Huskers hail return of the running game in win over Bulldogs

By Nathan Walters  |   Monday, September 04, 2006  |  Comments( 3 )

Nebraska Cornhuskers
Got something to say?

Log In above and share your thoughts on this topic with other fans!

The Nebraska Cornhuskers' players and coaches all said they would like to start off the 2006 season on a high note, and the Cornhusker faithful came out in huge numbers to see Nebraska roll up 584 total yards of offense en route to putting away the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs, 49-10, Saturday afternoon in Lincoln. The win marks the 21st straight time the Cornhuskers (1-0) have won their season opener, an ongoing NCAA record.

During the game the Cornhuskers did something surprising: They ran the football. And, what's better, they ran the ball quite well. Well enough, in fact, to rush for 252 yards. It was the first time since 2004 the Huskers had rushed for more than 200 yards in a game.

After Nebraska's terrible rushing game in 2005 put them in the bottom of the Big 12 with only 96 yards per game, Husker faithful everywhere were wondering what had happened to their beloved program. Was this the same program that led the nation in rushing for so many seasons? Or, even better, what's up with this whole "passing the ball" scheme?

On Saturday, Nebraska showed yet again why it is one of the nation's elite rushing programs. And the Huskers did it with not one, two or even three running backs. They got all four backs that were vying for playing time in the fall into the game at some point. And three of those backs got into the end zone at some point throughout the game.

Sophomore Marlon Lucky got the start for the Huskers and showed flashes of brilliance throughout the game, including a 13-yard touchdown run up the middle in the second quarter in which he broke one tackle at the line of scrimmage and bowled his way into the end zone on his feet. He would finish the day with 79 yards on 13 carries.

Sophomore Cody Glenn, who shared "co-No. 1" running back duties with Lucky, was also stellar. Glenn, who is known as the big, bruising back of the four the Huskers lay claim to, showed his strength whenever he lined up in the backfield. On one play, he ran up the middle, was hit by two Louisiana Tech players at the same time, broke both their tackles and was only taken down by a third Bulldog defender.

Glenn also had a touchdown in the second quarter, running to the right side of the Cornhusker offensive line and breaking a tackle on his way to the end zone to make the score 21-10 heading into the half. He would finish the day with 88 yards on 13 carries.

Junior Brandon Jackson had three carries for 36 yards, but he was impressive in the fourth quarter. With the Cornhuskers already ahead 35-10, Jackson took a pitch from quarterback Zac Taylor to the left sideline, broke five tackles and raced his way to a 25-yard touchdown.

Junior college transfer Kenny Wilson, who received lots of attention from the media heading into this season, got 15 carries for 45 yards, showing flashes of speed himself while also breaking tackles. His only fault came in the red zone when, after being hit by two Bulldog defenders, Wilson fumbled the ball.

Oh, and in case you didn't know, the Cornhuskers can throw the ball now as well. And, apparently, they can throw it well. Junior quarterback Zac Taylor, considered by many to be one of the best quarterbacks in the Big 12, showed it on Saturday, completing 22 passes for 287 yards and three touchdowns.

Taylor was not sacked all afternoon, and that was mostly because the offensive line never really let a defensive lineman past them. But, when pressured, Taylor would roll out of the pocket and either find the open receiver or run the ball himself. He finished the day by getting the ball to 10 different receivers, including three separate tight ends for touchdowns.

Credit Nebraska's great performance on the day not only to the great rushing attack, Taylor's great accuracy, or even the wide receivers getting open seemingly all day. Give this game ball, my friends, to the offensive line. All 584 yards of that ball.

Game notes:

The official attendance in Memorial Stadium on Saturday was 85,181, setting a new record. The previous record was 78,268 against Texas on Nov. 2, 2002.

Nebraska quarterback Zac Taylor moved up to seventh on Nebraska's career passing list. He now has 2,940 yards over two seasons.

Nebraska senior tight end Matt Herian finished the day with three receptions for 61 yards and a touchdown, and has 56 catches for 1,154 yards in his career. Herian's 1,154 receiving yards is a Nebraska record, bettering the 1,150 Tracey Wistrom accumulated from 1998-2001.

Get more on the Nebraska Cornhuskers at Realfootball365.com
Got something to say?

Log In above and share your thoughts on this topic with other fans! (3)

Article Tools Share!   |  RSS  |  Bleacher Report About Bleacher Report
CommentsComments: 3  |  Sign Up  View all comments
No.1
sker4life		01:50 PM
09/04/2006
I was really glad to see the return of the running game. Overall the play calling was about as balanced as possible. I was really...
No.2
ryan		04:18 PM
09/04/2006
good job for herrian though i still feel bad becasue you can tell that broken leg injury still haunts him hes not nailing guys...
No.3
Chris Evans		12:19 PM
09/07/2006
Our secondary is my only concern that is left for the season. I thought everywhere else did a good job. Although, it would be...
Team News  |  View All Nebraska Content
Nebraska will have no proble...
Last week, Tom Shatel of the Omaha (Neb.) World-Herald quilled a colum...
3 years, 5 months ago   |   Nebraska will have no problem paying big BCS opponents ( 1 )
Perfection is now Pelini’s...
It was after the Red-White spring game that Nebraska head coach Bo Pel...
3 years, 6 months ago   |   Perfection is now Pelini’s top principle ( 0 )
Huskers blazing Texas trail
It was around the middle of June when Nebraska’s recruiting for 2009...
3 years, 6 months ago   |   Huskers blazing Texas trail ( 0 )
Looking ahead: Huskers’ Luck...
The reigning Big XII rushing leader has had a bit of the spotlight tak...
3 years, 6 months ago   |   Looking ahead: Huskers’ Lucky should be first-round pick ( 0 )
“Huddle” application cou...
A recent column in the New York Times states that Agile Sports Technol...
3 years, 6 months ago   |   “Huddle” application could give Huskers recruiting edge ( 0 )