March 17, 2011
MORE OF THE DANNO AWARDS OF THE PAST DECADE (PLUS ONE) OF HUSKER FOOTBALL
PART III
Okay, so these awards are taking a bit longer than I thought. But
when you have 11 years of Husker football to review, it's bound to take a little
time, right? Right! So gimme a break.
Now, where was I? Right. As some of you know, the Danno Awards
have been given annually to recognize outstanding performances
and great moments in the world of Nebraska football.
But this year, we are looking back at the years 2000 to 2010
(the Decade Plus One) of Husker football. Why 11 instead of 10
years? Because we wanted to include the last year of the Huskers'
affiliation with the Big 12 Conference in our extended decade.
In Part II, we looked at the Offense. In this segment, we're going to
look at the Defense and Special Teams and present some
miscellaneous awards.
THE 2010 BETTY WALKER AWARD
LARRY THE CABLE GUY
This award has been given each year to the person who best represents the
spirit of the late Betty "Big Red Betty" Walker. Betty was a huge Husker
fan and was an loyal supporter of our military. In fact,
she was the first donor to Husker Dan's Army. Even as she was losing her
battle with cancer a couple of years ago, she continued to support the men
and women in our armed forces.
Because this award started just a couple of years ago, we thought it best
to make this award cover just one year, 2010, instead of extending it
to include the past eleven years.
Larry The Cable Guy (aka Dan Whitney) who grew up in Pawnee, Nebraska is a
long time Husker fan and a strong supporter of American veterans and
the US military. Larry was one of our sponsors for last fall's
"Husker Fans' Salute To The Troops" celebration held at the Cornhusker Marriott
Hotel in Lincoln. Betty would be proud to have Larry's name
added to the list of winners. Larry, we salute you and all you do!
BEST HUSKER DEFENSIVE TEAM
2009
Led by Outland winner and Heisman runner-up, DT
Ndamukong Suh, the Blackshirts ended the '09 season as the nation's number one
team in scoring defense allowing just 10 points a game. The
'09 Blackshirts' roster was filled with great players like Jared Crick,
Eric Hagg, Matt O'Hanlon, Prince Amukamara, DeJon Gomes, Alfonzo Dennard, to
name just a few. Toward the end of the season, this group of
Blackshirts seemed to get better with every game. They held Colt McCoy and
the Texas Longhorns to 13 points in the Big 12 Championship game that year and
ended the season with a 33-0 pasting of the Arizona Wildcats in the Holiday
Bowl.
BEST DEFENSIVE PLAYER
Ndamukong Suh DT (2006-2009)
Of course, the award goes to Suh. We'd be foolish to even suggest
someone else. You have to go back to the days of Rich Glover
(1970-1972) to find a defensive lineman as dominating as Ndamukong Suh was,
especially in his last two years at Nebraska. Suh might
well be the best defensive lineman the game of college
football has ever seen. Suh won the Outland Trophy, Lombardi Award, Bronko
Nagurski Trophy, Bednarik Award, was a finalist for the Heisman
and ended up being the second player chosen in the 2010 NFL
draft. At Nebraska, he brutalized quarterbacks, intercepted passes,
caught TD passes and was even used as a blocking back in goal line
situations. Congratulations, Suh-perman!
BEST DEFENSIVE LINEMAN
Ndamukong Suh (2006-2009)
See above. 'Nuff said.
BEST DEFENSIVE PLAY
Ndamukong Suh in the 2009 Oklahoma
game
It's no surprise that the best defensive player of
the DPO would be also be involved in the DPO's best defensive play. There
were many great moments in Suh's career, but none better than when he blasted
through the Sooners' O-line in that game, shoving the Sooner O-lineman into
QB Landry Jones who also was knocked down on the play. You have to
see it to believe it.
BEST LINEBACKER
Barrett Ruud (2001-2004)
Ruud was a 2004 All-Big 12 Player (AP and Coaches), the 2004 Nebraska
Defensive MVP and a three time First Team Academic All Big 12 ('02-'04).
He held the Nebraska single season record (149) for tackles that stood
until last year when Lavonte David broke it.
BEST SAFETY
Josh Bullocks (2002-2004)
Because there are two different kinds of safeties (and some hybrids,
too), choosing just one at that position was challenging. To be sure,
there have been some very good safeties during those 11
years including Matt O'Hanlon, Daniel Bullocks (Josh's brother) and
Eric Hagg. Josh, chosen in the second round of the '05 NFL draft, held
the school and Big 12 Conference records for most interceptions in a season
(10) and was second nationally in interceptions per game (.77 pg). He
was also Sporting News 2003 First Team All American.
BEST CORNERBACK
Prince Amukamara (2007-2010)
Although his defensive numbers dropped off his last year at
Nebraska, it was because throwing in Amukamara's direction wasn't a wise
thing for opposing quarterbacks to do. Amukamara, a 2010 First Team
All-American and Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year (coaches poll), will be
sorely missed next year as Nebraska enters Big 10 play.
BEST OPEN-FIELD TACKLER
Matt O'Hanlon (2006-2009)
Not since Husker safety Mike Brown has there been a better open field
tackler than Matt O'Hanlon. Once Matt had a ball carrier in his sight, the
player was down. One of his best games was the Oklahoma game in Lincoln in
2009. Matt had 12 tackles, 3 interceptions and was name Big 12 Defensive
Player and the National Defensive Player of the week for his effort.
Not bad for a walk-on quarterback/soccer player from Bellevue,
Nebraska. We love Matt's determination, desire, demeanor and his intense
competitive spirit.
SPECIAL TEAMS
BEST KICKOFF RETURNER
Josh Davis (2001-2003)
Josh, son of former Husker running back, Tony Davis (1973-1975),
excelled as a running back as well as a kick returner. But he is
being honored here as the DPO's best kickoff returner. During his
career at Nebraska, he set school and Big 12 records for Career Kickoff Return
Yards with 2,265 yards. Josh also set the Nebraska record for Kickoff
Return Yards in a Season with 994 yards. And he set the
school Single Game Kickoff Return Yard record with 186 yards vs Kansas
State in 2002.
BEST PUNT RETURNER
DeJuan Groce (1999-2002)
In his senior year at Nebraska, DeJuan was named AFCA's First Team
All-American Return Specialist, CNNSI.com's First Team All-American Punt
Returner and Sporting News' Third Team All-American Kick Returner. In
gathering all his hardware, he managed to join former legend, Heisman winner
Johnny Rodgers as the only two players in NU history to go over 1,000
career punt return yards. Groce ranks second in school history with 1,218
yards and in his 732 yards in his senior year, broke Johnny Rodgers'
single-season record of 618 set during Rodgers' Heisman season in
1972.
LONGEST PUNT RETURN
95 yards by Eric Hagg 2010 (2007-2010)
Hagg's return beat Bobby Newcombe's 94 yarder in 2000 at home
against Missouri. Hagg, not normally used as a punt returner was in
the game only because the Nebraska coaches didn't think the 'Horns were going to
punt on the play. But Texas got off a pooch punt that rolled into the
hands of Hagg who took it to the house. Unfortunately for Nebraska, it was
the only touchdown the Huskers scored in a 20-10 loss to Texas.
LONGEST KICK RETURN FOR A TOUCHDOWN
Niles Paul 100 yards (2010) vs Oklahoma State
Not since Ron Clark returned a kickoff 100 yards for a TD At Kansas
State in 1949 had a Husker returned one that distance.
BEST PUNT RETURN FOR A TOUCHDOWN
Nate Swift Virginia Tech at Nebraska 2008
So what else did the DPO Best Receiver do to prove his greatness while at
Nebraska?
BEST PLACEKICKER
Alex Henery 2007-2010
Alex would also win this award if it were for the Best Placekicker in
school history and may also garner serious attention as the best place-kicker in
college football history. But we'll leave it at the DPO level for
now. Through the past 40 plus years of watching Husker football, I've
never seen a better kicker than #90-either for Nebraska or for any of the
opposing teams. Henery's biggest field goal and the longest in
school history (57 yards) came in the 2008 Colorado game in Lincoln.
What an amazing play made by an amazing player. That Alex wasn't
chosen as first team All-Big 12 this year is a travesty. And not
winning the 2010 Lou Groza Award is also stunning.
BEST KICKOFF
Iowa State @Nebraska (2007)
Adi got a standing ovation when his wind assisted
kickoff sailed straight through the Cyclone uprights with plenty of room to
spare. There have been a lot of kickoffs at Memorial Stadium, but none
as awesome as this one.
BEST PUNTER
Alex Henery (2007-2010)
Henery took over the punting duties his junior and
senior years at Nebraska. His punts seemed to be radio controlled,
carefully bouncing out of bounds, often within the opponents' 10 yard
line.
BEST KICKOFF SPECIALIST
Adi Kunalic
(2007-2010)
Adi finished his career at
Nebraska with an unbelievable 125 touchbacks, with 39 of them in his senior
season. As a freshman against Nevada in 2007, he had an
amazing 6 touchbacks. Because of the new kickoff rules initiated in
college football, Kunalic's powerful leg became a huge tool for the
defense and often forced opposing teams to go 80 yards to
score.
BEST JIMMY CHITWOOD MOMENT
Alex Henery's 57 yard
field goal (Colorado @Nebraska 2008)
The Huskers facing a 4th and 18 from
the Colorado 27 yard line with less than two minutes to go in the game and
trailing, called a time out. Would the Huskers try a play to get a first
down, or try a 57 yard (!) field goal? No one in Husker history had
ever made, let alone even attempted such a kick. Who would try it?
Adi Kunalic, the Huskers' kickoff specialist, or Alex Henery, the place
kicker? Coach Bo called a time out. And in typical "Hoosiers"
fashion, Bo Pelini asked Henery if he thought he could kick it from that
distance. "Coach, I'll make it," Alex says. And the rest is
history.