NU report card, 10/16

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BY BRIAN ROSENTHAL / Lincoln Journal Star

RUNNING GAME (A)

Nebraska didn’t get a lot going on the ground before halftime but got yardage when it mattered, then took control after halftime. Cody Glenn again showed his strength, not only in short-yardage situations, but also in the regular offense. Give credit to the offensive line for wearing down the Bears up front (and also protecting Zac Taylor from getting sacked).

 

PASSING GAME (B)

Several pass-interference calls on Baylor in the first half had the home crowd in a frenzy, and Nebraska took advantage. Cory Ross should still be running on that screen pass in the first quarter where he was called down for a loss of yardage. In any case, it was a heads-up play by Taylor, who made a great desperation toss under pressure. Taylor, though, made three straight bad throws when NU had first-and-goal shortly before halftime. He made up for it by finding Todd Peterson wide-open in the back of the end zone.

AGAINST THE RUN (A)

The Blackshirts shut down the Bears, although Baylor broke a couple of nice runs late in the game. Paul Mosley, a big back who’s notoriously hard to bring down, had one big run, as did the shifty Brand Whitaker.  Baylor’s final rushing total of 51 yards reflected 32 yards lost in sacks.

AGAINST THE PASS (B)

Baylor converted on third-and-11, third-and-9, third-and-6 and third-and-10 through the air in the first half. Two of those conversions came on the Bears’ touchdown drive to start the game. Grixby, though, had a nice breakup on a long pass attempt in the final seconds before halftime that kept Baylor out of scoring position. Trent Shelton’s long third-quarter reception that resulted in a touchdown can be blamed partly on bad tackling by Daniel Bullocks and Blake Tiedtke. Bullocks made up for his mistake with an interception late in the game. Zack Bowman’s pick on a deep ball was also big.

SPECIAL TEAMS (A)

Many figured special teams would be critical, and Nebraska clearly won this battle. Grixby’s long punt return swung the momentum the Huskers’ way and set up a touchdown. Jordan Congdon looked solid on three field goals, including a career-long 41-yarder. The decision to onside kick after the first-half touchdown backfired (the kick went out-of-bounds). But Baylor didn’t move the ball, so no harm done. Good decision to squib kick before halftime, but dangerous kick returner Willie Andrews still got his hands on the ball and gained 25 yards. Nebraska kicked away from Andrews all night, a good decision, even if a couple kicks went out-of- bounds.

GAME MANAGEMENT AND PENALTIES (B)

Two penalties on Baylor’s first series of the game hurt Nebraska. A roughing-the-passer flag negated what would’ve been Cortney Grixby’s first career interception, and a pass- interference call on third down gave the Bears new life on their touchdown drive. The offsides call on Baylor’s third-quarter extra point was big (at the time), giving the Bears a second chance after they bobbled the snap on the first try.

PLAY CALLING (A)

The series of running plays to begin the second half was a change of pace from the first half. While it helped set up a touchdown, you still wondered if Nebraska would continue to have that much success on the ground. The answer: Yes. Good to see the Huskers execute a ground-oriented game plan on the road.

OVERALL (A)

This was a big road win against a much-improved Baylor team. The offense moved the ball on the ground and through the air, the special teams outplayed Baylor and the defense, while surrendering a couple of big plays, came up with three fourth-quarter turnovers. Last year’s win total has been met. Next up: Bowl qualification.