Here’s some of what our local sportswriters had to say following Saturday’s loss to VA Tech…

“For the third time in four games, the Huskers’ running game resembled the Exxon Valdez.” - Sam McKewon for Nebraska State Paper

“We found out that Nebraska is not a physical enough team yet – at least not on offense.” - Tad Stryker for Huskerpedia

“…everyone saw it with their own eyes, the very thing they had been told to fear: Beamer ball up close and personal.” - Brian Christoperson for Lincoln Journal Star

“…the passion Pelini displayed in the tunnel carried over onto the field. Perhaps a bit too much, in Pelini’s case. The first-year NU coach was flagged for an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty after he relayed some frank thoughts to the official who flagged Ndamukong Suh for a late hit in the fourth quarter.” - Kris Knowlton for The Daily Nebraskan

On that last point, I have to agree. That penalty from the sideline might have been the difference in the game. Had we held them to a field goal, we would have won by 2 points. I know it’s Monday, and I’m no quarterback, just saying that passion in a leader is a wonderful thing, provided it can be properly channeled.

p.s. Husker Mike is podcasting!

I knew from living in Portland before how many Midwesterners have followed the modern day Oregon Trail to a new home in Pacifica. But yesterday afternoon, proof of this migration story was found in a deep sea of Husker red at the Refectory on NE 122nd in Portland—site of the weekly Oregonians for Nebraska watch party.

We walked in at quarter to five and found banquet room after banquet room filled to the brim with Husker supporters. There wasn’t a seat in the house. After looking high and low, we joined a party at their table (thanks Patty and Doug!) and got ready for the game (Deschutes’ Black Butte Porter on tap is certainly a helpful ready maker).

Patty told us how her parents went to Nebraska and were themselves at a watch party in the Bay Area. She grew up in California and attended Pacific University, but thanks to her parents, she has been a life-long Husker fan. Patty also let on that she reads Huskerpedia, and has maybe checked this site out, at one time or another.

We gave up our tickets to last night’s game due to the high volume of travel we’ve been doing this month and the fact that we’re still settling into our new city. So, it was really nice to share the game— disappointing as it was—with fellow fans and people with connections to The Corn.

When Nate Swift ran that kick back the place literally exploded and I wondered what it must have felt like in Memorial Stadium. It sure felt great to be swept up in the excitement at the Refectory, so I know it was a special moment in Lincoln.

Not to take anything away from Virginia Tech, but the Huskers were lacking tonight in the mental game. Too many missed assignments, too many instances of bad judgment and too many mistakes.

Joe Ganz looked too hesitant at times tonight, be it the pressure of the VT defense or a lack of confidence in what he was doing. After his interception, he looked defeated and didn’t seem to regain his composure the rest of the game - until late in the 4th quarter anyway.

The momentum turned, albeit slightly, after Swifts’s 88 yard punt return, but Suh’s late hit out-of-bounds renewed what should have been a 4th down decision, and VT put the game out of reach.

All-in-all, I was a bit disappointed in the game. Virginia Tech has been incompetent at best all season on offense and Nebraska should have been able to exploit the youth and inexperience at QB and the WR spots. They failed miserably in that regard.

Positives:
The defense, despite being very thin at most spots, showed a lot of character for most of the game and holding Virginia Tech to field goals in most of their red zone visits.

Nebraska didn’t quit. They played hard the entire game. That is something that can’t be said of the Callahan-era Huskers.

The coaching staff seemed to make numerous adjustments during the game which kept VT on their toes.

Negatives:
Terrible coverage in the secondary. I think a blind quarterback could have found open receivers.

Tackling continues to be an issue. Asante was a prime example of not wrapping up your oppenent and got dinged up in the process. Hit what you see and see what you hit. Keep your head up, hit hard, and wrap up the opponent.

No dominance at the offensive line. The Huskers will struggle from this point on if they cannot establish a running game. A one dimensional passing team will be shut down week in, week out.

Inability to create turnovers. This has been a problem the last few years. As long as Nebraska isn’t committing turnovers, you can give it a pass, but if you are giving up the ball, you damn well better be taking it back if you want to win.

The defensive side of special teams.

I like to see visiting journalists wowed by the atmosphere in Lincoln. It reminds me just how good Nebraska fans and people living in Nebraska have it.

I’ve had the real privilege of spending a couple days here to get a genuine feel for Nebraska football. Spoke to coaches and players this week. Spoke to several townies, including a local sportswriter who owns a popular gameday bar here. Fittingly, it is directly across the street from the paper … illustrative of the general feeling among reporters that we need a drink immediately after (or maybe during) work.

That joint is called Barry’s, has been around about 50 years, and is within walking distance of the stadium. The owner said his 10,000-square foot establishment sees a few thousand people trot through on Saturday afternoons.

People are wild about the Huskers here, and it’s been fun to be around that atmosphere. I’m stoked about seeing a game in Memorial Stadium tomorrow nite. I expect it to be electric.

Stewart Mandel of Sports Illustrated lobs an easy one up for college football bloggers everywhere, with this set up and rhetorical question:

Normally, the arrival of a new coach at a storied program would elicit substantial curiosity, but Pelini’s first season in Lincoln has not drawn nearly the same interest as Rich Rodriguez’s at Michigan or Rick Neuheisel’s at UCLA. Even in the Big 12 — the league Nebraska once dominated — the Huskers’ dawn of a new era is a footnote to Oklahoma’s national-title quest, Chase Daniel’s Heisman pursuit and Mike Leach’s one-liners.

Will Nebraska football ever regain its national relevance?

Mandel also adds that it will take more than one victory to make the kind of statement we’re used to making. I agree. And it will take more than one season to erase the scars of Loserhan. But we’re on our way. Tomorrow’s game will prove that, and next Saturday’s game against Mizzou will prove that. To what extent, remains to be seen, but Nebraska fans have every reason to believe Pelini’s team will line up ready to bust their butts on the road to redemption.

Jason King, at Yahoo! Sports got Bo Pelini talking about what he expects from a player.

“I don’t have a real gray world. My players at LSU knew that. We clearly define our expectations. These guys understand that they can trust us and that we have their best interest at heart. That doesn’t mean we don’t coach them hard. At the end of the day, they know that we’re going to have their back. In return, we expect them to have ours.”

Former Husker I-Back, Thunder Collins (2001-2002) was arrested today and charged with First Degree Murder and Second Degree Attempted Murder in relation to a shooting incident which happened in Omaha on Tuesday.

–more details as they become available–

The Omaha World Herald’s Tom Shatel is looking for big things from the Huskers over the next few weeks (and he’s far from the only one).

We’re living in one of the most interesting times in Husker history. I’m fascinated with college football history. For me (though likely not for you), this is every bit as compelling as the national championship years. Can Nebraska bounce back? How soon? Is Pelini that guy?

We start the process of finding out this week.

With Virginia Tech’s visit next Saturday, the Bo Era begins. NU is 3-0 and things are peachy. But now come the games that measure programs. These are the games that make history books.

Now we start keeping score.

Patel also points out that Bob Devaney’s first “signature win” came in game two, at Michigan. Tom Osborne either got it over Alabama in 1977 or Oklahoma in 1978, depending on who you ask.

I’d love to see a win on Saturday, but a “signature win” for Bo and this team the following week when the high-flying Mizzou Tigers come to town.

Results updated throughout the day. Teams will fall off the list as we play them.

TEAM (Rank) - Result - Season Record
Virginia Tech - Won - 3-1
Missouri (5) - Won - 4-0
Texas Tech (11) - Won - 4-0
Iowa State - Lost - 2-2
Baylor - Lost - 2-2
Oklahoma (2) - Bye - 3-0
Kansas (19) - Won - 3-1
Kansas State - Lost - 2-1
Colorado - Won - 3-0

Notes:
#17 Oregon, #21 West Virginia and #24 Florida State have all lost. These losses could pave Nebraska’s way into the Top-25 tomorrow, especially in the USAToday Poll where they were ranked #28 based on voting totals last week.

Iowa State completed a 28 yard touchdown pass as time expired in the 4th quarter to force overtime with UNLV.

I found out Thursday I would be going to the New Mexico State game.  I was excited to see what this team was going to look like, live and in person.  I went to two games last year, Iowa State and Texas A&M.  After the Iowa State game I wrote in what my thoughts of the game were.  After watching the first two games on PPV and, not being able to fully see the whole picture, I was anticipating a completely different scene from the debacles of last year.  Below you will find some of my observations and the players that really caught my eye.

Game Time Atmosphere

Last year’s game time atmosphere was nothing like it used to be.  People seemed like they were going through the motions of having almost 300 consecutive sellouts and, that was it.  There was really no emotion from fans and, the people yelling “GO BIG RED”, were reduced to a small contingent, few and far between. 

This year FELT like the games of old, right down to the amount of  players for NMSU that left early, courtesy of the beat down that was bestowed upon them!  I overheard many remarks from fans, all of which were positive and optimistic about this team.  In my post after last year’s ISU game, I detailed how the players were all doing their own thing on the sidelines.  This year they all stood as a team and, this time, everyone seemed involved!  On defense, players were flying to the ball, waving their arms to get the crowd going, and looking like a unit with SWAGGER!  It was AWESOME to finally be back home!  THIS IS NEBRASKA FOOTBALL!

OFFENSE

This offense looked really great at times, but sometimes shot themselves in the foot with more penalties.  This will have to be cleaned up withtougher opponents coming down the road.  With two weeks off, this should be addressed, and I am sure it will be.  Nebraska didn’t really stretch the field with some deep passes and I think NMSU, with having all eleven guys within ten yards of the line of scrimmage all game, could’ve been beat deep.  As a fan, I would’ve love to seen something deep.  Instead I was treated to the half-back pass from Marlon Lucky to Joe Ganz.  That was an awesome throw Lucky passed to Ganz, made harder by the fact that Lucky had on gloves.  After the game Bo Pelini cracked that Marlon had been throwing ducks all week in practice, so it was nice to see him connect when the time came. 

These are a few I watched closely on offense and this is MY take on them.

MARLON LUCKY-  I thought ML ran pretty hard all game.  He made some good cuts and showed the vision that is needed to be productive in this league.  Like I said previously, NMSU had all eleven guys within ten yards of the line of scrimmage, but the majority of these guys were DB’s and undersized LB’s, something that set up well for the power run game.  His stats look good, but you take away his 58 yarder and  he averaged only 3.2 YPC. 

ROY HELU-  I still think Helu sets up the best for this offense but, with ML still here, it’s going to be tough to see him get the touches he deserves.  I think he runs with the best vision, power, and elusiveness of the three backs.  I am sure his time will come to shine and you can see it in flashes with the limited number of touches he gets every game.  He showed his speed in the 4th quarter when he ran down a DB that picked up a fumbled Witt snap.  He saved a touchdown, but NMSU scored the very next play.

LYDON MURTHA-  The return of the big dog was key to this line.  He was playing like a senior who was hungry and wanting to dominate whoever was put in front of him.  I watched him for a few plays and he was imposing his will on NMSU.  Now I know this isn’t a Big 12 team but, I think this makes the players around him take notice and, hopefully they will step up their games too.

JOE GANZ- All I can say is, I am glad we have him.  I can’t help but think what could’ve been if he was used sooner in his career.  He managed the game VERYwell and didn’t make mistakes that would’ve cost NU.  He is now allowed to audible, which is a nice change from the Loserhan era.

NILES PAUL-  I remember someone asking him, after he signed to play at NU, would he have signed if NU still ran the option.  His reply was he would’ve “LOVED” to have blocked for his uncle Ahman Greene as a wide receiver at NU.  One thing is certain about Niles, THIS GUY LOVES TO BLOCK!  If you recorded the game, go back and watch the Mike McNeil touchdown.  Pay close attention to the wood Niles lays on the guy right at about the 10 yard line.  IT WAS AWESOME!  Everyone around us didn’t notice the acrobatic finish to McNeil’s TD, but all we could talk about was Paul’s block that got him there.

DEFENSE

The defense played well all game, even when NMSU took a cheap shot and went deep with less than a minute left in the game.  I have to give it up to the fans….. there were probably about two-thirds of us left in the stadium, and we were very loud while they were trying to punch it in with two seconds left on the clock.  The only thing that concerns me is the amount of time it took for the defense to get set.  On one particular play NMSU took a quick snap while NU was still trying to get lined up.  If it weren’t for the play Prince Amukamara made on the quick pass, NMSU would’ve probably scored.  Prince recognized they snapped the ball and quickly made a play on the ball, breaking up the pass.  This wasn’t the only instance of the defense not lining up quickly and, with better teams coming, someone will exploit this if not corrected.  Once again, withtwo weeks off, I am sure this will get fixed.  The defense’s communication seems to be really good on the field and they have shown they can shut you down, not to mention adjust on the fly.  I would like to see some depth being built and a little more rotating of the backups.  I don’t know if Blake Lawrence or LaTravis Washington have even played yet this year, but we will need more than just three linebackers all year.  Once again, a few of my thoughts of the defenders who stood out.

Zach Potter-  The man is a beast to be reckoned with on the edge.  Potter showed how busy he is when he caused a fumble and then 8 yards away he jumped on the ball, not to mention his blocked field goal, something he has had a knack for.  One thing is certain, this line is playing much better than last years.  Potter goes 100% all play.  I don’t think I ever saw him take a snap off.

Prince Amukamara-  This guy is going to be all Big 12 someday!  He showed he has great cover skills and the awareness to play in an attacking scheme.  Even when NMSU receivers made catches, Prince was right in their back pocket.  He would’ve had a for sure interception if Matt O’Hanlon hadn’t thought he was getting beat and played the ball, running into Prince and batting down the ball.  His future is bright and, only being a Sophomore, we still have plenty of time to see him shine.  I personally would like to see him on KR’s and punts.  His video on YouTube is exciting to say the least.

ERIC HAGG-  This staff would like to move Hagg to safety and it is very apparent why.  He has very good speed and usually disregards his body when laying the wood on an opponent.  I saw at least 4 times where he was making a hit that would’ve ended some people’s career.  His cover skills were good, also.  I rarely seen his guy getting separation on him.  This physical style of play has been missing in Lincoln for sometime and it is surely welcomed back!   Another Sophomore, the future is looking bright with a bunch of young talent in the secondary.

Overall, I am excited to see what will become of this team.  I know we have some tough hills to climb, but I feel with time, we will get there.  This all reminds me how hard the last 4 years have been and how much more satisfaction we will have when we can finally say NEBRASKA IS BACK BABY!

GO BIG RED