptions.

Second Half Adjustments

I’m just being picky here, but the Husker offense is going to have to start putting up some points in the second half. They’ve only put up 14 points over the last two games after halftime. With Texas on the horizon, that will have to change. Of course, the Huskers have had comfortable second-half leads in those games, so they’ve been able to play a little conservatively. They most likely won’t have a big halftime lead next week, and they’ll have to adjust accordingly.

Then again, the defense has only allowed 10 second half points in the last two games.

Nevermind, offense.

How Much is Callahan Holding Back?

A lot.

At last check, the offensive playbook still weighs somewhere in the neighborhood of 25 pounds. There’s so much we haven’t seen. Sure, we saw a fake field goal for a touchdown. But I’m not talking about gimmicks.

I think Callahan has been playing things relatively close to the vest. You can’t blame a guy for not wanting to give away too much to the forthcoming conference opposition (i.e. Texas and Missouri). We’ll give him a pass at USC because, well, it’s USC. But next week’s game is not only a Big 12 game, but possibly a Big 12 Championship preview. And you can rest assured Bill Callahan will do whatever it takes to win (i.e. Zac Taylor throwing the ball more than 17 times). A Nebraska win would put the Huskers in cruise control to Kansas City, while giving them a giant heap of national respect. We will see the true Nebraska football team next week (win or lose).

Speaking of Which

Before the season began, I said the Huskers would beat Texas at Memorial Stadium. I’m still sticking with it.

If Nebraska has one advantage (boy, we’re analyzing the Texas game already?) it’s that Texas quarterback Colt McCoy has yet to play a game outside the state of Texas. The Red River Rumble was in Dallas. McCoy hasn’t played in a stadium where 95 percent of the fans are rooting against him. I think it’s going to be a rude awakening for the freshman in Lincoln. Sure, he’ll get his yards, and the Longhorns will get their points. But I’m picking Nebraska in a semi-shootout.

Nebraska 30
Texas 27

MArVelouS win

The 12th-ranked Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks notched their biggest win of the season, a 21-to-20 win over 3rd-ranked North Dakota. So what if UND was undefeated and highly-ranked… the Mavs have had their number, beating them 5 of the last 6 times (make it 6 of 7).

Quarterback Zac Miller grew up in Saturday’s game. He threw an interception, but seemed to be in complete command of the offense. With two touchdown runs and a touchdown pass, Miller is clearly the man for the Mavs. This is his team.

The UNO defense was impressive in the second half. The Fighting Sioux (NCAA nickname lawsuit forthcoming) had two red-zone drives and only came away with two field goals, one time forced to kick after being stopped on 3rd and goal at the two.

The Maverick offense seemed to hold the ball the entire fourth quarter. After taking a 21-to-20 lead, the Mavs got the ball back with about 7:30 left. With the help of runningback Kyle Kasperbauer’s legs and a couple of pass interference penalties, UNO held onto the ball until only 18 seconds remained. By then it was too late. North Dakota hasn’t won in Omaha since 1995.

I asked Kasperbauer and receiver Troy Kush how this win would raise the expectations of the rest of the season. “Through the roof” was the common theme. Why not? You beat the 3rd-ranked team (albeit at home), you might just be able to beat anybody.

A Quick Shout-out to the Guy Who Gave Me One

Since the Husker game was on at night, I was able to watch the UNO game in person (through the lense of a camera, no less). During the first half, an older UNO fan yelled to me, “Hey Matt! Give me my HD back!” Thinking he was kidding, I turned around, smiled and said, “I wish I could.”

In the second half, while I was shooting in the same endzone, he yelled it to me again. “Hey Matt! I want my HD back!” A light bulb went off in my head, as I immediately realized that if he indeed had been joking, he wouldn’t've used the same joke twice. I ignored his comment and began to fear for my well-being.

In the 4th quarter, with about 3 minutes left in the game, I was at the opposite endzone. All of a sudden I hear a guy screaming behind me, “Matt! Give me back my HD!” I turned around, made eye-contact with the same heckler, and watched him leave the stadium.

A couple of observations to the yelling man:

1) I’m just a sports guy. I don’t control programming or contract agreements. If I did, I would stop carrying “That’s So Raven.”

2) For a guy who wants his HD sports programs back, you sure left a sporting event early. And you were watching it in Super-HD! (in-person).

3) Nevertheless, I feel your pain.

A Blind Mouse Finds a Hunk of Cheese Every Once in a While

My alma mater finally notched a win in 2006. The Colorado Buffaloes ended their 10-game losing streak, knocking off Texas Tech 30-to-6. A friend of mine associated with the CU program sent me a text message Saturday night that simply read: “Look out.” He didn’t say what to look out for.

The picture on the right is the scene after the game. Looks like the Buffs just won the National Championship, doesn’t it?

Colorado must win-out to make a bowl. At Oklahoma next week (no Adrian Peterson), then at Kansas, home against Kansas State and Iowa State, then at Nebraska.

They do that, and the Buffs are likely Big 12 North Champs.

Stranger things have happened.

Wait.

No they haven’t.