Bill Callahan said to expect to see more young players in Saturday's game against Texas A&M. Sure enough, there was an influx of youth, and most of the signs were encouraging.
BRIAN ROSENTHAL / Lincoln Journal Star | Posted: Friday, October 19, 2007 7:00 pm
Quentin Castille bulled over defenders. Roy Helu flashed speed on the perimeter. Anthony West turned in a pair of key defensive stops.
And Marcus Mendoza didn’t burn his redshirt.
All-in-all, a fairly positive report on Nebraska’s youth movement Saturday.
Bill Callahan delivered on his promise last week of playing more young players. They sparked Nebraska early but weren’t around late, when Texas A&M was polishing off a 36-14 victory at Memorial Stadium.
Castille and Helu, in particular, helped Nebraska’s running game. The true freshmen combined for 10 carries in the first half.
They had only four thereafter. Three of those carries came on Nebraska’s first series of the second half, when the Huskers trailed 23-14. Castille had runs of 7 and 5 yards, and Helu darted for 8 yards on a toss play to the right side.
Nebraska, though, didn’t score on that drive. A&M regained possession, scored again for a 30-14 lead, and forced the Huskers to abandon the running game.
“Really, we got into that mode where we were having to throw to catch up again,” Nebraska offensive coordinator Shawn Watson said. “Roy was actually in there on some of those situations, but Marlon (Lucky) knows the protections. Roy has become really good at it, but Marlon is still the guy who’s really honed in on that.”
The only other run by either of the true freshmen, after that opening series of the second half, was a 13-yard run by Helu, who took another toss, this one to the left.
Castille finished with nine carries for a team-high 60 yards. Helu gained 39 yards on five carries.
“Those two young guys have really given us a boost, just because they love playing the game and they’re excited to play,” Watson said. “Not that the other guys aren’t, but they’re fearless. It’s fun coaching them.”
Castille gained 13 yards up the middle on his first run of the day. It was among several highlights in an eight-play, 80-yard drive on Nebraska’s second series. Castille finished with a tackle-breaking, 3-yard touchdown run.
Castille carried three straight times on Nebraska’s next possession, which ended with a Castille fumble that A&M recovered at the Nebraska 42-yard line.
The Aggies didn’t score off that turnover, but the fumble kept Castille sidelined for the next two series.
“Me and Coach, we’re always talking about ball security and everything,” Castille said. “I don’t know what it is. I just keep letting the ball go. I don’t know what it is. I’m trying to get it fixed.”
Helu, like Castille had earlier, entered and led Nebraska to a touchdown drive. Helu gained 3 yards on his first touch, then on the next play, took a toss from quarterback Sam Keller to the right side, darted up the sideline and squirted through for a 15-yard gain.
“You saw that run he had today, tight-roping the sideline?” Castille said. “He has some amazing balance, man. He’s an amazing back.”
Castille contributed on the drive with a bulldozing 6-yard run, helping set up Keller’s 10-yard touchdown pass to Maurice Purify that pulled the Huskers within 16-14.
Defensively, West, a redshirt freshman cornerback, gave the defense a lift with tackles for loss in the second quarter.
“Just having something like that happens,” West said, “it gives you a lot of momentum.”
With Texas A&M facing a third-and-11 from the Nebraska 44, coaches had West blitz, and he forced an incompletion by A&M quarterback Stephen McGee. McGee, though, was penalized for intentional grounding, and West was credited with a 9-yard sack.
“I was on the sideline, and Coach Coz called ‘30’ quick €¦ real quick,” West said. “I just ran in, got the call, lined up. Everything panned out.”
West, who saw more snaps when senior starter Cortney Grixby injured his thumb, also tackled receiver Earvin Taylor for a 2-yard loss on third-and-1, forcing a punt.
Late in the game, Eric Hagg and Anthony Blue, both true freshmen, got snaps at safety. True freshman Blake Lawrence played early when senior Bo Ruud left with a knee injury. Lawrence had one tackle but also was injured.
Sophomore Major Culbert, who switched from running back to linebacker three weeks ago, saw more action, recording four tackles. Even seldom-used sophomore Nick Covey played and had three tackles, including one for loss.
“Just trying to get guys on the field to make some plays,” Nebraska defensive coordinator Kevin Cosgrove said.
Reach Brian Rosenthal at 473-7436 or brosenthal@journalstar.com.