ALYSSA SHUKAR/DN
Husker cornerback Fabian Washington reacts to a successful Nebraska defensive performance.
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Defense leading the way, NU eeks out win over Jayhawks
By Dirk Chatelain / Daily Nebraskan
October 04, 2004
Never after such an ugly six-point win over Kansas has a
Nebraska football coach been so excited.
Bill Callahan stepped to the mic after his Cornhuskers outlasted
the traditionally lethargic Jayhawks 14-8. Instead of talking about
fumbles and interceptions and missed field goals, the coach led
with the word, “Wow”.
“It’s inspiring to watch guys fly around and make
the plays they made tonight,” he said.
“It was chilling in so many respects.”
“If you love great defense, this is a great defense to
watch.”
Uh … Bill, what about the other guys?
“I’m not disappointed in the offense,” he
said. “Like I said, there’s going to be some growing
pains.”
Combine the “inspiring” defense and offensive
“growing pains,” and you get a team that may have its
share of baseball scores before the first snowfall.
When a potentially game-winning KU Hail Mary on the last play
fell innocently to the turf, a sellout Memorial Stadium crowd
offered no ovation.
Instead, a sigh of relief, a shake of the head and a wonder:
When this coach preaches patience, does he mean joining
Kansas in the Big 12 doldrums? Did he mean looking the equal
of a traditional doormat program that hasn’t floored the
Goliath from Lincoln since Callahan was a seventh grader?
That’s not the company line from Husker Central, but a
look at the statistics reveals no fluke.
The Huskers (3-1, 1-0 Big 12) threw more interceptions (three)
than touchdowns (two). They managed just 11 first downs, fumbled
four times, had eight penalties, missed two field goals and muffed
a center-quarterback exchange on the second play from scrimmage
that rolled into the end zone. Quarterback Joe Dailey scooped it
and conceded the safety.
“We didn’t play up to our potential,” Callahan
said. “I thought we made tremendous strides in (practice) the
last two weeks. Obviously, that wasn’t reflected in our
performance.”
Dailey took the blame for his three interceptions.
“One thing I want to talk about is I need everyone to
believe in me,” the sophomore said. “I have so many
plays left in me and I know I can make them. It is just a matter of
getting comfortable.”
The Blackshirts again carried the load. Kansas (2-3, 0-2) ran 82
offensive plays to NU’s 56, had a 100-yard rusher in John
Randle and a 200-yard passer in Adam Barmann. But the blue attack
cracked the Huskers’ 20-yard line just once.
“What we did well is we didn’t allow any big
plays,” said linebacker Barrett Ruud, who had 15 tackles and
snuffed out a fake punt from the Kansas 35-yard line with 3:08
left. “That was the key.”
Nebraska finally broke the ice when I-back Cory Ross, who
finished the night with 107 yards on 19 carries, scooted 18 yards
for a score with 2:57 left in the first half. The drive covered 47
yards in five plays – none were passes. Kansas took an 8-7
edge on a three-run home run, err, 39-yard field goal,midway
through the third quarter, but the Huskers responded.
Wideout Ross Pilkington snagged a Dailey pass and raced 37 yards
down the right sideline. Six plays later, Nebraska caught KU in a
blitz and Dailey hit I-back Ross for a 14-yard score.
The defense took it from there. KU’s final six possessions
ended like this: punt, punt, turnover on downs, punt, failed fake
punt, failed Hail Mary. The Jayhawks mustered two first downs the
entire quarter, both in the final minute.
A big picture view at the offense reveals a glimmer of hope.
There are no longer eight defenders within an arm’s length of
the quarterback at the snap. It’s reasonable at some point to
think Nebraska could gain 30 yards via the pass one play and run it
for 31 the next. Callahan seeks this.
That’s why, perhaps, even with NU up 14-8 in the fourth
quarter, the coach threw it eight times and ran it seven.
“We didn’t pull our horns in,” Callahan
said.
These Huskers are a team that won’t necessarily improve
every week, as optimists hoped.A team that needs months it
won’t get before bumping chests with Missouri and Oklahoma. A
team that, on Oct. 4, looks as sluggish as the 7-7 apologists of
2002.
“It’s getting stressful almost,” Ruud said.
“It’s really the third game in a row that we
should’ve won by a lot more points.”
The days when Ruud could watch a fourth-quarter blowout and sip
Gatorade from the bench appear to be over.