Where It’s At

I would never, ever, ever, ever be one to toot my own horn, but after Nebraska handled Iowa State 35-7 on Saturday, what I said in the “Looking ahead…” part of last week’s sideline sounds pretty good in retrospect. Well, in that “this sounds like an argument Drunk Husker Fan would make after taking a Jagerbomb every time NU scored against Texas Tech” kind of way. Here ‘tis:

“In terms of their opponent, against the Cyclones the Huskers should feel like a race car driver who’s driving 25 mph after spending three hours on the Indianapolis Speedway after what they’ve faced recently.”

Ew … that writing, what you just read right there, was just plain sloppy and incoherent. Kind of like our friend Drunk Husker Fan. But, … (and for purposes of readability, now’s the time to channel your inner Barney from “The Simpsons”) “yaknowwhatImean, yaknow? Mannnn … let’s go do some shots, yeah!” OK. Whatever. The point I was trying to make is that after the three-game gauntlet of great athletes and schemes NU faced against Virginia Tech, Missouri and Texas Tech – the one that gave the Huskers the FCS’ toughest schedule prior to last week – the game was bound to slow down significantly on both sides of the ball in Ames.

And that’s what happened on Saturday, to the tune of 548 yards of offense and just 218 yards allowed on defense. Save for a shaky third quarter and all of those fumbles, that game was good, very good. Not “this program has turned a corner” or “well, there’s only one thing left to do – win the whole f**kin’ thing” kind of good, but definitely enough to get you more than excited about the rest of the season. Let’s go through some of the highlights:

• Shawn Watson has found his stride, and then some – screens, rollouts, options; he’s on fire. To the point where if he keeps this up – and that’s probably a big “if” – our offensive scheme is good enough to neutralize a defense full of better athletes. Take Oklahoma. The chances of us winning in Norman in two weeks are slimmer than the chances Larry Asante will ever actually hold on to an interception (Larry’s just 14 shy of the NCAA single-season record, if you’re keeping score), but we’re scoring some points. Buhlee dat.

• Speaking of our offensive scheme, I love the “Joker” formation with Marlon Lucky taking direct snaps out of the shotgun. This should be used no fewer than four times a game and if you don’t think Marlon is throwing out of that formation at some point this season, you’re crazy. Passes, shovel passes, double reverses – I can even see Lucky and Roy Helu Jr. running some option together. Did I just give myself a halfsy? Yep.

• The defense is making progress – but it’s coming in the form of baby steps. Obviously, when you only surrender 218 yards, things went well. On Saturday, what stood out to me was the stellar defensive line play (against an officiating crew whose vocabulary did not include “holding”) and seven pass break-ups. (Ball skills? Us? Really?) More progress will be made against Baylor this week, but the thought of what an Oklahoma team that hung 674 yards on Kansas might do to us is still plain scary.

• Rickey Thenarse is a freaking kamikaze. I just wanted to throw that in. I seriously think he hurts himself every time he hits somebody.

• On a side note, my favorite word to describe an elite player this fall has been “beast,” so I’m starting a group called “Husker Beasts”: Before Saturday, the group included only Ndamukong Suh and Joe Ganz. But Nate Swift was incredibly “beasty” against Iowa State, with eight catches for 112 yards – in the first half. He’s in. Knocking on the door? Lucky and Ty Steinkuhler. (FYI: This will not be an easy group to get in to.)

• Husker Beast Joe Ganz might be one of the top 10 quarterbacks in the country. Yes, that sounds like a pretty bold statement, but he’s nearly already there in terms of efficiency (he’s ranked 12th nationally after Saturday), and when you factor in toughness, leadership and what he means to his team, why not? I’ve knocked him for throwing those one-per-game “lethal” interceptions, but NU would literally fall apart without him. And I loved when Bo Pelini looked into the camera after the game when the Versus interviewer was about to interview Ganz, and Pelini goes, “He’s a good man.” Oh Bo, if only you weren’t so sentimental, we’d be 6-1 right now.

Enjoy the 35-7 win. Enjoy the “Bo-mentum” that seems to be building. But be careful, Drunk Husker Fan – “Mannn, whatthef**kisBaylorgonnado? BringonOklahoma!” – to keep it going, NU’s got to take it one game at a time. Let’s go get us some Baylor.