Curt McKeever: Learning curve still steep for offense
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“Our biggest concern is we’re playing a really good Nebraska team.” By now, Wake Forest football coach Jim Grobe has adjusted the assessment he made of the Huskers prior to Saturday night’s game in Memorial Stadium.
Sure, NU, fueled by three defensive touchdowns, put a 31-3 bruise on the Demon Deacons to move its record to 2-0. But having done almost nothing to make one forget about last week’s 25-7 tussle with Division I-AA Maine, Nebraska’s record feels more like 2-and uh-oh. Or more precisely, 2-and no O.
Eight quarters into the season, it’s one sustained touchdown drive for the offense and four TDs for the defense. Kevin Cosgrove and his crew deserve to take bows, but they’d better make sure when they ask for a little help from above in that pre-game huddle — they ask for help from the other side of the ball, too.
You know it’s not good when TBS names Wake Forest quarterback Ben Mauk the Huskers’ Offensive Player of the Game.
OK, so that really didn’t happen. But I bet he got serious consideration.
One week ago we watched Nebraska, with 16 full offensive possessions, settle for four field goals. The only “drive” to reach the end zone came after a punt return to the Maine 1.
On Saturday, the Huskers went 1-for-15 trying to march to pay dirt. So much for that big jump teams expect to make from Week 1 to Week 2.
Nebraska opened Saturday’s game with promise, moving 27 yards to the Wake Forest 17 in six plays. But after Brandon Jackson got stuffed on third- and fourth-and-one plays, you figured a defense that gave up 422 yards to Vanderbilt last week just might have a chance. Sure enough, that ended up being the Huskers’ best offensive threat of the first half.
Then, as if the moon and stars finally were in the right alignment, Nebraska landed a haymaker to open the third quarter. I-back Cory Ross, finally flashing what running backs coach Randy Jordan called “his war legs,” beat a defensive lineman to the perimeter, got a chop block from Isaiah Fluellen that took out a cornerback and raced 57 yards. Three plays later, quarterback Zac Taylor found Franz Hardy in one-on-one coverage to his left and the Huskers had their first real touchdown drive of the season.
But by the second possession of the third quarter, Nebraska fans were actually left cheering their team being in a third-and-17 situation after a Taylor interception was reversed following a review.
Seems to me things would have looked just as good with the defense back on the field one play sooner.
Then again, NU ended up with twice as many yards in the third quarter (160) than it produced in the first 30 minutes (73), while running 26 plays from scrimmage (one less than the first half).
Another clue that the West Coast offense light might really be coming on came during the third possession of that stanza, when Taylor hit six straight passes. But when the Huskers were knocking on the door he missed Terrence Nunn running free in the end zone, allowing a defender to recover in time to knock the ball away, and the Huskers ended up settling for a field goal.
Is it too late to go back to the option? Sorry.
The good news is Nebraska committed just one turnover (down from four in the opener). That leaves hope — as long as the Huskers continue getting 21 points a week from the defense.
Next week, Big Red catches a break, as 0-2 Pittsburgh comes to town coached by Dave Wannstedt, another NFL refugee who is learning that going back to college in mid-life ain’t quite the party it was at the ripe age of 18.
But after that, the Huskers will be matched against people in the Big 12 who won’t be surprised by what’s in the syllabus.
As it stands now, the book on Nebraska should read: Play it safe on offense, because you aren’t going to need to get into a track meet.
Reach Curt McKeever at 473-7441 or cmckeever@journalstar.com.
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