Peterson Makes Most of Opportunities

husker rob · September 21, 2007

Peterson had made the most of opportunities

By BRIAN CHRISTOPHERSON / Lincoln Journal Star

Friday, Sep 21, 2007 - 12:03:32 am CDT

Embarrassment was already holding hands with the Huskers.

Memorial Stadium was a third empty and the national television audience that remained was largely made up of people who couldn’t find their remotes.

Southern Cal was ahead by 32 points and Husker quarterback Sam Keller threw a pass across the middle that didn’t mean much to many people.

Todd Peterson had a decision to make.

The ball was coming his way. If Peterson went for the ball, he might catch it. No matter what, he would get rocked into next Tuesday by USC’s Taylor Mays.

If he didn’t go for it? Well, it’s a 32-point game. He’d still have his health.

Peterson went for it. He caught it. He got absolutely crushed. It was one of those hits they show in slow motion on highlight videos with Metallica music in the background.

Peterson popped right up. First down. Grandpa would have liked that.

OK, it is not the purpose here to overdo Peterson’s performance in the 49-31 loss to USC on Saturday.

Yes, he ended up with a fine Fantasy Football stat line: five catches, 74 yards, two touchdowns.

Of course, all five of those catches came in the final quarter, the outcome already well decided.

So, yeah, it was nice and all, but you could argue none of it mattered much. But then, that’s the thing to like about Peterson. He’ll keep working, taking lumps to move a yardstick, even when everyone already knows how the story will end.

“He’s just a guy who brings his lunch pail to work every day and makes it happen,” Husker receivers coach Ted Gilmore says. “No one has given Todd anything. He’s earned everything that he’s gotten.”

Sure, there were doubts. You better believe there were doubts that he could play here.

Peterson came to Nebraska after playing Class C-1 football for Grand Island Central Catholic.

In high school, the 6-foot-4 receiver would be matched up against a shrimp. He’d run simple routes and catch passes because he was taller.

Things are a little different these days.

“Now, it’s like, ‘OK, we’ve got a double-post route. If you see it’s Cover-2, you need to release outside the flat safety and run a go, or do this, or worry about this release, or get to this landmark,’” Peterson says.

“There’s literally times in practice where we’ll line up to run a play ... Coach (Bill) Callahan will be like, ‘Tighten it down.’ You take a step about six inches inside and he’s like, ‘That’s good.’ So you’re six inches off the mark, that’s just the kind of details we have.”

That Peterson is rarely off the mark is why coaches like him so much.

Callahan praises the junior because he can play all four of Nebraska’s receiver positions and is an “excellent downfield blocker.”

Gilmore calls him “a coach on the field” who the young guys rely heavily on for wisdom.

Peterson just calls himself blessed, lucky even.

In some ways, he was a beneficiary of timing. He walked on when Nebraska was changing its offense. A hard worker like him could make some hay while the Huskers were going through renovations.

“I thought I’d come here, pay my dues, be on the scout team for a couple years, hopefully get a shot later,” Peterson says.

The shot came sooner. After redshirting a year, he played in 10 games in 2005, catching nine passes for 150 yards and two touchdowns.

Peterson caught 19 balls last year, no catches bigger than those ones on the road against Texas A&M.

He had seven catches that day for 82 yards, including a 22-yard reception on a fourth-and-3 play that kept alive Nebraska’s game-winning drive.

Last year, the Husker receivers made strides. This year, he says “we want to be the strength of the offense. We feel we’re as deep as we’ve ever been at receiver.”

Whether he catches seven passes or none against Ball State, he knows he’ll get at least one ovation Saturday.

Before the game, he’ll be recognized as the recipient of the Brook Berringer Memorial Scholarship, given to a player who takes part in community service and exhibits high ideals and character.

The only shame is Grandpa won’t be in the stadium to enjoy it.

Howard Peterson was an avid Husker fan. The former state senator and mayor of Grand Island used to make annual trips to Husker bowl games.

He passed away Peterson’s senior year of high school, though the Husker senses he’s still around.

“I have to believe he’s up there helping me.”