This Just-In...

Henery’s long distance call confirms the Buffalo nickel is still worthless,
Huskers athletic stimulus plan prevails 40-31

Player(s) of the game: Roy Helu 25 carries, 166 yds
Alex Henery 4-4 FG (School record 57 yard FG with 1:43 remaining)

Let the party en-SUH….
This game continues to prove the old cliché that “When these two teams get together, you can throw the records out the window”. It was stunningly similar to the games that were played in the late 90’s when CU came in as the clear underdog, pushes Nebraska to the limit, only to fall victim to Husker Magic. Yes, Henery's three pointer made from just outside of Omaha, was Husker Magic. The kind of magic we used to enjoy, but has been eerily missing over the last several years. This was the kind of game that made the NU/CU game into a legitimate rivalry. This game had about all you wanted out of a gridiron battle. Anticipation (will the huskers improve their bowl position?), disappointment (down 14-0 four minutes into the game), excitement (NU storms back to make it 17-14), frustration (Horrible fake field goal call and the Ganz fumble inside the 5), and elation (Henery’s mile long field goal, Suh’s second INT return for TD this year). Yes, our Huskers provided ample after Thanksgiving entertainment, and have positioned themselves to make a return trip to the hated Sunshine State.

You say goodbye-I say HELU….
Did Nebraska get Lucky (no pun intended-ok well maybe) that Marlon was nursing an injury (or was he?). Helu was on a mission, no this wasn’t an all-world rushing day out of the sophomore, but rather a statement game on his part. Roy has proven over the last few games that he is the better running back. He sees the field better, he hits the holes more quickly, he makes people miss (or just jumps over them). The one knock on Helu is that he was a liability in pass blocking, but he has improved drastically over the last several games, and NU can’t afford for him to sit on the sidelines. It is unfortunate the way that it has turned out for Lucky but he just never quite had that “special” quality that you can see in Ganz and Helu. Marlon will get a good look in the NFL with his exceptional pass catching and blocking abilities, but the torch has officially been passed.

Ganz with the one that brought ya….
Not much more you can say for the kid, but he exemplifies what it means to be a Husker player. He has been the difference this year between 8-4 and another bowless 5-7 season. One of the announcers late in the game mentioned that Ganz has not missed an audible at the line of scrimmage this year-its no wonder that Watson said he is one of the smartest players he has ever coached. Don’t get me wrong, he loves to keep us on the edge of our seats, as evidenced by his fumble on the five yard line for what was the go ahead touchdown, or the untimely sack on 3rd down with 1:50 remaining in the game that we thought took the Huskers of field goal range. He gave us a reason to be excited about this season, and proved just how important heart and emotion is in college football. Ganz will leave NU with most of the single season passing records, and in this world of instant gratification and five star recruits, a lesson in how far patience and determination can bring you. Ganz should hold his head high, and get used to hearing his name mentioned along with some of the great Husker QB’s over the years.

Henery the LVII (57) I am, I am….
Remember that small, skinny kid on the sidelines that you made fun of? He spends most of the day segregated from the rest of the team, forced to kick an oblong ball through two metal poles, and expected to be called upon in a moment’s notice to deliver a victory in a close ball game. Yes that kid on the sidelines is your kicker. In case you didn’t know Nebraska has a pretty good one. NU has had its share of good kickers over the years, but no one has kicked a 57 yarder, much less in the dramatic fashion that our kicker, Alex Henery did. Needless to say that if Alex had a hard time getting a date before Friday’s game, he should no longer have that problem. Guess that is why Alex could not be reached for comment late Friday evening….

Let’s go BO-wling….
Bo Pelini will take his undefeated bowl record (ok so it was only one game, a 17-3 victory over Michigan State in the Alamo Bowl in 2003 as interim coach) and a chance for a nine win season against a likely ACC opponent in the Gator Bowl on New Year’s Day. Some other possibilities include the Alamo Bowl, and after what has transpired with other Big 12 teams this weekend, possibly a Holiday Bowl berth. Wherever the destination, Pelini’s crew should be applauded for taking the leftover parts from the Callahan debacle, and molding them into a very competitive Big 12 team. We all know “competitive” is not where we want to be, but at least we are a bit closer to being “Excellent in all areas”.

In Conclusion….
This was just a great game to watch, we haven’t had many things to cheer about over the last several years but this was a good way to end our regular season. The defense stepped up when the game was on the line. Ganz was his usual efficient self. Suh made his case for all Big 12 honors. Helu showed he may be capable of the same in upcoming seasons. This Nebraska team has improved from the first game to the last. Pelini and his staff learned from their mistakes, take the two blown personal foul calls in the game, one right before the half, the other on the around the head sack of Ganz late in the game. Earlier in the season this would have been enough to turn Dr. Pelini into Mr. Hyde. This time, however, he simply pointed out his observations to the officials and moved on. We have the staff, and the core of players that can transition us to becoming an elite team once again. 8-4, a good finish to an exciting regular season. Work remains to be done, but progress was made. The passion and excitement have returned, it is only a matter of time….until we can truly “Restore the Order”.

Justin Prestidge is a new contributor to HuskerPedia™. Originally born and raised in Scottsbluff, Justin is currently holding a low profile deep in the heart of Texas. A die hard Husker fan, Justin has been following Big Red Football for over 20 years, and has been a member of the North Texas Nebraskans for the last 10. You can e-mail him here.