C O M M E N T A R Y
J U S T I N P R E S T I D G E
September 15, 2009
Hokies
summon Houdini, magically erases late Husker lead.
Virginia Tech escapes
16-15
Player of the Game: Ndamukong Suh 8 tkls, 4 pbk, .5 sack,
The
Touchdown is mightier than the Field Goal
Remember
math class? For me, this was usually the time of the day I would try to
figure out how many points Nebraska would score that week against
Pacific. x + y = z?? No, Lawrence Phillips + Ahman Green + Tommie
Frazier = Major a## kicking. Guess that explains why my daughter goes to
my wife for help with her math homework. This time I really tried
to use math for a practical purpose, so my brain went to work and came up with
this fantastic formula to calculate points left on the field or x:
(r*t) - (r*p) = x
Where: r = Redzone chances, t = value of a touchdown (assuming extra point), p= actual points scored inside redzone.
Using this revolutionary formula we are able to determine the exact number of points our Huskers could have scored if a) Lee could have completed a pass. b) Our receivers could catch said pass, and c) They legalize holding and false starts in football. Add it all up and it comes to 23 points left on the field Saturday. If we could have scored only 10% of those points, I wouldnt have to explain to my family why I need Bob the Builder to come over to the house and patch that hole in the wall. Now who ever said we would never use this stuff when we grew up.
Offensive
Helu-cinations
Everyone
expected that Zac Lee would be tested in his first start outside the friendly
confines of Memorial Stadium. What we were treated to was an offensive (I
mean that literally) passing display. 11-30 for 136 yds and 2
picks. He was not helped by his receiving corps much either with some
dropped passes and poorly ran routes. We have to give some credit to the
Tech defense however, who basically turned an otherwise accurate passer into a
Jamaal Lord Starter Kit. All that was missing was the pre-game trash
talk. Something didnt seem right with him as the game wore on.
Was it the pressure? Was he hurt? Did the Tech staff slip some mind
altering drugs into Zacs pregame meal? Its hard to tell for
sure, but he will have to find the accuracy he had in the first two games
quickly if we have any hopes of improving this year. Lost in all the mix
was the great game that Helu turned in. He carried the offense on
Saturday, and is slowly emerging as a big time back. The coaching staff
should give Helu a green jersey and have the science department create a force
field to surround him. We simply cant afford to lose him to injury this
year. The opportunities for the offense were there, but we were unable to
capitalize on them. For now, we will put up the 3D glasses and hope that
the offensive performance on Saturday was just that-a hallucination.
Its
a bird, Its a plane, no its Suh-perman
He
may not be faster than a speeding bullet, but if you were to ask the Tech
offensive line, Im sure they would disagree. Its hard to
imagine where this defense would be without him this year. He does so
many things that normal defensive tackles cant or are unable to
do. Lose Zac Potter to graduation? No problem, he can bat down
passes as well. There was mention earlier in the game that Suh should be
a candidate for Dancing With the Stars. I cant
confirm this but it appeared he was making his audition tape for it on the last
play of the game. Im sure that he was just doing what he was told
and was playing containment, however, it would have been fitting to see him bull rush Taylor and sack him setting up a very long 4th and
goal. I know that is being very nit picky, as Suh was nearly unblockable
on Saturday. Just having him on the team has turned an average defense
into a good one. If only he could play safety
Dont
break my heart, my achy brakey heart
Its
games like this that makes me sometimes wish that I didnt have an
emotional attachment to a particular football team. An outsider watching
the game would surely have enjoyed it from a pure entertainment
perspective. Yes, our Huskers have seen more than their share of bad
breaks in the last several years and just cant seem to put the game away
when it is needed. Im sure it is only a matter of time (hopefully
Missouri) that we will get over that hump. Husker fans needed that game
on Saturday and for whatever reason, it is not our time. Im glad
that I am feeling that way again about a loss. Remembering back to 2007
(I know, we want to forget) with Nebraska trailing 38-0 at home against Okie
State at halftime, I actually turned the TV off in disgust. On Saturday,
the horror we witnessed in 2007 seemed like a distant memory. That alone
was reason to celebrate-regardless of the result.
In
Conclusion
As
I stated before, a loss to Virginia Tech would and should not ruin
Nebraskas season. The goal was to get to the Big XII title game
again and let the cards fall where they may. It was very encouraging to
see the defense play the way they did for 59 minutes Saturday. Yes, the
secondary got burned worse than an albino in a tanning salon late in the game,
but the overall defensive effort was solid. Zac will need to use the game
next week to get his mojo back or risk hearing some more grumblings about a QB
controversy, especially if he turns in another performance like
Saturday. We can now look at our schedule and see there is really
not a game that we cant win. There are also very few sure
wins. Missouri is looming in two weeks and that game will likely define
our season. The plan is simple, take care of business this Saturday and
use it to get the offense back on track. Taking care of business, sounds
simple enough. Now its time for the Huskers to give
em the business.
Justin Prestidge is a new contributor to this website. Born and raised in Scottsbluff, Justin is currently holding a low profile deep in the heart of Texas. A die hard Husker fan, Justin has been following Big Red Football for over 20 years, and has been a member of the North Texas Nebraskans for the last 10. You can e-mail him here.