BRIAN ROSENTHAL / Lincoln Journal Star | Posted: Friday, November 26, 2004 6:00 pm
It made reasonable sense to believe Nebraska stood a pretty decent chance of running the football against Colorado.
After all, the Huskers fought hard for 201 rushing yards in their last game against Oklahoma, which boasts the Big 12 Conference's best run defense. And Colorado entered Friday's game at Memorial Stadium with the league's second-worst run defense.
"We feel like we can run it against everybody," Nebraska offensive coordinator Jay Norvell said.
The Huskers couldn't run against Colorado. Especially early.
Nebraska ran for 9 yards in the first quarter and had only 31 rushing yards by the time Colorado built a 17-0 lead.
The Huskers then had to go to the air to play catch-up the rest of the game. The result was a school-record 55 passing attempts and a school-record-low 23 rushing attempts in a 26-20 loss to the Buffaloes.
Nebraska, which entered the game averaging 187 yards rushing per game, finished with a season-low 67 yards.
"They were putting eight, nine guys in the box, and they were forcing us to beat them with the pass," Nebraska offensive lineman Jake Andersen said. "At most, on running plays, you've got seven guys (blocking), and if they've got nine guys in there, that's two hats that are free."
It didn't help that I-back Cory Ross sat out nearly the entire second half because of injury. Ross, who's battled turf toe problems and was coming off a bruised sternum in Nebraska's loss at Oklahoma, carried once in the second half for no gain. He finished with 35 yards on 11 carries.
"I think the biggest thing that hurts in him is his heart right now," Norvell said. "Those injuries that he has, they eventually catch up to you and they did a little bit today. He fought through them as long as he could.
"It wasn't because of lack of want-to or lack of courage or fighting through it. He did all he could."
With Ross out and with backup freshman Brandon Jackson nursing a knee injury, Norvell turned to junior David Horne.
A local radio station reported earlier this week that Horne had left the team, but Horne proved he's very much a member of the Huskers. Although he had just two carries, he caught six passes for 53 yards.
Horne was among eight Huskers who caught balls, as Dailey completed a school-record 29 passes for 306 yards. But Dailey also threw four interceptions, leading to 13 Colorado points, and again failed, at times, to hit open receivers.
"We struggled," Dailey said. "You could see that. It's obvious. We've got struggles we need to work on in the offseason.
"I have to work on a lot of things my accuracy, my footwork, getting everything together and being able to operate under pressure, which I do fairly well. I've just got to step up and make plays in duress."
Dailey faced as much pressure Friday as he had all season and was sacked three times for 26 yards in losses. One was a crucial 12-yard loss in the final minute of the first half after Nebraska drove to the Colorado 22-yard line.
The sack forced a 51-yard field goal attempt that David Dyches narrowly missed. Nebraska also wasted a scoring chance in the third quarter when Dailey tossed an incompletion on a fourth-and-3 play from the CU 18.
"You've got to make the plays to give yourself a chance to win," Norvell said.
Dailey found some rhythm in the fourth quarter, when he led the Huskers on an 11-play, 88-yard touchdown drive that pulled NU within a touchdown in the final 2 minutes. He completed 7 of 9 passes, which included a stretch of five straight completions, in the series.
Of course, it could be argued that the Buffaloes, up by two scores, were playing a prevent defense. But for a quarterback who struggled all season in grasping a new offense, particularly throwing the ball, perhaps it's something Dailey can hang his hat on heading into the offseason.
In his first year as a starting quarterback, the sophomore completed 50 percent of his passes for 2,025 yards, with 17 touchdowns and 19 interceptions.
"He's a guy that had some rough spots, and it's not what happens to you, it's what you do with what happens to you," Norvell said. "He's got to use it to improve himself, it's that simple. He's not happy with where he's at."
Reach Brian Rosenthal at 473-7436 or brosenthal@journalstar.com.