Curt McKeever: Defense played it safe against KU
Never mind the question regarding the last time the Nebraska football team blew a 17-point lead. The Huskers don’t have to answer that today.
But it took Zac Taylor needing to produce the longest three pass plays of his career and another dose over overtime magic for NU to stave off Kansas 39-32 Saturday night in a game that had Big Red fans stunned and booing, but eventually relieved.
“This is a wake-up call,” said running back Brandon Jackson, almost sounding as if Nebraska had lost to Kansas at home for the first time since 1968.
Things, of course, aren’t that bleak. It’s not like Bill Callahan wakes up today feeling like John L. Smith, who should have worked around the clock last night after his Michigan State team lost at home to Illinois — a team that hadn’t won its previous 10 Big Ten Conference games.
But no longer should anyone believe the Huskers will do a fancy two-step dance past the supposedly watered-down competition in the Big 12 North Division.
What NU mostly got from Saturday was mere good fortune. Nebraska and Kansas were two evenly matched teams — with one exception. The Huskers had an All-Big 12-caliber quarterback, Taylor, running the show, while the Jayhawks were steered by a backup, Adam Barmann.
Take nothing away from what Barmann did while completing 27 of 54 passes for 405 yards and two scores. But if you had issues with Callahan’s offensive game plan at Southern California two weeks ago, then you shouldn’t let defensive coordinator Kevin Cosgrove off the hook for the way the Blackshirts attacked and handled a senior who’s a clear-cut No. 2 to injured freshman Kerry Meier and entered Saturday with a 5-9 record as a starter.
Nebraska played it safe almost to the end Saturday even though it became clear that the Huskers’ four-man rush rarely forced the immobile Barmann out of the pocket. They never did sack him.
“He (Cosgrove) dropped the house on the last play of the game and really wanted to get after their quarterback,” Callahan said.
Anyone else surprised it took that long?
It was almost like Nebraska expected Barmann to implode on his own. And, yes, he did commit four first-half turnovers. But ask yourself this: Did you consider that 24-7 lead at the break safe?
If not for Barmann’s turnovers, at worst, Kansas goes to the locker room tied.
One Nebraska scoring drive started at the KU 6-yard line.
Then, after Barmann directed an attention-grabbing touchdown drive, KU got the ball back and had a first-and-goal at the 4 before NU’s Tierre Green fell on a Barmann fumble. Another breakdown, this one by safety Sadiq Muhammed, allowed Frantz Hardy to run the final 48 yards of a 78-yard TD catch that made it 24-7.
Barmann would throw his third interception on an ill-advised prayer for Marcus Henry in the right corner of the end zone. But had tight end Derek Fine not dropped a sure touchdown pass on the previous play, it’s 24-14. Fine also let one go through his hands in the end zone on the Jayhawks’ final possession of the half that ended with a field goal.
Mark Mangino’s bumbling bunch botched another point on a bad snap following its third-quarter touchdown, but the Jayhawks refused to get frustrated and kept Nebraska confused long enough to eventually take the lead with 6:32 left in the fourth quarter.
“We came into this game plan kind of bombarded about things we were going to do,” NU safety Andrew Shanle admitted. “There was a lack of communication on our checks throughout the game ... but I think we’re fine.”
I’m not as convinced.
NU cornerbacks Cortney Grixby and Andre Jones had to be men of iron, which signals a lack of confidence by the coaches in the depth at those positions. So what happens when Grixby and Jones are shaky like they were Saturday?
The Huskers better get their communication problems fixed in a hurry.
“That’s not how we wanted it to turn out, but you get into games like this,” Callahan explained. “That’s the nature of the North Division.”
Time to swallow and take a deep breath.
Nebraska might be out to “Restore the Order” and get back to the league championship for the first time in seven years. But Kansas is showing just as many signs that it’s capable of turning the division completely upside-down.
These are not your Glen Mason Jayhawks, teams you knew would freeze up under the bright lights. Teams you knew if they fell behind 17-0 on the road in the first quarter you as well not bother watching the final three.
If it wasn’t clear last year, when his club clubbed the Huskers 40-15, Mangino has Kansas charging hard.
Even with Saturday’s outcome, it’s easy to see the Jayhawks, who lost at Toledo in double-overtime thanks to a minus-five turnover ratio, will be in the hunt come November. Look at their schedule.
They have three of their next four games at home — Texas A&M, Oklahoma State and Colorado — and also will be favored to win at Baylor.
By the end of that stretch, Nebraska will have played three times on the road and also against Texas. Then comes the game that until Saturday had you thinking it’d be the one to decide the North: Missouri.
Nebraska won’t beat the Tigers if it allows Chase Daniel the kind of breathing room that Barmann had Saturday. The good news is that game’s a long way off. The bad news is the Huskers have six days to figure out how to try and put the heat on Iowa State’s Bret Meyer, the preseason All-Big 12 quarterback.
“Next week, we should show up a different team,” Shanle said.
Stay tuned.
But it took Zac Taylor needing to produce the longest three pass plays of his career and another dose over overtime magic for NU to stave off Kansas 39-32 Saturday night in a game that had Big Red fans stunned and booing, but eventually relieved.
“This is a wake-up call,” said running back Brandon Jackson, almost sounding as if Nebraska had lost to Kansas at home for the first time since 1968.
Things, of course, aren’t that bleak. It’s not like Bill Callahan wakes up today feeling like John L. Smith, who should have worked around the clock last night after his Michigan State team lost at home to Illinois — a team that hadn’t won its previous 10 Big Ten Conference games.
But no longer should anyone believe the Huskers will do a fancy two-step dance past the supposedly watered-down competition in the Big 12 North Division.
What NU mostly got from Saturday was mere good fortune. Nebraska and Kansas were two evenly matched teams — with one exception. The Huskers had an All-Big 12-caliber quarterback, Taylor, running the show, while the Jayhawks were steered by a backup, Adam Barmann.
Take nothing away from what Barmann did while completing 27 of 54 passes for 405 yards and two scores. But if you had issues with Callahan’s offensive game plan at Southern California two weeks ago, then you shouldn’t let defensive coordinator Kevin Cosgrove off the hook for the way the Blackshirts attacked and handled a senior who’s a clear-cut No. 2 to injured freshman Kerry Meier and entered Saturday with a 5-9 record as a starter.
Nebraska played it safe almost to the end Saturday even though it became clear that the Huskers’ four-man rush rarely forced the immobile Barmann out of the pocket. They never did sack him.
“He (Cosgrove) dropped the house on the last play of the game and really wanted to get after their quarterback,” Callahan said.
Anyone else surprised it took that long?
It was almost like Nebraska expected Barmann to implode on his own. And, yes, he did commit four first-half turnovers. But ask yourself this: Did you consider that 24-7 lead at the break safe?
If not for Barmann’s turnovers, at worst, Kansas goes to the locker room tied.
One Nebraska scoring drive started at the KU 6-yard line.
Then, after Barmann directed an attention-grabbing touchdown drive, KU got the ball back and had a first-and-goal at the 4 before NU’s Tierre Green fell on a Barmann fumble. Another breakdown, this one by safety Sadiq Muhammed, allowed Frantz Hardy to run the final 48 yards of a 78-yard TD catch that made it 24-7.
Barmann would throw his third interception on an ill-advised prayer for Marcus Henry in the right corner of the end zone. But had tight end Derek Fine not dropped a sure touchdown pass on the previous play, it’s 24-14. Fine also let one go through his hands in the end zone on the Jayhawks’ final possession of the half that ended with a field goal.
Mark Mangino’s bumbling bunch botched another point on a bad snap following its third-quarter touchdown, but the Jayhawks refused to get frustrated and kept Nebraska confused long enough to eventually take the lead with 6:32 left in the fourth quarter.
“We came into this game plan kind of bombarded about things we were going to do,” NU safety Andrew Shanle admitted. “There was a lack of communication on our checks throughout the game ... but I think we’re fine.”
I’m not as convinced.
NU cornerbacks Cortney Grixby and Andre Jones had to be men of iron, which signals a lack of confidence by the coaches in the depth at those positions. So what happens when Grixby and Jones are shaky like they were Saturday?
The Huskers better get their communication problems fixed in a hurry.
“That’s not how we wanted it to turn out, but you get into games like this,” Callahan explained. “That’s the nature of the North Division.”
Time to swallow and take a deep breath.
Nebraska might be out to “Restore the Order” and get back to the league championship for the first time in seven years. But Kansas is showing just as many signs that it’s capable of turning the division completely upside-down.
These are not your Glen Mason Jayhawks, teams you knew would freeze up under the bright lights. Teams you knew if they fell behind 17-0 on the road in the first quarter you as well not bother watching the final three.
If it wasn’t clear last year, when his club clubbed the Huskers 40-15, Mangino has Kansas charging hard.
Even with Saturday’s outcome, it’s easy to see the Jayhawks, who lost at Toledo in double-overtime thanks to a minus-five turnover ratio, will be in the hunt come November. Look at their schedule.
They have three of their next four games at home — Texas A&M, Oklahoma State and Colorado — and also will be favored to win at Baylor.
By the end of that stretch, Nebraska will have played three times on the road and also against Texas. Then comes the game that until Saturday had you thinking it’d be the one to decide the North: Missouri.
Nebraska won’t beat the Tigers if it allows Chase Daniel the kind of breathing room that Barmann had Saturday. The good news is that game’s a long way off. The bad news is the Huskers have six days to figure out how to try and put the heat on Iowa State’s Bret Meyer, the preseason All-Big 12 quarterback.
“Next week, we should show up a different team,” Shanle said.
Stay tuned.
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