Report card: Nebraska vs. Texas Tech
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By the Lincoln Journal Star
RUNNING GAME (B)
It has a pulse. Repeat, it has a pulse. No, the running game, wasn’t dominant, but it produced enough at key opportunities to help Nebraska keep drives alive and keep the clock running. Nice to see the return of the zone-read play. Where has that been?
PASSING GAME (A)
Remember that Nebraska’s not in position to win this game without the strong play of its senior QB. True, the final play was a stinker, but credit Ganz for the previous plays he made.
-- Brian Rosenthal
Menelik Holt, NU wide receiver
When Holt plays the way he did Saturday, he adds another dimension to the Husker offense. He set a career high with six catches for 55 yards. Easily the best game of his career in the biggest setting, Holt played like his big size.
-- Brian Christopherson
Brian Duncan, Texas Tech linebacker
His play on Nebraska’s third series of the game gets lost in the wild finish, but had Duncan not stopped Quentin Castille an inch shy on fourth-and-1 from the Red Raider 29, the Huskers maybe head go in for a 14-10 lead. Instead, it’s 17-7 Tech at halftime.
--Curt McKeever
Mike Leach, Texas Tech coach
OK, so Tech was hoping to draw Nebraska offside on that key fourth-down conversion in the fourth quarter. Still, give Leach and his players credit. Once the ball was snapped, Graham Harrell and Michael Crabtree executed the 47-yard completion. Bottom line, a gutsy call worked.
--Steven M. Sipple
Coaches said Marlon Lucky was more involved Saturday because it’s what Texas Tech was giving the Nebraska offense. Whatever the reason, getting Lucky more involved, particularly in the passing game, was refreshing to see. Joe Ganz had an unreal completion percentage — 81.8 percent — and made some great plays. Save the final one, of course.
AGAINST THE RUN (C)
Texas Tech is an improved running team this season. The Red Raiders averaged 6 yards per rush Saturday, and Nebraska had a difficult time tracking down Baron Batch, who ran 10 times for 97 yards. Let’s also consider that Nebraska was playing with three walk-ons, and without Cody Glenn and Phillip Dillard.
AGAINST THE PASS (C)
Nebraska got burned on the blitz on Michael Crabtree’s 35-yard touchdown reception in the second quarter, and we didn’t see much of the blitz again. The pass defense held up in the red zone early in the game, holding Texas Tech to a field goal. Graham Harrell threw for a modest 284 yards, but completions of 47, 56, 31 and 27 yards were backbreakers.
SPECIAL TEAMS (A)
There were murmurs of Jake Wesch and a fake field goal before the Missouri game. No need for it last week, and what a perfect time to pull it out. Huge kickoff return by Niles Paul a minute before halftime. It looked liked the sophomore was going to break loose for a TD, but his 69 yards at least gave Nebraska a chance (which the Huskers didn’t capitalize on). Do we have a punter controversy? Hard telling, considering there was only one punt, but it came from Wesch — not Dan Titchener — and it went 55 yards.
GAME MANAGEMENT (C)
The penalties were killers again. Consecutive holding calls in the final minute before halftime pushed NU to the Tech 44-yard line after it appeared the Huskers had advanced to the Tech 13. Another personal foul on Ndamukong Suh. It looked like Quentin Castille got shorted on the spot after his fourth-and-1 run in the second quarter. Bo Pelini said he considered challenging, but noted it’s hard to win a spot challenge.
PLAY CALLING (A)
A great plan, and aside from the penalties, well-executed. Finally, we saw Lucky become more of a focal point. Nebraska converted on five of its first six third-down attempts, held the ball for more than 40 minutes and kept Tech’s offense on the sideline. You really can’t ask for much more.
OVERALL (B)
This definitely ended more positively that many of us expected. So close. The key was penalties. Nebraska had eight. Texas Tech had one. Clean those up, and Nebraska wins in regulation. You’d think a performance like this does wonders for Nebraska’s confidence. On the other hand, you wonder about an emotional letdown heading into a road game against Iowa State. I’m not convinced Tech is a top-10 team, but credit NU.
--Brian Rosenthal
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