Huskers Becoming Recognizable (And Other Thoughts)

In beating New Mexico State 38-7, the Huskers started to round in to shape. The NU squad that played Saturday night is much more along the lines of what fans had in mind as the season began. The Huskers are starting to become recognizable...to themselves, fans, and maybe even national opinion makers and pundits.

Recognize This?
This Husker squad is starting to have an identity, and (at least for this week) it seems to match what we heard about in pre-season camp. NU features a balanced offense and a more aggressive defense. Ganz is the trigger man both throwing and running, and he's backed by a trio of backs and has a solid line in front of him. NU has capable and pleasant surprises at both wide receiver and tight end so far. These aren't your father's Huskers. But, they are starting to look like they have at least some things in common with those teams.

Defensively, NU is just starting to show some shades of its once great self. Call them the grayshirts, I guess. The tackling was more sound this week. And, the energy continued to be high. When they were in tough spots I found my self genuinely hoping for - even expecting - them to make some big play on defense (sack, interception). After five games last season, I gave up on hoping for those things. Now, you can feel portions of the game when it is clear that NU's defense is dictating to the offense what it can and can't do. That's a major shift, folks. Still, there is a long way to go. But the defense is building a recognizable identity.

And, the Huskers are 3-0. Not a big deal? Think again. NU didn't establish that mark in 2004 and 2007, both years they missed out on a bowl. Around the country, we're just starting to learn about what teams might actually have this year. The wheat is just starting to separate from the chaff a little. And, there is a chance that NU could find itself ranked in the AP top 25 if they catch some breaks in the late night games. Maybe others will start to recognize these new-old school Huskers, too.

Other Late Night/Early Morning Thoughts
Here, in no particular order, are my other impressions from watching the Huskers handle New Mexico State.

Nebraska may be starting to make sense of the I-back picture. Lucky ran hard and with authority, he looked like the "complete back" everyone expects him to be. Helu continues to really impress on pretty limited carries. The wrinkle is Castille playing fullback. He got a carry out of that spot, and did some lead blocking on the option (one good, one not so good). Sure, he still played some feature back and ran very well. And this may have been because regular starting full back Thomas Lawson was injured. But still, I like the idea of getting these guys on the field at the same time. By the way, every time NU lined up in the I formation with Castille at fullback, it was an option run. Just saying...

What an enormous difference it made having Lydon Murtha and Hunter Teafatiller back on the field. With Murtha in there, NU is going back to being a "right handed" running team, plowing behind him and Matt Slauson. Also that left guard spot does a lot of pulling and leading through holes on the right side. Paging Andy Christensen...

Speaking of Teafatiller, this was the "revenge of the tight end" game for NU. Teafatiller had a good night blocking and catching, and Mike McNeil made the highlight play of the year so far in getting his touchdown. And, they only had one penalty.

Speaking of penalties...NU still hurt itself way too often. The false starts are still unacceptable, and more than once a pass interference call ruined a nice defensive play by the defensive front 7.

Matt O'Hanlon showed pretty darn well tonight. He tackled well on defense and special teams, and collected an interception. Larry Asante...still struggling.

Adi Kunalic wasn't his usual booming self tonight, either. He only had one touchback, and that was on the first play of the game. Was it deliberate to try and get the coverage guys some work? I doubt it. I hope Kunalic turns it up several notches for when Macho Harris from Virginia Tech and Jeremy Maclin from Missouri are back there to catch kickoffs.

On the injury front, Pierre Allen hurt his foot or ankle. That's the bad news. NU can't afford to lose another player ad defensive end. The good news is that is does not appear serious. Anthony West did not play at corner tonight. Ricky Thenarse was also held out. And, Meno Holt didn't make an appearance. No updates on those three guys at this time.

I was not a fan of the choice to go for it on fourth and goal in the first half. Sure, NU is up 21-0 and playing with some confidence. But, I'd rather have a 24 point lead than take that chance. And, I thought Henery might want a confidence boost after really shanking a field goal on the first possession.

I thought NU's defensive front four played their most complete game. Potter has a knack for big plays. Suh had two sacks. And, while it doesn't show up on the stat sheet, Steinkuhler is the most consistent and disruptive force NU has up front. I sure hope Allen is healthy enough to play in two weeks.

Many backups played tonight, some were good and others were not. The backup defensive linemen looked good again. In the secondary I have no idea who Lance Thorell is, but he got 8 tackles. On offense the backup center, Caputo, got owned a few times. The backup tackles looked pretty good. Marcus Mendoza is FAST. But, son, you can't keep trying to take every play to the outside. And what can I say about Patrick Witt? When he wasn't fumbling the snaps, he looked pretty good. Seriously, that's what happens when you play a young player in his first action. And, I can live with those growing pains if they make him better.