Guy Chamberlin

Newby. I'd be good with that.

Two of those big plays Saturday were runs right up the gut. We also ran several plays up the gut that got very little. We had some successful deep throws and crossing patterns. And some incompletions. It's hard to conclude that the play we would have called would have been better than the play Beck had called. Wait. That's wrong. It's actually very easy to convince ourselves that our calls would have been better. Hindsight is flawless. I think the safest thing to conclude is that our offensive line doesn't get great push at the moment, but they roll out pretty well and pass block nicely.

I'd love to see more play action myself. And the old rollout option with the three step drop pass, which seems to fit Armstrong's skillset. But I hear a lot of folks on here get frustrated that Beck goes away from what works well. I think they're envisioning what worked well 20 years ago. If you look at it objectively, the short passes -- and the surprise deep route -- work as well or better on a 3rd and 3 than a power running play. Neither Ameer or Cross has appeared a lock to get three yards against teams that have clearly designed a Stop Ameer First strategy. Other than his untouched touchdown Saturday, Ameer has 107 yards on 35 carries the last two games. Our yards per passing attempt have been much better. If you look at the facts, the running and passing game need each other, and Beck's choices are statistically defensible. If you watch the NFL, the coaches make the short outlet pass call on 3rd and 2 about 80% of the time. The offensive line does not yet appear ready to dominate, so I wouldn't call anything Beck is doing "cute", unless that's the adjective we're giving every forward pass.

Imani Cross deserves more carries, but do you take offensive plays away from? Ameer, who many insist is already underutilized? Or Newby, who many insist needs more experience for next year? Armstrong, whose zone reads and designed keepers keep the secondary guessing? Bell and Westerkamp, two of the most exciting game-breakers in recent Husker memory? The tight ends, just getting more involved in the gameplan? Whoever this Hovey guy is? Exactly how upset are we by an offense with a 2:1 run/pass ratio that gains 280 yards rushing, 280 yards passing and scores six touchdowns with six different players? Two weeks after setting the all-time Big 10 record for total offense. Truth is, we didn't run a lot of plays Saturday because we were getting 50, 60 and 70 yards on individual plays. You can say we are dependent on big plays, or be happy that these relatively simple and not-at-all "cute" plays were extremely successful. I'm leaning to the latter.

If Beck doesn't get "pass happy" we don't move the ball. Ameer got his carries in the right situations, but in case you didn't notice, they weren't going far. Passing: 24 attempts for 282 yards. Rushing: 42 attampts for 280 yards. Beck rushes twice as much as he passes. Passing game gets more yards. Each facet helps the other. Yet people still bitch. Damn those successful big plays!

yay!

Piersen-El breaks one. You read it here first.

Push too hard and it can backfire. But this feels about right.

Enjoy the game. Don't read the Game Thread.

Remember all the players who got injured returning kickoffs? Because I don't.

What score would surprise you? Seriously. I'm running through all the scenarios and they're all plausible.

Strictly objective? I think it's pretty amazing you banged that out on a smart phone.

For what it's worth, multiple ESPN pundits were boosting Suh for Heisman in 2009, at the expense of Tim Tebow. But they don't actually cast the Heisman votes. Heisman voters tend to be safe and conservative. They might give a defensive player a second, third or fourth place vote, but never a first. Abdullah probably has a better chance than Suh, especially if the big name quarterbacks fade and/or split votes. The fact they're even debating Ameer's chances two games in against minor league foes suggests Abdullah's stock has risen dramatically.

Mariotta's pretty damned good. Gurley's no slouch. Ameer's chances are far better than I imagined coming into the season. I thought Husker fans were just talking to themselves, but the dude is all over the place right now. Last week was all about his 58 yard game saving play. As it should be. But I really dug that they put him back for a kickoff return in the fourth quarter, and Ameer immediately delivered. More of that, please.

Apparently teams like Oklahoma and Georgia Tech watched more closely than others. That kinda gets to the upper-echelon offensive line issue. Things that worked for Osborne's Huskers against our 9 lesser opponents often hit the wall against teams that could match us in size and strength, and maybe best us in speed. When we didn't need to pass, our passing game was deadly. When we were forced to pass, we were already in desperation mode.

And I promise I'm not suggesting that Ameer Abdullah doesn't deserve more carries. I hope he is allowed to go off on Fresno State...and every other game. Just suggesting that a robust passing game -- even at a 50% completion rate -- remains a huge asset for Abdullah. Adrian Peterson is another horse who can carry the team on his back, but he has pleaded for a better passing game because it makes his job easier. And sometimes we forget that Tim Beck has presided over Nebraska's return to one of the top rushing offenses in the nation, allowed Ameer his breakthrough rushing season last year, and 11 days ago directed the most prolific offensive game in Big 10 history, including 500 yards rushing and a career high for Ameer. I don't know if Beck is indifferent to the obvious, but it's clear he can't pass too little for some Husker fans. Hey, Jordan Westerkamp just notched his first Heisman proto-vote. A bit disrespectful not to get him more involved in the game, since what he's doing works.

At the point we're at in the sporting world, and with a lingering bad taste around Jameis Winston, it sure doesn't hurt that Ameer Abdullah has exuded high character at every opportunity.

What obviously works in one game doesn't obviously work in another -- or even between quarters -- because other teams have defensive coordinators. The first quarter of McNeese State seemed to prove that. Some folks believe that inflicting your will on another team is as simple as inflicting your will. Easy for the armchair fan to say. Among many things, the inflicting-your-will game requires a top-echelon offensive line.

Well that's what I would have suspected, but even coming against McNeese State, Abdullah's run got huge play on the national networks and all sorts of ancillary chatter. Even here in California. The local sports columnist of the San Francisco Chronicle mentioned it in his Monday column as "jaw-dropping." After getting only 54 yards on 17 carries against McNeese State, Ameer's Heisman buzz shot up. The storyline was that Ameer's individual effort saved Nebraska's season. We'll see about that. And yeah, without Cotton's penalty, the fading Amrstrong launching a 40 yard bomb to an on-his-back Westerkamp would have added to Westy's fast-growing legend. People are watching Nebraska football. It's a good thing. Now what did I expect with this thread? I expected it to go at least 4 - 5 posts without someone flinging shite on Tommy Armstrong or Tim Beck. Live and learn.

ESPN has been giving Ameer plenty of love going on two seasons now. They could try to dismiss him with the quality of our first two opponents, but they haven't. Ameer Abdullah has everyone's attention. Between Ameer and Westerkamp, Nebraska is the early season king of Sportscenter clips. It's a good look for us. Heisman-wise, it's Mariotta's to lose. ESPN will have a couple dozen guys with opinions, but they don't have a horse in the race. Collectively ESPN leans to the underdog. The actual voters tend to play it safe.

This isn't going the way I'd hoped.

In fairness, music really has gone to hell ever since Lawrence Welk went electric.

...and we already have two of the best highlight reel plays in college football. That's something. Right?

We get six wake-up calls every year, and are lucky that two of them turn out to be wins. There is no other game but the next game. And the Huskers have to learn their ABCs....Always Be Closing. Because second prize is a set of steak knives.

I really enjoyed Ameer Abdullah's game winning touchdown. I'm betting that's what I'll remember most as the years go by.