Saturdays game in Austin Texas started out looking like for once in more than a month, that things were going to be different this game. That maybe, just maybe this was the week that the team was going to turn it around and show us that they were in fact capable of winning a Big 12 game. The rumor going around campus and the team was that the coaches had been "preaching" to the players that they needed to play the game for themselves, not for the coaches. That they needed to stop worrying about what was going on with the press and the fans and just go out and play and have fun. Maybe that did have some effect, I don't know and have no way of measuring whether that was what was happening or not.

Then I hear things from the coaches after the game, when the Huskers effort here in Austin fell just short, losing to the Longhorns 28 to 25. Things like, we decided to junk the 15 play script and ran the ball the first 9 plays. When I heard this I had one immediate question. If we script the first 15 plays, then why is it that Keller runs to the sidelines every single snap to get the play from Callahan or Watson? I watch it happen game after game and think to myself, okay so doing this eliminates the shuttling in of players to relay the play to the quarterback and also eliminates any translation of getting the call to him. But then someone please explain to me, if they are scripted, why Keller runs over to the sidelines on each play to get it. Wouldn't it be easier, to just have the plays listed on his wrist band, saving time and energy at the same time? Oh well I guess that doesn't matter much when you are in the middle of the longest losing streak since I was 5 years old (1961) and are facing 3 straight ranked teams, one currently undefeated, to close out your season with a current record of 4-5. Promising isn't exactly the word that comes to mind.

I did see a Husker team that came out with more emotion than I had seen in a couple of months, the offensive line blocking people and Marlon Lucky running and slashing with the speed and grace that made him one of the most sought after running backs 3 years ago. The Huskers were actually controlling the line of scrimmage on "BOTH" sides of the ball bottling up the Longhorn running game and not allowing Colt McCoy the time to establish any rhythm in their passing game. With a 24 yard Keller to Swift pass at the end of the second quarter the score was 10-3 at the half limiting the Longhorns to less than 200 yards of total offense. Then taking the opening kick-off of the 3^rd quarter and going 80 yards in 5 plays capped by a 23 yard TD pass from Keller to Swift again and it was suddenly 17-3 and the Longhorns looked ready for the taking. Then the momentum starting turning the Longhorns way. It wasn't a sudden change; no this was more the slow painful unnoticeable change that really didn't come to your attention until after the game was over. For whatever reason, the Husker's play calling became ultra conservative. Inside of exploiting the Longhorns on the off-set running plays and then hitting the big play-action pass, Callahan decided it was time to ram the ball up the middle. The remaining 3 drives of the 3^rd quarter saw the Huskers go 4 plays for 14 yards, 3 for 9 and then 5 for 14 using less than 2 minutes of clock on each possession. Meanwhile the Longhorns had 3 possessions for almost 9 minutes and got 2 field goals out of it, to cut the margin to 17 to 9 entering the 4^th quarter. Then it happened.

After Jammal Charles burst up the middle for a 25 yard run to bring the Longhorns to within 2 at 17-15 the defense rose up and stopped the 2-point conversion. After once again stalling on their drive after the kick-off, the Huskers punted and the Longhorns were ready to strike. However the defense pressured Colt McCoy into a "wounded duck" pass that was intercepted by Zack Potter at the Longhorn 40 yard line, "this was it" the Husker faithful exclaimed. A big turnover in enemy territory and a chance to go for the juggler. Right? Nope, remember this is Bill Callahan's Huskers. Marlon Lucky ran into the middle of the line for no gain and then to the right side of the line for 2 yards. On third down, Keller misfired on a deep pass intended for Todd Peterson. So we punt and actually pin the Longhorns down to the 2 yard line.

Then it happened. After gaining a first down from the 2 out the 14, Texas ran a basic off tackle play to their right side to Jammal Charles, the line contained the Husker defensive line and Charles burst around the corner, the receiver contained the Husker's defensive back, I didn't see who it was, but they gave no effort whatsoever in trying to shed the receiver and Charles was gone! 86 yards and the Longhorns had a lead that they would never relinquish. After it was all said and done, Jammal Charles ran for 216 yards and three touchdowns in the fourth quarter alone, including a 40-yard touchdown on their next possession. The Huskers looked as if they had simply run out of gas, they could not stop them. Then it actually got worse. Sam Keller, the Husker quarterback who has been the team's "lightning rod" and leader all season was injured. The 6-foot-4, 230-pound transfer from Arizona State took a big hit from UT defensive end Eddie Jones on a second-down play from the Texas 24-yard line with 2:37 to play in the fourth quarter. He left and did not return. Backup quarterback Joe Gantz entered the game and completed 2 out 3 passes for 17 yards including a 4-yard strike to Maurice Purify and then a 2 point conversion also to Purify to end the scoring and giving us the final score.

I took a couple of things out of this game. One was the fact that contrary to my earlier belief, the Huskers players have not quit on the coaching staff, they played their guts out, even if they were not playing on an even field. Secondly, and this is something that I also had suspected for sometime, was that our players are NOT in game shape. I believe that we lost the game due to being out conditioned as well as out-coached. You could see the exhaustion of our players there in the 4^th quarter with about 13 minutes to go. They had nothing left in the tank. That is why we were unable to move the ball on offense, even though the play calling was atrocious, trying to run the ball up the middle when it was the slants and sweeps that had been the plays gaining the yardage. You could also see it on the defense, where the defenders just simply could not shed the blockers in the 4^th quarter to have the opportunity to make a play. This comes down to the coaching aspect and not getting your players into game shape by practicing in full pads a couple days a week, Making the players work had in practice so that they feel the game is their reward and something to look forward to. Last week former Husker defensive stand-out Jason Peters made this comment that their coaches worked them so hard in practice that they looked forward to the game as a chance to relax and just get to the ball.

There is no word yet on the extent of Sam Keller's injured shoulder, but my guess is that he is probably done for the season. This is a shame as he has laid it out on the field this entire season both mentally and physically and for his season to end with an injury is not the way any player wants to go out. Next up is number 12 undefeated Kansas in Lawrence this Saturday. Let's hope the team can get back up for another tough task ahead. GBR folks.

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Lloyds Apple said:

	Bug- I thought you were going to finally have something to be happy about. You have my heartfelt sympathy. I have not seen a runningback rack up yards like that in, well, ever.
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October 30, 2007
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JEH45 said:

	I have nothing against texas, but I also was rooting for Nebraska to dull Bugs pain last saturday. Sorry!
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October 30, 2007
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