Broncos say mistakes did them in
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BY RYLY JANE HAMBLETON / Lincoln Journal Star
Tim Hiller would like the chance to start over again.
“I guess it was a little bit of jitters and a little bit of lack of execution,” said the junior quarterback for Western Michigan. “We needed to get started from the get-go with a storm of emotion. Once we got going, there were a lot of positives.”
Nebraska counted on a fast start, jumping up 17-0, and then held off a stubborn Broncos squad to earn a 47-24 victory Saturday at Memorial Stadium.
The Broncos finally got things going a bit in the second quarter, drawing to 27-10 when freshman kicker John Potter kicked a 19-yard field goal.
“The disappointing part was that we let them score right before the half,” said Broncos coach Bill Cubit.
The best example of the Broncos’ early troubles came on their second possession of the game. Hiller handed off to Drew Burdi, who pitched the ball back to Hiller. Western Michigan had an open receiver, but Nebraska defensive end Zach Potter got to Hiller and dropped him for a 14-yard loss.
“We knew what we were going to do and the kids were all fired up. We’ve run that play 10 times in the past two weeks and it never happened like that,” said Cubit. “We fumble a kickoff, a guy lines up wrong. They were excited and wanted to play well.
“It wasn’t exactly textbook at the beginning, but the kids kept battling back.”
Hiller said it was also a matter of settling in. He finished with 342 yards passing, the sixth time in his career he eclipsed the 300-yard mark, and threw for two touchdowns.
“It was just getting in a rhythm. I got settled in, started getting the ball in my hand a little quicker,” said Hiller. “The offensive line did a good job and the receivers got yards after catches.
“When you get in a rhythm, you are thinking less, running the offense, and it worked. Guys kept the pace up and we played well.”
But it was that tough start. The Broncos had just 102 yards of total offense at halftime. They racked up nearly 250 in the second half, but managed just 14 points while allowing Nebraska to match them.
Another pivotal point in the game for Western Michigan came in the fourth quarter. The Broncos had cut the lead to 44-24 early in the period, and then Louis Delmas picked off a Joe Ganz pass and returned it 33 yards to the NU 29. With the Broncos facing third-and-12, Nebraska called a timeout. On the next play, Anthony West intercepted a Hiller pass, preventing the Broncos from making it a two-score game.
“They were showing a look and I was going to change the play, and then they called timeout,” Hiller said. “They showed pressure, and it was a bad ball on my part.”
Reach Ryly Jane Hambleton at 473-7314 or rhambleton@journalstar.com.
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