The Chute Opened And The Huskers Were Ready For Action
By ED HOWARD
September 05, 2006
Thank goodness the chute opened.
Nebraska jumped into the 2006 football season from an altitude of high expectations. There were a few moments in the early combat, just a few mind you, when worriers worried, doubters doubted and some of the chicken-hearted no doubt began to squawk.
Eventually, the Huskers made a comparatively soft landing and captured their first victory in a battle that they hope will culminate with the capture of the Big 12 title,
In the 49-10 victory over Louisiana Tech, Nebraska ground troops proved they could advance quickly. The NU aerial attack proved devastating. “We were just kind of doing what we wanted,” said quarterback Zac Taylor. “Those kind of games are really fun.”
Four Nebraska running backs proved their worth. None reached the 100-yard mark, but the overall running game rolled to 257 total yards. The offense shook off its early errors and convincingly beat down the Bulldogs of Tech. Taylor passed for three touchdowns while collecting 287 yards and going 22-for-33. He was intercepted once. Four tight ends caught TD passes.
It is always a good strategy, no matter what the manner of the contest, to hit ‘em where they ain’t. The Huskers’ balanced attack left Louisiana Tech in a muddle. “That’s the plan, to be balanced,” Taylor said. “We ran the ball to the point where we got them locked down.” The Huskers got the opposing offense to concentrate on the run, and then launched the aerial assault with passed to tight end Matt Herian, among others.
The hope is that NU will enjoy similar or greater success against Nicholls State this week, before mounting a major invasion against USC.
Nebraska bungled some very good opportunities to score early. Penalties that stopped one virtually certain score, and led to one touchdown being called back, didn’t augur well for NU.
In the wake of those goofs, questions arose. Would Taylor be subjected to the awful pounding he took from enemy defenders last season? Would Nebraska’s running game – once a juggernaut but in recent years a failure – prove to be another dud?
Would Nebraska look generally like a lost ball in high weeds during the third season of Coach Bill Callahan’s west coast offense?
The answers came quick enough. No. No. And no again.
The bad news was that Nebraska defensive casualties were heavy when LA Tech counterattacked. Phillip Dillard, the Huskers No. 2 middle linebacker, suffered a season-ending knee injury. The same thing happened to Isaiah Fluellen, the onetime wideout who was this year’s No. 2 cornerback, fell victim to the same fate.
This week: Nicholls State. Fine-tuning this and that. Officially, no looking past ‘em, and forward to USC. Unofficially? Well, you know.
Nicholls State rolled up up a 35-0 win in its opener.
For a view of every sort of game story, statistic, anecdotal wit/wisdom, post-game stuff and pre-game this and that, go to HuskerPedia.com
Do you feel good about the first win? Optimistic about the season?
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| Date | Subject | Posted by: |
|---|---|---|
| 09/06/2006 | ED, I love your work and enjoy... | Bill Moran |
