Nebraska Football: Reviewing the Cornhuskers' 40-7 Win over Chattanooga

Welcome back, football.

Nebraska raised the curtain on the 2011 season with a 40-7 defeat of FCS opponent Tennessee at Chattanooga. Taylor Martinez was the star of the show, running for three touchdowns and leading Nebraska's new-look offense to NU's 26th straight season-opening victory.

Let's take a look at how it happened, both the good and the bad, and then take a step back and see what the game means in the bigger picture of things.

The Good: The Burst Is Back

One of the things Nebraska fans were waiting with baited breath to see was whether Taylor Martinez would be back to something resembling the T-Magic of last season.

In that sense, he didn’t disappoint, with touchdown runs of 43 and 47 yards. In Game 1 of the "Tim Beck Offensive Experience," Martinez showed himself to be healthy enough to have Nebraska’s offense centered around him.

Whether that is a good or bad thing is a question that will divide opinion amongst the "Children of the Corn."

The Good: A Cleaner Game

Two of Nebraska’s biggest struggles in 2010 were fumbles and penalties.

The fumbles were still an issue, although that had more to do with getting used to Tim Beck’s new high-tempo offense than anything else. But Nebraska only committed three penalties for 33 yards, and one was an incredibly soft roughing the passer call.

One particular bugbear from last year, the play clock issue, appears to be a thing of the past. The new offense gives Martinez enough time to survey the defense, change a play and snap the ball before the play clock is even close to expiring.

Gone seem to be the days of Memorial Stadium groaning in exasperation when a timeout is burned due to the play clock running down.

The Good: Alex Who?

Junior kicker and punter Brett Maher did his best to put the Alex Henery ghosts to rest in his first game as a starter.

His first of four (four!) field goals was from 50 yards, into the teeth of a howling wind, with plenty of distance to spare. Maher also punted admirably, getting good height and distance even in a tough wind and getting one punt downed inside the 10.

Going into the season, most observers (including yours truly) thought Nebraska would have a drop-off in production from the kicking game in 2011. After Maher’s performance, it appears that worry may have been unfounded.

The Bad: Growing Pains

The curtain was finally raised on the "Tim Beck Offensive Experience" against Chattanooga on Saturday. From what we saw, Nebraska’s offense will include a lot of option, a lot of quick passes and a lot of getting the ball to playmakers and letting them go.

But there were plenty of times where it was clear that not everyone was on the same page. On many occasions, players would run into each other in the backfield, or one player would look for another to see no one there. Against a team like Chattanooga, those types of miscues didn’t make a difference. Against a sturdier opponent, those mistakes could be fatal.

The Bad: Not Your Father's Old School NU

Days before the game, Bo Pelini promised Nebraska’s new offense would be a combination of old-school NU football. And there was a lot of option football being played, warming the cockles of the (ahem) experienced members of Nebraska’s fanbase.

But Nebraska’s inability to consistently run the ball right at Chattanooga will rankle that same (ahem) experienced fanbase. As an example, Nebraska had the ball 1st-and-goal at the 6-yard line. And couldn’t punch the ball in. Against Chattanooga.

A 40-7 rout may make things look good. But Nebraska appears to still lack the ability to simply line up and run over teams (especially teams Nebraska has a clear athletic superiority over) is a cause for concern.

The Bad: BTN Commercial Breaks

Well, it didn’t take Nebraska fans long to find things to gripe about in their new conference home.

Yes, Nebraska won’t have to suffer through another pay-per-view game. But the commercial breaks on the Big Ten Network broadcast were borderline interminable.

Combine that with a high-tempo offense for NU and you get a game that lasts over three hours.

And Deja Vu All Over Again

Nebraska opens the season against a lesser opponent, finding itself unable to establish drives for offensive success but winning based on Taylor Martinez’s speed and a dominating defense.

Sound familiar? It should. That could very well be a description of last year’s Opening-Day win over Western Kentucky. Yes, Nebraska’s new-look offense showed promise. Yes, there was a lot of youth (on offense, particularly) who saw the field.

But Nebraska fans who wanted reassurance that last year’s problems wouldn’t follow them to 2011 probably didn’t get much of it from NU in their win over Chattanooga.

The Big Picture

Ultimately, it’s not fair to judge the "Tim Beck Offensive Experience" too harshly after the first game. Yes, it was rough in spots. Yes, Taylor Martinez doesn’t look all that comfortable running the option. Yes, receivers still dropped passes at an alarming rate.

But there was also a lot of youth that got game experience. The three freshman running backs (Ameer Abdullah, Aaron Green and Braylon Heard) all looked very good in their appearances. Jamal Turner, in limited playing time, still electrified the crowd and showed his incredible promise.

So there does appear to be a lot of parts in place for Nebraska’s offense to be successful. But, as a year ago, ultimately that success will revolve around the performance of Taylor Martinez.

See my pictures from the game here.

Like what you read? Follow me on Twitter @patrickrunge to track my thoughts and observations about college football—and one or two other topics —throughout the year!

And if you would like to contact me directly to schedule an interview, ask a question or to get my recipe for a killer peach cobbler, you can send an e-mail to [e-mail]. (DISCLAIMER: Peach cobbler recipe might not be all that killer.)