Steven M. Sipple: Huskers stumble on big stage
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Nebraska clearly was not ready for prime time.
The grand stage was set. The ESPN “College GameDay” crew was in town Saturday. ABC had Musburger in the booth and Salters on the sideline. National pundits were cracking wise in the press box. The nation’s football eyes were on Lincoln. And if you had any allegiance whatsoever to Nebraska, you probably had to turn away. This was downright ugly.
Big Red comes out of this big party red-faced and reeling, at least on defense. Red flags were going up everywhere.
This beating evoked images of Colorado’s Chris Brown running wild in the 62-36 debacle of 2001. Yeah, that bad. Southern California thoroughly punished Nebraska with its ground assault. The Trojans absolutely imposed their will in a 49-31 thrashing that you have to think will inflict serious damage to the Huskers’ collective confidence.
Measuring stick? Well, is it possible for a team to shrink? Nebraska wasn’t exactly walking tall after allowing USC to average 11.1 yards per rush through three quarters. Three quarters were all the Trojans needed to put away the Huskers and their inept run defense.
USC finished with an average of 8.2 yards per carry — the highest average by an opponent in Nebraska history, surpassing 7.7 by Kansas in 1950. The 49 points were the most the Huskers have allowed at home since Minnesota racked up 61 in 1945.
“It’s beyond disappointing,” said Nebraska senior linebacker Bo Ruud.
He’s right. It’s embarrassing.
Statement game? Well, top-ranked USC made a strong argument that it ought to retain its No. 1 ranking, no matter what they’re saying in the Bayou. By the end of three quarters — when the outcome had been decided — Nebraska had managed six yards on 24 carries. Meanwhile, USC had 278 on 25 attempts. Championship teams run the ball and stop the run. The Trojans, once again, look like a championship outfit.
Statement game? The best thing the 14th-ranked Huskers could say after this no-contest was that it’s over. Bring on Ball State.
And to think, some people (myself included) actually raised the possibility of Nebraska winning this game and moving into national title consideration. What this game showed is the Huskers are nowhere near ready to beat the biggest boys on the block. The Louisiana States, the Oklahomas. Forget them. Big Red, for now, should stay in its own neighborhood — the Big 12 North Division.
However, winning even the lowly Big 12 North just got tougher for Nebraska. Husker coach Bill Callahan really will have to earn his contract extension now. Somehow he’ll have to keep his players on the same page. He’ll have to make sure they still believe in themselves, especially those beleaguered defenders.
Few could have anticipated USC running wild Saturday night. For one thing, the Trojans started a true freshman center in Kristofer O’Dowd. Yeah, this ended up being a huge problem for USC, all right. All O’Dowd and his linemates did was blow canyon-sized holes in the heart of Nebraska’s defense.
The thing is, Nebraska seemed to have momentum, leading 10-7 with nine minutes left in the second quarter. Sam Keller was throwing strikes. He had found a rhythm in a quick passing game. Short drops and slants were working well. Callahan had found something on offense.
Who knew his defense would cave in?
C.J. Gable got hot. Then Stafon Johnson got hotter. It was nothing fancy. A lot of power runs up the middle. USC pierced Nebraska’s heart.
“We got gutted up the middle,” Ruud said.
Kevin Cosgrove has a problem, folks. His four new starters on the defensive line didn’t respond Saturday. The linebackers again played badly. Last week, Wake Forest riddled Nebraska with reverses and fancy stuff en route to 236 rushing yards. Saturday night, USC flexed its muscles and simply overpowered Big Red. What’s next?
Some will say Nebraska’s momentum was stymied by the 10-plus minute injury timeout that followed Alex Henery’s field goal to make it 10-7. The unplanned break certainly didn’t help the Huskers. But championship teams respond to such issues.
There was only one championship team on the field on this night.
So, Nebraska still awaits its “breakthrough” win. I thought this might be the Huskers’ big chance. I really did.
Is USC really that good? Probably.
Is Nebraska’s defense really that bad? Let’s not go there yet.
I do know this: Nebraska wasn’t ready for prime time. The Huskers weren’t ready for the big boys on the BCS block.
For now, the Huskers should stay in their own neighborhood. The Big 12 North is going to be tough enough to capture.
Reach Steven M. Sipple at 473-7440 or ssipple@journalstar.com.
Nebraska clearly was not ready for prime time.
The grand stage was set. The ESPN “College GameDay” crew was in town Saturday. ABC had Musburger in the booth and Salters on the sideline. National pundits were cracking wise in the press box. The nation’s football eyes were on Lincoln. And if you had any allegiance whatsoever to Nebraska, you probably had to turn away. This was downright ugly.
Big Red comes out of this big party red-faced and reeling, at least on defense. Red flags were going up everywhere.
This beating evoked images of Colorado’s Chris Brown running wild in the 62-36 debacle of 2001. Yeah, that bad. Southern California thoroughly punished Nebraska with its ground assault. The Trojans absolutely imposed their will in a 49-31 thrashing that you have to think will inflict serious damage to the Huskers’ collective confidence.
Measuring stick? Well, is it possible for a team to shrink? Nebraska wasn’t exactly walking tall after allowing USC to average 11.1 yards per rush through three quarters. Three quarters were all the Trojans needed to put away the Huskers and their inept run defense.
USC finished with an average of 8.2 yards per carry — the highest average by an opponent in Nebraska history, surpassing 7.7 by Kansas in 1950. The 49 points were the most the Huskers have allowed at home since Minnesota racked up 61 in 1945.
“It’s beyond disappointing,” said Nebraska senior linebacker Bo Ruud.
He’s right. It’s embarrassing.
Statement game? Well, top-ranked USC made a strong argument that it ought to retain its No. 1 ranking, no matter what they’re saying in the Bayou. By the end of three quarters — when the outcome had been decided — Nebraska had managed six yards on 24 carries. Meanwhile, USC had 278 on 25 attempts. Championship teams run the ball and stop the run. The Trojans, once again, look like a championship outfit.
Statement game? The best thing the 14th-ranked Huskers could say after this no-contest was that it’s over. Bring on Ball State.
And to think, some people (myself included) actually raised the possibility of Nebraska winning this game and moving into national title consideration. What this game showed is the Huskers are nowhere near ready to beat the biggest boys on the block. The Louisiana States, the Oklahomas. Forget them. Big Red, for now, should stay in its own neighborhood — the Big 12 North Division.
However, winning even the lowly Big 12 North just got tougher for Nebraska. Husker coach Bill Callahan really will have to earn his contract extension now. Somehow he’ll have to keep his players on the same page. He’ll have to make sure they still believe in themselves, especially those beleaguered defenders.
Few could have anticipated USC running wild Saturday night. For one thing, the Trojans started a true freshman center in Kristofer O’Dowd. Yeah, this ended up being a huge problem for USC, all right. All O’Dowd and his linemates did was blow canyon-sized holes in the heart of Nebraska’s defense.
The thing is, Nebraska seemed to have momentum, leading 10-7 with nine minutes left in the second quarter. Sam Keller was throwing strikes. He had found a rhythm in a quick passing game. Short drops and slants were working well. Callahan had found something on offense.
Who knew his defense would cave in?
C.J. Gable got hot. Then Stafon Johnson got hotter. It was nothing fancy. A lot of power runs up the middle. USC pierced Nebraska’s heart.
“We got gutted up the middle,” Ruud said.
Kevin Cosgrove has a problem, folks. His four new starters on the defensive line didn’t respond Saturday. The linebackers again played badly. Last week, Wake Forest riddled Nebraska with reverses and fancy stuff en route to 236 rushing yards. Saturday night, USC flexed its muscles and simply overpowered Big Red. What’s next?
Some will say Nebraska’s momentum was stymied by the 10-plus minute injury timeout that followed Alex Henery’s field goal to make it 10-7. The unplanned break certainly didn’t help the Huskers. But championship teams respond to such issues.
There was only one championship team on the field on this night.
So, Nebraska still awaits its “breakthrough” win. I thought this might be the Huskers’ big chance. I really did.
Is USC really that good? Probably.
Is Nebraska’s defense really that bad? Let’s not go there yet.
I do know this: Nebraska wasn’t ready for prime time. The Huskers weren’t ready for the big boys on the BCS block.
For now, the Huskers should stay in their own neighborhood. The Big 12 North is going to be tough enough to capture.
Reach Steven M. Sipple at 473-7440 or ssipple@journalstar.com.
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