NU Report Card, ISU
RUNNING GAME
B A lot of tender-toed running backs would have been tempted to call it a day with things looking bleak in the second half. Not Cory Ross, who should be an even bigger fan favorite after a gutsy 19-carry, 126-yard performance.
PASSING GAME
D Joe Dailey's interception in the final three minutes is what stands out, but this grade is more about the Huskers' route runners than their quarterback. Dailey launched numerous throws that warranted better effort at the receiving end.
AGAINST THE RUN
B Iowa State's running game served mainly as a way to chew up the clock. The Cyclones had a lot more difficult time trying to chew up real estate against a D-line that was tough to budge.
AGAINST THE PASS
F Bret Meyer looked more like Brett Favre while abusing the NU secondary for 345 yards, 106 more than his previous career high. If not for Oklahoma's Adrian Peterson, Todd Blythe (eight catches for a career-high 188 yards) would be the next Big 12 Offensive Freshman of the Year.
SPECIAL TEAMS
F You see why coaches harp on the importance of special teams. Sandro DeAngelis missed two field goals inside 35 yards with the wind at his back, and then a PAT try. That's seven points. What was the final again?
GAME MANAGEMENT & PENALTIES
D After an ISU timeout prior to a third-and-10 play with 8:16 to play, Nebraska had to call a timeout because it had too many players on the field. You want further evidence of how the Huskers were reading from different scripts? How about 11 penalties?
PLAY CALLING
C There were a lot of offensive plays that appeared to be well set up. The bottom line is most of them weren't executed. Nebraska's defense, which hasn't been prone to being stretched vertically, looked caught off-guard by Meyer's tendency to look (and connect) deep.
OVERALL
D From Barney Cotton to Bo Pelini. Could this have been Part I of Revenge of the Former Nebraska Assistants? The Huskers will need a lot more than heart to make next week's trip to Norman worth their time.
— Curt McKeever
B A lot of tender-toed running backs would have been tempted to call it a day with things looking bleak in the second half. Not Cory Ross, who should be an even bigger fan favorite after a gutsy 19-carry, 126-yard performance.
PASSING GAME
D Joe Dailey's interception in the final three minutes is what stands out, but this grade is more about the Huskers' route runners than their quarterback. Dailey launched numerous throws that warranted better effort at the receiving end.
AGAINST THE RUN
B Iowa State's running game served mainly as a way to chew up the clock. The Cyclones had a lot more difficult time trying to chew up real estate against a D-line that was tough to budge.
AGAINST THE PASS
F Bret Meyer looked more like Brett Favre while abusing the NU secondary for 345 yards, 106 more than his previous career high. If not for Oklahoma's Adrian Peterson, Todd Blythe (eight catches for a career-high 188 yards) would be the next Big 12 Offensive Freshman of the Year.
SPECIAL TEAMS
F You see why coaches harp on the importance of special teams. Sandro DeAngelis missed two field goals inside 35 yards with the wind at his back, and then a PAT try. That's seven points. What was the final again?
GAME MANAGEMENT & PENALTIES
D After an ISU timeout prior to a third-and-10 play with 8:16 to play, Nebraska had to call a timeout because it had too many players on the field. You want further evidence of how the Huskers were reading from different scripts? How about 11 penalties?
PLAY CALLING
C There were a lot of offensive plays that appeared to be well set up. The bottom line is most of them weren't executed. Nebraska's defense, which hasn't been prone to being stretched vertically, looked caught off-guard by Meyer's tendency to look (and connect) deep.
OVERALL
D From Barney Cotton to Bo Pelini. Could this have been Part I of Revenge of the Former Nebraska Assistants? The Huskers will need a lot more than heart to make next week's trip to Norman worth their time.
— Curt McKeever
Copyright © 2002-2009 Lincoln Journal Star. All rights reserved.