Nebraska Cruises 49-10; Other Opening Week Highlights

Did somebody say Eric Crouch 2.0?

The Memorial Stadium (Lincoln, NE) croud of 85,555 erupted when redshirt freshman quarterback Taylor Martinez was announced the official starter for game 1 against the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers, and, as I soon found out, with good reason.  On the Huskers' opening drive, Martinez dashed 46 yards to the endzone with speed and agility nobody has seen at the position since the days of Heisman Trophy winner Eric Crouch.  While it's premature to be pegging this kid as a Heisman caliberplayer, there is little doubt he will be special for the Huskers this year and beyond.  Martinez showed impressive speed, agility and toughness as a runner, and already looks better than Crouch ever did as a passer.  He dazzled with 127 yards and 3 touchdowns on just 7 carries, and also threw for 136 yards on 9 of 15 passing.  He had some very crisp throws, but also hurried a few and missed some relatively easy throws. It will be interesting to see how he performs against better competition, such as Washington in week 3 and Kansas State and Texas in back-to-back weeks 4 and 5.  The era of Taylor Martinez begins. The question is, will he have an impact similar to Eric Crouch or Joe Dailey?  My bet is on the former.

The rest of the offense, predictably, looked good against an inferior defense.  Niles Paul had 5 receptions for 92 yards and a touchdown and looked fantastic returning punts, but also had a fumble and a dropped screen pass.  As much of a threat as he is, he absolutely must cut down on the bonehead mistakes, period.  This was a problem in 2009, and it just can't be in 2010 if Nebraska wants any shot at a Big 12 Championship, let alone a National Title.  Brandon Kinnie had a solid game with 6 grabs for 59 yards, and seemed to be Martinez' favorite target.  Paul's touchdown reception came by way of a beautiful 33 yard strike from Cody Green, but Green also had some poor throws.  I was very surprised to see Green trot out before Lee, and Lee did play better than Green in his limited action aside from that TD pass and a one or two tough runs.  Highly praised true freshman Quincy Enunwa caught one pass for 10 yards.  Rex Burkhead was fantastic tonight, rushing for 57 yards, including a 20 yard touchdown scamper, on just 5 carries, and catching 2 balls for 47 yards from Martinez.  Roy Helu Jr. took a light load in this one, picking up 29 yards and a hard-fought TD on 5 carries (nearly 6 yards/carry).  3rd string back Tray Robinson had 4 carries for zero yards (figures, i just bought a #27 jersey to wear to the games.), but he was never given a chance to  get in a rhythm and didn't get very good blocking, so I'm not reading much into the poor statistical output there.  3 other husker RBs got at least one carry, including 2 for 13 yards and a touchdown by Austin Jones (clearly the 4th stringer).  Tim Marlowe had a great kickoff return to midfield and a nice 13 yard carry.  Senior receiver Will Henry had a nice catch-and-run for 24 yards from Zac Lee in the waning seconds.

The Husker defense looked like... well, like it had 2 brand new starters in at linebacker.  The Blackshirts were outstanding the first couple of drives, but throughout the course of the game they allowed some big plays and gaping holes.  Relax Husker fans, the Blackshirts will be fine.  I seem to remember one Florida Atlantic team rolling up a bunch of yards in the opening game of 2009, and look how that defense turned out.  Coach Bo Pelini expressed disgust in his defense's play, citing it as "embarrassing", and he will see to it that the mistakes are fixed.  This was a typical performance for a first game.  LaVonte David stood out to me, and I believe he will be a fantastic player for Nebraska's defense.  The secondary seemed fine for the most part.  Dejon Gomes had a nice goal line strip of Bobby Rainey on a run that should have been a touchdown (Rainey had a sickeningly large whole to burst through), something Husker fans have come to expect from Gomes.  He is the playmaker of this defense.  Jared Crick and Pierre Allen made some nice plays.  Overall, this was a subpar performance by the defense (WKU rolled up 299 yards, including 173 rushing), but it just isn't a performance that should be read much into.  Look for a stronger outing next week against Idaho, and they had better bring their A game to Seattle to take on Heisman hopeful Jake Locker and the Washington Huskies a week later.  One thing I will say with confidence: Western Kentucky will not finish this season as the last place team in D-1 football.  The Hilltoppers actually looked like a good team.  Their QB and RB played very well, and they will score points.  If they'll be able to stop anybody remains to be seen, but I firmly believe they will win some games this year.

Not a lot to say about special teams.  Everything looked solid for the most part.  Alex Henery did not have a field goal attempt, but drilled all his extra point attempts (nothing new for Henery).  (Returns by Paul and Marlowe listed above.)

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

*Oklahoma was handed a nice scare from Utah State, winning 31-24 (which was sealed by an OU interception late in the game).  I wonder if Phil Steele still think the Sooners will win the National Championship...

*Missouri had an average performance against Illinois, winning 23-13 after trailing 13-3 at halftime. Blaine Gabbert threw 47 passes, which bodes well for the Huskers, who know how to stop a spread offense.  Just as Arizona...

*Speaking of Arizona, Nick Foles had a nice game statistically against Toledo, but many of his completions were just dump-offs or quick slants/outs taken for long gains.  I want to see Foles throw down the field with confidence against good competition.  He has size, but he is a prototypical spread QB and I doubt he will pan out in the NFL.  If he does get drafted, however, my guess is he will want to be a Detroit Lion. He's tried it the other way, and he would rather be on the same side as a particular defensive tackle...

*Upset Alert! Ole Miss, the destination of troubled former Oregon quarterback Jeremiah Masoli, loses 49-48 to Jacksonville State. Come on, really?  Meanwhile, Oregon blasts New Mexico, 72-0 (it was 59-0 by halftime).  Think the Ducks miss their troublemaker?

*Two top 5 teams, Florida and Texas, looked unimpressive against vastly inferior competition on saturday.  In a 34-12 win, the Gators struggled mightily offensively, but Janoris Jenkins (highlighted the day with a pick-six) and the defense saved the day against a Miami (OH) team that was just 1-11 last season.  Texas, meanwhile, just didn't look all that great against Rice, winning 34-17 (it was 3-0 Rice after the end of the first quarter).  I believe both of these teams will pull it together and have top-10-esque seasons, but both QBs, John Brantley and Garrett Gilbert, have a lot of work to do.

*Many had UCLA beating K-State in the opener, but I predicted a Wildcat win.  I was right, not because I'm a great predictor, but because Bill Snyder is a great coach.  After a great win for Snyder, I'm feeling bold: I predict KSU will beat Missouri when they play, and the North will actually be decided when KSU faces Nebraska in week 5.

*I didn't pay much attention to the Notre Dame-Purdue game, but the Irish's 23-12 win doesn't sound all that impressive.  Lou Holtz was pretty high on the Notre Dame running backs though.  In fact, during halftime, he exclaimed, "Wood has 45 yards and Allen has 49! Guys, thats over 100 yards already!"  Wait a sec... I hope I just heard him wrong.

That's it for saturday, I'll have my take on the Virginia Tech/Boise State game on Tuesday. My prediction for that one: Virginia Tech 31,  Boise State 27.  VT's running backs are incredible, and Bud Foster's defense will hold off Kellen Moore and the Bronco offense just enough to eek out the win.

Thanks for reading!  Comments welcomed!