Blackshirts rise to the occasion
MANHATTAN, Kan. — Fans started chanting for Dylan Meier in the final minute.
OK, so it was the Nebraska fans who were calling for Kansas State’s senior backup quarterback Saturday night at Bill Snyder Family Stadium. And they were doing it in a sarcastic tone.
True freshman Josh Freeman had just been sacked for the fourth time, and he threw his second interception on the next play … his final snap of the night.
Round one went to the Blackshirts.
Nebraska 21, the Freeman-led Kansas State Wildcats 3.
But there will be future games in which Nebraska faces Freeman, the guy who was almost a Husker. Judging by comments from Nebraska defenders, the ensuing battles could be classic.
“You know what? He’s a hell of a quarterback,” Nebraska senior defensive end Jay Moore said. “He’s going to be a great quarterback for this program.”
Freeman displayed his strong arm and, at times, an ability to escape pressure. He finished 23-of-47 for 272 yards, with no touchdowns.
“We had a lot of pressure on him, and he did great,” Nebraska safety Andrew Shanle said. “He has great ability to escape the pressure. He proved that.
“We wanted to show different coverages. We wanted to roll safeties, kind of confuse him. I don’t know if he picked up on all the protection schemes or what, but I think he did a great job for being a true freshman.”
Problem was, Freeman was playing behind an offensive line that started two freshmen and two sophomores. That inexperience showed against Nebraska’s veteran defensive front, particularly in the running game.
The Blackshirts shut down freshman running back Leon Patton, holding him to 13 yards on 12 carries and making the Wildcats one-dimensional. That was significant, given Patton’s 151 rushing yards in a win last week against Oklahoma State.
“They came off the bat wanting to run the football, and they really didn’t go anywhere,” Nebraska senior defensive end Adam Carriker said. “We were able to stuff ‘em.”
K-State finished with only 22 rushing yards. Impressive, considering Daniel Gonzalez gained 38 yards rushing on a gusty fake punt play from inside the K-State 10-yard line.
So successful were the Huskers against the run, they blitzed and still corralled Patton for a 3-yard loss on a draw play. That was one of 10 tackles for loss by Nebraska.
“We were physical,” Carriker said. “We played our responsibilities. We were just able to stop them. We made ‘em pass, and that was a huge advantage for us.”
Nebraska pressured Freeman into bad throws, most of them overthrown, and blew up a handful of screen passes. Sophomore lineman Ndamukong Suh made a great athletic play by scooping an interception after Freeman, who was under heavy pressure, barely had his arm in a throwing motion when the ball was jarred loose.
“I think our defensive front line did an excellent job,” Shanle said. “They really stepped up, applied pressure and controlled their gaps.”
Freeman did have consecutive completions of 17 and 20 yards on a 12-play drive in the third quarter that ended in K-State’s only score, a 53-yard field goal into the wind by Jeff Snodgrass.
Another sustained drive lasted 11 plays, covered 69 yards and nearly led to a K-State touchdown. The Wildcats, though, couldn’t convert on four plays from inside the Nebraska 7.
The key play came on third down from inside the 1, when Stewart Bradley and Bryan Wilson stuffed Patton for a 2-yard loss. Freeman, with defensive lineman Barry Cryer jumping in his face, threw an incompletion on fourth-and-goal. That came with 6 minutes, 34 seconds remaining, and K-State fans began scattering.
“That was huge,” Moore said. “(A touchdown) means it’d be 21-10, and an onside kick, who knows what could happen?”
K-State’s final possession began with 1:31 remaining and ended unceremoniously for Freeman, who threw two incompletions, was sacked by Ola Dagunduro and lofted a ball that true freshman Rickey Thenarse easily intercepted downfield.
“He’s a good player, a good quarterback,” Carriker said of Freeman, who was making his second career start. “He’s going to make a lot of plays someday.”
Reach Brian Rosenthal at 473-7436 or brosenthal@journalstar.com.
OK, so it was the Nebraska fans who were calling for Kansas State’s senior backup quarterback Saturday night at Bill Snyder Family Stadium. And they were doing it in a sarcastic tone.
True freshman Josh Freeman had just been sacked for the fourth time, and he threw his second interception on the next play … his final snap of the night.
Round one went to the Blackshirts.
Nebraska 21, the Freeman-led Kansas State Wildcats 3.
But there will be future games in which Nebraska faces Freeman, the guy who was almost a Husker. Judging by comments from Nebraska defenders, the ensuing battles could be classic.
“You know what? He’s a hell of a quarterback,” Nebraska senior defensive end Jay Moore said. “He’s going to be a great quarterback for this program.”
Freeman displayed his strong arm and, at times, an ability to escape pressure. He finished 23-of-47 for 272 yards, with no touchdowns.
“We had a lot of pressure on him, and he did great,” Nebraska safety Andrew Shanle said. “He has great ability to escape the pressure. He proved that.
“We wanted to show different coverages. We wanted to roll safeties, kind of confuse him. I don’t know if he picked up on all the protection schemes or what, but I think he did a great job for being a true freshman.”
Problem was, Freeman was playing behind an offensive line that started two freshmen and two sophomores. That inexperience showed against Nebraska’s veteran defensive front, particularly in the running game.
The Blackshirts shut down freshman running back Leon Patton, holding him to 13 yards on 12 carries and making the Wildcats one-dimensional. That was significant, given Patton’s 151 rushing yards in a win last week against Oklahoma State.
“They came off the bat wanting to run the football, and they really didn’t go anywhere,” Nebraska senior defensive end Adam Carriker said. “We were able to stuff ‘em.”
K-State finished with only 22 rushing yards. Impressive, considering Daniel Gonzalez gained 38 yards rushing on a gusty fake punt play from inside the K-State 10-yard line.
So successful were the Huskers against the run, they blitzed and still corralled Patton for a 3-yard loss on a draw play. That was one of 10 tackles for loss by Nebraska.
“We were physical,” Carriker said. “We played our responsibilities. We were just able to stop them. We made ‘em pass, and that was a huge advantage for us.”
Nebraska pressured Freeman into bad throws, most of them overthrown, and blew up a handful of screen passes. Sophomore lineman Ndamukong Suh made a great athletic play by scooping an interception after Freeman, who was under heavy pressure, barely had his arm in a throwing motion when the ball was jarred loose.
“I think our defensive front line did an excellent job,” Shanle said. “They really stepped up, applied pressure and controlled their gaps.”
Freeman did have consecutive completions of 17 and 20 yards on a 12-play drive in the third quarter that ended in K-State’s only score, a 53-yard field goal into the wind by Jeff Snodgrass.
Another sustained drive lasted 11 plays, covered 69 yards and nearly led to a K-State touchdown. The Wildcats, though, couldn’t convert on four plays from inside the Nebraska 7.
The key play came on third down from inside the 1, when Stewart Bradley and Bryan Wilson stuffed Patton for a 2-yard loss. Freeman, with defensive lineman Barry Cryer jumping in his face, threw an incompletion on fourth-and-goal. That came with 6 minutes, 34 seconds remaining, and K-State fans began scattering.
“That was huge,” Moore said. “(A touchdown) means it’d be 21-10, and an onside kick, who knows what could happen?”
K-State’s final possession began with 1:31 remaining and ended unceremoniously for Freeman, who threw two incompletions, was sacked by Ola Dagunduro and lofted a ball that true freshman Rickey Thenarse easily intercepted downfield.
“He’s a good player, a good quarterback,” Carriker said of Freeman, who was making his second career start. “He’s going to make a lot of plays someday.”
Reach Brian Rosenthal at 473-7436 or brosenthal@journalstar.com.
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