JOHN MABRY / Lincoln Journal Star | Posted: Saturday, September 23, 2006 7:00 pm
It was only 1 yard in a massive Husker haul of 597, but to Matt Senske, it was a yard for the safe-deposit box.
In his first offensive touch at NU, the junior fullback from Bellevue East did what it took senior Dane Todd four seasons to accomplish.
He scored a touchdown.
“(Todd’s) like, ‘I’m mad at you right now’ because it took him four years,” Senske said.
His touchdown came midway through the third quarter on a 1-yard pass from Joe Ganz.
“That’s called Spider-2,” Ganz said. “It’s a little play-action pass where the fullback bluffs like he’s going to block the end, and he goes right into the flat.”
Senske said he didn’t feel all that nervous when he heard the play in the huddle.
“I heard the call,” he said, “and was like, ‘OK, I’ve got it. There’s a chance for me to score here because we run that so much in practice.’”
Against Todd’s wishes, Senske added a 12-yard reception in the fourth quarter.
“I told Matty he has to drop the next one thrown to him,” Todd said. “He didn’t do that, either. He caught another pass later. That’s OK.
“I’m proud of the kid. I’m glad he did it.”
Senske, one of those practice stars who wonders if he’ll ever get to make a big play in a game, was pretty fired up about the whole thing.
“Man, I was excited,” he said. “Of course, every kid growing up in Nebraska dreams of scoring a touchdown for Nebraska. That was an amazing feeling.”
THAT'S MORE LIKE IT: One reason NU didn’t throw more against USC was the fact the coaching staff had to fear for the life of quarterback Zac Taylor. The pass protection was not good last week.
It wasn’t the same caliber of opponent, but the line did a much better job Saturday night after a special instruction session with head coach Bill Callahan last week.
“We took care of a few things that we didn’t do well last week,” said right tackle Matt Slauson, “and we got all shored up and it was great this week, especially our back-side blocks.
“(Callahan) is so technical with everything he does, and that really helped us a lot with a few blocks we’ve been having trouble with.”
AND YOU ARE? Glad I had my press pass with me Saturday night. They had a tough security crew working the West Stadium entrance.
One Husker fan wasn’t too happy when he was told he couldn’t enter without the proper ticket.
It was Heisman Trophy winner Mike Rozier.
Rozier called for help and was eventually allowed to enter with the assistance of Paul Miles, NU’s associate athletic for marketing, but not before Rozier was overheard telling someone on the phone, “I helped build this damn place.”
TOUGH TROJAN: How Troy’s Gary Banks held on after getting drilled by Andre Jones on a 25-yard reception in the second quarter is beyond me.
“I really have no clue,” Jones said. “I told him when he got up, ‘Great catch. That was an unbelievable catch you made.’”
A GOOD JOE IN A PINCH: The game was decided at the time, but you have to like the way Ganz held it together after a bad snap late in the third quarter.
Not only did Ganz get off a pass out-of-bounds to avoid the sack, he took a hit that led to a roughing-the-passer penalty. When all was said and done, he had turned a potential disaster into a 14-yard gain on the penalty.
Ganz was just glad to get in and throw the ball a few times.
“When (Callahan) put me in, he said, ‘I want to score.’ It was nice not to just hand the ball off.”
Reach John Mabry at 473-7320 or jmabry@journalstar.com.