CURT McKEEVER / Lincoln Journal Star | Posted: Saturday, September 23, 2006 7:00 pm
It’s one week too late for many Nebraska fans, but this was the kind of game plan that surely will silence most of the static that’s been cluttering the Husker Internet chat lines.
Bill Callahan let loose with his playbook and the Trojans were in need of defensive reinforcements.
Do not, for a second, though, convince yourself that had NU’s coach opened up his conservative mind a bit in Los Angeles last week the Huskers would have had USC running for cover like they did while piercing the Troy Trojans 56-0 in Memorial Stadium on Saturday night.
Troy — which two weeks ago had Florida State on the ropes in the fourth quarter, and last Saturday jumped to a 14-0 lead on Georgia Tech — isn’t hard-nosed enough to play three straight games against BCS conference opponents.
And neither is Nebraska quite ready to pull off a haymaker approach against Southern California.
But as much as Callahan appeared to have all the right answers Saturday, it was the Huskers’ stay-dry execution on an overcast evening that spun the machine — and the head of Troy coach Larry Blakeney.
After four offensive series, Nebraska had rolled up 263 yards and built a 21-0 lead. By halftime, those numbers were 406 and 28-0.
It was enough to make Blakeney — who joked that he didn’t know where NU’s offense came from — sound like a guy who wished he could take a jet to any coast to find a beach to lay on for a day and forget his troubles.
“That’s the best team we’ve played in a long time,” said Blakeney, who’s brought four of his clubs to Lincoln and had two get shut out. “Great coaching. Their players were prepared and ready — and big and fast.”
And so where was this team — or at least its offense — last week? For starters, not nearly as big and fast as it needed to be against the opponent in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
If you haven’t already, accept that and move on, because Nebraska still has the look of a team that’s prepared, and ought to return to the Big 12 Conference championship for the first time in seven years. The catch? As long as it can, over the next eight games, come close to matching the execution it showed Saturday.
“We had great balance. We did a lot of great things today,” said wide receiver Terrence Nunn, who caught four passes for 102 yards. “It just clicked tonight.”
On the field and in Callahan’s headset.
“They had a great game plan, too,” Nunn said of the coaches. “You can’t take that away from them.”
And yet, some Nebraskans will actually be upset that Zac Taylor, who threw just 16 passes at USC, completed his first six Saturday for 108 yards and a touchdown while leading the Huskers to a quick 14-0 lead.
Taylor still finished with only 17 attempts.
“I heard it a lot,” wide receiver Nate Swift said in regard to complaints about Nebraska’s approach last week — maybe too much.
Saturday’s game didn’t exactly provide the Huskers and Callahan with a mulligan. But it did give everyone a chance to show they’ve got each other’s backs covered.
Callahan challenged his team to push through its L.A. experience by putting it through a more physical week of practice. Full pads required.
“We got after it pretty good,” he said. “We’re getting better from that aspect, and it’s starting to pay off on game day.”
Nebraska had Troy in such a tight early hold that the Trojans looked as if they’d prefer submitting.
On Troy’s first three series, all of which ended with a punt, the Trojans faced third-and-16, third-and-18 and third-and-21. Troy caught a break of sorts on its fourth possession, when punter Jason Wright ran for a first down after bobbling a snap. Eventually, though, he had to punt again after a third-and-14 play.
“To come back in this fashion is very satisfying,” said Callahan, who later tempered that enthusiasm. “We’re far from arriving anywhere, so we’re just focusing in on getting better each week. That’s what college football is all about. It’s how you progress and how you improve on a week-to-week basis.”
If that’s the case, Callahan should be happy he won’t be asked to spend the next few days in rewind mode. The Huskers executed this plan for the Trojans to near perfection.