1. I felt special before this game started, what with meaningless pre-season games over, because NU can now start the Baataan Death March otherwise known as the Quest for tBig 12 North Crown, or as I like to call it "The Holy Grail of Nebraska Football." This program's commitment to not surrender this division to the likes of Kansas and Missouri is admirable.
2. I like the way we started the game. On the second play, Callahan showed why he's the best offensive coach in America when he devised a new wrinke. He later dubbed it an "out and go", though I heard various long-time NU fans ask if it was an "out and up". Silly fans. This shows that the lessons of NFL life learned by Callahan will befuddle even the stellar D's of the Big 12 North.
3. It seemed as if Cosgrove decided to rest some people after putting the game away 17-0. No sense risking injury to LBs or secondary personnel asking them to closely cover receivers or tackle. This is a smart move. Besides, with the spector of the omnipotent shovel pass raising danger signs all over the midlands, Coz did what any top D coordinator would do--take away the play and dont let them run their bread and butter! Sure, you might give up a slant here, a post pattern there, running lanes outside the size of Mangino's colon, never get close enough to the QB to see if he's caucasian or urban, and 575 yards, but you've sent a message===Dont bring that shovel pass baloney into Lincoln! Take it and stick it where old bacon goes to die in Mangino's intestine!
4. I was especially impressed with Callahan's two minute offense to end the first half. Against USC, down 2 TDs, he properly ran clock, knowing that USC, 98% of America (save for patrons at NUGolfClapperDummyRBDB.com), communist china, aliens visiting from another galaxy and even his own players thought he might try to run a couple of pass plays to see if he could get something going before halftime to maybe possibly catch up a bit. However, ahead by 2 TDs against ku, and knowing that the great majority of the free world would expect at that point that running clock might be approrpriate given the lead, he deviously chose to pass! You cannot get this kind of offensive genius in the college ranks folks. If you havent been to a super bowl before, you just wouldnt understand. HCBC knows that the some people thought he should've thrown more against USC in that situation, so given that there was absolutely no difference in the situations (because the only relevant comparison is time remaining in the half, and not stuff like score and other vagueries), he decided to give those people a taste of what they wanted! That's a man dedicated to pleasing Harriet from Hastings and Yolanda from York, I tell ya.
5. Marlon Lucky looked good. Some of our OL got in his way when he was running at the hole Zac told him to run, and they'll have to work on making those guys move so he can get more yards. But he only fumbled once, but that was inevitable because when hit like that, not Jim Brown, LP, Doug Dubose or Shamus McKoy would've hung on to it.
6. The other backs arent as good as Lucky, because they dont carry as much. If they were as good, they'd carry more.
7. Our DBs arent very good. The LBs tried to help them cover, but how much do you want your LBs to do? Bo Ruud had his hands full doing a big tex imitation, slowly waving his hand back and forth to receivers coming across the middle and in his best state fair voice saying "HOWDY NEIGHBOR!" This is very important to Nebraska football because we're the best fans in America, at least among those fanbases with at least 10% of attendees on dialysis. Stew Bradley tried to cover for Bo by wheeling around his walker and chasing the ku RB and WRs, but those rubber wheels catch in that pretty field turf, especially the parts where it's mowed light green instead of dark green. All in all, if our 4 DBs cant cover 4 guys man to man for 8 seconds, then we need to reexamine what we're doing back there. Come on Elmo, tickle me! (I picked up that quip visiting a pregame mensa getogether at Clancy's once).
8. The DL is really strong and they're all nice guys. They love Coz, their mothers and supplements. I thought it was rather bush league of ku's veteran, grizzled, talented all big 12 collection of the present day Electric Company to beat on them like that. At least introduce our fellas to Adam Barmann. "Hello Adam, this is Adam." How cute would that have been!! Good thing for us, when all 5 of these guys go pro in the next year or two, maybe Macy's Mangino will replace them with more mannered sorts.
9. Adam Barmann showed why he's been made the starter 4 different times in his ku career. Some drunk shouted out watching the game that this meant he'd been benched 3 times too, but that rube doesnt watch enough tape it seems to me. If he did, he'd know a lot more. He's a heady senior with a cannon for an arm. the ways those passes arced in the warm nebraska indian summer air like a zepellin hanging over new jersey brought awe to this observer. NU coverage personnel had no chance, especially while trying to avoid injury. The best thing of all is that we didnt have to break out our new wrinkle in defense to stop him, which we can save for later games to shock the likes of Texas and KST. My source in Lincoln tells me it's been dubbed "The nickel". Details are sketchy, but apparently it involves taking out Stew and/or his walker, and putting in a WR impersonating a DB. Thought had been given to using an actual DB, but it was determined that this would hasten their progress, and we'd like to wait on that until next spring, when we can teach them to give proper 10 yard cushions. Just another reason why NU is the luckiest program in the country to have snagged this all - star collection of mentors from top programs, or the golf course, as the case may be.
10. Well, in summary NU gutted out an overtime thriller against the Kansas Jayhawks. Or Big Blue, if you prefer. As master strategist SP reminded after the game, we refuse to cede the Big 12 north to Kansas, so stick that in your pipe and smoke it Dorothy! On to Iowa St, where an ex Nebraska coach is offensive coordinator. Hopefully RBDBNUDummy.com patrons will ascribe all appropriate scorn and derision his way this week, for having the temerity and gaul to have gotten ushered out of Lincoln after one season of service. After all, he deserves it, he's not too bright. I mean, over the last two years NU fattened up on ISU with him there, losing with great respect in Ames 2 years ago, and winning gloriously in OT last year in Lincoln, which is the new trend in modern day Husker tradition--lose respectably on the road, take great Big 12 north powers into OT at home. It is the formula that will have the Huskers in contention for the Big 12 North Crown for years to come!
So, if you go to the game next week in Ames, and you see a T-shirt that says "YOU DONT KNOW tJACK!" laugh at them, because what rogue ISU fans dont know is that when NU takes to the road, we bring it. We'll impose our will to lose respectably on anyone in our path!
