CURT McKEEVER / Lincoln Journal Star | Posted: Thursday, September 7, 2006 7:00 pm
My sports fantasy for today (besides wishing to be in Austin, Texas, to see the Longhorns and Buckeyes do battle): On Nicholls State’s first possession, a Nebraska defender slips, trips or forgets to cover Michael McClendon on the pitch and the Colonels’ speedy halfback races 82 yards for a touchdown.
Then, on Nebraska’s first drive, Zac Taylor fails to see linebacker Cory Vavala waiting in the wings for one of his underneath tosses and he steps in front of it for a gift score.
Then, Barry Switzer appears on the Nicholls State sideline and …
OK. OK. Except for the Switzer part of that (because you never know where Barry will show up when there’s a triple-option offense involved), it would take a meltdown of Colorado proportions for those scenarios to play out.
But can’t a guy still dream for a dramatic three-hour shootout in Memorial Stadium today instead of that predictable John Wayne western where you know The Duke will always avoid the fatal blow?
Wouldn’t it be beneficial if the Huskers had to overcome some unexpected obstacles — just to show they can — a week before they head to Hollywood looking to steal the headlines?
No, that would be a case perhaps only the late, great Johnny Cochran would take on. But really, it would hardly be worth defending Big Red. And here’s why:
The last time NU headed to Tinseltown was to prepare for the 2002 Rose Bowl against top-ranked Miami. I’ll never forget the words of All-America tight end Jeremy Shockey, who, in the days leading up to the national championship game, said the Hurricanes could do to Nebraska what they had done while dismantling 12th-ranked Washington 65-7 in their next-to-last regular-season game.
While Miami had an undeniable, can’t-be-beaten swagger, Nebraska was wearing the embarrassment of having backed into the title game after being trampled by Colorado 62-36.
Because of that, I don’t know anybody who seriously thought the Huskers had a chance. And sure enough, Shockey looked like a prophet when Miami built a 34-0 halftime lead and then became content to let Nebraska keep some dignity in a game that ended 37-14.
The point is, unless Bill Callahan’s crew wants to be treated with the same flippant attitude next week that was given Nebraska prior to the 2002 Rose Bowl, today they’ll give their Division I-AA opponent the early heave-ho en route to producing a performance even crisper than last week’s season-opening, 49-10 conquest of Louisiana Tech.
Callahan admitted as much Tuesday.
“I really believe that the good teams maintain their focus and take care of business,” he said.
In other words, anybody caught this past week talking USC or devising a plan to see Beverly Hills on Friday night could expect to get better acquainted with the Memorial Stadium steps.
For Callahan, this week hasn’t been about whether the Huskers think they can beat Nicholls State. It’s about them getting their minds in the same spots they expected their bodies to be in today.
Maybe Nebraska will simply be too physical and fast for the small Louisiana school. But it’s been a long time since the Huskers have had to defend a triple-option attack.
“It’s always good to play (against), because it really forces you to play sound, patient defense — which some teams you can get out of,” linebacker Stewart Bradley said.
The guy wasn’t just saying that for comic effect, either.
“If we go out and play crappy, then we’ll lose the game, so it doesn’t matter,” Bradley said when asked if he’d rather the Huskers be playing a game where they aren’t such an overwhelming favorite. “If we don’t actually take care of business — look what happened to Colorado.”
In case you missed it, the Buffaloes were one of three I-A team last week that lost to a I-AA opponent. Joining that club would not carry any privileges.
As impossible as that may seem after the way the Huskers looked last week, they need to keep applying the polish and fine-tuning if they hope to run with the Trojans.
So watch today for any tinkering with the I-back committee, and whether Brandon Jackson gets a bigger chuck of the carries.
Look to see how smooth Lance Brandenburgh looks in his first week of moving from backup strongside linebacker to the middle. Same goes for Clayton Sievers, who now backs up Bradley at strongside after playing an end spot last week.
Having a solid secondary rotation next week also will be key for Nebraska, so keep your eye on guys like Titus Brothers and Tyrell Spain, or true freshmen Anthony West and Corey Young — all of whom will be looking to step in for the injured Isaiah Fluellen.
Unless my sports fantasy comes true, those are the kinds of things that will make today’s game worth the price of admission.