Cotton Bowl report card

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By the Lincoln Journal Star

RUNNING GAME (C)

Auburn’s defense was as fast as advertised. “They were very fast,” running back Marlon Lucky said. “We couldn’t get that perimeter.” Holes that Nebraska linemen opened closed quickly. Cutbacks weren’t working. The draws were effective for a time, but Auburn fixed that. The 104 rushing yards, while not gaudy, were the most the Huskers had managed in four games this season against a top-10 team.

PASSING GAME (D)

Something went awry late in the season. Perhaps some very good defenses in Oklahoma and Auburn? That’s part of it. Still, receivers again weren’t able to get open, and Zac Taylor wasn’t exactly sharp. He faced pressure, but nothing really abnormal. Nebraska’s top receivers in each of its last three games were running backs. While Brandon Jackson and Lucky are good receiving backs, they shouldn’t become the primary threats.

AGAINST THE RUN (A)

Nebraska held Auburn to 67 yards rushing. That’s saying something positive about the Blackshirts. Before Monday, the Tigers had been averaging 155 rushing yards. “They like to run the ball. (They’ve) got a big line,” defensive end Adam Carriker said. “We knew they were going to try to do that.”

AGAINST THE PASS (A)

Great to see some more blitzing. The corner blitz with Andre Jones was a surprise (and therefore effective). The 30 defense (three linemen, three linebackers, five defensive backs) also worked well in key situations. It looked for a bit like the Tigers might pull an Oklahoma and really start attacking the cornerbacks. They had success, but nothing ridiculous.

SPECIAL TEAMS (B)

Great pooch kick by Jordon Congdon. The ball landed quietly inside the 1-yard line. Dan Titchener also had two punts inside the 20; one was a wee bit wobbly, but just as effective. Auburn’s long kickoff return to start the second half was troublesome.

GAME MANAGEMENT AND PENALTIES (D)

We can vouch for Bill Callahan in that Congdon indeed appeared to have a short range Monday. Kicking in the same direction in pregame warmups, Congdon was generally short with his attempts from about 45 yards. That said … give the kid a chance to tie the game. Perhaps adrenaline kicks in? If nothing else, show some confidence in the youngster. Besides, Nebraska, facing fourth-and-11, had been having zero success throwing downfield the entire game. Bad call.

PLAY CALLING (D)

In addition to the bad decision on the field goal, Callahan blundered on the fake punt in the first half. He admitted that. The field position was wrong, the timing was wrong … everything about the play was wrong. Even had it worked, it doesn’t mean automatic points for NU. But it sure did for Auburn. Another thing: Nebraska became too predictable in throwing to the running backs. See the play before the fateful fourth-down play.

OVERALL (B)

Great game by the defense, a disappointing showing by the offense. Why can’t the offense, which almost always gets off to blazing starts, ever maintain that success throughout an entire game? It’s been an issue all season. That wouldn’t seem to be a talent problem. In any case, 10-4 would’ve looked a lot better than 9-5. Yeah, four of the losses were to top- 10 teams, with two of those games being within a field goal. And Nebraska did win a divisional championship. What, now, will constitute progress in 2007?