Saturday, October 29, 2005

Stoops schools Hillbilly C and the Puppetmasters

Tell me if you've heard this one before: the Huskers opponent drives the field on their opening possession to jump out to a 7-0 lead while the offense sputters in the early going.

It's getting old. It's great that the Huskers can rebound, but you can't dig yourself into a hole every week and expect to climb out of it.

One thing is painfully clear: Zac Taylor is clearly showing signs of the painful pounding he has taken this year. In the 2nd quarter, Callahan decided to open up the passing game once the wind was to their back. Taylor twice rolled out to throw but failed to see uncovered receivers running wild downfield. The second time, once Taylor finally decided to throw the ball, threw it off-target and so late that the Oklahoma defensive back nearly picked it off.

Today's offensive bright spot again was Nate Swift, with 9 receptions for 100+ yards. I liked this kid in the Spring game, and every game, this freshman gets better and better.

Looking at the remaining schedule, I'm getting extremely concerned about the Huskers prospects. Kansas might have the best defense in the Big XII. Kansas State is getting better week-by-week, with former Husker commitment Allan Evridge now playing well as their starting quarterback. And Colorado is still the best of the Big XII North.

Can Nebraska get some positive karma going their way in these last 3 games? I predicted 8-3, but that prediction is now looking like a dream at this point in the season.

1 comment:

Husker Mike said...

Hmmm...Zac Taylor has started twice as many games. Thrown 11 TD's and 9 INTs.

Taylor also has 49 rushes for -49 yards. (Yes, folks, that's -1 yard per carry)

Before anyone misreads my comments on Zac Taylor, Taylor's numbers aren't very good. But the #1 thing Zac Taylor has done this year is withstand a beating. No complaints from him, he just gets up, and goes back and tries again. You have to love his heart.

But, right now I'd prefer to see Evridge in Husker Red at quarterback. His 120.57 NCAA efficiency rating is better than Taylor's as well.