From: http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_pg=38&u_sid=2009760
No blowout? Not to worry, Huskers say
BY DIRK CHATELAIN
WORLD-HERALD BUREAU
Related Coverage: Winston-Salem Journal
LINCOLN - They came itching for one of those good old-fashioned 55-7 blowouts, the kind in which the starting quarterback calls it a day midway through the third quarter and the fourth-string I-back gets his 100 yards.
Husker quarterback Zac Taylor connected on 9 of his first 11 passes against Maine, but was 6 of 25 the rest of the way.
Yet few of the 77,469 in Memorial Stadium who watched Saturday's 25-7 win over Maine left more optimistic than they came.
After months of hearing the ways Bill Callahan had fixed Big Red, bewildered Nebraska fans found that results didn't meet expectations, at least not offensively.
By Tuesday, the Huskers had rested, reflected and examined game film of an alarmingly close call against a middle-of-the-road Division I-AA opponent.
"The way I look at it: A win's a win," senior I-back Cory Ross said. "We went 5-6 last year and, right now, we're 1-0. I'm feeling good about that. I think in the past you put up 60-, 70-point wins over teams like that. What people fail to realize, it's a new era now. Whether it's Maine or not, they still had athletes on that team."
Wake Forest at NU
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
• When: 6 p.m. Saturday
• Where, Memorial Stadium, Lincoln
• TV: TBS
• Radio: Pinnacle Sports Network, including KFAB 1110 AM and KHUS 93.3 FM in Omaha.
Nevertheless, the Maine score raised a red flag throughout Husker Nation. If the Huskers can't throttle Maine, if they can't average more than 2.9 yards per carry against a I-AA defense, how can they beat Wake Forest?
Callahan's NFL experience taught him not to worry about victory margins.
"I look at it as you either win or you lose," said the former Oakland Raiders coach on Tuesday.
Callahan said good coaching exists at every level. He's seen great players from USC and Florida State, from Division I-A and Division II. Match kids of the same size and speed against each other and "anything can happen."
TCU's win over Oklahoma Saturday served as an example. So were the struggles against heavy underdogs of Big 12 brethren Iowa State, Kansas State, Kansas and Oklahoma State.
"I saw a lot of teams Saturday kind of going through the same things we were," said quarterback Zac Taylor.
Callahan's main concern was turnovers. Nebraska gave the ball away twice inside the red zone, once on a Ross fumble, once on a Taylor interception. Mishandle scoring opportunities and games quickly get tight, he said.
Nebraska's defense appears confident as it prepares for Wake Forest's determined running game. The Blackshirts, which at times in 2004 "looked like we couldn't stop a high school team," Jay Moore said Tuesday, tallied 11 quarterback sacks and allowed Maine just 145 total yards.
But one wonders: Can the offense show similar progress?
Specifically, can the offensive line open holes for Ross? Can Zac Taylor perform as he did in the first half against Maine? Will Nebraska find an offensive identity, somewhere it can turn when circumstances toughen?
Nebraska rushed for just 121 yards and 2.9 yards per carry. Callahan said the rushing attack was off by "one or two blocks here and there," mistakes that had to be corrected by Saturday.
The Huskers knew Maine would blitz most plays, but the speed and ferocity of those blitzes caught NU off guard. Ross said Maine was better than he expected.
"I definitely was surprised after the game," said Ross, who finished with 80 yards on 20 carries. "Their defense flew around. They blitzed and they had a great scheme."
Taylor started the game 9 for 11 before hitting just six of his last 25 throws. Callahan said Taylor was aiming throws in the second half instead of trusting his mechanics. The quarterback said he made some bad reads and threw off his back foot too many times.
"I was kind of wishing we could just play another game the next day and put that last one behind us and start all over," Taylor said.
Taylor said he may have been worried too much about the scoreboard.
"Obviously, we should've been scoring more than that," Taylor said.
NU rushed 42 times and passed 36 but never determined which option worked best.
More than a minute remained on the clock in the first half Saturday when Nebraska had first-and-goal at the Maine 1-yard-line. Three times NU passed. Three times it failed to score - the final attempt ended with Taylor's first interception.
Time was a concern, offensive coordinator Jay Norvell said Saturday. You don't want to run the ball, then have to spike it to kill the clock.
Taylor said the running game is normally NU's strength, but he wasn't surprised by the play calling. Ross agreed.
"I think people are just surprised we didn't punch it in because that's the way Nebraska's always been," Ross said.
The Huskers have learned that, despite their glorious past, no win is a cinch. Historically, the Demon Deacons' opening loss at home to Vanderbilt would indicate an easy Husker win. Callahan said Wake is "excellent in all areas." He expects a battle.
"It'll be a four-quarter game. There's no question in my mind it'll go down to four quarters."
No blowout? Not to worry, Huskers say
BY DIRK CHATELAIN
WORLD-HERALD BUREAU
Related Coverage: Winston-Salem Journal
LINCOLN - They came itching for one of those good old-fashioned 55-7 blowouts, the kind in which the starting quarterback calls it a day midway through the third quarter and the fourth-string I-back gets his 100 yards.
Husker quarterback Zac Taylor connected on 9 of his first 11 passes against Maine, but was 6 of 25 the rest of the way.
Yet few of the 77,469 in Memorial Stadium who watched Saturday's 25-7 win over Maine left more optimistic than they came.
After months of hearing the ways Bill Callahan had fixed Big Red, bewildered Nebraska fans found that results didn't meet expectations, at least not offensively.
By Tuesday, the Huskers had rested, reflected and examined game film of an alarmingly close call against a middle-of-the-road Division I-AA opponent.
"The way I look at it: A win's a win," senior I-back Cory Ross said. "We went 5-6 last year and, right now, we're 1-0. I'm feeling good about that. I think in the past you put up 60-, 70-point wins over teams like that. What people fail to realize, it's a new era now. Whether it's Maine or not, they still had athletes on that team."
Wake Forest at NU
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
• When: 6 p.m. Saturday
• Where, Memorial Stadium, Lincoln
• TV: TBS
• Radio: Pinnacle Sports Network, including KFAB 1110 AM and KHUS 93.3 FM in Omaha.
Nevertheless, the Maine score raised a red flag throughout Husker Nation. If the Huskers can't throttle Maine, if they can't average more than 2.9 yards per carry against a I-AA defense, how can they beat Wake Forest?
Callahan's NFL experience taught him not to worry about victory margins.
"I look at it as you either win or you lose," said the former Oakland Raiders coach on Tuesday.
Callahan said good coaching exists at every level. He's seen great players from USC and Florida State, from Division I-A and Division II. Match kids of the same size and speed against each other and "anything can happen."
TCU's win over Oklahoma Saturday served as an example. So were the struggles against heavy underdogs of Big 12 brethren Iowa State, Kansas State, Kansas and Oklahoma State.
"I saw a lot of teams Saturday kind of going through the same things we were," said quarterback Zac Taylor.
Callahan's main concern was turnovers. Nebraska gave the ball away twice inside the red zone, once on a Ross fumble, once on a Taylor interception. Mishandle scoring opportunities and games quickly get tight, he said.
Nebraska's defense appears confident as it prepares for Wake Forest's determined running game. The Blackshirts, which at times in 2004 "looked like we couldn't stop a high school team," Jay Moore said Tuesday, tallied 11 quarterback sacks and allowed Maine just 145 total yards.
But one wonders: Can the offense show similar progress?
Specifically, can the offensive line open holes for Ross? Can Zac Taylor perform as he did in the first half against Maine? Will Nebraska find an offensive identity, somewhere it can turn when circumstances toughen?
Nebraska rushed for just 121 yards and 2.9 yards per carry. Callahan said the rushing attack was off by "one or two blocks here and there," mistakes that had to be corrected by Saturday.
The Huskers knew Maine would blitz most plays, but the speed and ferocity of those blitzes caught NU off guard. Ross said Maine was better than he expected.
"I definitely was surprised after the game," said Ross, who finished with 80 yards on 20 carries. "Their defense flew around. They blitzed and they had a great scheme."
Taylor started the game 9 for 11 before hitting just six of his last 25 throws. Callahan said Taylor was aiming throws in the second half instead of trusting his mechanics. The quarterback said he made some bad reads and threw off his back foot too many times.
"I was kind of wishing we could just play another game the next day and put that last one behind us and start all over," Taylor said.
Taylor said he may have been worried too much about the scoreboard.
"Obviously, we should've been scoring more than that," Taylor said.
NU rushed 42 times and passed 36 but never determined which option worked best.
More than a minute remained on the clock in the first half Saturday when Nebraska had first-and-goal at the Maine 1-yard-line. Three times NU passed. Three times it failed to score - the final attempt ended with Taylor's first interception.
Time was a concern, offensive coordinator Jay Norvell said Saturday. You don't want to run the ball, then have to spike it to kill the clock.
Taylor said the running game is normally NU's strength, but he wasn't surprised by the play calling. Ross agreed.
"I think people are just surprised we didn't punch it in because that's the way Nebraska's always been," Ross said.
The Huskers have learned that, despite their glorious past, no win is a cinch. Historically, the Demon Deacons' opening loss at home to Vanderbilt would indicate an easy Husker win. Callahan said Wake is "excellent in all areas." He expects a battle.
"It'll be a four-quarter game. There's no question in my mind it'll go down to four quarters."