Nebraska Football Review

In this edition of Husker recap, JB will review the Good, the Bad, and the downright Ugly in the first 2 weeks of Husker football. In order to start this review on a positive note, lets start with "the Good"

The Good

1. Nebraska is 2-0. Pretty short and sweet, but its important. Nebraska ended last year losing 5 of 6 games. Getting wins over anyone at this point helps build confidence in the team. Shouldn't be too much of an issue being 3-0 heading into a bye week and then a home game against Virginia Tech. Although Bo Pelini and Jeff Jamrog don't like the current schedule, its serving as a confidence builder.

2. Niles Paul as a return weapon. Paul exploded through the San Jose Special Teams Unit for a kickoff return touchdown in the 4th quarter. It took the wind out of the sails of San Jose State, setting the stage for a dominant Husker 4th quarter. Paul also has 3 additional kick off returns averaging 25 yards per return, tops on the team. Look for Paul to remain as the main kickoff return threat this fall. Its too bad Bill Callahan burned his redshirt for no reason.

3. Andy Christensen is back on the team. Christensen was reinstated to the team by Bo Pelini after he was cleared of sexual assault charges. Christensen did plead guilty to two misdemeanors and is definitely on a "one more strike and you are out policy" with the program. Christensen will sit out New Mexico State as part of his suspension but will be in the lineup for Virginia Tech. Christensen will hopefully bring some much needed depth and continuity to the offensive line, something it has been lacking.

4. Cody Glenn's play at linebacker. Now, Pelini will admit that Glenn can do better (and Glenn even admitted it himself), but Glenn has been a pleasant surprise at the position this year. He leads the team with 17 tackles including 13 solo tackles. Glenn volunteered to move to the linebacker spot, where depth is a big issue this year.

5. The kicking game. Alex Henery is 4-4 in field goals this year (all over 40 yards) and is 10-10 in extra point attempts. Adi Kunalic has 9 touchbacks in 16 kickoff attempts. Kunalic has been affected by some wind in his face, but overall is doing a good job.

The Bad

1. Barry Turner is out for the year. Now, Turner has not been himself the last two years. After a superb freshman year, he has dissapeared the last two years and struggled a bit through the first game. Don't think for a second that an injury is ever good for a team. Defensive Line is another position where Nebraska is thin and the Turner injury does not help. Right now Clayton Sievers is listed as the backup at the Right End and Left End position. Time will tell if Nebraska can continue to operate 3 players at 2 positions, especially heading into Big 12 play.

2. The Overall Play of the Defense. Last year the defense was 112th in the nation in total yards allowed. This year they have given up 351.5 yards per game, good enough for 69th in the nation. Improvement right? Um, wrong. This is Western Michigan and San Jose State doing this to Nebraska. What's gonna happen when Nebraska goes up against the likes of Missouri, Texas Tech, Oklahoma, and Kansas? As Carl Lewis would say, UH OH!!!

The Downright Ugly

1. The most dissapointing stat of the last weekend was 12 penalties for 103 yards, including 3 STRAIGHT FALSE STATE/ILLEGAL PROCEDURE PENALTIES. I don't care how bad the contunity is on the offensive line. You can't commit those penalties, especially at home, when the crowd is QUIET while you play on offense. Then again, if we are talking about Memorial Stadium, the crowd has the ability to be quiet when the Husker defense takes the field.

2. Offensive Line/Rushing Game. Nebraska is averaging a paltry 3.0 yards per carry if you take out the 27 yard run by Roy Helu against San Jose State and the 32 yard broken play run by Joe Ganz against Western Michigan. Nebraska has to establish some sort of running game to control the clock and help keep the defense off the field. Quick 3 and out do nothing to help time management and resting the defense. Hopefully the return of Andy Christensen helps fuel a resurgence in the offensive line.