Exams over, NU readies for Alamo Bowl
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BY STEVEN M. SIPPLE / Lincoln Journal Star
After completing final exams last week, the Nebraska football players on Saturday began to prepare in earnest for their final gridiron exam of 2005: an Alamo Bowl showdown against Michigan.
Most Husker players interviewed last week had studied the 7-4 Wolverines on only a preliminary basis because exams required the brunt of their attention. However, NU quarterback Zac Taylor had gleaned enough information to point out one area where his team might have an advantage entering its Dec. 28 test in San Antonio.
“I think we have a lot of momentum right now,” Taylor said. “We won our last two games and feel really confident.”
Michigan, meanwhile, comes off a 25-21 home loss to rival Ohio State in which the Wolverines managed only 32 rushing yards. In the wake of the loss, the Wolverines were passed over for the Jan. 2 Outback Bowl, which chose Iowa even though the Hawkeyes finished with the same record as the Wolverines and dropped the regular-season match-up between the teams.
Michigan coach Lloyd Carr this past week voiced his disapproval with the perceived snub, saying what happens on the field should dictate bowl placements rather than a team’s ability to sell tickets and/or fill hotel rooms. Carr’s comments left many pundits to wonder what kind of attitude his players might bring to San Antonio.
Nebraska players expect the Wolverines to come out slugging.
“They’re all competitors like we are,” said Nebraska senior linebacker Adam Ickes. “They’ll be in it just as much as we are.”
“Michigan will be interested,” said Husker sophomore linebacker Bo Ruud. “The Alamo is a top bowl. They (the Wolverines) were in the Rose Bowl last year, and that’s always a big deal. But as long as you’re in one of the top bowls around, you’ll always have an interest.”
There’s no doubting Nebraska players’ enthusiasm entering the game.
“Not everybody who plays Division I football gets to play in a game like this,” Taylor said. “It’s really special. I really relish it.”
Several Nebraska players this week noted Michigan’s tradition of gridiron excellence as reason to look forward to the Alamo Bowl. Before this season, Michigan had played in nine straight January bowl games. Most every college football fan is familiar with the Wolverines’ unique winged helmets, maize and blue uniforms and recognizable fight song, “Hail to the Victors.”
Michigan has now qualified for 31 straight bowl games. Last year, the Wolverines had no fewer than 45 former players in the NFL. The school has produced 41 first-round NFL draft picks, fifth most all-time.
Nebraska, of course, has some football tradition of its own. Indeed, Ickes said the Huskers (7-4) shouldn’t be intimidated, even though they’re considered at least 11-point underdogs by most betting services.
“We just have to prepare like we have all year,” he said. “They’re not an immortal team we can’t match up against. They’re nothing different than playing Oklahoma or Texas Tech or someone like that.”
Nebraska players, in their preliminary study of Michigan, took note of the Wolverines’ mammoth offensive and defensive lines. On the offensive line, no player listed on the two-deep chart is shorter than 6-foot-4, and eight players are 6-5 or taller.
Le Kevin Smith, a Husker senior nose tackle, said defensive line coach John Blake has emphasized the importance of NU linemen staying low as they come off the ball.
Meanwhile, Michigan’s defensive line features 6-8 Pat Massey and 6-6 Alan Branch, among others. Nebraska coach Bill Callahan said it’s one of the tallest D-lines he’s seen in his 28 years of coaching.
Said Taylor: “It makes you get the ball up quicker. As soon as they see you pop that ball up and get ready to throw, they get their hands up and make it tough for you. We have been working in practice on getting rid of the ball faster so that they have less time to react.”
Added NU fullback Dane Todd: “They do a lot of different things on defense. They play a lot of zone, which we have to prepare for. And they have some of the biggest guys we’ve seen all season long.”
Nebraska defensive end Jay Moore said Husker linemen also need to be mindful of getting their hands up when Michigan quarterback Chad Henne begins his throwing motion.
“He’s not mobile, and he kind of slings the ball,” Moore said. “He doesn’t get his passes up real high. Hopefully, we can get some hands up and get a chance to bat down some balls.”
Although Michigan ended the regular season with the loss to Ohio State, Callahan places more emphasis on the fact the Wolverines are the only team to beat Penn State this season. The Nebraska coach also notes that Michigan’s four losses were by a combined 17 points.
The Wolverines like to use a power running game on offense and are tough against the run on defense, Callahan said.
“They were a barometer — the standard of excellence when I was in the Big Ten — and they still are,” said Callahan, who was an assistant at Illinois (1980-86) and Wisconsin (1990-94). “They will challenge us, but I know our kids are excited about the challenge. This is what playing in a bowl game is all about.”
Reach Steven M. Sipple at 473-7440 or ssipple@journalstar.com.
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