Callahan: Bye is welcome
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BY STEVEN M. SIPPLE / Lincoln Journal Star
At last, a break.
The 24th-ranked Nebraska football team, with a Big 12 North Division championship in hand, can take a deep breath and perhaps even enjoy the accomplishment for a few hours since the Huskers are idle this week. Their break follows 11 straight weekends of action.
As Bill Callahan put it Monday, Nebraska’s next few days are about “regeneration and recuperation,” although the Huskers’ lapses offensively and repeated failures to stop Texas A&M in third-and-long situations Saturday also might draw some attention in practice.
“The bye is welcome — it’s a welcome break right now,” said the third-year Husker head coach, whose team improved to 8-3 overall and 5-2 in the conference with a 28-27 win at A&M.
Regarding the 11-week grind, “It takes a toll, there’s no doubt about it,” Callahan said.
Consequently, Nebraska will practice three days this week — today, Wednesday and Thursday — then reconvene Sunday for meetings and a light workout. In other words, the pressure ratchets down a notch, if only for a few days. The Huskers conclude the regular season Nov. 24 against Colorado in Lincoln then begin preparation for the Big 12 championship game on Dec. 2 in Kansas City, Mo.
“We’ll try to be as smart as we can and freshen up our players this week,” said Callahan, whose team is in decent shape health-wise.
Nevertheless this week’s practices will involve mostly light hitting, the coach said, noting Nebraska players next week will visit local hospitals in advance of Thanksgiving. The visits figure to be awfully pleasant for the involved parties, considering the Huskers’ confidence- and morale-boosting comeback win at Texas A&M.
Nebraska, No. 23 in the BCS standings, clinched its first Big 12 North crown since 1999.
“When you come from behind and win a game in the two-minute drill, it really validates your practice methods,” Callahan said. “It really gives credence to the fact your preparation pays off in games. The players can draw from that experience on a positive basis.
“And if they’re ever in that situation again, they can refer back to it mentally and have some confidence. They can mentally paint an image of how important that was.”
As well as Nebraska responded in the clutch, the Huskers were in that situation because they once again failed to put away a team after seizing the lead, a recurring issue for the Huskers.
Part of the problem was an offense that went relatively cold, managing only 37 rushing yards on 15 attempts after halftime. Husker quarterback Zac Taylor completed 11 of 20 second-half passes for 110 yards, but 67 of those yards came during the game-winning drive.
Meanwhile, Nebraska’s defense suffered repeated breakdowns against A&M in third-and-long situations. The Aggies gained a total of 171 yards on five third-down plays alone, including (in order) 53 yards on third-and-10, 57 on third-and-9 and 33 on third-and-6.
“Those plays stick out in my mind,” Callahan said Monday, adding, “It’s nothing that can’t be fixed.”
So, Nebraska has at least a couple reasons to avoid becoming complacent as it prepares to play Colorado (2-9, 2-5 Big 12), which also is idle this week. CU defeated Iowa State 33-16 last weekend in Boulder, Colo., as the Buffaloes eclipsed 200 yards both rushing and passing for the first time since the second game of 2005.
“It’s not a hard sell to get our players up to play Colorado. They’re a dangerous team,” said Callahan, singling out standout place-kicker Mason Crosby. In addition, the coach said, “They’ve always been real good on defense. And they’re getting better on offense.”
In Husker injury news, sophomore wideout Nate Swift, who left Saturday’s win during the first quarter after being knocked woozy, likely will return to practice today, Callahan said.
Meanwhile, Callahan said guard Jacob Hickman will be disciplined internally as a result of his arrest last week. The true freshman received two misdemeanor citations for allegedly trying to drive out of a campus parking garage without paying.
Reach Steven M. Sipple at 473-7440 or ssipple@journalstar.com.
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