STEVEN M. SIPPLE / Lincoln Journal Star | Posted: Saturday, September 23, 2006 7:00 pm
For the second straight game, Nebraska sophomore I-back Cody Glenn didn’t carry the football.
This time, it was because of what appears to be a minor hamstring injury.
“He was tweaked,” Husker head coach Bill Callahan said Saturday night after his team’s 56-0 dismantling of Troy at Memorial Stadium. “We worked him out this afternoon prior to the game when we arrived at the stadium.
“He just wasn’t at full-speed.”
So Nebraska coaches decided to keep Glenn out of the game and get him ready for next Saturday’s Big 12 opener against Kansas, Callahan said.
The 6-foot, 230-pound Glenn, who was dressed in full pads, said his right hamstring was the problem.
In the first two games this season, Glenn carried 24 times for 135 yards and three touchdowns.
However, in last week’s game at Southern California, he appeared only briefly and never carried the ball, as Marlon Lucky and Kenny Wilson received the majority of the carries.
SWIFT ARRIVAL: Nebraska sophomore wideout Nate Swift caught three passes for 79 yards, including a career-long 49-yard reception on the second scoring drive. Entering the night, the 6-2, 195-pound Swift had three receptions this season.
“We felt like we could send four receivers vertical and get at least one open,” said Nebraska wide receivers coach Ted Gilmore. “It just so happened that Nate, in the seam, was the open guy tonight.”
Meanwhile, Husker junior wideout Terrence Nunn finished with a career-high 102 yards on four receptions. Nunn made a 67-yard catch in the second quarter, his longest career reception and longest play by the Husker offense this season.
SHANLE'S SNARE: Nebraska senior free safety Andrew Shanle recorded his first career interception, snaring Omar Haugabook’s deep pass intended for wideout Toris Rutledge late in the first half.
“I was just fortunate to see the quarterback aim the ball,” said Shanle, in his first season as a starter. “I’m fortunate to get that first one out of the way and now I’ll just continue playing ball.”
Shanle’s interception helped cap a dominant first half. That was important for NU, Shanle said.
“It was something we wanted to work on as a team — going in and really going full-throttle and really hitting someone in the mouth and kind of just sending a message,” he said.
Shanle finished with four tackles, while Husker strong safety Tierre Green led the team with seven. Backup defensive lineman Ty Steinkuhler added five stops, including one for loss.
CHART RISING: Nebraska quarterback Zac Taylor played with a lot of grit and determination, Callahan said. He handled Troy’s blitz well, the coach said.
“He was in some tough situations and got the ball off well,” Callahan said.
Taylor, however, threw an interception late in the second quarter, ending a streak of 83 straight passes without one. His only other interception this season occurred on his fourth pass attempt of the season.
Taylor moved into fourth place on Nebraska’s career passing list with 3,525 yards. Taylor on Saturday moved past Turner Gill (3,317 yards from 1980-83) and Tommie Frazier (3,521 from 1992-95).
HUMBLE I-BACK: Marlon Lucky’s big night (10 carries, 156 yards, three TDs) apparently didn’t go to his head. Someone suggested he was becoming the Huskers’“go-to guy” at I-back.
“I’m not really the go-to guy,” he said after making his fourth straight start. “Whoever gets hot, gets hot, and we take it from there. Our offensive line had a heck of a game, and it sprung me.”
TOPS AGAIN FOR TROY: For the second straight week, senior strong safety Brannon Condren led Troy in tackles with a career-high 13, 12 of them unassisted.
“They have a lot of different formations and motion, but we worked on that this week,” said Condren, who said he was disappointed in the Trojans’ play. “They’re probably the best offense we’ve seen this year. They are a lot better than Florida State or Georgia Tech. They pretty much ran it down our throats and we couldn’t get in front of it.”