Five Keys: Nebraska v. Wake Forest

Purify, Keller will play important roles

 This is the kind of game that film room geeks absolutely love.

Nebraska v. Wake Forest might be a nail-biter. It might be a tuneup for NU's game with Southern California. And, under just the right conditions, it might be an upset. But the game is sure to be a chess match.

The Demon Deacons won 11 games and an ACC Championship without overwhelming talent, but with a surfeit of guile, guts and intellect.

The Cornhuskers are bigger, faster, stronger. Are they smarter?

"You can’t let your eyes wander on whatever in the backfield because that will definitely get you out of place," senior safety Tierre Green said. "You really have to have strong eyes and key reading really well, especially against a team like this that has a lot of things that they can do."

Here are five keys of our own:

Tackling. Nothing is more important for a defense facing a wide-open offense. And, yes, the defense of a top ten squad can most certainly have a clown suit put on it by a spread offense. Anybody see Louisville's defense Thursday night?

And Wake Forest, after attempting 60 passes in its 38-28 opening-week loss to Boston College, plans to spread Nebraska out, throw short passes, and let its wide receivers make plays against NU's secondary.

The Huskers' defense, feeling its oats a little after a dominating outing against Nevada, seems to think it can overwhelm and bully Wake's backup quarterback Brett Hodges. Well, maybe. But the safe bet is that Deacons' Coach Jim Grobe won't put his quarterback in too much jeopardy. If the Blackshirts bring the heat, Hodges will have it out in a hurry.

Which makes tackling in the open field crucial. Fans will see how big a hat sophomore safety Larry Asante can lay on opponents. Defensive Coordinator Kevin Cosgrove will learn a lot more about newcomers Armando Murillo and Anthony Blue. Not only will Nebraska's defensive backs need to get lined up correctly and consistently, they'll have to be the heroes. Wake will do whatever it can to minimize the speed and force of Nebraska's pass rush.

The Mouse Trap.  Wake frequently plays a loose, deep zone and creates turnovers by baiting the offense to test that approach with deep post and seam routes.

Or like senior wide receiver Maurice Purify said: "Throw the ball deep and have fun."

If the Huskers really think that gamble will work, watch out.

Talking to Offensive Coordinator Shawn Watson and listening to Coach Bill Callahan, it's doubtful that approach is exactly what they have in mind. Nebraska, first, will try to run. Maybe for a couple drives, NU will see just how much push it can get against Wake Forest's defensive line. And don't be surprised if freshman running back Quentin Castille and his 245-pound frame get a lot of looks in the first quarter.

"It's strength against strength," Watson said of NU's offensive line against Wake's front seven.

Sooner or later, NU quarterback Sam Keller, and his receivers, will have to find the soft spots in that zone defense, as did Boston College. The few times Nevada stopped NU's running game and forced Keller to convert on third down, he wasn't so successful.

It's a game that will test all of Keller's gut feelings, which, he admitted, got to him a little in the Nevada game.

"I might have been too quick with some of my decision making," Keller said. "I could have sat back there and let a lot of things come to fruition, whereas I was going a little bit too fast."

And no drops this week from Frantz Hardy and Terrence Nunn.

If Nebraska does want to stretch that zone, watch for Callahan to first try to shrink it by throwing to those young tight ends - especially Mike McNeill - in between the safeties and the linebackers.

Then watch for...

Maurice Purify. Yes, Mo won't start. But he'll get looks. If Wake's cornerbacks play soft on him, Keller will toss a quick hitch and let Purify try to break a tackle. If the defense tries to jam Purify, watch for a couple jump balls on sideline routes - anything back toward the middle is begging for that deep safety - that can take advantage of the senior's 6-4, 220-pound frame. Purify's conditioning isn't necessarily what he wants it to be, so he won't log the reps in this game that he might in a month. If Watson and Callahan got two big plays out of him, they'd call it good, but those two plays might be the difference in the game.

The intangibles.  It's a road game. In a tiny stadium. On a fast track. In high humidity. Some analysts pooh-pooh Groves Stadium as a difficult venue, because it holds so few fans.

Just know this: A lot of fans - think Michigan - can be spoiled and silent. And a small number of fans - who probably view this as one of the biggest games in the history of the program - can make more than enough noise. If Wake gets ahead early in this game, its crowd will be in the game all day. It won't freak the Huskers out, but it won't help. A road game is a road game. And the early start favors Wake; the Deacons would love nothing more than to stake a lead and milk it.

Which leads us to:

Managing Expectations.  No doubt about it: This is the best team Bill Callahan has put on the field, and it is the most confident. Along with Oklahoma, this is the best offensive line in the Big 12. The defense is fast, cocky and deep enough to rotate four interior defensive linemen without losing too much. Defensive Coordinator Kevin Cosgrove finally has enough toys to unleash some cutting-edge strategies on opponents, and, over the course of the season, it'll work well. Quentin Castille is as good a freshman running back as there is anywhere in the country.

But what about this game? How does NU use that confidence to overcome what may be a sluggish start, or a frustrating scheme? If the Huskers are stymied early on offense, does Callahan stick with the running game? Does Keller stay within himself, as he did against Nevada? Does the Huskers' defense, as Tierre Green so accurately pointed out, stay focused on keys?

Wake's gonna throw some garbage plays at Nebraska and see what sticks. The Deacons will try to dictate the pace. NU, as the better team, has to assert its own.

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