Rules:
1. Always run on first down.
2. Only pass on third down.
Give us a f__kin' break, Coach!
-------------------
http://www.journalstar.com/articles/2006/0...ea598119807.txt
Huskers determined to stay with ground game
BY BRIAN ROSENTHAL / Lincoln Journal Star
Sunday, Sep 17, 2006 - 01:14:02 am CDT
LOS ANGELES — You had to wonder at some point whether Zac Taylor had a bum shoulder, a sore arm, or somehow wasn’t feeling well. Or if his receivers perhaps got lost in the Los Angeles traffic.
In No. 19 Nebraska’s 28-10 loss to No. 4 USC on Saturday night, the Huskers’ senior quarterback attempted only 16 passes, completing eight for 115 yards.
Taylor assures you, though, that he’s healthy, and so are his receivers.
But the Nebraska offense, bent on running the football in a hostile environment that is 92,000 fans at the Los Angeles Coliseum, didn’t look so healthy. The Huskers mustered only 211 yards of total offense.
“It’s pretty disappointing,” sophomore receiver Nate Swift said. “Our offense never really got started. It really didn’t get started until late. It never developed into a passing game. We just kept pounding the rock and trying to get our run started so we could start passing, and it just never came.”
Swift didn’t catch a pass. Neither did Frantz Hardy. Nor did Maurice Purify.
Establishing the run was coach Bill Callahan’s plan from the start, and even when Nebraska fell behind 21-3, the Huskers didn’t shy from that plan.
“We continued to run the football,” Callahan said, “and we did what we planned to do to win the game.”
Nebraska, though, ran for only 68 yards on 36 attempts. That’s an average of 1.9 yards per attempt.
“We felt we could come in and run the football,” Callahan said. “In a hostile crowd, on the road, you’re going to need to run the football to win a championship.
“Again, let me be very clear. We wanted to run the football.”
Oh, it was certainly clear. Nebraska ran the ball on every first-down play until the final minute of the third quarter, and the Huskers’ first passing attempt on first down resulted in a 5-yard scramble by Taylor.
The first actual pass attempt on first down resulted in a 25-yard completion to Terrence Nunn. Taylor quickly followed with a 36-yard pass to Matt Herian, a play in which Taylor scrambled from pressure. Those plays led to Nebraska’s only touchdown, a 1-yard run by Taylor, who scooted to the outside on fourth-and-goal.
Taylor was sacked just once but was pressured often and found himself scrambling throughout the game. For Taylor, finding a rhythm was about as difficult as tuning out the USC fight song.
“They’re a pretty good pass rush,” Callahan said. “We wanted to come in here and have a good protection plan. Even a couple of times when we were having max protection, they broke that scheme down and applied pressure.”
Even when the Huskers fell behind 21-3 early in the third quarter, they returned to the ground game. Running plays on second-and-7 and third-and-5 ended up in a fourth-and-9 play, in which Taylor well underthrew intended receiver Maurice Purify.
“Not very well,” Taylor said, when asked to evaluate his performance. “I didn’t get into a rhythm.
“We were pounding the ball and doing a good job. That was just the game plan, and if you stick with it, you have a chance to win.”
Nebraska, led by Kenny Wilson’s 46 yards on 19 carries, didn’t gain an offensive first down until the second quarter, when it appeared the Huskers were starting to establish some momentum on the ground. But a holding penalty negated a 15-yard run by Marlon Lucky, and on second-and-20, Taylor suffered his lone sack of the night.
Another critical play came to start the third quarter, when USC recovered a fumbled handoff from Taylor to Lucky. That turnover occurred at the Nebraska 31-yard line and set up a USC touchdown.
“Every time that it felt like we were getting close, we were starting to roll,” Swift said, “something bad would happen.”
Reach Brian Rosenthal at 473-7436 or brosenthal@journalstar.com.
1. Always run on first down.
2. Only pass on third down.
Give us a f__kin' break, Coach!
-------------------
http://www.journalstar.com/articles/2006/0...ea598119807.txt
Huskers determined to stay with ground game
BY BRIAN ROSENTHAL / Lincoln Journal Star
Sunday, Sep 17, 2006 - 01:14:02 am CDT
LOS ANGELES — You had to wonder at some point whether Zac Taylor had a bum shoulder, a sore arm, or somehow wasn’t feeling well. Or if his receivers perhaps got lost in the Los Angeles traffic.
In No. 19 Nebraska’s 28-10 loss to No. 4 USC on Saturday night, the Huskers’ senior quarterback attempted only 16 passes, completing eight for 115 yards.
Taylor assures you, though, that he’s healthy, and so are his receivers.
But the Nebraska offense, bent on running the football in a hostile environment that is 92,000 fans at the Los Angeles Coliseum, didn’t look so healthy. The Huskers mustered only 211 yards of total offense.
“It’s pretty disappointing,” sophomore receiver Nate Swift said. “Our offense never really got started. It really didn’t get started until late. It never developed into a passing game. We just kept pounding the rock and trying to get our run started so we could start passing, and it just never came.”
Swift didn’t catch a pass. Neither did Frantz Hardy. Nor did Maurice Purify.
Establishing the run was coach Bill Callahan’s plan from the start, and even when Nebraska fell behind 21-3, the Huskers didn’t shy from that plan.
“We continued to run the football,” Callahan said, “and we did what we planned to do to win the game.”
Nebraska, though, ran for only 68 yards on 36 attempts. That’s an average of 1.9 yards per attempt.
“We felt we could come in and run the football,” Callahan said. “In a hostile crowd, on the road, you’re going to need to run the football to win a championship.
“Again, let me be very clear. We wanted to run the football.”
Oh, it was certainly clear. Nebraska ran the ball on every first-down play until the final minute of the third quarter, and the Huskers’ first passing attempt on first down resulted in a 5-yard scramble by Taylor.
The first actual pass attempt on first down resulted in a 25-yard completion to Terrence Nunn. Taylor quickly followed with a 36-yard pass to Matt Herian, a play in which Taylor scrambled from pressure. Those plays led to Nebraska’s only touchdown, a 1-yard run by Taylor, who scooted to the outside on fourth-and-goal.
Taylor was sacked just once but was pressured often and found himself scrambling throughout the game. For Taylor, finding a rhythm was about as difficult as tuning out the USC fight song.
“They’re a pretty good pass rush,” Callahan said. “We wanted to come in here and have a good protection plan. Even a couple of times when we were having max protection, they broke that scheme down and applied pressure.”
Even when the Huskers fell behind 21-3 early in the third quarter, they returned to the ground game. Running plays on second-and-7 and third-and-5 ended up in a fourth-and-9 play, in which Taylor well underthrew intended receiver Maurice Purify.
“Not very well,” Taylor said, when asked to evaluate his performance. “I didn’t get into a rhythm.
“We were pounding the ball and doing a good job. That was just the game plan, and if you stick with it, you have a chance to win.”
Nebraska, led by Kenny Wilson’s 46 yards on 19 carries, didn’t gain an offensive first down until the second quarter, when it appeared the Huskers were starting to establish some momentum on the ground. But a holding penalty negated a 15-yard run by Marlon Lucky, and on second-and-20, Taylor suffered his lone sack of the night.
Another critical play came to start the third quarter, when USC recovered a fumbled handoff from Taylor to Lucky. That turnover occurred at the Nebraska 31-yard line and set up a USC touchdown.
“Every time that it felt like we were getting close, we were starting to roll,” Swift said, “something bad would happen.”
Reach Brian Rosenthal at 473-7436 or brosenthal@journalstar.com.
