NU report card, 10/30
PASSING GAME (C)
Oh, what could’ve been. What if Zac Taylor, even with that strong wind behind him, doesn’t overthrow a wide-open Nate Swift on the final drive? What if Taylor finds either Grant Mulkey or Terrence Nunn open on those two consecutive plays in the second quarter? What if Taylor makes the correct read, and there’s no interception return? What if somebody — anybody — could pick up a blitz? Despite yet another game of poor protection, Taylor hung tough and made some plays. He completed 55 percent of his attempts for 249 yards and two touchdowns.
RUNNING GAME (D)
It’s not a good sign when Taylor is credited with six more rushing attempts than Cory Ross. Over the last two games, Nebraska has rushed for a combined 14 yards. “We got away from the run,” offensive coordinator Jay Norvell said, “because we were down.”
AGAINST THE PASS (B)
Really, the Blackshirts did a decent job of controlling the pass. Rhett Bomar completed 50 percent of his passes for 157 yards. But his 21-yard completion on third-and-10 in the fourth quarter was a back-breaker. It kept Oklahoma’s touchdown drive alive. Nebraska also didn’t appear to put as much front-four pressure on Bomar as some may have expected. The nation’s leading sack unit got just one.
AGAINST THE RUN (B)
Welcome back, Adrian Peterson. The sophomore running back, either slowed or sidelined in recent weeks with a high ankle sprain, proved he’s darn near close to 100 percent. Two big plays — runs of 36 and 58 yards by Peterson — made up more than half of OU’s rushing total. Yes, those plays count. But the Blackshirts otherwise made some good plays against the run, coming up with much-needed stops late in the game when Peterson could’ve taken over and helped the Sooners run out the clock. That didn’t happen.
SPECIAL TEAMS (B)
It’s easy to say this after the fact, but you had a feeling the fake field goal was coming up. A 40-yard attempt, into the wind … but Nebraska went for the block. “We took a gamble,” NU coach Bill Callahan said. “That’s my fault.” Callahan did say the Huskers were prepared for the fake “but didn’t cover it down off the block.” Sam Koch, except for his first kick, had a solid day punting in tricky wind conditions. Nebraska continues to limit the big returns, which is good to see. Barry Turner’s blocked field goal was NU’s fourth this season.
GAME MANAGEMENT AND PENALTIES (B)
There weren’t a rash of penalties against Nebraska (five for 34 yards), but a couple of infractions still stand out. The face mask call pushed the Sooners along on their final touchdown drive. The false start on NU’s final possession didn’t help matters, either. Good use of timeouts on defense in the fourth quarter to save clock.
PLAY CALLING (B)
What NU-OU game would be complete without a trick play? Nice call with Cory Ross throwing the ball out of the sweep. Overall, the plays calls didn’t seem to be a factor. It’s hard to have a great deal of flexibility when you’re down 21-3, or when you can’t block.
OVERALL (C)
The slow starts, particularly by the defense, are becoming a troublesome trend. That’s four straight games opponents have scored touchdowns on their opening possession. And like previous games, the offense is good enough for a comeback to make things interesting, but not good enough, for whatever reason, to take control from the beginning. The more-talented team won. Now, can the Huskers eke out one more victory?
Oh, what could’ve been. What if Zac Taylor, even with that strong wind behind him, doesn’t overthrow a wide-open Nate Swift on the final drive? What if Taylor finds either Grant Mulkey or Terrence Nunn open on those two consecutive plays in the second quarter? What if Taylor makes the correct read, and there’s no interception return? What if somebody — anybody — could pick up a blitz? Despite yet another game of poor protection, Taylor hung tough and made some plays. He completed 55 percent of his attempts for 249 yards and two touchdowns.
RUNNING GAME (D)
It’s not a good sign when Taylor is credited with six more rushing attempts than Cory Ross. Over the last two games, Nebraska has rushed for a combined 14 yards. “We got away from the run,” offensive coordinator Jay Norvell said, “because we were down.”
AGAINST THE PASS (B)
Really, the Blackshirts did a decent job of controlling the pass. Rhett Bomar completed 50 percent of his passes for 157 yards. But his 21-yard completion on third-and-10 in the fourth quarter was a back-breaker. It kept Oklahoma’s touchdown drive alive. Nebraska also didn’t appear to put as much front-four pressure on Bomar as some may have expected. The nation’s leading sack unit got just one.
AGAINST THE RUN (B)
Welcome back, Adrian Peterson. The sophomore running back, either slowed or sidelined in recent weeks with a high ankle sprain, proved he’s darn near close to 100 percent. Two big plays — runs of 36 and 58 yards by Peterson — made up more than half of OU’s rushing total. Yes, those plays count. But the Blackshirts otherwise made some good plays against the run, coming up with much-needed stops late in the game when Peterson could’ve taken over and helped the Sooners run out the clock. That didn’t happen.
SPECIAL TEAMS (B)
It’s easy to say this after the fact, but you had a feeling the fake field goal was coming up. A 40-yard attempt, into the wind … but Nebraska went for the block. “We took a gamble,” NU coach Bill Callahan said. “That’s my fault.” Callahan did say the Huskers were prepared for the fake “but didn’t cover it down off the block.” Sam Koch, except for his first kick, had a solid day punting in tricky wind conditions. Nebraska continues to limit the big returns, which is good to see. Barry Turner’s blocked field goal was NU’s fourth this season.
GAME MANAGEMENT AND PENALTIES (B)
There weren’t a rash of penalties against Nebraska (five for 34 yards), but a couple of infractions still stand out. The face mask call pushed the Sooners along on their final touchdown drive. The false start on NU’s final possession didn’t help matters, either. Good use of timeouts on defense in the fourth quarter to save clock.
PLAY CALLING (B)
What NU-OU game would be complete without a trick play? Nice call with Cory Ross throwing the ball out of the sweep. Overall, the plays calls didn’t seem to be a factor. It’s hard to have a great deal of flexibility when you’re down 21-3, or when you can’t block.
OVERALL (C)
The slow starts, particularly by the defense, are becoming a troublesome trend. That’s four straight games opponents have scored touchdowns on their opening possession. And like previous games, the offense is good enough for a comeback to make things interesting, but not good enough, for whatever reason, to take control from the beginning. The more-talented team won. Now, can the Huskers eke out one more victory?
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