Report card: Nebraska vs. New Mexico State
Print
digg it!
Facebook
del.icio.us
Seed Newsvine
Fark It
Reddit
By the Lincoln Journal Star
RUNNING GAME (A)
Well, that’s more like it. Great to see a couple of seniors, Marlon Lucky and Lydon Murtha, lead the charge. That it came against a transitioning defense should be only a small asterisk. This unit needed to make a statement, and did just that. Quentin Castille, too, looked good. Seems like he’s better on the outside than between the tackles. Interesting.
PASSING GAME (A)
Obviously ready to play after sitting out the first two games with an infection on his leg, the senior right tackle played with the kind of mean streak that NU’s O-line needed. Along with Matt Slauson, the Huskers chewed up big yards running to the right behind Murtha.
-- Brian Christopherson
Zach Potter, NU defensive end
Just when it looked as if the Aggies were going to get their first-ever points in three games against NU, Potter blocked a short field-goal attempt. The Aggies had driven 77 yards on the game’s opening possession and never seemed to recover from coming up empty.
-- Curt McKeever
Joe Ganz, NU quarterback
Ganz joins Heisman Trophy winners Johnny Rodgers and Eric Crouch as the only players in NU history to score TDs passing, receiving and rushing in the same game. Credit the senior for leading the offense to a crisp performance.
-- Brian Rosenthal
Armando Murillo, NU cornerback
Murillo’s first interception as a Husker made a big impact. He picked off Chase Holbrook’s deep pass in the second quarter and returned it 57 yards, setting up NU’s second touchdown. Murillo was strong in coverage most of the night against a team with speedy wideouts.
-- Steven M. Sipple
Not flashy, but efficient and crisp. Ten different receivers caught passes, and Joe Ganz was on the mark. The bubble screen continues to produce. Pass protection was sound.
AGAINST THE RUN (B)
New Mexico State really isn’t a running outfit, so it’s hard to judge here. We’ll take this space to point out that the first-half shutout was Nebraska’s first in 23 games, dating to a 14-0 halftime lead in the 2006 game at Kansas State. Also, tackling was much sounder from start to finish.
AGAINST THE PASS (B)
Too many pass-interference penalties, but we’d rather see a couple of those than open receivers running wild. Eric Hagg continues to blossom. Considering Nebraska played without Anthony West, not a bad job by the secondary. The defensive line produced pressure at key times, particularly as the game wore on. Alfonzo Dennard and Austin Cassidy played in the fourth quarter.
SPECIAL TEAMS (B)
Well, so Alex Henery is human after all. His 35-yard field-goal attempt in the first quarter was the first miss of the sophomore’s career, after 12 straight makes. Zach Potter’s blocked field goal on the first possession, his third career block, was an emotional lift. Coverage on kicks, for the most part, was sound.
GAME MANAGEMENT (B)
Credit the coaching staff for managing a secondary that again played without an injured starter. West missed Saturday’s game, and coaches used a lot of redshirt freshman walk-on Lance Thorell in the dime package. Cody Glenn, subbing with Thorell, didn’t get off the field in time in the first quarter, although officials didn’t catch it. Didn’t matter. New Mexico State gained 14 yards on the play. Good to see both backup QBs in the fourth quarter.
PLAY CALLING (A)
Through three games, Bo Pelini has called more defensive timeouts than offensive. It’s almost always resulted in something positive, too. You got the feeling Pelini’s competitive juices were flowing in that late third-quarter New Mexico State drive, when a shutout was still at stake, and Pelini was bringing the house with a 35-0 lead.
OVERALL (B)
This team is growing. The offense found some rhythm. For the first time in a long, long time, the defense played with an attitude, something the crowd could sense and appreciate in that long third-quarter New Mexico State drive. Still some kinks to work out — penalties, in particular — but a performance like Saturday’s is the perfect lift heading into a bye week. Two weeks to prepare for the first big test, and everyone’s feeling better.
Most Commented Football