Did Nebraska's Dominant Defensive Performance Please the Implacable Bo Pelini?

Late last week, we here at Bleacher Report asked the question, "Can Taylor Martinez Tighten His Grasp on the Starting QB Role?"

At the time, considering Martinez's surprising performance against the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers, it was (and still is) a very pertinent question.

More on that in a bit.

However, following Nebraska Head Coach Bo Pelini's inflammatory comments about his vaunted "Blackshirts" defense; comments such as the fact that their play against WKU was "embarrassing" and he "didn't like anything (they) did defensively," blaming it primarily on "communication" lapses, perhaps a more pressing question is: "Was Bo Satisfied by the Blackshirts' effort against Idaho?"

Another equally important question would certainly be: "Despite the Huskers racking up 471 yards of total offense vs. the Vandals, was Bo happy in spite of all of Nebraska's miscues?"

Before analyzing the game further, let us once again stress Bo's expectations for his Nebraska squad and dispel any lingering suspense that any of you might have...the simple answer is no...though, after the Idaho game, the answer in relation to the NU offense would be much more emphatic.

Ever since Pelini secured the head coaching job in Lincoln, he's made it abundantly clear that he won't be fully satisfied until the Huskers hoist the Waterford Crystal football perched atop the BCS Trophy.

Coach Pelini always believes his can team can improve in at least one aspect of their game, often times many more.

But even then, the answer to either question isn't quite that simple.

While it was more than clear that the defense made positive strides against the Vandals (at the end of the day they had intercepted Idaho QB and Nebraska native, Nate Enderle, five times and sacked the Idaho signal-callers seven times), Bo nevertheless made statements alluding to the Blackshirts' need for continued improvement. For those keeping score, the Nebraska record for defensive interceptions in a game is seven.

As he left the field at halftime, Pelini told the sideline reporter that "he saw...good things on defense" but thought "(the NU defense) tired at the end of the first half and got a little winded (and) a little sloppy."

However in his defense (as well as theirs), the Blackshirts still had more damage to inflict, as did the offense...to themselves.

But by the end of the game and after all the ensuing problems exhibited by the Husker offense, his post-game comments concerning the Blackshirts' play seemed downright giddy by comparison.

“It’s huge,” Pelini said during his post-game interview in the Omaha World Herald. “That is what we talk about, about attacking the football. Like I said, defensively we stepped up. Those guys played well. We did a lot of good things. Now we weren't perfect, but I saw a lot of good things."

Unfortunately, though the Huskers possessed a 31-3 lead at halftime, the offensive miscues piled up.

Four fumbles by Taylor Martinez (one recovered by the Vandals) as well as a Martinez interception as he tried to make something out of nothing (not to mention a fumble by Dontrayevous Robinson at the Idaho four-yard line) had Pelini singing a slightly different tune.

"We were careless with the ball, and we were undisciplined and made too many penalties," Pelini continued during his post-game interview. "We looked like an undisciplined football team and a careless football team."

"That wasn’t to our standard. We’ll get that fixed."

Undoubtedly, he will; Taylor Martinez, for all his jaw-dropping talent, still has a lot to learn. And as for "T-Magic" and the starting QB job, his explosive play-making ability should protect him for now...as long as he manages to limit and then learn from his mistakes.

As it turns out, playing Idaho might very well be the tune-up Nebraska needed to succeed against Washington this Saturday. Despite the outcome, Idaho was no overstuffed creampuff.

Make no mistake, however, the WAC on average is not as talented as the Pac-10, but Enderle's passing stats were (at least before the lashing in Lincoln) comparable to WAC rival and Boise State QB Kellen Moore. Prior to the Nebraska game (though admittedly against lesser competition), Enderle threw for nine touchdowns and only one interception in his last three games of the 2009 season; he was also accustomed to completing around 65% of his passes.

While Washington's offense is more like Nebraska's, in it's desire to keep defenses unbalanced with it's multiplicity, and is not a necessarily pass-happy spread offense like Idaho, we all know that Heisman hopeful Jake Locker can be lethal with his arm. Locker threw for 21 scores last year while maintaining a nearly 60% completion ratio on a below average 5-7 team (4-5 in the Pac-10).

Size wise, Enderle and Locker match-up well (Enderle is 6' 5", 235 lbs; Locker, 6' 3", 230) and while the Vandals' receivers aren't as talented as Washington's, their greater size provided a better test for the Blackshirts than their past non-conference opponents from recent years would have been able to muster.

So was Idaho the perfect warm-up for Washington? Not exactly.

But if Pelini can keep the quick strike Husker offense from killing itself with mistakes and keep the Blackshirts playing at a high enough level to keep Locker and the Huskies at bay, perhaps Pelini will actually be able to praise both units equally in Week Three.

However, having seen Pelini the perfectionist in action for 2-plus seasons, the odds are against it.

At least, not until they raise that trophy in Lincoln...and rightfully so.