Teammates rally around RexMitch Sherman
LINCOLN — Bad things happen on a football field, some worse than Iowa State linebacker A.J. Klein wrenching the helmet and neck of Nebraska's Rex Burkhead.
Not always, though, does it draw a reaction like that play did.
Multiple TV replays and photographs captured Klein, a 6-foot-1, 240-pound sophomore, as he tugged at the headgear and appeared to use his right leg for leverage against Burkhead after the sophomore I-back scored on a 2-yard run in Saturday's third quarter.
“It's still kind of sore,” Burkhead said Monday night of his neck.
A dirty play by Klein, no doubt, and deserving of a flag. The personal foul, though, was called against NU fullback Tyler Legate — 15 yards for pushing Klein away from Burkhead, with help from guard Keith Williams.
“I just reacted,” Legate said. “Trying to protect my teammate.”
Burkhead thanked Legate, who delivered a key block on the TD run along with guard Ricky Henry.
“Legate's like another brother to me,” said Burkhead, the offensive star for Nebraska in its 31-30 overtime win. “It's nice to know your teammates have your back.”
Burkhead, who took almost 20 snaps Saturday in the Wildcat formation, has earned that kind of treatment for his toughness and football savvy. The guy is treated with reverence by teammates and coaches.
“He is an exceptional young man in every regard,” coach Bo Pelini said. “And I think the other players, they recognize that.”
Teammates voted Burkhead to the Unity Council this season, his second year in the Nebraska program. Pelini described him as a leader even last year.
“You ask guys about who they respect on the team,” Pelini said, “and I think, to a man, everyone will mention Rex Burkhead.”
The penalty, assessed on the kickoff, cost Nebraska 5 yards of field position. No big deal, but it matters that the officials missed Klein.
Line judge Kevin Mar threw the flag on Legate. Umpire Scott Campbell and field judge Nick Lave also stood within a few yards of the play as Klein accosted Burkhead. It stands to reason that the pile of players at the goal line blocked the officials' view of Klein. How, then, did they see Legate commit a foul against him?
The whole thing serves as just another reminder of the disturbingly poor string of Big 12 officiating that we've seen in recent weeks.
This is no suggestion of a plot by the league against Nebraska, which is bolting for the Big Ten next year. Bad calls have gone in favor of the Huskers, too.
Saturday in Ames, Iowa State quarterback Austen Arnaud was nearly injured in the first quarter on a play overturned after Nebraska stripped the football and returned it for an apparent touchdown. In the second quarter, Iowa State was awarded a Roy Helu fumble after he was held up for several seconds by the defense and stripped of the ball.
So if you're Klein, who might not have known if Burkhead had crossed the goal line, why not wrench away?
As for Legate, he got an earful from Pelini on the sideline after the touchdown. The coach said Tuesday he saw it differently after reviewing tape. Offensive coordinator Shawn Watson, watching from the press box, never doubted Legate's motives.
“He was trying to get the guy's hands off Rex,” Watson said. “He was defending his teammate. You can't complain too much about that.”
