Players of the game and grades from NU's 33-0 win over Arizona in the Holiday Bowl.

OFFENSIVE MVP: Niles Paul. He ran, he caught passes and he had two excellent returns. Paul is officially a triple threat for Nebraska in 2010, and he had a strong conclusion to the season.

DEFENSIVE MVP: Pierre Allen. His best game of the year with two sacks, Allen seemed to dominate his man all night long. Like Paul, he positioned himself for a big 2010.

GRADES

QUARTERBACK: B+ Zac Lee had a highly productive night, and even completed some passes on third down to keep drives moving. He ran the ball with toughness, if not elusiveness, and had a nose for the goal line and first down marker. Slowly, Lee is earning the trust of his teammates. He seeemed more at ease Wednesday night than he had all season. Cody Green? Not so much. He looked jittery and lost. That should not have been the case with a month to prepare.

RUNNING BACK: B+ Roy Helu bruised his knee and sat out most of the game. The kid just can't stay healthy, can he? It's one thing or another. Fortunately, Rex Burkhead flashed some big-time skill in the Wildcat offense. He made some nice pass blocks and one good reception, as well.

OFFENSIVE LINE: A- Aside from the dumb penalties from left tackle Mike Smith, this was the O-line's best game by far. They opened hefty holes for Burkhead and Lee, protected Lee when he dropped back to pass, and generally controlled the line of scrimmage all night. When NU needed a yard on several third-and-short situations, the line delivered. Good work, Barney's Boys.

WIDE RECEIVERS/TIGHT ENDS: B Mike McNeill and Niles Paul had pretty good nights; the rest of the units didn't do a lot. Chris Brooks had a false start. Curenski Gilleylen stepped on banana peels. I don't recall Brandon Kinnie or Menelik Holt doing much. Good to see McNeill making plays again, though.

DEFENSIVE LINE: A A few holes here and there from the reserves late in the game, but Carl Pelini's unit otherwise ran the show just fine, controlling the line of scrimmage and never letting Nick Foles get outside the pocket.

LINEBACKER: A Just the one, Phillip Dillard, played much, and he led the team in tackles and attitude, once again, all night long.

SECONDARY: A+ Simply awesome. From Matt O'Hanlon's interception to the well-timed hits to the blanket coverage all night, this is good as defensive back play can get. Take a bow, back seven and Marvin Sanders.

SPECIAL TEAMS: A+ Just the one decent kickoff return from Arizona's Bug Wright. Otherwise - the Huskers rocked and rolled in this phase of the game, too. Alex Henery nailed his field goals, punt and kick coverage was solid, and Paul had two excellent returns.

COACHING/GAME MANAGEMENT: A Superb plan from offensive coordinator Shawn Watson, who balanced run and pass and sprinkled in the Wildcat. This is the guy we saw in 2008, and, don't kid yourself - he needed a good night. That whole offense did.

Permanent Link to this Blog Post