NU Notes, 10/17: Baylor allows Mulkey to run wild
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At the very least, someone from Baylor could have stood by Nebraska's No. 84 so he didn't get lonely.
But twice in Nebraska's 59-27 home victory over Baylor Saturday, Bear defenders left Nebraska sophomore receiver Grant Mulkey completely unmarked.
Both times, the Huskers made them pay.
The first occasion came in the third quarter, when NU quarterback Joe Dailey hit Mulkey on a short pass that went for 38 yards to the Baylor 2-yard line.
With nobody within 10 yards of him when he caught the pass, Mulkey seemed sure to have a touchdown. Instead, he was tackled by Baylor linebacker Justin Crooks at the 2.
His teammates chided him about getting caught from behind when he came to the bench.
"I caught the ball and when I turned it up, I took a long stride and kind of stumbled," Mulkey said in his defense statement.
He didn't get caught in the fourth quarter when he collected a short pass and raced untouched for a 31-yard touchdown that made the score 52-27.
"It was a shallow crossing route," said Mulkey, who had three catches for 75 yards. "The linebacker pulled me off and I came underneath. I didn't think Joe saw me because I couldn't see Joe. But all of a sudden I saw the ball come out. My eyes got big. There was absolutely no one there. That's the Joe Dailey we see in practice every day."
Fullback pride: Steve Kriewald picked a dramatic time to catch his first touchdown pass as a Husker.
Down 3-0, the Huskers gambled on a fourth-and-2 from the Baylor 18 and won big. Dailey faked the run and tossed a short pass to the senior fullback, who caught it at about the 15 and ran in untouched.
I wasn't surprised," Kriewald said of Husker coach Bill Callahan's call. "That's what we work on in practice. On third-and-short, fourth-and-short, that's one of the first plays we go to."
Special teams: Nebraska special teams coach Bill Busch was energetic for good reason after the game.
Husker special teams — which have been plagued with fumbles, coverage problems and no return game — had perhaps their finest day.
"We have a long ways to go, but as a staff we're really pleased with the direction and constant improvement that's going on," said Busch, whose unit held a 193-138 advantage in kick return yardage.
The Huskers received a huge day returning kickoffs from Brandon Jackson, who amassed 158 yards on five attempts, including a 59-yarder in the third quarter.
"He's a a vertical returner, which is what we want out of our kickoff game," Busch said. "The kickoff game is not a dance around, try to make a move thing."
Running back Cory Ross also saw some action returning punts, replacing Santino Panico as the deep man on a couple occasions.
Ross returned one punt 15 yards, but also fumbled another.
"We just wanted to let him get a few reps and a few shots," said Busch, noting the staff still has faith in Panico.
Angel sighting: Granted, he'd rather be combatting the Yankees this weekend.
But Darin Erstad, Anaheim Angels star and former Husker punter, had to settle for watching Nebraska football at Memorial Stadium. His team was recently knocked out of the American League playoffs in three games by the Boston Red Sox.
"Once baseball's over, I'm pretty much engulfed with (Nebraska football)," he said.
Erstad watched some Husker baseball scrimmages this week. He even threw out the first pitch before one of the Red-White games.
As for Husker football, Erstad said: "Everyone knows what's going on there. You just have to be patient. I still love watching them play."
Erstad was a member of the 1994 national championship team. So when Nebraska struggles on the gridiron, his Anaheim teammates are quick to let him hear about it.
"Every day, it's an ongoing battle," he said.
Concerning the baseball playoffs, Erstad admitted: "I picked Red Sox-Astros, so I'm not looking so good right now."
Bradley dinged: Nebraska sophomore linebacker Stewart Bradley suffered a stinger to his shoulder late in the first half. He did not return to the game and was replaced by freshman Bo Ruud.
"I had a stinger to the same spot in practice earlier this week. I reaggravated it," Bradley said. "I was cleared to play in the second half but Coach Callahan said to just rest it and get ready for next week."
Bradley did not start against the Bears. Instead, senior Ira Cooper was on the field for the first series.
Lucky guy: Highly-touted running back recruit Marlon Lucky was in town to watch the Huskers play. His attendance wasn't lost on the student section.
Students chanted the name "Lucky" to the high school senior before the game and late in the fourth quarter.
The 6-foot, 205-pound North Hollywood (Calif.) High star is also considering Southern Cal, Washington, Florida and Mississippi State.
Rock on: Rocker Tommy Lee, of Motley Crue fame, performed on Nebraska's drumline during the halftime show. Lee, who is in town filming a reality TV show about getting his college degree at Nebraska, was greeted with cheers from the crowd whenever he was shown on the HuskerVision screens.
This and that: Baylor's TD with 11:36 left in the third quarter was the Bears' first against Nebraska in 16 quarters. … NU running back Cory Ross' 74-yard touchdown reception in the second quarter was the longest by a Husker back since Craig Johnson's 78-yard touchdown catch against Kansas in 1978 … Junior strong safety Daniel Bullocks intercepted his fourth pass of the season. He is leading the teams in picks and averaging 44.5 yards per return after each interception … The 59 points Nebraska scored were the most by a Husker team since NU pasted 66 on Northwestern in the 2000 Alamo Bowl.
-- Brian Christopherson
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