Players of the game and a report card from the Nebraska-Colorado game Saturday:

OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE GAME: Running back Rex Burkhead and Wide receiver Niles Paul. Burkhead ran much harder than the mercurial Roy Helu, and was rewarded with the game's clinching touchdown drive. Hopefully, Helu is bothered by that, and plays a little tougher vs. Texas. Paul, meanwhile, had two key grabs and a punt return for a touchdown. He's made big plays four of the last five games.

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE GAME: Ndamukong Suh, defensive tackle. Took his game to “that” level in the second half; only a couple holding penalties kept Suh from two more sacks. When he decides to get relentless, he's pretty much unstoppable.

GRADES:

QUARTERBACK: B- Nothing too offensive here, but Zac Lee botched the option play where he hurt his ankle, and overthrew Niles Paul on a sideline route. He manages the game OK, but he still takes some bad sacks. He doesn't escape very well – despite his speed. Can you imagine how good NU would be with even Tyler Hansen?

RUNNING BACK: B Helu didn't play well. He lost a fumble, ran slow, and generally looked tenative. Burkhead, on the other hand, look every bit the bluechip recruit he was touted to be when arrived from Plano, Texas. Now you know why he was rushed back.

WIDE RECEIVER: C Paul blew an easy reception for a first down. Otherwise, the unit wasn't that involved. Paul – and only Paul - played most of the game. Brandon Kinnie caught a pass. Those receivers must just be loving this offense.

OFFENSIVE LINE/TIGHT ENDS: C+ Frankly, the offensive live did not play well until that key fourth-quarter drive. Penalties, missed blocks, a complete ignorance to the blitz, and now Jacob Hickman fudging on snaps. This is a hurt unit, true – but it's not a great unit. The tight ends were OK. Ben Cotton made a touchdown grab. He blocked well. Mike McNeill was mostly a non-factor.

DEFENSIVE LINE: B This grade takes into account poor officiating, which missed two or three bad holding calls against Ndamukong Suh, Pierre Allen and Barry Turner. Generally, they battled OK, and chased Tyler Hansen around the park. Suh stepped up his game in the second half. Turner saved a first down in the first half by tackling Hansen. Crick deflected a pass that Suh should have intercepted.

LINEBACKERS: D Sean Fisher overran several plays, while Will Compton and Phillip Dillard sometimes seemed to be attacking the same spot. CU should have isolated its running backs on NU's backers' more. They did play the screens fairly well.

SECONDARY: C Hot and cold. Three interceptions, after all, is nothing at which to shake a stick. But they got burned for a few big plays, didn't tackle that well, and gave up the touchdown at the end of the game, too, Unacceptable.

SPECIAL TEAMS: A Outstanding. The difference in the game. If Alex Henery makes the 50-yarder, it's an A+.

COACHING/PLAYCALLING: C- Just wasn't “getting” the offense today. NU never tried to attack CU's safeties, rarely tried playaction, never rolled the pocket, never dared to do anything. Nebraska made Colorado's defense look much better than it really is. And with Shawn Watson's long explanation at the end of the game, you get the sense he's either apologizing for it or rationalizing it. The game management was OK.

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Players of the game and grades from Nebraska's 31-17 win over Kansas:

OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE GAME: Quarterback Zac Lee. He managed the offense, made good throws downfield, ran the ball for yards and first downs, and carried the team in the fourth quarter. For one week – Zac's back.

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE GAME: Cornerback Prince Amukamara. For most of the game, he locked down on Dez Briscoe, whose biggest receptions came in the slot or while Amukamara was blitzing. Prince was the biggest bright spot in the secondary.

GRADES:

QUARTERBACK: A- A marked improvement of Lee's work for the last month. He generally made the right reads, threw decent deep balls to Niles Paul and crucially scrambled for 53 yards. It was Lee's best game of the year, considering the opponent and the circumstances – and even he knew it.

RUNNING BACK: B+ Roy Helu still looks to bounce too many runs to the corner of a defense, but when he does get there – watch out, as always. Big props to Tyler Legate, too, who blocked well for the second consecutive week as he led Helu into the hole.

WIDE RECEIVERS/TIGHT ENDS: B A workmanlike effort in the blocking department, great work from Paul at receiver and some clutch plays by Mike McNeill at tight end. McNeill left the game, it seemed, with a concussion. Brandon Kinnie made a nifty catch. Khiry Cooper drew a key personal foul. OK, he didn't do anything to earn it, but still – right?

OFFENSIVE LINE: C+ Fair, although another personal foul on a poorly-executed cut block sure didn't help. The line finally started plowing some earth in the fourth quarter; before then, it was hit-or-miss, dependent on Helu's ability to hit the corner. From the naked eye, Jacob Hickman had a nice game.

DEFENSIVE LINE: C Kansas punked Nebraska's best unit by using a quick quarterback draw from Todd Reesing to negate the pass rush. From there, the front four played it much more safely. Barry Turner was twice sent into coverage on a zone blitz, with awful results – but that's not necessarily his fault. Ndamukong Suh was neutralized. But, then, that was the plan. And it worked.

LINEBACKER: B- Phillip Dillard was the only linebacker who played any significant snaps. He played OK. Didn't tackle the best. Got burned on a long pass play in which the ball was dropped by KU's Jake Sharp. Dillard got tested today by KU's varied offense.

SECONDARY: D+ Yes, this group deserves that grade. NU's unit was plum outplayed by KU's group of receivers, especially Kerry Meier, who had Dejon Gomes spun all around all day. Gomes did force a key fumble, but that was the secondary's best play of the day. Reesing actually missed four or five passes; otherwise, the day would have been even longer.

SPECIAL TEAMS: A Alex Henery hits three field goals, NU gets kickoff returns from Paul and Tim Marlowe to help set up touchdowns, and the kick coverage was strong. Good day all around.

GAME MANAGEMENT/PLAYCALLING: B- Shawn Watson's offensive playcalling was generally strong. He managed a solid balance between the 20s. In the red zone, he needs to create a better sequence of success for the Big Red, but we liked the mixture of power and playaction. Nicely done. On defense – we're still not wild about the zone blitzes on 3rd-and-long. Twice, the Brothers Pelini hurt their own cause when KU burned them with first downs. We also question NU's insistence on keeping its dime defense in the game when Kansas countered with a large running back, Toben Opurum. It turned out OK, we suppose, but Nebraska needs to pay Kansas State's running game more respect.

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Players of the game and report card for Nebraska's 10-3 win over Oklahoma:

OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE GAME: Roy Helu. He's back – and just in the nick of time! Helu made a few runs Saturday that only he, on NU's football team, can make. His vision and quick cuts to the hole are rare for a player at any level, and more than once he caught an OU defender peeking or heading the wrong way. He needs to improve with his pass protection. But what college running back doesn't, right?

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE GAME: Matt O'Hanlon. He called his interceptions a product of being in the right place at the right time, which is true. But MattyO was terrific in run support – his tough tackles help convince OU to move away from the running game, and his one interception return – which helped set up a field goal – was fairlu crucial. Great game for a kid who's earned it.

GRADES

QUARTERBACK: C The position has now shifted into “don't kill us” mode for the rest of the season. Zac Lee and Cody Green didn't exactly make many plays Saturday – but they didn't lose the game, either. Who Nebraska plays from here is anybody's guess.

RUNNING BACK: B+ Roy ran like the old Roy, Traye Robinson had some authority, and Tyler Legate was solid in the blocking scheme. This unit is so much better when Helu is reasonably healthy.

WIDE RECEIVER: I For “incomplete.” They blocked, mostly. Only two receptions by the position all night, both belonging to Brandon Kinnie.

OFFENSIVE LINE/TIGHT ENDS: C Oklahoma has an awesome defense, and NU occasionally held its own in the running game, especially when Nebraska chose the power route with Legate as a lead blocker. But the pass pro was fairly shabby Saturday night. Neither Green nor Lee had much time.

DEFENSIVE LINE A The front four played so damn hard, blunting OU's run game and producing enough of a pass rush on Landry Jones to throw him off his rhythm. The Huskers are as physical and imposing across the front as any defense in college football. The Sooners and Alabama are up there, too.

LINEBACKERS: A Essentially a grade for Phillip Dillard – and we're OK with that. Dillard made two or three key tackles on screen passes, had an interception and a sack, and served as on-field emotional motivation for the defense. He's become an all-conference caliber player in a matter of months.

SECONDARY: A Landry Jones will see these guys in his dreams. O'Hanlon played great, Prince Amukamara and Alfonzo Dennard constantly challenged receivers, Eric Hagg and Dejon Gomes worked over the inside slot routes, Larry Asante provided the hits, and Anthony Blue and P.J. Smith looked good in spot duty. And what about Hagg's big tackle on fourth down? Yep – these guys can play!

SPECIAL TEAMS: B Nebraska's punt coverage units were a little leaky, sure, but Alex Henery's punting was strong overall, and Ndamukong Suh blocked a field goal attempt in the second quarter. Kickoff coverage was excellent. Niles Paul displayed sure hands on punt returns. Gomes needs to be a little more careful out there – he cost NU about 35 total yards on two penalties.

GAME MANAGEMENT/PLAYCALLING: B+ From a defensive perspective – brilliant! Bo and Carl Pelini constantly had OU guessing on offense, and the Sooners kept choosing the wrong door. On offense, coordinator Shawn Watson played it safe and smart. For this week, we can live with it. Expect Kansas and Kansas State to have better plans though, and Watson better figure out a way to move the ball. The offensive penalties early in the game were simply absurd. Why is Ricky Henry cut-blocking the opposite guard's man, 10 yards away from the play?

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Players of the game and grades after Nebraska's win over Baylor:

PLAYERS OF THE GAME:

OFFENSE: Cody Green. He provided exactly the kind of spark you'd hoped he would. He was poised in the pocket. He didn't waste a lot of time at the line. He scrambled and ran with authority and power. And he was called upon to throw a beauty of a deep ball, he did so with accuracy and perfect placement. The second half wasn't so pretty - but, really, who else deserves it?

DEFENSE: Jared Crick. It was the kind of performance that reminded me of Danny Noonan and John Parrella, a display of power, tenacity, toughness and brute force. Ndamukong Suh made his usual array of plays all over the field; he's still one of a kind. But, on this day, Crick was that tough-nosed local boy that Nebraska used to ride to conference and national championships. Crick's a little nasty, too. We love it.

GRADES

QUARTERBACK: C Cody Green made some solid plays early in the game, and his two scrambles on third down help set up Alex Henery's 45-yard field goal. He also threw a beautiful pass to Niles Paul to set up a touchdown. But his second-half play? Not real pretty. Green has to watch those throws to the sidelines and try not to go airborne on, well, just about any running play, ever. It's a start. Not a perfect one. But a start.

RUNNING BACK: B Given the Huskers' injuries, this bunch did pretty well with the holes they were given. Traye Robinson is a valid option at running back. Roy Helu is hurt. Lester Ward did OK in limited action, but runs too high. Austin Jones didn't have a prayer.

WIDE RECEIVER: C A couple untimely drops were offset by two key catches by Niles Paul, who manned up and made some nice grabs. Cody Green missed a few receivers on top of everything else. The perimeter blocking, especially from Khiry Cooper, could have been better.

TIGHT ENDS/OFFENSIVE LINE: D The shoddy blocking in the second half is unacceptable. When Nebraska needs two yards – the line needs to be able produce those two yards against a team like Baylor. The Huskers were stymied far too often in short yardage situations. Also a costly holding and false penalty when they weren't needed.

DEFENSIVE LINE: A+ Seven sacks warrants a perfect grade in our book. Crick was spectacular. Baylor never got anything on the ground, either. This unit is scary good right now.

LINEBACKERS: A Phillip Dillard and Sean Fisher snuffed out Baylor's junk plays all afternoon, and got after the quarterback when it matter. Nice job by both against the zone read. Fisher, who was running on and off the field all day, adjusted quite well.

SECONDARY: B The Bears busted a couple big throws in the second half, but NU, for the most part, covered well. The Huskers could be a little more aggressive on the short routes, and the safeties could improve on laying out the receiver when there's underneath coverage. Terrific interception by Prince Amukamara; Dejon Gomes' pick was just a bad pass.

SPECIAL TEAMS: A A defensive touchdown, a ton of touchbacks and Alex Henery's key tackle on a wild Baylor punt return – this unit helped save the Huskers bacon.

GAME MANAGEMENT AND PLAYCALLING: B Offensive coordinator Shawn Watson got a little cute in the second half, but, for the most part, he called a tough-minded, simplified game that seemed to suit the Huskers' strengths. His presence on the sideline was helpful, even if it didn't always seem like it with NU's play. On defense, Bo and Carl Pelini kept the gameplan beautifully simple, and let the front four do what it does. No blitz calls on the day? Nice job, gentlemen.

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Grades and Players of the Game from Nebraska's 9-7 loss to Iowa State

OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE GAME: Traye Robinson, running back. His fumble was the most understandable of the bunch, and he ran with forward lean and toughness. Robinson wasn't worried about picking through holes – he wanted to gain yards. Novel idea, huh?

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE GAME: Ndamukong Suh and Barry Turner, defensive linemen. Both spent a lot of time making tackles and making life difficult for Iowa State quarterback Jerome Tiller when he did choose the pass. Phillip Dillard and Sean Fisher had strong games as well.

GRADES

QUARTERBACK: C Zac Lee stayed on rhythm in the first half and threw a whale of a deep ball to Niles Paul – which should have been the touchdown that broke the game wide open – but that confidence disappeared in the second half. So did his accuracy. Lee is a below-average quarterback right now, and has been for a month. He can't roll out, he can't run the zone read and he can't locate receivers over the middle without throwing behind them. Shawn Watson and Bo Pelini are apparently comfortable with that.

RUNNING BACK: D Robinson played pretty well; Roy Helu, who looked hurt, really did not. Two costly fumbles from NU's best offensive player – when he's healthy. Marcus Mendoza made a token appearance. It would seem Nebraska's fortunes rest on getting Helu healthy and Robinson holding on to the ball.

WIDE RECEIVERS/TIGHT ENDS: D Drops, bizarre fumbles, so-so perimeter blocking, an inability to catch anything that isn't in stride – this stuff gets old. Lee doesn't help these guys much, and they don't help him much, either.

OFFENSIVE LINE: B There were moments where the big boys dominated up front. But, once again, when Nebraska claimed it would trust the line to plow open some holes, it kept retreating to the passing game whenever it had the chance. Mike Caputo subbed nicely for Jacob Hickman, at first glance. This game wasn't on the line. It could have played better, but it was, in many ways a clean game.

DEFENSIVE LINE: B+ Iowa State gashed a hole here and there, especially on drives near its own goal line, but the Cyclones found little daylight on many plays. Suh and Turner were outstanding, while Cameron Meredith subbed in well for an injured Pierre Allen. But Jared Crick has to stay on that fumble.

LINEBACKERS: B+ Phillip Dillard, Sean Fisher and Will Compton all played quite a bit – and quite well. Dillard was a bit tardy once or twice on the zone read, as was Fisher, but it was a physical, hard-hitting effort. Now – cause a turnover, will you?

SECONDARY: C Iowa State only tried one long pass all game. It worked for a touchdown. No matter what else the secondary did in the game – ultimately, for better or worse, it gave up the winning touchdown on a poorly thrown jump ball. A shame.

SPECIAL TEAMS: B Alex Henery redeemed himself with two excellent punts downed inside the 10-yard line. ISU's fake punt obviously hurt, but the Cyclones just made a good call and executed it nicely Niles Paul and Tim Marlowe were OK on kickoff returns.

GAME MANAGEMENT/PLAYCALLING: C- Cody Green should have started. Should have played, at the very least. By not even giving him the opportunity to win the job on Saturday, offensive coaches are essentially requiring him to outlearn and outperform Lee in a practice lab environment. Which he probably can't do. Beyond that decision, we thought's Watson original plan – quick throws on screens and stop patterns – was a good one. The switch to power football seemed to work, too. Then, in the fourth quarter, he ditched it. Why? Nebraska was not good in the two-minute drill, either, for either half. Defensively, Bo wasted another blitz midway through the third quarter, when he brought heavy pressure on ISU QB Jerome Tiller, who simply rolled out and found an open man.

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Our MVPs and Report Card after NU's 31-10 loss to Texas Tech:

OFFENSIVE MVP: Roy Helu, Jr. Playing with a bum shoulder, Helu mostly maximized gains on what few holes there were. His effort on the 27-yard screen pass was easily the best individual offensive play of the game. Should Helu sit vs. Iowa State? Maybe. He needs to be truly healthy for the stretch run.

DEFENSIVE MVP: Phillip Dillard. Arguably his best game. Dillard chased Tech's backs on passing plays, rendering them ineffective after the opening drive, and imposed his physical will on receivers and linemen. He's catching fire at just the right time in his career.

GRADES

QUARTERBACK: D Zac Lee played his worst game – because it was his most hesitant game. He didn't push the ball downfield. He ate two or three drive-killing sacks. And he didn't get deep enough on a couple of his drops. Playing to avoid mistakes is really no way to play quarterback unless you've got a top-grade running game. And Nebraska doesn't. And while Cody Green gave NU a spark, he could've easily thrown two or three more interceptions.

RUNNING BACKS: B Helu played bravely, but he's not 100 percent, and he's not much of a pass-blocking option when he isn't. Marcus Mendoza caught a few passes, and played aggressively. The coaches erred in not playing him before the Texas Tech game. We'll see more of Tray Robinson next week.

WIDE RECEIVERS/TIGHT ENDS: D Drops, drops, drops. NU's receivers might have been open, and Lee should have found them, but who's to say they would have caught the ball? Niles Paul's blunder is elementary stuff. Cover the ball! Chris Brooks and Khiry Cooper at least catch the ball consistently. Cooper needs to block better. Not a good game for Ted Gilmore's unit, and he's running out of motivation tactics. The tight ends were mostly a non-factor.

OFFENSIVE LINE: D Marcel Jones and D.J. Jones get an F, while the rest of the unit gets, oh, a C or so. The Jones duo was awful, getting manhandled play after play, committing penalties, whiffing on blocks. Jacob Hickman and Keith Williams were fair, but not dominant. Ricky Henry played OK until his bonehead personal foul in the fourth quarter.

DEFENSIVE LINE: B+ The front four generated a terrific pass rush throughout the game, especially ends Pierre Allen and Barry Turner. But they got a little gashed late in the fourth quarter by Tech's quick running game.

LINEBACKERS: B Will Compton had a bad first drive and was replaced by Dillard, who played one of his best. At times, Dillard was mismatched against Tech's speedy receivers. In spot duty, Sean Fisher and Compton were fine against Tech's running formations.

SECONDARY: B- More than one of NU's sacks were thanks to the Huskers' coverage, but two pass interference penalties, plus a couple missed tackles by Prince Amukamara, bring the grade down. The good news: Only Kansas has better receivers, and no team has faster receivers.

SPECIAL TEAMS: C Alex Henery had a poor game, missing a 51-yarder and shanking a punt. Nebraska gave up a big kickoff return at wrong time. The punt coverage units were OK, and Alfonzo Dennard had a nice kickoff return of his own. The snaps by PJ Mangieri were much better.

GAME MANAGEMENT/PLAYCALLING: D Before we even get to Shawn Watson, let's start with Bo Pelini. Stop deferring every won coin toss. Stop calling blitzes on third-and-long on the opponent's first drive of the game. Stop wasting two timeouts per game on the defense. Now Watson, who has a lot of work to do. He wasn't given a lot of options, but he needs to use his tight ends better, and more of them. He needs to have a sense of urgency in the third quarter, down 21 points. He needs to stop giving his quarterback so many options at the line of scrimmage.

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Report Card from Nebraska’s 27-12 win over Missouri:

OFFENSIVE MVP: Rex Burkhead. Surprised? You shouldn’t be. Burkhead didn’t seem to do much, but he converted a couple crucial third downs, one of which kept alive Nebraska’s first touchdown drive. Burkhead caught a swing pass, planted hard into wet turf, and darted his way to an unlikely first down. Statistically, Burkhead didn’t do much. But he made four or five little big plays, and no bad ones.

DEFENSIVE MVP: Ndamukong Suh. A performance that echoed the dominance of Grant Wistrom and Rich Glover before him. Suh’s one of the great ones.

GRADES

QUARTERBACK: C Zac Lee had one terrific fourth quarter. But his play during the first three quarters nearly earned Lee a spot on the bench. He looked confused, slow, wet and overmatched. Many of his passes were simply inaccurate. But he made the plays when NU really needed them, in tough conditions. He should be glad – really glad - OC Shawn Watson never took him out. If Watson had, we’d have a week of Lee vs. Cody Green chatter.

RUNNING BACK: B+ Considering what NU had to work with – a sick Roy Helu and a so-so offensive line – it was a solid performance. The numbers were low, but hardly reflective on the effort. Helu banged up his shoulder well enough to wear a giant ice pack afterward, but he was still in there on the last drive. Tough kid.

OFFENSIVE LINE: C- They were kind of a disaster until the fourth. Mizzou’s stunting run defense threw off the big boys; their pass protection was fair, but unspectacular until the final quarter.

WIDE RECEIVERS/TIGHT ENDS: C- Niles Paul and Menelik Holt played so poorly that Watson benched them to start the second half. Paul could’ve sulked; instead, he had the two signature plays of his career. Mike McNeill only had the one grab, but he made it count. Too many dropped balls, and not-so-great blocking on the perimeter.

DEFENSIVE LINE: A+ A dominant, signature performance from all four of them. Energy, physicality, playmaking and just plain smarts: This bunch doesn’t necessarily get a ton of sacks, but they frustrate the bejusus out of the quarterback. They combined for 21 tackles, 2 sacks, 2 pass breakups and 2 turnovers. The best defensive line in America? Maybe.

LINEBACKERS: A Mostly Will Compton and Phillip Dillard, who had the complex assignment of diagnosing Mizzou’s spread offense and attacking it downhill. The Tigers slowed down as the game went on. NU’s defense just got stronger.

SECONDARY: A Nebraska finally seems to be playing the right guys in Dejon Gomes and Alfonzo Dennard, who clearly have more pure coverage skills than Anthony West and Lance Thorell. Both of them, along with Prince Amukamara, were excellent Thursday. Larry Asante held up quite well on a injured ankle, too.

SPECIAL TEAMS: D If Alex Henery weren’t so athletic and smart – just check out some of the plays he had to make on bad snaps from PJ Mangieri – Nebraska might have given up more than a safety. Punt returns were just awful, punt coverage wasn’t much better, as several guys simply overran Carl Gettis. Kick coverage was excellent – the lone bright spot, other than Henery.

GAME MANAGEMENT/PLAYCALLING: C+ That would be a A for the defensive work, which was stellar, and a D+ for offensive coordinator Shawn Watson, who frankly stumbled into success in the fourth quarter. Nebraska never tried to establish the run and Lee was about to get the hook after a fumble when Watson changed his mind. The decision turned out to be fortuitous.

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Our non-conference report card for the defense:

DEFENSIVE MVP: Ndamukong Suh Facing offenses that clearly mean to blunt his impact on the game, Suh still makes his presence known in the running game and with four pass deflections in the Virginia Tech game. We’d be lying if we didn’t think Suh couldn’t reach yet another level of play in 2009. But the level he’s at right now is All-American caliber.

Special Mention: Strong safety Larry Asante, nickel back Eric Hagg, weakside linebacker Phillip Dillard, middle linebacker Will Compton.

DEFENSIVE LINE: B+ This unit was a little slow to anger in the opening games of the season, but they sufficiently pressured Virginia Tech’s Tyrod Taylor and all of Louisiana-Lafayette’s signal callers. Suh is the anchor, obviously, but Pierre Allen, Barry Turner and Cameron Meredith have all been solid at the defensive end position. Meredith, in particular, is flashing some pass-rushing ability in the first month. Jared Crick continues to grow into his position; his technique can improve but his motor is top notch. Baker Steinkuhler flashes an impressive burst into the backfield, while Terrence Moore is finally recovering from a turf toe.

Best Game: Virginia Tech. Excellent throughout
Worst Game: Florida Atlantic. Played too high.

LINEBACKERS B- A bit of a roller coaster so far, but they’re hanging in there, and the move of Phillip Dillard to weakside linebacker should prove to be a key catalyst. In two games, Dillard has been aggressive and physical the ball in ways Blake Lawrence was not. Middle linebacker Will Compton had a few lapses in the Arkansas State game, but he’s active, quick the ball and willing to mix it up. Strongside linebacker Sean Fisher could stand to play a little lower, but he’s generally caught as well as Compton has; by this time next year, it could really be some unit. Lawrence looked tentative at times but has been battling injuries, as has Mathew May, who has a nasty stinger. Colton Koehler and Eric Martin have been used in backup roles.

Best game: Virginia Tech.
Worst game: Arkansas State. Communication issues.

SECONDARY: A- OK, so you can’t get that colossal breakdown out of your head. Well, get over it. Marvin Sanders’ unit has played well besides that play. Larry Asante, easily, is having his best year in run and pass coverage. In Prince Amukamara, Anthony West and Alfonzo Dennard, NU has three corners capable of starting, and Dejon Gomes is starting to heat up. Matt O’Hanlon, one play aside, has been sound and dependable by all accounts. Eric Hagg is a daring, successful wild card who can also cover. Lance Thorell has been fine in limited dime coverage and P.J. Smith, now filling in for the injured Ricky Thenarse, will be counted on back up Asante. This is a seriously strong unit – and it could be better in 2010 once Hagg moves back to safety.

Best Game: Lafayette. Two fumbles and a Pick Six
Worst Game: Virginia Tech.

GAME MANAGEMENT/PENALTIES: B- The penalties haven’t been too much of a problem since the first game, and the defensive calls seemed much smoother after the first two games. Bo Pelini wisely got some of his backups more playing time in the Lafayette game. NU continues to waste timeouts on defensive adjustments, however.
Best Game: Lafayette.
Worst Game: Florida Atlantic.

PLAYCALLING: A- The plan to shut down Tyrod Taylor worked perfectly until the final minute of the game; Taylor was frustrated and penned in like he hasn’t been in his entire career at Tech. Otherwise, The Brothers Pelini did a nice job of relying on their front four to generate a pass rush while the back seven covered. Far too often in 2008, blitzes were dialed up as a matter of course. This year, we’re seeing a little more selectivity, which is a good thing.

Best Game: Virginia Tech
Worst Game: Florida Atlantic.

See also: Offensive Report Card

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Our offensive report card through the non-conference season, broken down by position and player:

OFFENSIVE MVP: Roy Helu
Helu’s been the steady force on the offense, and a playmaker to boot. One could argue he wasn’t used quite enough in the Arkansas State and Louisiana-Lafayette games, but his fresh legs will be better served in the Big 12 season.
Special Mention: Zac Lee, Curenski Gilleylen, Jacob Hickman, Marcel Jones

GRADES

QUARTERBACK: B Zac Lee aced three out of four tests. He struggled at Virginia Tech, the only non-conference where he faced a big-league pass rush. Lee’s got a big-time arm. That we can see. It creates opportunities where Zac Taylor, Sam Keller and Joe Ganz could not. And Lee throws a better deep ball than any NU quarterback in recent memory. But his tendency to scramble forward and fire passes into the middle of the field will burn him in the Big 12 race if he isn’t more careful. Lee also has to manage the huddle a little better, and not waste timeouts or audible opportunies because he’s run out of time…in his brief mop-up appearances, Cody Green has flashed a lot of speed and a long stride that makes him particularly good as runner. His passing has been just fair. Green brings a fun, emotional component to the field. He looks, acts and talks like a quarterback, even at 19. LaTravis Washington has served mostly to hand off and take a knee.

Best game: Arkansas State. An array of dazzling passes.
Worst game: Virginia Tech. Lee “chased ghosts"

RUNNING BACK: B+ Very good things, thus far, out of Roy Helu, who’s running better – and tougher - than ever before. Helu’s not about to be the kind of guy who lets his level of play slip. He could polish up his pass blocking, but he’s been a credible receiver and tough runner. His back-up, Rex Burkhead, is shifty and elusive, similar to Helu, but possibly with better hands. Nebraska needs a hammer back, though, and apparently none is forthcoming to replace the departed Quentin Castille. Austin Jones and Lester Ward have been used sparingly, and Collins Okafor, who may possess the most natural talent, is fighting to learn the offense. Marcus Mendoza is back in the mix after an ill-advised move to wide receiver. Traye Robinson is a redshirt guy, and should be an interesting option next year.

Best Game: Virginia Tech. Helu = warrior. Burkhead had a nifty catch
Worst Game: Arkansas State. Helu missed some holes, blocks.

OFFENSIVE LINE: B Barney’s Cotton’s unit has battled injuries for a month and managed pretty well despite those problems. Aside from a couple breakdowns by D.J. Jones against excellent defensive ends, the pass blocking has been relatively solid, and Lee’s enjoyed plenty of time to throw. The run blocking has been better on first and second down than it has in short yardage. The Huskers pull and move with speed and aggression. They don’t maul as well as they could. Another weakness are dumb penalties – as evidenced by the Virginia Tech game – at bad times.

Individually, Jacob Hickman has been a steady force at center, aside from a few wayward snaps. Tackle Marcel Jones might well be MVP, swinging from left to right and winning more than his share of battles in the passing game. Guard Ricky Henry, aside from one costly holding penalty, has been surprisingly consistent and physical. Tackle Mike Smith had been a little dinged up, but solid. D.J. Jones still needs work on his pass blocking, but he could be NU’s best perimeter run blocker. Guard Derek Meyer filled in capably for an injured Keith Williams, who is now returning to form as Big 12 play begins. Andy Christensen and Mike Caputo offer useful depth.

Best Game: Lafayette. The big boys showed off all of their talents.
Worst Game: Virginia Tech. Several drive-killing penalties.

WIDE RECEIVERS/TIGHT ENDS: B+ We expected this grade of the tight ends, but the receivers are a surprise unit, as Curenski Gilleylen and Chris Brooks had sidled up alongside Niles Paul, Menelik Holt and Mike McNeill to provide Lee five dependable receiving options. Gilleylen has been one of the MVPs of the offense thus far, consistently get open in zones and providing Lee a deep threat out of the slot. Brooks has also been sure-handed out of slot, raising questions as to why he wasn’t played earlier. Paul’s been dynamic, if a little underused, while Holt is Lee’s possession guy on quick slants and out patterns. At tight end, McNeill’s made a few highlight grabs, missed on a few others, and been so-so with his blocking. Defenses are paying more attention to him; he’ll work through it. Dreu Young and Ben Cotton are solid blockers, while Kyler Reed has been targeted quite a bit without quite cashing in yet. Khiry Cooper, Antonio Bell and Brandon Kinnie have flashed some talent in reserve roles. They’ll be the guys next year.

Best Game: Arkansas State. Everybody got some love.
Worst Game: Virginia Tech. Holt needed to make those two catches.

GAME MANAGEMENT/PENALTIES: C Nebraska continues to struggle with its huddle at times, even vs. Lafayette, when NU had to burn a timeout right after taking one. Lee’s a new quarterback, but this has to clean up going into Big 12 season. As for penalties, the third-quarter meltdown at Virginia Tech stands out right now, and one has to wonder whether Lee could make good on a two-minute drill – first half or second half – it he was forced to do it. This is still an offense that seems, just like the beginning of last year, a little unsure of itself.

Best Game: Arkansas State. Easily the cleanest in that area.
Worst Game: Florida Atlantic First-game jitters.

PLAYCALLING: A- We could quibble just a little with Shawn Watson’s red zone gameplan at Virginia Tech – but not that much, considering NU’s offensive line is struggling to open running holes near the goal line. Overall, Watson’s been terrific, even better than last year. He’s tailored the offense to Lee’s ability to throw the deep ball, he hasn’t been afraid to mix and match receiving personnel, and the running game has been more varied and efficient. We applaud the new shotgun running schemes that mirror some spread offenses, and like how Watson uses the toss play in a variety of formations and situations. Instead of screens, which are hard for Lee to throw given his height, Watson has incorporated more shovel passes. No wildcat yet, and not too many trick plays, but Watson, wisely, knows not to overdo them.

Best Game: Arkansas State. Especially the first quarter.
Worst Game: Virginia Tech. Trust the run game a little more.

See also: Non-Conference Report Card Defense

CHALK TALK: Mizzou’s Run Game Pt. 1 and 2

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Our superlatives and report card after Nebraska’s 55-0 win over Louisiana-Lafayette:

Offensive Player of the Game: Zac Lee. He was calm, controlled and accurate. Lee made some excellent reads and passes on third down. Give the kid some time, and he’ll burn you. He also had a good, fairly simple gameplan from offensive coordinator Shawn Watson that emphasized NU’s superior team speed and size on the edges.

Defensive player of the game: Eric Hagg. He set the tone with some big hits early in the game, and he was an effective blitzer, even if he didn’t notch a sack. Hagg’s a playmaker in his own way, and he brought his “A-for-Aggression” game Saturday night.

GRADES

Quarterback: B+ Zac Lee was sharp and accurate, reverting back to his from from the first two games. Cody Green started sloppy, found his groove later in the fourth quarter, and hit a few nifty passes along the way. Green’s an interesting player on the field. Confident. Demonstrative. We like it. But we like Lee’s calm fire, too.

Running Back: B Roy Helu dropped one handoff, and fumbled another ball into the end zone, where it was luckily recovered by Ben Cotton. And yet, Roy being Roy, he busted off an impressive 39-yard run down the sidelines, too. In backup work, Rex Burkhead showed off moves and toughness in accounting for 53 yards rushing and receiving. He’s a nice No. 2 to Helu.

Offensive Line: B+ Still some issues in short yardage, but NU’s offensive line probably had its best game of the season, particularly Marcel Jones, who did a wicked job pulling on those swing passes. The line is pretty aggressive and nimble. The false jumps have to stop, though.

Wide Receivers/Tight Ends: B+ We continue to be impressed with the work of Chris Brooks and Curenski Gilleylen. Who knew Gilleylen would become such a dependable option? But he has. He leads the team in receiving yards. Who saw that coming? Not us.

Defensive Line: A- Solid work through several units of the line. Consistent, four-man pressure all night, punctuated by Cameron Meredith’s sack and tough against the run. It may not be Bo Pelini’s perfect vision of a defensive line, but it’ll give any unit in the Big 12 a run for its money.

Linebackers: A- Liked the work here, too. Sean Fisher, Will Compton and Phillip Dillard were all active to the ball, communication seemed better, and physicality was up. Dillard seems to be the key in the last two games. Compton and Fisher, for whatever reason, are playing harder and smarter with him in there.

Secondary: A Two forced fumbles and an interception return for a touchdown? You’ll take that any day. The little success ULL had throwing the ball could be attributed to the Ragin Cajuns’ excellent tight end, Ladarius Green, who could play for any team in the Big 12. About the only guy off that team who could.

Special Teams: A+ Total whitewash domination here. A-Money stayed money. The kickoff and punt coverage units were excellent. Rex Burkhead returned two punts for 55 yards. Adi Kunalic booted six touchbacks. This is one of the best special teams units in America.

Game Management/Playcalling: A The best-coached game of the year for NU, as it should be, considering there were no challenging moments, per se. Still, credit Shawn Watson with a sound plan that got the ball away from Louisiana-Lafayette’s blitzers and into the hands of playmakers, and credit Bo Pelini for having the Huskers super-ready to play and win this game. About the only mistake was a timeout Pelini took with a half-minute left in the first half because he thought ULL hadn’t picked up a first down when it had. Other than that, a pretty sharp performance.

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Grades from Saturday’s heartbreaker to Virginia Tech:

OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE GAME: Roy Helu. Ran tough, found daylight. He just never found paydirt. A shame. The kind of guy he is, he’ll find a way to blame himself.

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE GAME: Ndamukong Suh. Well, he showed up as much with his hands as he did his bull rush. We’re sure some Husker experts won’t find his work on Saturday aggressive enough, but he fulfilled his assignment about as well as he could. An excellent interior performance.

GRADES:

QUARTERBACK C Zac Lee had his “hell day,” and he survived it well enough, we suppose. Lee wasn’t very accurate, he rushed some of his passes, and threw one very ill-advised interception down the middle of the field. But he ran hard, escaped pressure when necessary, and checked into some good running plays that hit for big yards. We’re not going to be too hard on him.

RUNNING BACK A You just can’t ask any more out of Helu than he gave. After some early tentative runs, Helu got stronger and tougher, a broke a whole slew of arm tackles. He also caught a few passes, too. Rex Burkhead didn’t play much, but had a nice reception for a first down.

OFFENSIVE LINE B- Pretty good job of protecting Lee and creating some holes, but you simply can’t meltdown with penalties like that. You can’t. Four on one drive? And it didn’t really matter who NU put against Tech’s Jason Worilds – he was too quick for them.

TIGHT ENDS/WIDE RECEIVERS C Solid blocking effort, but they struggled to get open and Menelik Holt dropped a touchdown. Holt had played well in his first two games. He cost NU a touchdown on Saturday. Niles Paul is not an effective outside receiver, either. He has an exceedingly difficult time getting open.

DEFENSIVE LINE B+ May get some pushback here, but we need to be honest: The line did its job. Ends Pierre Allen and Barry Turner contained Tyrod Taylor. Suh and Jared Crick forced middle pressure. They got inside Taylor’s head. It was a solid effort.

LINEBACKERS B- Pursued fairly well on running plays. Phillip Dillard at WILL was a smart move; he stuck his nose in a lot of running plays. Tech struggled to complete the short crossing routes meant to exploit the linebackers’ weaknesses.

SECONDARY C- Taylor missed a lot of open receivers on Saturday. Truth be told, the Hokies’ wide receivers won their share of battles, and got the payoff on the final drive, when NU suffered massive brain failure on an 81-yard pass to Danny Coale.

SPECIAL TEAMS B+ Aside from the opening kickoff return – break down and tackle next time, Eric Martin – you sure can’t argue with the work here. Nice return by Niles Paul, gritty punting from Alex Henery in the face of pressure and five nailed field goals. Is there is a better pure kicker in America? No.

COACHING/GAME MANAGEMENT B We’ll argue with the Cover 2 defense at the end of the game. And we’ll argue with some of the offensive calls in the red zone. But many of the mistakes NU made were on the players, not the coaches. They can only control so much. Pelini was wise not to test Tech’s defensive line on a 4th-and-1; that was a disaster waiting to happen.

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Our report card from Saturday’s Red/White game, modified slightly to exclude coaching and game management for obvious reasons:

Quarterbacks: A- Five touchdowns, no interceptions and six plays over 20 yards. Hard to argue with the production of Zac Lee, Latravis Washington under those circumstances, isn’t it?

Running Backs: A- Aside from Lester Ward’s lost fumble, this unit arguably had the best day. Quentin Castille, Ward, Austin Jones and Collins Okafor all showed off skills that could help NU in 2009. Only Castille is a shoo-in to play every game, but we could envision Ward, Jones and Okafor all finding their spots.

Tight Ends: A An Excellent day for these blokes, who caught 17 passes for 255 yards and two touchdowns. Ben Cotton and Kyler Reed especially earned some fall playing time with their work. Cotton has the tools to be an all-time great at Nebraska.

Offensive Line: C+ The White bunch really plowed some holes early, but struggled more in the second half. The Red offensive line, meanwhile, couldn’t knock guys like Barry turner and Ndamukong Suh out of the box for a full quarter. We know center Jacob Hickman and left guard Keith Williams are studs. Now, Mike Smith, Marcel Jones and Ricky Henry and/or Mike Caputo need to get more consistent.

Wide Receivers: B Chris Brooks, Antonio Bell and Marcus Mendoza all made nice grabs and earned themselves some more reps in 2009 fall practice. Menelik Holt and Curenski Gilleylen had quiet, somewhat disappointing days.

Defensive Line: A- Suh, Turner and Baker Steinkuhler wreaked their share of havoc on that White defense. Life wasn’t quite so easy for Terrence Moore and Jared Crick on the Red, but Moore cause the game’s only turnover.

Linebackers: C Not a great day for Mike Ekeler’s crew. Young and inexperienced. Too many open tight ends over the middle, especially from the second quarter forward. The linebackers also bit badly on playaction bootleg plays.


Secondary: B- The lower grade is Anthony West and Larry Asante underestimating Wes Cammack, who schooled them both on a 42-yard touchdown reception from Lee. The safeties also seemed absent on a few post routes over the deep middle. Where were all those interceptions Asante had been bragging about during spring camp?

Kickers/Return Game: B+ Alex barely missed a 50-yard field goal try, but made another. He punted especially well, too. Punt returners Antonio Bell and Tim Marlowe both look better than Niles Paul; they should duke it out for the job.

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Nebraska has ended its season with four consecutive wins, capped off by a doozy of a Gator Bowl victory that featured two comebacks from 11-point deficits.

Now we look at the season as a whole and give it a grade, position group by position group. You can look at all of our individual game report cards here. On with the season report card. Enjoy!

QUARTERBACK: A-

Senior Joe Ganz was the straw who stirred the Huskers’ offensive drink throughout the year. Ganz was a gutsy, smart, savvy leader who made a ton of plays on the run – especially through the first half of the season – but also had a penchant for backbreaking turnovers. His finest hour – at Texas Tech – included one of worst plays – an interception to end the game in an overtime loss. Still, Ganz is one you don’t forget, and one of Nebraska’s ten best quarterbacks ever.

What’s next? A battle between Patrick Witt and Zac Lee for the starting job.

RUNNING BACK: B

You could never figure out this unit. Early in the season, Roy Helu, Jr. looked like the guy. Then Marlon Lucky emerged in games against New Mexico State and Texas Tech. Then Lucky got hurt, and Helu actually became the guy for the last four games of the year. Then Helu got hurt, Lucky was still hurt and sophomore Quentin Castille, who shown flashes of promise and the fumble bumbles during the regular season, has a career game in the Gator Bowl. Tough end to Lucky’s career after a terrific 2007. NU stopped using a regular fullback after the Missouri game – mostly because the guys on hand weren’t good enough lead blockers.

What’s next? Helu needs to stay healthy. Castille needs to keep grinding away. And Nebraska needs to find a way to get Marcus Mendoza on the field. A decent blocking fullback would help, too. Also, watch for this name: Austin Jones. He made the team under Bill Callahan’s old walk-on tryout program.

TIGHT ENDS: B-

Great pass-catching season for this unit, especially sophomore Mike McNeill. The blocking needs work, though, if the Huskers are to run the big power sets offensive coordinator Shawn Watson prefers (and, in our estimation, will need breaking in a new quarterback in 2009). Position coach Ron Brown is an all-effort kind of guy, so the Huskers will keep grinding away.

What’s next? McNeill and sophomore Dreu Young have to get a little scrappier. Redshirt freshman Ben Cotton should make an impact in blocking and catching. Redshirt Kyler Reed is an intriguing H-Back prospect. Let’s see how Watson uses him.

OFFENSIVE LINE: B

Up-and-down season mirrored perfectly by the Gator Bowl. On this unit’s best days – vs. Texas Tech and Kansas State – it bulldozed and ballet danced with equal proficiency. But it seemed overwhelmed (confused?) by superior defensive lines. Position coach Barney Cotton had to employ some “unlearn” methods, and Watson had to simplify some of the running schemes. Still – the potential is there for a great line. The cupboard is fully stocked.

What’s next? Marcel Jones probably gets the nod at right tackle, while Ricky Henry steps in to the right guard. Let’s see if Henry’s reputation as a headbanger is well-earned. Another name to remember: Brandon Thompson, a redshirt freshman tackle. Expect a lot of competition in the spring.

WIDE RECEIVERS: A-

Pretty hard to quarrel with their production, isn’t it? A lot of clutch grabs, few drops, great routes and solid downfield blocking. It’s not the flashiest unit – there’s no Dez Bryant or Dez Briscoe – but Nate Swift, Todd Peterson, Meno Holt and Niles Paul made defenses put in an honest day’s work. Position coach Ted Gilmore needed a year like this after struggling to get through to Mo Purify.

What’s next? A bit of worry, frankly. Holt and Paul were fine as No. 3 and No. 4 receivers. Now that they’re No. 1 and No. 2, will they lead like Swift and Peterson did? Can redshirt guys like Khiry Cooper and Tim Marlowe provide a home run threat?

DEFENSIVE LINE: A+

It doesn’t get any better for the Huskers than this front four, and the backups - Clayton Sievers, Shukree Barfield – were good enough to earn Blackshirts, too. You know em, you love em. What a surprising, inspiring group this turned out to be. The best since 1998, when Chad Kelsay, Mike Rucker, Steve Warren and Jason Wiltz ruled the roost.

What’s next? The return of Barry Turner, the unveiling of Baker Steinkuhler and Ndamukong Suh’s big NFL decision. Terrence Moore and Jared Crick are solid interior guys, too.

LINEBACKERS: C

Some rough breaks for Mike Ekeler’s bunch. An injury to Phillip Dillard midway through the season and Cody Glenn’s permanent suspension after the Kansas game threw off the rhythm. Tyler Wortman, Colton Koehler and Blake Lawrence capably filled the void most of the time, as did small-but-feisty walk-ons Matt Holt and Matt May. There were some coverage errors, to be sure. This unit – healthy or not – must improve before the 2009 season.

What’s next? However Dillard felt about the last half of the year - when he missed the Oklahoma game and didn’t play in the Gator Bowl despite being healthy enough to do so – he has to take this defense by the ears and own it. Lawrence, too. Redshirt guys like Sean Fisher, Will Compton and Alonzo Whaley have raw talent to burn.

CORNERBACKS/NICKEL BACKS: B-

A bit of an adventure this year, but Armando Murillo and Anthony West held up OK. A lot of the season’s biggest plays weren’t their fault, actually. West took a few more chances, Murillo was the better blanket. And nickel back Eric Hagg was the wild card, doing great things – and some bonehead stuff – during the year. Prince Amukamara was in and out of the starting lineup and Lance Thorrell was in the mix during nickel and dime downs.

What’s next? You hope Anthony Blue comes back from a devastating knee injury, but we’ll see. In the meantime, West and Amukamara are the guys. Both are good athletes, and both have decent size. Hagg, whom Pelini likes to use as a blitzer, has two more years. Alfonso Dennard, special teams dynamo in 2008, will get his shot. We’ve heard good things about Courtney Osborne and John Levorsen, too. Both seem to fit that Hagg mold.

SAFETY: C+

Much is asked of this position in the Pelini defense. And sometimes, Larry Asante, Rickey Thenarse and Matt O’Hanlon were up to it. Sometimes they weren’t. It’s debatable whether any of them, or Major Culbert, are the kind of coverage studs Pelini enjoyed in his first stint at Nebraska and at stints in Oklahoma and LSU. All three are decent in run support, though. Asante’s the closest to the Pelini standard. Can he get there in the offseason?

What’s next? All of the four above names are seniors next year, which means somebody better develop below them on the depth chart. Don’t be surprised if Pelini burns some redshirts next fall.

SPECIAL TEAMS RETURN/COVERAGE: C

Nebraska needs work here. The kickoff coverage units were often average – and occasionally bad. Punt coverage was fair, but punter Dan Titchener rarely uncorked a big one. Adi Kunalic booted his share of touchbacks on kickoffs, but struggled to kick anything other than a line drive. On returns, meanwhile, NU had some flashes from Nate Swift and Niles Paul, but both fumbled at inopportune times in the Kansas and Clemson games. Fortunately, neither cost the Huskers the game.

What’s next? Fixing some of Paul’s struggles on kickoff and punt returns, learning how to cover kickoffs better.

KICKERS: B

Alex Henery gets an A. Awesome season, the greatest field goal in school history, clutch makes in the Kansas and Clemson games. Titchener and Kunalic get a C.

What’s next? A new punter, as Titchener graduates. Will it be Henery or walk-on Brett Maher? As for field goals, Nebraska has one of the nation’s best – and maybe the very best – for two more years. Henery has more than big leg – he actually knows how to kick field goals. It’s kinda cool to watch.

COACHING: GAME PREPARATION/PLAYER DEVELOPMENT: A GAME MANAGEMENT: B

We created two categories to reflect what Nebraska coaches are doing in practice, and how they’re working the sidelines during the game. By all accounts, Bo Pelini and his crew are terrific in practices. Players are learning, finding their inner warrior and bonding in ways they never did in the Bill Callahan OR Frank Solich eras. Pelini’s a natural, and he compiled a staff full of naturals: Watson, brother Carl Pelini, Ekeler, Cotton, etc. They pull no punches, and kids need that – hell, they want that.

On gameday, Pelini got better as the year progressed. The sideline antics were a bit much, and he scaled them back. Watson’s gameplan was too diverse, and he simplified it. Did Pelini burn too many timeouts on defensive calls? Yes. Did he get a little cute with that fake field goal vs. Colorado? Yes. Could he have demanded Watson put somebody on the field other than Nate Swift who could legitimately spread the field? Yes. But, overall, the guy went with his gut, trusted his team – what a novel idea, Bill Callahan! – and reaped the rewards.

What’s next? Now we see how Pelini handles an offseason where he doesn’t have to change the culture. The culture is in place. Now it’s time to refine principles and manage one difficult decision: Nebraska’s next quarterback. Will Pelini let Watson make that call, or will he impose some limits on Watson’s autonomy?

We’ll get into this more in the spring, but the quarterback dilemma has felled many a good coach. Steve Spurrier freely rotated his two guys, and the Gamecocks fell flat on their face for the last three games because of it. LSU fiddled around with it all year and lost five games. Miami turned its QB race into a holy mess that has one guy transferring and crying foul. It derailed what many believed to be Ohio State’s best team in 2004.

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Players of the game: Defensive tackles Ndamukong Suh and Ty Steinkuhler. Don’t really get how Joe Ganz won the MVP of the Gator Bowl over either of these two guys. Probably because the media and Gator Bowl committee, which votes on it, only watches offense. At any rate, Suh and Stein combined for 14 tackles, three sacks, a forced interception and a blocked field goal.

Best offensive play of the game: Quentin Castille’s 58-yard run right after Clemson had taken a 21-10 lead midway through the third quarter. Castille stole any momentum the Tigers gained from their touchdown.

Worst offensive play: The botched option play that became a Clemson touchdown. Offensive coordinator Shawn Watson shouldn’t have called it and Ganz/Castille executed it poorly.

Best Defensive Play: Matt O’Hanlon’s pass break up of a certain Clemson touchdown late in the game. CU running back CJ Spiller had badly beaten linebacker Tyler Wortman on a seam route, but O’Hanlon was there to save the day over the top.

Worst Defensive Play: There weren’t many, but the 41-yard touchdown pass from Cullen Harper to Jacoby Ford was a blown coverage by safety Larry Asante and corner Armando Murillo.

GRADES

Quarterback: C Joe Ganz was all-guts in the second half, staring down a furious pass rush instead of bailing like he did in the first half. Still – Ganz practically handed the Tigers 14 points. It’s an unavoidable reality. He ends his career with a gritty but flawed performance.

Running back: B+ Before you carp, put Castille’s performance in perspective: Clemson’s defensive line utterly dominated NU’s offensive nearly all game. Despite that, Castille used his power and moves to bust two very big runs that helped the Huskers secure the win. We’ve been hard on Castille all year; on Thursday, he earned his kudos. Roy Helu, apparently wounded with a knee infection and Marlon Lucky were not factors.

Wide receivers: B A couple bad drops by Meno Holt and Nate Swift, but can we hear it for Todd Peterson? He made two incredibly good catches, notched a couple key blocks, and generally played his tail off. Good on ya, Grand Island. Nice catch by Swift on that first touchdown, too.

Offensive line/Tight ends: D+ Pretty darn ugly, from our vantage point. Maybe Nebraska’s offensive braintrust didn’t expect Clemson to bring much heat, but the Huskers sure didn’t adjust until the second half. On zone plays, NU linemen had a hard time holding their blocks. On passing plays, they seemed shocked by CU’s speed. It improved some in the second half, but not a ton.

Defensive line: A+ A resounding, triumphant game from the front four. Can’t say enough. Nebraska got its pressure without blitzing too much.

Linebackers: B A pretty fair effort from this bunch, as Phillip Dillard remained limited by injury. Blake Lawrence was around the ball Thursday quite a bit, while Colton Koehler and Tyler Wortman held their own. Lawrence is rounding into a more complete player for position coach Mike Ekeler. He’ll be a factor in 2009.

Defensive Backs: B All in all, not bad. A few missed tackles and a blown coverage on that 41-yard touchdown pass. Matt O’Hanlon made a huge play, and Eric Hagg made two of them right before that. Kudos to O’Hanlon, who delivered where Thenarse could not.

Special Teams/Kickers: B- A great kicking performance by Alex Henery was offset by poor coverage on kickoff and punt returns and Niles Paul’s fumble on a punt return.

Coaching/Game management: B It was really a story of two halves. In the first 30 minutes, Clemson’s daring, gambling strategies paid off. In the second half, Nebraska’s coaches schemed back and completely worked over a young Tiger staff. Bo Pelini certainly bedeviled Clemson at the end of the game, throwing its rhythm off completely with three heavy blitzes. When it mattered, CU panicked. Nebraska didn’t.

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Player of the game: Kicker Alex Henery. Has to be right?



Best offensive play: Joe Ganz's 53-yard touchdown pass to Mike McNeill in the first quarter. Good fake, good route, good throw, good catch.



Worst offensive play: Since a field goal is officially attempted or faked by the offense, the ugliest fake field goal in the history of fake field goals. By the way - terrific commenatary about this play on the ABC broadcast, where Ron Franklin and Ed Cunningham made the argument that Henery moved too quickly, and rendered holder Jake Wesch "down" because he was kneeling as Henery began to move. Henery tipped off CU cornerback Jimmy Smith to the play and Smith stepped in and intercepted the ball. But should the booth have overturned and reversed the play?



Best defensive play: Ndamukong Suh's interception return for a touchdown was dramatic, but we're going to go with a play just before that, when Lance Thorell tipped away a Cody Hawkins pass that would have put the Buffs in field goal range.



Worst defensive play: Take your pick between CU's first two touchdowns. Both were breakdown of a colossal nature.



GRADES:


Quarterback: C Ganz was not at his best, clearly frustrated by Colorado's deep Cover 2 zone. Ganz took a couple awful snaps, lost a fumble, and generally seemed out of sync. Credit CU for a smart gameplan that mixed up blitzes with three-man rushes.


Running back: B+ Roy Helu, Jr. was terrific: Tough, elusive, patient, exciting. He's become quite a player over the last month. Quentin Castille was OK. He still needs work, and he runs with a forward lean too often.



Offensive Line/Tight Ends: B+ Colorado dared Nebraska to run, and the blocking corps were up to the challenge. Two of the four Colorado sacks weren't the line's fault, and tight end Mike McNeill continues to be a pass-catching threat. He could have squeezed that ball right before Henery's long kick, though.



Receivers: C CU took the these guys out of the game to some extent, relegating them to short and intermediate routes. Menelik Holt's false penalty cost NU a touchdown.



Defensive Line: A Awesome, again, especially in the second half. Zach Potter, Ndamukong Suh, Ty Steinkuhler and Pierre Allen all made plays. Steinkuhler fought like a soldier all day. Potter's hands act as tennis rackets on the field.



Linebackers: C Not great, but Tyler Wortman, Blake Lawrence and Colton Koehler generally filled lanes and stopped long runs. CU rarely tested NU's coverage abilities after the first quarter.



Secondary: C- The hits just keep on coming, don't they? To NU's credit, Colorado never hit a deep ball after its first two passes of the game. But those two passes helped CU build a 14-0 lead. On a positive note...Rickey Thenarse seemed to have his best game in run support.



Kickers/Special Teams C Outside of Henery's kicks, Nebraska's special teams play wasn't very good, frankly. Bad kickoff coverage, the botched fake field goal. NU's special teams is pretty much like a box of chocolates. Good thing the last chocolate was the caramel, huh?



Coaching/Game Management: C- Arguably as shaky as it's been since the Missouri game. Why was Nebraska in a dime defense to start the game, only to have a tight end go 68 yards down the field uncovered? On offense, Shawn Watson's playcalling was a little spotty in the red zone, if solid overall. And if Marlon Lucky is out, isn't there some way to get Marcus Mendoza on the field in certain situations instead of Quentin Castille? Mendoza is the team's fastest player. There has to be some kind of package for the guy, right? Do we really want to know how that throwback pass Castille intended to throw to Ganz was going to turn out?

We won't mention the fake field goal again. After this.


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Player of the game: Joe Ganz. Has to be. Ganz was terrific on read option plays, patient on traditional option runs, and accurate on the sideline routes any quarterback struggles to complete. A total performance, the early interception aside.




Best offensive play of the game: Roy Helu's awesome 24-yard run for a touchdown. Helu sidestepped a defender at the line scrimmage, jutted hard to the sideline, and hugged it while he sprinted past KSU defenders. That's a special run. An NFL run.




Worst offensive play of the game: Ganz's pick six to KSU defensive back Courtney Herndon



Best defensive play of the game: A wicked cool blitz on third down from head coach Bo Pelini, in which he crossed the linebackers, dropped a defensive end and brought cornerback Armando Murillo from the edge. Kansas State responded by letting Zach Potter free to hammer KSU quarterback Josh Freeman. A perfect pick-your-poison scheme from Pelini.



Worst defensive play of the game: KSU's 63-yard touchdown pass on third-and-long was a tactical error by Pelini (for not blitzing) and a execution error by Anthony West (for misreading Ernie Pierce's route, then timing his jump for the ball a little too early).



GRADES



Quarterback: B+ Can't give out a top grade just because of the pick six. Ganz, obviously, played well otherwise. Backups Patrick Witt and Zac Lee both played in the fourth quarter, and we're just going on read options, which is practically all they ran, then Lee is better at it. He's fast out there.




Running back: A- A really good day for these guys, maybe their best work of the season. Helu, Quentin Castille and Marlon Lucky all ran with purpose and confidence. Castille in particular showed of some attitude and power. Still - the class of this bunch is Helu. He has an instinct for the zone read, an understanding of just how long to wait before he hits the hole.





Offensive Line/Tight Ends: A No argument here, especially when you consider that starting tackles Lydon Murtha and Jaivorio Burkes were both out of the game after the first drive. Ganz's mobility helps, of course, but the line plowed out some good holes on zone and toss plays, while the tight ends caught everything that was thrown their way. Micke McNeill and Dreu Young aren't great blockers. But they are good targets.




Wide receivers: A- Check out two things from this unit if you watch this game again: The perimeter blocking on toss plays; and the yards after catch by Nate Swift. It'll give you a good sense of why this unit's played so well in 2008. It's also fair to say Nebraska might miss Swift a little bit. He's got a real shot at 1,000 yards, you know.




Defensive Line: A- Dominant again. Kansas State didn't really try to run the ball; not that it worked when the Cats did try. Zach Potter and Ndamukong Suh were no match for their blocking partners. Potter, in particular, played like a beast.




Linebackers: A Considering who was out there, and the work guys like Tyler Wortman, Colton Koehler, Matt May and Blake Lawrence did - bravo. Really truly one of the better efforts of the season.




Secondary: B Better. Still got burned once, but generally kept Brandon Banks hemmed in, which is important, and the Huskers took away those short routes Freeman likes to use so much. Nebraska was determined to make Freeman progress through his reads to find open receivers, and he rarely had time to do that.




Special Teams/Kickers C- The Huskers did force and recover a fumble on a punt return, which turned into seven points two plays later. And Nate Swift had one nifty punt return that set up Nebraska at KSU's 35-yard line. Outside of that, it wasn't great, especially Adi Kunalic's kick to Banks, who returned it up the right side of field untouched, because Kunalic kicked the ball to the wrong side for the coverage play. As we've pointed out before - Kunalic can boom them through the end zone about half of the time. Unfortunately, he can't do much else, which is why the Huskers give away squib kicks, because Alex Henery has to come in and execute them.




Playcalling/Game Management B+ Offensive coordinator Shawn Watson called a beauty of a game, taking the running plays to the perimeter to counter KSU's man-to-man run defense. The option plays were well-timed and well-executed. The zone read plays - especially Ganz's willingness to keep the ball on them, which is why the play works so well in the first place - were a mixture of art and brute force. Nice use of Todd Peterson, too, on those inside screen. For his part, Bo Pelini dialed up some aggressive blitzes, most of which worked. Penalties remain a concern, as does ball security, but those are issues not likely to go away in 2008.


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Player of the game: Ndamukong Suh. Suh played as well as any Nebraska interior defensive lineman has since, oh, Steve Warren or Jason Peter in the late 1990s. He disrupts the pile, he pursues down the line, he rushes the passer – Suh has put himself in position for postseason awards and maybe a nice spot in next year’s NFL Draft – if he wanted it, of course.




Best offensive play of the game: Roy Helu, Jr’s 52-yard touchdown run. Right call, terrific execution, at a moment when it mattered. It’s probably the offensive play of the year, in fact.




Worst offensive play of the game: Joe Ganz’s fumble on a play that was sure to go for a touchdown – if only Ganz had been able to get the pass off.




Best defensive play: NU perfectly diagnosed a fourth-quarter reverse play involvin Kansas receiver Kerry Meier, leading to a seven-yard loss. It helped force a punt. Helu scored on his long run right after that.




Worst defensive play: Whatever NU was trying to do on Todd Reesing’s 53-yard pass to Dez Briscoe, may the Huskers never try that again. It looked like Cover 2 gone very wrong.




GRADES:




Quarterback: A- Joe Ganz threw for more than 300 yards, and did a lot of his work on a gimpy ankle. He’s a warrior, that kid. His interception near the end of the first half wasn’t great, but Ganz mostly dissected KU’s zone defense, showing enough patience to let NU’s receivers pop open on crossing routes.




Running back: B+ Marlon Lucky had a costly fumble, but head coach Bo Pelini admitted he probably shouldn’t have been out there. Helu and Quentin Castille did very good work in Lucky’s absence. Castille ran with purpose. Helu was elusive and exciting. The kid can break tackles. Give him that. He needs to work on his pass blocking, though.




Offensive Line/Tight Ends: A- The false start and holding penalties were drive killers in the first half, but the big boys generally controlled KU’s defense – especially the pass rush. Tight ends played well, too. Mike McNeill made a few nice catches.




Receivers: B+ Good work here by the experienced bunch, especially after the catch. Nice grab by Chris Brooks in the second half, an even better grab by Nate Swift on NU’s final touchdown. Niles Paul had a quiet day.




Defensive Line: A+ A Herculean effort. Nothing more to say. The starting four, plus the backups were awesome.




Linebackers: B- Cody Glenn finally seemed like he was at full speed, flying around, making plays sideline to sideline. Kudos, too, to Tyler Wortman, who filled up a few holes and delivered some hits.




Secondary: D Tackling, tackling, tackling. How many points did Kansas score simply because defensive backs didn’t wrap up and make the open field play? We’re including Eric Hagg’s giant hit on Kansas quarterback Todd Reesing that resulted in a Kansas touchdown because Hagg didn’t actually take Reesing down.




Kickers/Special teams: C Alex Henery made a crucial field goal in the third quarter against the wind, then executed the fourth quarter fake field goal well enough to get a first down. On the flip side of the coin, Nebraska got little done on kickoff returns and Nate Swift handed KU seven points when he fumbled a punt.




Playcalling/Game Management: B+ Pelini deserves credit for trusting his defensive line to get four-man pressure and calling a more conservative defensive game as a result. On offense, I loved Shawn Watson’s first-quarter work, as he mixed runs with short screen passes to get a critical touchdown against the wind. Then, when it warranted, he opened it up when Nebraska had the wind. Since the Missouri game, Watson’s been spot on. Yes, even against Oklahoma, where most of the mistakes made weren’t his fault. Penalties hurt NU in the first half, but the Huskers cleaned it up after that.


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Player of the game: Roy Helu, Jr. Helu’s big runs were one of the few bright spots in a 62-28 loss to Oklahoma. Helu showed elusiveness, toughness and agility. He’s the kind of guy who needs 15-20 carries to be truly effective, but he’s won’t get that kind of work consistently until next year. Even then, who knows.




Best offensive play of the game: Helu’s first long run of the game, which included his dramatic hurdle of a defender. Certainly one of the more exciting plays of the season. A close runner-up was Patrick Witt’s 16-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter, when he correctly kept the ball on a zone read play and coasted into the end zone.




Worst offensive play of the game: Pretty obvious, isn’t it? The very first one.



Best defensive play of the game: There weren’t many, but Nebraska safety Rickey Thenarse got NU’s first interception since the New Mexico State game.
Worst defensive play of the game: Let’s go with the play where Sam Bradford ran untouched for a first down on a quarterback draw because nobody in Nebraska’s defense bothered to cover the middle of the field. It signified the extent to which the Huskers failed to execute their keys.



GRADES:



Quarterback: D+ Now let’s be honest. In 2003, Jammal Lord used to drop 120 rushing yards on a given opponent, and throw for 100 and a touchdown, but he’d toss two back-breaking interceptions that directly led to touchdowns. Remember the criticism you heaped on Lord back then? Well, you can’t necessarily be any easier on Ganz after Saturday’s game. Ganz made some plays and racked up reasonable numbers, but he threw two critical interceptions.



Running Back: C Marlon Lucky looked like he was at half-speed, Helu looked terrific and Quentin Castille lost yet another fumble. Castille is a good kid, and a physical presence, but, sooner or later, he has to stop fumbling. How many more chances does he get? A special nod to defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh for serving as a fullback on Castille’s touchdown.



Wide Receivers: C Nate Swift and Todd Peterson made a few grabs, and the perimeter blocking helped spring a couple of Helu’s runs. But Oklahoma’s tight coverage got to the Huskers a little bit.



Offensive Line/Tight Ends: C At times, Nebraska opened some pretty big holes on OU’s defense. Then again a lot of teams have since Oklahoma linebacker Ryan Reynolds went down. Still – the Huskers held their own once Ganz settled down. As for the tight ends, well, Dreu Young’s fumble was costly. It also probably wasn’t a fumble.




Defensive Line: C- NU got a good taste of what a great offensive line looks like, as every Husker but Suh was neutralized. Nebraska’s front four got very little pressure on Sam Bradford, the defensive ends were effectively sealed when Oklahoma ran on the perimeter, and when OU needed a couple yards up the middle, OU got those yards. There isn’t a better line than the Sooners’ bunch, if that’s any consolation.




Linebackers: C- it might as well be a no grade, because, without Phillip Dillard and an effective Cody Glenn, Nebraska was left playing Tyler Wortman, Colton Koehler and Blake Lawrence. Nothing against any of them – it was nice, in fact, to see Lawrence play and make a nice pass break-up – but their 2008 experience has been limited. There is only so much these guys can be expected to do against an offense like OU’s.




Secondary: D Bradford skewered these guys. Yeah, he made a few unbelievable throws – his first completion was a 41-yard go route while rolling to his left, for goodness sakes – but Nebraska’s safeties and corners made it easy on him. They lack speed and recognition skills. They couldn’t cover any of OU’s receivers, including giant tight end Jermaine Gresham. It’s coaching, it’s execution, it’s everything.




Special Teams: D Back kickoff coverage, bad kickoff returns. Niles Paul nearly got a safety because he was running around in the end zone. Dan Titchener punted much better with a 45.7-yard average; at least that issue’s been resolved.



Game Management/Playcalling: C- Only so much can be done after Nebraska starts the way it did, but Ganz spent more time under center than was expected, especially early in the game, when NU still had a chance. Why? As for the defense…only Bo and Carl Pelini could adequately explain what Nebraska was trying to accomplish and where the breakdowns occurred. Three more personal fouls in the game, bringing the season total up to 17. The Huskers swiftly burned their timeouts in the first half, and the coaching staff seemed to miss a wayward punt that hit the helmet of an OU player and bounced another 25 yards.



One other note: Pelini certainly lets the officials know where he stands, but here’s the thing: Nebraska rarely gets any calls for all his effort.


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Player of the game: Senior receiver Nate Swift. Swift made a couple nice grabs and was on the receiving end of the game’s two deciding touchdowns. Did we mention he broke the school record for career receptions? Good on ya, Nate.


Best Offensive Play of the Game: The 53-yard touchdown pass from Joe Ganz to Swift on a stop-and-go route that iced the game for Nebraska in the fourth quarter. Swift executed the double move perfectly; Ganz threw a nice ball; and offensive coordinator Shawn Watson waited until just the right moment to call the play.


Worst Offensive Play: There were two: Quentin Castille’s fumble inside the five-yard line in the fourth quarter; and Ganz’s failed sneak on fourth down just a few minutes later. NU still struggles in short-yardage situations. Mightily.


Best Defensive Play: Colton Koehler’s tackle for a safety was pretty sweet, but Larry Asante’s fourth-down sack of BU quarterback Robert Griffin was more important. Arguably Asante’s best play of the year.


Worst Defensive Play: The, uh, “other” fourth down that Griffin converted into a 47-yard touchdown run. NU’s defense looked awfully confused.


GRADES:


Quarterback: B+ Not Joe Ganz’s finest work in the first half – he missed wide open receivers for touchdowns on two first-half drives, leading to a missed field goal and a made field goal, respectively – but he made up for it with a crucial third-down conversion on NU’s go-ahead drive, when Ganz scrambled hard to his right, threw back across his body at hit Swift in the middle of the zone. Clutch.


Running Backs: B- Marlon Lucky continues to play well, hitting holes with more authority and doing his magic in the open field. He’s quieted the RB debate pretty significantly over the last three weeks. Roy Helu Jr. and Castille weren’t as good. Helu whiffed on a block that directly led to a sack of Ganz, while Castille, again, fumbled because he jumped into a pile. Why does he keep doing that?


Offensive Line/Tight Ends: B- The o-line probably struggled a little more than it should have against Baylor’s so-so defensive front in the run game, but the pass blocking was generally solid. Mike McNeill made a couple clutch catches during the course of the game, as well.


Wide Receivers: B Looks like Meno Holt won’t be available for the Oklahoma game, which is too bad, for neither Niles Paul and certainly not Curenski Gilleylen are as good. Gilleylen is too eager to run before he catches the ball. Paul looks a little skittish in traffic. Paul’s still a whale of a run blocker, though. Swift and Todd Peterson were their usual steady selves.


Defensive Line: B Could have tackled BU running back Jay Finley a little better, and kept better contain on quarterback Robert Griffin the few times he got loose, but the front four made the key stops when they had to.


Linebackers: C Cody Glenn, Phillip Dillard, Tyler Wortman and finally Colton Koehler were constantly being shuffled in and out of the game, adjusting well on some plays, not so well on others. The linebackers looked better in the second half. Dillard had a particularly good pass breakup on Baylor’s first drive of the second half, and a big tackle on Griffin during that goal line stand.


Secondary: C The usual mix of sweet and sour. The Huskers flat blew a couple coverages, but made two or three nice individual plays, too. Asante’s sack and Matt O’Hanlon’s open-field tackle on a reverse come to mind. NU’s corners took away some of Griffin’s passing options.


Kickers/Special Teams: B- Nebraska just might have one of the nation’s best field goal blocking teams; that unit routinely tips kicks or redirects them because a kicker is afraid of the block. Too many opponents are missing chip-shot field goals for it to be a coincidence. That said, the actual kickers could have done better. Alex Henery missed an extra point and Adi Kunalic botched a pop-up kickoff. The Huskers extended a Baylor drive with a foolish (and blatant) roughing-the-punter penalty on a play that was clearly set for a return.


Game Management/Playcalling: C For one half, you could argue Baylor’s staff outcoached Nebraska’s. BU’s offense successfully ripped off the big plays it needed to compete in Lincoln, because sustained drives – as that 0-for-10 on third downs showed – were not an option. Obviously, Bo Pelini and Co., by playing dime and nickel defenses, were inviting Baylor to run the ball; problem was, NU didn’t seem to initially have enough guys in the box to stop the Bears. As the game wore on, however, Nebraska used more linebackers, and mostly shut down BU’s running game.


On offense, the Huskers operated out of the shotgun, which to me seemed code for “We plan to score out of this basic set on every drive.” Didn’t quite work out that way. Baylor’s corners played surprisingly tight on Nebraska’s receivers – as all teams should, in my opinion – and forced Ganz to take more time selecting his receivers. The Huskers figured it out by the second quarter, though, and finally burned Baylor in the second half with some perfectly-timed pass plays.

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Player of the game: Nate Swift, receiver. Swift had one of the best games of his career – eight catches for 112 yards - and set the tone early with a terrific first quarter. Swift made a particularly tough catch-and-run on his 19-yard touchdown.


Best offensive play of the game: You could take your pick, really, but we’ll go with that first touchdown. Swift’s effort was matched by quarterback Joe Ganz, who rolled out, used a pump fake to freeze an Iowa State defender, and found Swift in the zone defense.


Worst offensive play: Ganz getting sacked midway through the second half against a three-man rush. That shouldn’t happen.


Best defensive play: Pierre Allen forcing a fumble just inches from the sideline. It’s about time.


Worst defensive play: ISU’s long touchdown run, obviously. It looked like Nebraska stunted right into the Cyclones’ blocking scheme, and NU’s safeties took poor pursuit angles.


GRADES:


Quarterback: A Another terrific performance from Ganz, who carved up Iowa State’s defense in the first half. Ganz needs to work on holding onto the ball too long, though. He’s also not a natural option guy,


Running back: B+ Maybe that unit’s best game, all things considered. Marlon Lucky, Roy Helu, Jr. and Quentin Castille all had their moments. Castille showed why he’s been playing with a strong fourth quarter performance. Castille finally ran with some authority.


Offensive Line/Tight Ends:B+ Solid protection of Ganz, decent holes, and NU finished the game off with a big fourth quarter.


Wide Receivers: B- Way too many fumbles, two of them lost. It looked like ISU’s defenders hit NU’s pass-catchers a little harder than they’re used to. Still – Swift and the gang run strong routes and consistently catch what’s thrown to them.


Defensive Line: A- Aside from the one long run, it was a fine performance by Carl Pelini’s bunch. The front four consistently put pressure on Iowa State quarterback Austen Arnaud without any help from the blitz. ISU’s plan to single-block Ndamukong Suh pretty much failed.


Linebackers: B+ Sure does look good when Phillip Dillard and Cody Glenn are back in the lineup. Both helped stuff the running game, and Dillard crunched Arnaud on an option play.


Secondary: B- Wasn’t tested too much by the Cyclones’ ultra-conservative gameplan, and the safeties continue to take bad angles at ball carriers. Still – Armando Murillo made a couple big plays with a pass breakup and a fumble recovery.


Special Teams/Kickers: C Is there a punter in the house? Aside from that, the work was fine. Rickey Thenarse forced a key fumble, and Niles Paul recovered it.


Game Management/Playcalling: A Offensive coordinator Shawn Watson had his second straight stellar week, even tossing in a few wrinkles. He quickly and correctly identified ISU’s fear of Nebraska’s running game and tight ends and adjusted accordingly. Penalties weren’t nearly as big an issue, although Castille picked up an unsportsmanlike conduct late in the game. Nebraska finally seems to be developing a cohesive identity it can take through the season. And the Huskers have looked very mature on the road; that wasn’t the case last year.

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Player of the game: Quarterback Joe Ganz. Your heart breaks a little for No. 12, to watch him play so well for 79 plays and repeat a killer mistake on the 80th play. Ganz was really brilliant, otherwise, though. Accurate, poised and smart. He even scrambled for two first downs. A whale of a game.


Best Offensive Play: Nebraska’s second-to-last touchdown, a perfectly designed rollout play in which Ganz threw back to tight end Dreu Young, who was trailing behind the defense. Tough play to stop, called at just the right time.


Worst Offensive Play: An ugly fourth-and-one in the first half. Quentin Castille allowed himself to get stoned, resulting in a worse mark of the ball than he deserved. If Castille has just kept fighting…


Best Defensive Play: Not a ton, but I liked a blitz called by Pelini on Texas Tech’s second drive, right when it looked like the Red Raiders were going to coast into the end zone. Tech QB Graham Harrell was rushed, and he threw a bad pass to Michael Crabtree, who caught it and fell.


Worst Defensive Play: Take your pick. Our nomination for the worst was the first play of overtime, when the Huskers allowed an ugly screen pass to go 24 of the 25 yards Tech needed for a touchdown.


GRADES:


Quarterback: A We’ve said enough about Ganz’s work. It was terrific.


Running back: B Well, it was the best game the trio of Castille, Marlon Lucky and Roy Helu, Jr. had all season. Lucky made some plays in space, Helu banged effectively in between the tackles, and Castille, well, Castille hasn’t done a whole lot in three weeks, but he keeps getting the chances.


Wide receivers: B+ Watch this game again, and watch these guys block down on counter plays. Ted Gilmore has his bunch getting after it. NU’s receivers aren’t home run hitters, but they catch what’s thrown to them, they don’t fumble and they run fairly well after the catch. Gilmore isn’t a favorite among Husker fans, but his unit’s doing its job in 2008.


Tight ends: B Not bad. A few missed blocks, but a few made blocks, too – check out Mike McNeill’s cut block on a wide play involving Marlon Lucky. The position is becoming one Ganz can rely on. The blocking still needs to get a little better.


Offensive Line: B- The downgrade is for the poor blocking on the fourth down play and the absolutely crushing holding/false start penalties. Still – NU finally created some holes, especially on zone read plays. Nebraska’s running backs seemed so surprised by the size of them, they scooted right by.


Defensive Line: B- A fair performance from this unit. Not spectacular. Texas Tech was able to run the ball a little too easily in the first half, but Carl Pelini made adjustments in the second half that worked. Ndamukong Suh made a huge play on a third down run to force a Tech punt.


Linebackers: C Keep in mind that starters Cody Glenn and Phillip Dillard didn’t play in this game. A true freshman walk-on, Matt Holt, did, and given it was first major action, you really can’t fault his effort. Nebraska is very thin at that position. For the talent on the field, the grade has to be about this good.


Secondary: C- Not a great day for Marvin Sanders’ bunch. They lost Michael Crabtree more than once in the secondary, and a handful of other receivers, too. Larry Asante had a roller-coaster day, making some tough tackles and dropping at least one key assignment (on Tech’s fourth quarter fourth-down conversion). This unit needs polishing.


Kickers/Special Teams: B+ Nebraska punted better, had a nice kickoff return from Niles Paul, and, of course, converted the fake field goal try into a first down. Alex Henery’s missed 53-yarder to end the first half was a tough kick.


Game Management/Playcalling: B Nebraska is still burning too many timeouts and accumulating too many bad penalties. One could argue – I sure would – that NU now has a reputation for being oft-penalized, and Bo Pelini is going to have a tough time reversing that trend. His blitz call on Tech’s first touchdown – a 34-yard pass from Harrell to Crabtree – was probably not his best. Shawn Watson called one helluva game, though. The West Coast Offense, modernized and specialized to Nebraska’s personnel.

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Player of the game: He didn’t play for Nebraska. How’s that?


Best Offensive Play: Joe Ganz’s scramble to the right and throw to Nate Swift for a 23-yard touchdown.


Worst Offensive Play: Joe Ganz’s scramble to the right and throw to Brock Christopher for a Missouri. Exact same kind of play, exact same kind of competitiveness from Ganz, completely different results.


Best defensive play: An almost sack on Chase Daniel midway through the second quarter, which forced a field goal.


Worst defensive play: Derrick Washington’s 43-yard touchdown run, in which Washington gashed through a giant hole and NU safety Larry Asante watched Washington run…right…by…him.


GRADES


Quarterback: C Joe Ganz is asked to do too much for this team, and his mistakes are in part because of the pressure that falls squarely on his shoulders. Still – he makes two or three horrible decisions per game, and many happen in Nebraska’s own end of the field. They need to stop, now.


Running Backs: C- The merry-go-round continues, as Marlon Lucky, Roy Helu, Jr and Quentin Castille fight for carries and struggle to locate a rhythm. Castille lost another fumble. Helu barely got any touches. Lucky looked like Lucky. NU’s offensive line and braintrust have reduced a talented unit to little more than a subplot.


Wide Receivers: B- Nate Swift is having a nice season, all things considered. Good to see Meno Holt make some catches downfield. Todd Peterson doesn’t drop any balls, but he also doesn’t do much after he catches the ball, either.


Offensive Line/Tight Ends: F A horrible game from the line, horrible. False start penalties, a personal foul, no holes on running plays, botched assignments on passing plays. Barney Cotton and his boys have a ton of work to do, and fast.


Defensive Line: C- No consistent pass rush, and Missouri’s offensive line – the best Nebraska has played – controlled the line of scrimmage.


Linebackers: D Pretty unspectacular. Cody Glenn left the game and Phillip Dillard was occasionally left covering tight end Chase Coffman.


Secondary: D The corners played…fair. The safeties were awful. Both Matt O’Hanlon and Larry Asante took poor pursuit angles and gave up easy touchdowns as a result. NU sorely lacks talent at that position, and now it looks like Rickey Thenarse might be banged up again. Asante isn’t the answer. O’Hanlon has played inexplicably at times.


Game Management/Playcalling: D Offensive coordinator Shawn Watson actually had a pretty good plan – a mix of run and pass – but Nebraska’s offensive line couldn’t execute the simplest stuff. Watson did much better in trying to establish drives, instead of just big plays. That said – this was a game for a trick play, and Nebraska didn’t run one. Look for the shovel pass to replace the screen play that Ganz keeps throwing into the backs of defensive linemen.


Everything else – the burned timeouts on defense, the penalties, the entire defensive plan – was not up to snuff. Bo Pelini has done better, and he will do better in the future.

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Player of the game: We’ll give it to Nate Swift for an incredible 88-yard punt return for a touchdown midway through the fourth quarter. Swift didn’t have his best game as a receiver, but he did catch a 46-yarder on NU’s last touchdown drive.


Best Offensive Play: Roy Helu’s terrific 12-yard touchdown run late in the third quarter. Helu isn’t getting nearly enough touches, but he’s running hard with the ones he does get.


Worst Offensive Play: In a vacuum, it’d have to be that backwards swing pass to Niles Paul, who dropped it, then lost another three or four yards trying to make up for the drop. Paul had a bad game: Two fumbles and a number of poor, undisciplined returns.


Best Defensive Play: Ricky Thenarse’s submarine job on a Virginia Tech reverse. I’m not sure if Thenarse is as well-schooled at safety as Matt O’Hanlon, but his instincts are equal to Cody Glenn’s.


Worst Defensive Play: Any number of botched coverages and blitzes by Nebraska’s safeties and linebackers. Major Culbert didn’t play any better than Larry Asante, and the Huskers failed to stay disciplined in their blitz attempts against Taylor. NU’s first half strategy against Taylor – four man rush, good blanket coverage - worked better.


GRADES:


Quarterback: B- Joe Ganz always manages to make plays sooner or later, but his first-quarter interception , at a place on the field where you just can’t have them, gave Tech a cushion it never relinquished. Through four games, it’s becoming clear that Ganz is, in many ways, just the opposite of Sam Keller: He likes to be outside of the pocket, looking for the big play, but does not like throwing short routes in traffic. Beyond that, Ganz was very lucky not to throw an interception at the end of the first half. He was close to it.


Running backs: C What grade do you give guys who hardly played a role? Both Marlon Lucky and Roy Helu, Jr had signature plays but they’re too often sitting on the sidelines waiting for their opportunity. Lucky, in particular, must be incredulous. NU didn’t even try a screen pass, unless you count that awkward toss from Ganz right at the end of the first half, when Lucky was blocking, and blanketed by defensive linemen.


Offensive Line/Tight Ends: C- A strange game for the offensive line, which just never got the chance to find its groove on running plays. But that’s hardly the whole story; Tech’s defensive line – often a four-man rush – was too much for the line to handle on passing down, and the Huskers had to compensate with extra blockers. Center Jacob Hickman needs to work on his shotgun snaps, as a lot of them were high to Ganz. The tight ends had a nice game, with Mike McNeill catching three passes for 66 yards and a touchdown and Dreu Young getting a grab of his own.


Wide receivers: D Erase what happened in the fourth quarter, when Virginia Tech unwisely went into prevent defense and allowed 120 passing yards, and the wide receivers were simply not a factor in the game. The Hokies’ secondary ate them for lunch. Why? Ganz got decent protection at times, but just couldn’t find Todd Peterson and Nate Swift, who were pretty well blanketed.


Defensive line: A- Pretty darn good. Yes, the Hokies’ line got some push in the running game, but a lot of the yards were the fault of the linebackers, not the line. The pressure on Taylor, particularly in the first half, was pretty good. Ndamukong Suh, Zach Potter, Ty Steinkuhler and Pierre Allen combined for 27 tackles, two sacks and six tackles for loss. You’ll take that any day.


Linebackers: C- Position coach Mike Ekeler was distraught after the game, blaming himself for their poor play. He didn’t get them properly prepared, he said. True? Oh, maybe. The players didn’t execute very well. Phillip Dillard got caught on the back side of cutback plays too often, and didn’t patrol the middle of the field. Tyler Wortman wasn’t much of a factor, and played less in the second half. Cody Glenn, again, did just about everything he could, but also lost contain on Tech quarterback Tyrod Taylor. This isn’t a bad bunch, but it wasn’t their best game.


Secondary: The safety has to improve. It just does. Larry Asante and Major Culbert have to maintain a relationship with the deepest receiver, and they failed to do that twice Saturday night, resulting in 39 and 40-yard gains. Matt O’Hanlon, meanwhile, will stick his nose in there, but he’s just not the pure athlete Ricky Thenarse is. Eric Hagg didn’t play enough. The corners were fair, but they weren’t facing terrific receivers, either. Next week? Different story.


Kickers: B- Dan Titchener is an average punter, no better, in 2008. He seems incapable of uncorking the occasional 60-yard bomb; he hasn’t done it in three years of punting. Alex Henery nailed a 48-yard field goal, however, and Adi Kunalic had a nice night of kickoffs.


Game Management/Playcalling: D Aside from a few moments, it was poor. Nebraska looked jittery and unprepared at the beginning of the game. Offensive coordinator Shawn Watson called an uneven game, and did not give his guys time or chances to establish a consistency on the ground. The defensive coaches did what they could, but Bo Pelini’s second-half blitzes - held, I’m guessing, until the second half so Tech couldn’t adjust to them – did not work, or were poorly executed. After Swift’s return, Nebraska struggled to get up to the line of scrimmage for the two-point conversion; Ganz threw a hurried pass as a result.


Pelini’s late penalty was unfortunate, a lesson learned. Book it right now: He won’t do it again this year.

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SUNDAY REPORT CARD


Player of the game: Offensive tackle Lydon Murtha, who made a clear difference in the Huskers rushing attack. Nebraska was able to keep it simple in scheme because it had its lead road grader back in the lineup. Now Murtha gets two weeks to rest and stay entirely healthy for a crucial October.


Best Offensive Play: The 56-yard stretch play run by Marlon Lucky, because it signified what Nebraska wants to do on offense, and showed off Lucky’s strength: Open-field running. Lucky’s not the fastest running back, but, in space, he sure is dangerous. Here’s to Lucky getting more like 15 touches a game from this point forward.


Worst Offensive Play: Had to be that option left in which quarterback Joe Ganz pitched to Lucky, who stood all of a yard away. Ganz is going to have to work on maintaining a pitch relationship; otherwise, teams will just string him toward the sidelines, and wait for a mistake.


Best Defensive Play: Armando Murillo’s second-quarter interception, which really signaled a change in the way New Mexico State challenged NU deep. NMSU became cautious after that, and stalled because of it.


Worst Defensive Play: None, really, but NU’s numerous pass interference penalties are never fun to see.


GRADES:


Quarterback: B Joe Ganz played under control and made plays when he needed to make them. He’s great at keeping a play alive. The lower grade, of course, is for backup Patrick Witt, who fumbled two snaps, one of which cost Nebraska its shutout.


Running Back: A- Their best game of the season, as Marlon Lucky, Roy Helu, Jr. and Quentin Castile ran with purpose and poise. The coaches definitely like Castille; you simply can’t deny that. He’s getting touches on every kind of running play. Offensive coordinator Shawn Watson clearly wants to get a long look at what Castille can do before conference season.


Offensive Line/Tight Ends: A- A few penalties and missed blocks to clean up, but a generally terrific effort against a weird, attacking blitz scheme. Murtha and senior tight end Hunter Teafatiller make a huge difference.


Wide Receivers: B Fine, again. Not asked to do a ton in the passing game, but the perimeter players are still doing their jobs as run blockers. Get used to that little bubble screen. You’ll see it a lot.


Defensive Line: A Very impressive, again, considering defensive end Pierre Allen got hurt early and stayed out. NU generated a better-than-fair pass rush with the front four, and nose tackle Ndamukong Suh notched two sacks. Suh’s an NFL guy if he really wants it; he’s finally showing the desire and the health needed to achieve that goal.


Linebackers: B Only Phillip Dillard was consistently in the game, and he played fine, patrolled the middle, took away that short crossing route. Cody Glenn and Tyler Wortman didn’t as get as much action. Against Virginia Tech, they will. You’d better believe it. That’ll be just the game Dillard claims he’s been waiting for.


Secondary: B+ The biggest credit goes to Pelini, for getting a bunch of young guys ready to play smart defense. But the players themselves turned in a fine effort, tackling well enough, and covering the deep ball very well. Matt O’Hanlon seems to get the concept of “over-the-top” coverage pretty well now.


Kickers: C Alex Henery badly shanked a field-goal try, but made another. Adi Kunalic’s kicks weren’t quite as far as they have been in recent games.


Game Management/Playcalling: A Stellar work here by Pelini, Watson and their respective bunches. New Mexico State brought the noise and the junk, and Nebraska threw it right back at the Aggies. They’ll have tougher challenges, but nice overall work.

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Sunday Report Card:

Player of the game: Niles Paul. The sophomore lit the stadium and his teammates on fire with a 85-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. Paul's been close to breaking one more than once, and he'll break another for a score before the year is up.

Best Offensive Play: A slick throw from quarterback Joe Ganz to running back Roy Helu, Jr. for a 27-yard gain. Ganz actually faked the handoff to Helu, looked off two receivers, then threw a strike to Helu in the flat. Helu turned the ball upfield and shed a few tackles before being taken down.

Worst Offensive Play: An awful interception of Ganz’s pass at the end of the first half. Nebraska held a 14-6 lead and started a drive at its own 9-yard line with 1:25 remaining. Maybe offensive coordinator Shawn Watson got a little greedy, but the Huskers should have grinded the clock and been satisfied with an 8-point lead.

Best Defensive Play: Ndamukong Suh’s interception for a touchdown is an obvious choice, so we’ll look at a second one: The big sack after Niles Paul’s 85-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. San Jose State walked out onto the field on shaky legs, and that play – for a 12-yard loss – closed the door.

Worst Defensive Play: When Kyle Reed’s scored an easy 12-yard touchdown on a quarterback draw. The play was telegraphed (as it was the rest of the day) and the Huskers missed several tackles on the play.

Grades:

Quarterback: C+ Joe Ganz played a sloppier game than usual. He needs to get more comfortable staying the pocket, but his game management was generally strong. Nebraska needs to figure out a way of running screen passes without Ganz’s pass getting knocked down.

Running back: C+ Decent game for Roy Helu, Jr, but Quentin Castille blew an easy touchdown with a fumble. Marlon Lucky doesn’t look as good as he did last year, and Ganz’s style doesn’t get him as involved.

Offensive Line/Tight Ends: D- Ugly game for this unit against a defense that will give up some yards later this year – count on it. Offensive line was like a sieve for much of the game, and the tight ends played little to no role, other than to accrue a false start penalty. NU needs much more here.

Wide Receivers: B A fair effort from this bunch. Nate Swift continues to have a good season, especially after he catches the ball. It’s obvious that Ganz trusts these guys more than Sam Keller ever did.

Defensive Line: A Considering Barry Turner went out early in the game with what looked like a serious knee injury, this unit played about as well as it could. Pierre Allen, with his 10 tackles, was terrific, but Zach Potter, Suh and Ty Steinkuhler all had their moments. Carl Pelini can coach, folks. He’s got these guys playing some football.

Linebackers: B- Again, it was primarily Cody Glenn and Phillip Dillard, and they did not have an easy task. Glenn was given all kinds of roles, and he handled them pretty well, putting heat SJSU quarterback Kyle Reed when he could. Against these offenses, it won’t be easy for Dillard to be in on a lot of tackles. The Huskers could use a little depth here.

Secondary: C+ So-so work here. The Huskers kept everything in front of them, but missed some tackles downfield. Nickel back Eric Hagg again had a strong game blitzing. Nice to see Major Culbert, who played as well as Larry Asante at strong safety.

Kickers: C Alex Henery made all of his extra points and Adi Kunalic had a nice day with kickoffs, but punter Dan Titchener was well off his game.

Game Management/Playcalling: C Nebraska again wasted some timeouts, again had some issues with the 40-second play clock, and again had inconsistent playcalling from Shawn Watson. That said, the defense seemed on the same page more often than not, and the special teams unit, which is as much about coaching as it is about execution, looked sharp.

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