Nov. 14, 2001

The Desert Husker • Bill Marks

Ugly Never Looked So Good

There's an old cliché that a wildcat is most dangerous when it's injured. Or is it a woodchuck? Isn't there some saying about a bear in the hand being worth...ahh forget it.

The point is that even though the 2001 version of Bill Snyder's Kansas State Wildcats came into Lincoln licking their wounds after a lackluster 4-4 start, pretty much everyone involved knew this wouldn't be an easy game for the Big Red. K-State came in off an impressive victory over Iowa State and was beginning to look much more like the team that nearly upset Oklahoma earlier in the year.

Meanwhile, the Huskers were looking to avenge a devastating loss in Manhattan the previous year, while also keeping their Big 12 Championship and national title hopes alive. The stage was set for a classic match up in the friendly confines of Lincoln's Memorial Stadium.

The game itself - while immensely entertaining and satisfying - wasn't real pretty. Both offenses played sloppily. Eric Crouch and Ell Roberson were a combined 4 of 18 passing. There were plenty of turnovers and missed tackles.

And yet, at this point in the season, with a trip to the Rose Bowl hanging in the balance, style points have become meaningless. With nothing but quality opponents remaining, every win is huge and means Solich is one step closer to his first national title as head coach.

What went right
Though the offense looked a little ragged at times, Crouch and Dahrran Diedrick used the power running game to break through a stingy Wildcat defense. Nothing was coming easy, but Diedrick was particularly impressive - breaking tackles on nearly every carry.

I don't know if I've ever seen a Husker running back get as many 5-yard carries as Diedrick. He rarely rips off a run longer than 15 yards, and yet routinely turns potential short gains into productive plays. He doesn't have the speed of Ahman Green or the moves of Mike Rozier, but when a game is on the line, I feel very confident with this number 30 in the backfield. And, more importantly, so does Solich.

Toniu Fonoti was dominant, laying a path of destruction in his wake while clearing holes for Crouch and Co. The enormous presence of Fonoti has brought the rest of the Cornhusker offensive line up a few notches and may earn him the Outland Trophy. Let's just hope he doesn't follow the lead of former NU lineman Dominic Raiola and turn pro after his junior year.

The defense did a nice job once again on Saturday. With Keyuo Craver and Dejuan Groce playing at All-American level, and the re-emergence of Willie Amos after a hamstring injury, the Nebraska secondary has been money.

What went wrong
Although it didn't turn out that the passing game was too necessary, Crouch didn't look comfortable throwing the ball against K-State. All indications are that E.C.'s shoulder is holding up (although even if it weren't, I doubt we'd hear about it until the end of the season) but he had some ugly looking passes, including two interceptions.

I'm not trying to be too critical of Crouch. In fact, the beauty of having such a multi-dimensional quarterback is that even when one part of his game is a little off, he can beat you with something else. On the whole, he's thrown the ball well this season. If NU is to run the table from here on out, he'll have to throw the ball more effectively than he did against the Wildcats.

In my column following the Oklahoma game, I pointed out that one of the few negatives in the game was the inability of long snapper John Garrison to get the ball back to the punter cleanly. Well, it happened again against Kansas State, and led to a blocked punt that was quickly turned into K-State's first touchdown.

Long snapping is an unappreciated task that's only noticed when something goes wrong. Still, with the Big Red potentially three wins away from a national title, it would be a shame for a blocked punt to put a crimp on those hopes. Garrison had been solid in this position in the last two years, but he and the coaches need to figure out how to get things back on track...and soon.

Desert Husker Offensive Player of the Game
I'll go with Fonoti. It can be hard -- especially when watching the game on television instead of in person -- to identify when a lineman is having a particularly good game. But after watching big number 77 flatten Wildcat after Wildcat, it wasn't difficult to figure out that Fonoti was dominating the line of scrimmage. At times, it seemed K-State defenders were hitting the ground before contact, in anticipation of a massive Fonoti hit.

DH Defensive Player of the Game
Willie Amos wins this one. Returning from injury, the fleet Husker safety picked off two Ell Roberson throws (thus catching more Roberson passes than the rest of the K-State team combined), taking one to the house. Although he still needs to become a more aggressive tackler, the future is bright for this young Cornhusker.

Question answered
What happens when a young child sticks a Pop Tart in his father's VCR? Unfortunately I found out the answer to this one shortly before the Nebraska game came on the tube. I'm sad to report, the VCR is in critical condition. The Pop Tart was still pretty tasty though.

Question remaining
Can the Huskers play 60 minutes of inspired, focused football in the high altitude of Boulder, Colorado? The last time we saw Nebraska play Colorado in Boulder, a very good Husker defense was gassed by the end of the game, and the offense couldn't hold on to the ball. The Big Red still pulled out an overtime victory, but it wasn't easy. Expect more of the same this go around.

A plea for common sense
In light of recent events that caused UCLA stud tailback Deshaun Foster to be suspended for accepting a tricked-out SUV from a "friend" of the program, I have a simple plea to all Husker backers out there. If for some reason you're thinking of purchasing automobiles, jewelry, electronics, washer/dryer combos, chinchilla coats, Rice-a-Roni, or any other kind of booty for Big Red players, stop right there. Just don't do it. Instead show your support for the Huskers by sending appliances, cars or just plain cash to the Desert Husker. It's legal. It doesn't hurt the football team. And, if you don't declare the purchases on your income tax, well, I sure won't tell anyone.

Bill Marks, a.k.a. the Desert Husker, is a professional business writer and consultant living in Chandler, Ariz. He is a longtime Husker fan and can be contacted at [email protected].