Report card: How the Huskers graded vs. W. Michigan
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By the Lincoln Journal star
Husker Extra breaks down NU's 47-24 victory in all aspects of the game.
RUNNING GAME (D)
Pretty disappointing. We’d figured the offensive line, largely thought to be the team’s strength, would generate more of a push. Instead, the running game never really got going. Even in the fourth quarter, with a three-touchdown lead and a chance to run out the clock, coaches turned to Joe Ganz’s arm.
Did the junior provide an answer to questions about Nebraska’s receiving depth? Going against a secondary that was considered the strength of Western Michigan’s defense, Holt matched his career total of four catches. And that was just in the first half.
--Curt McKeever
Alex Henery, NU kicker
Hey, he’s a kicker, sure, but check out this stat line: Four-for-four on field goals, all from 44 yards. Enough fours for you? Three of them were with the wind, but his kick in the fourth quarter came against it. The sophomore from Omaha Burke still hasn’t missed a kick in his career.
-- Brian Christopherson
Joe Ganz, NU quarterback
Ganz wasn’t perfect. He threw behind receivers at times. He threw a couple of picks. But overall, he managed the game well and guided the team to 47 points despite a running game that struggled much of the night. If that continues, the Huskers will have to lean awfully hard on Ganz.
-- Steven M. Sipple
Cody Glenn, NU linebacker
There were those who questioned whether the Cody Glenn hype was, well, just hype. Glenn proved immediately he’s a player at linebacker. He had his share of mistakes, too, but his play-making ability is clearly evident, and a welcome addition.
-- Brian Rosenthal
PASSING GAME (B)
Say this about Ganz: He’s an athletic quarterback. He eluded the blitz more than once and made some nice throws on the run, including the perfectly placed pass to Dreu Young. Ganz also made mistakes — including two interceptions, and throwing behind receivers, most notably Todd Peterson, it seemed. In the end, it’s hard to argue with 345 passing yards.
AGAINST THE RUN (A)
What a beautiful sight. Players swarming to the ball. Defensive linemen plugging holes and making plays. Ty Steinkuhler, in particular, was instrumental. True, this came against an offensive line starting three sophomores and a redshirt freshman, but still, a good start.
AGAINST THE PASS (C)
There’s work to be done, for sure. Too many busts, which aren’t entirely unexpected for a season opener with a new coaching staff, but certainly not acceptable by Bo Pelini standards. A good first-game test, though, from an experienced quarterback and receiving corps. Cody Glenn was impressive in pass coverage. Pressure was OK. Certainly improved, but not dominating by any means.
SPECIAL TEAMS (B)
Wow. Four-for-four on 44-yard field goals? There must be a stat for that somewhere; we’ll assume that hasn’t happened in quite some time, though. Alex Henery is still perfect on PATs and field goals in his NU career. Not to be outdone, Adi Kunalic also split the uprights … on a kickoff. Punter Dan Titchener rebounded from a bad start — a 19-yard shank into the wind to begin the game. Great job by holder Jake Wesch to field the high snap on Henery’s first field-goal attempt.
GAME MANAGEMENT (C)
Probably what you’d expect in a first game with a new coaching staff and new rules. The 40-second clock caused problems a few times. Nebraska needed a timeout on the second play of the game, and two false-start penalties seemed to be the direct result of rushing a play clock approaching zero. A couple of illegal-substitution penalties, a personal foul here, a pass interference there … things to be cleaned up.
PLAY CALLING (B)
Was the running game struggling that much that Shawn Watson had to call all those passing plays in the fourth quarter? Would’ve liked to seen Nebraska run out the clock and send everyone home before 9 p.m. Great call following a Nebraska timeout on defense; the Pelinis blitzed cornerback Prince Amukamara on a third-and-7, fourth-quarter play from the NU 13, forcing a pass Anthony West intercepted.
OVERALL (B)
A good beginning. Aside from the struggles running the football, probably what we expected, top to bottom. Great improvements on defense, with several obvious mistakes sprinkled in. Probably not a bad thing, really (given the convincing victory). As Bo Pelini has said, there’s work to be done.
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