Jeff’s Scarlet Commentary

Some dear older couple sitting next to me actually left Memorial Stadium between the third and fourth quarters this past Saturday. Looking at the scoreboard and seeing 14-12, I wondered “Will it get worse? Do these people know something I don’t?”

Before the fourth quarter, the offense had nearly broken out of the mire but was set back by Quentin Castille’s inopportune, Dan-Alexander-like fumble on an option play that was otherwise set up beautifully. The defense was already starting to step it up but had been on the field a lot.

Overall, San Jose St. seemed to have a pretty good offense. At the beginning of the game, they came out with more fire, like they were actually playing to win. Meanwhile, their defense was shifting all over the place, moving just before each snap, then getting in for sacks. Their special teams play wasn’t good, but that’s the only area where they were really ineffective.

The strong tight end play from the Huskers’ opener was distressingly absent in this game. In fact, McNeill missed blocks frequently and got eaten up by their ends several times. The right side of our line got blown up early in the game, with Joe Ganz even coming up limping after one of the Spartans’ early sacks. It was hard not to wonder how these same blockers will fare against the likes of OU, Missouri, and the two Techs.

To me, the most interesting comment after the game was Ganz’s “We aren’t as good as we thought we were” assessment. Between the penalties, blown assignments, turnovers, drive-killing errors, missed tackles, injuries, some strange officiating…this game had it all. If I hadn’t been there to witness it in person and had just glanced at the final score, I wouldn’t have believed it.

Before the season (and before this game), I would’ve liked to have thought that under Pelini the team would never play in a way that reminded fans so vividly of the mess that was last season. After getting through this game and coming out with a win, I’d also like to believe the Huskers have learned their lesson and the lackadaisical play is now in the past. Reality may differ. We shall see how the coaches and team respond.

A few other Scarlet Comments:

* I was happy to see Major Culbert start the second half (although his play wasn’t perfect, either). Asante gives up so many yards on pass plays…the guy is rarely very close to his man. Sure, he gets his share of tackles after the completion, but woohoo. I suspect that he must practice better than he plays. That’s the only way I can explain him as a continued starter. So far teams seem more likely to go at Asante than our young corners.

* I hope Murtha coming back (and eventually, Christensen) can help the offensive line at least a bit.

* Related to that last point, Helu should probably be starting at RB. Lucky just doesn’t seem to have it so far this year. Maybe if he sits at the start of a few games, he’ll discover it. Whatever “it” is, Helu’s got it. Our O-line also starts to look just a notch better whenever he’s in. The situation reminds me a bit of 2006, when Lucky was the starter but whenever Brandon Jackson came in he provided a spark.

* Losing Barry Turner is going to hurt us more in future games that it did in this game. That’s not a swipe at Pierre Allen. It just is what it is.

* Niles Paul looks like our best return man since DeJuan Groce. It’s exciting to see the Huskers winning the punt return and kickoff return phases of the game like seasons of old.

The best part from Saturday, of course, was the Huskers taking over and playing like a Top-25 team for at least one quarter of football. Yes, the same game that offered an unnerving “Callahan era” reminder also offered a vision of what could be the Pelini future. I’d rather the team finish the game the way they did than have them play well for three quarters only to tank in the final one.

THIS WEEK

More spread offense out of New Mexico St. should prove interesting. I’m wondering if the Huskers will play any better with Murtha back on O and Thenarse at one of the safety spots. The team can’t afford to look past this game. With fewer penalties and a bit more discipline in their assignments, the Huskers will be fine.