Shatel: Call ’em ugly, but also call them in the championship game

BOULDER, Colo. — So, is it OK to talk about Texas now?

“I really haven’t thought much about that yet,’’ said Ndamukong Suh.

Shawn Watson has to be licking his chops after watching Texas A&M put up 39 points on the vaunted Texas defense on Thursday night, right?

“I didn’t see it,’’ Watson said. “We were in meetings. All I know is they’re really good.’’

Is Bo Pelini ready to win the Big 12 championship in his second season?

“I’m not ready for anything right now,’’ Pelini said.

Ready or not, the Huskers are headed for the Jerry Jones Mother Ship Stadium in Arlington, Texas, next weekend, where they will try to make Nebraska history — and ruin some Texas history.

The only things standing in the way of the Longhorns playing for a national championship in Pasadena, Calif., are the Pelini brothers, Suh’s playmaking, Zac Lee’s toughness and Alex Henery’s right foot.

You will hear all week about how this could be payback for the 1996 Big 12 championship, when Texas spoiled NU’s shot at a third straight national title. You may recall that the Huskers had a flu epidemic in their locker room that week.

Has H1N1 been through Austin, Texas, yet?

Forget 1996. It won’t be a factor this week. Pelini and Suh think James Brown was a singer. But there’s other history to consider.

It’s been 10 years since Nebraska won the Big 12. It’s been eight years since the Huskers had a say in the national title picture, and that was more of a whimper.

Are they ready to make some noise again?

Yes, absolutely.

I’ve heard media types at Missouri, Kansas and Kansas State this season take turns saying, “Why would you want to win the North just to go down and get destroyed by Texas?’’

In fact, there are several reasons the Huskers have a legitimate shot to make this a game — and win it.

1. Colt McCoy and Jordan Shipley could share the Heisman Trophy this year. But the Longhorns aren’t much in the running department. The Blackshirts will need to make them one-dimensional, go after McCoy and keep him pinned. That’s not easy, as Texas A&M can attest after seeing him run for 175 yards. But against NU, he’s probably most dangerous as a scrambler.

2. Texas’ style of offense will mean more dime packages from NU, which has been its strong suit this season.

3. I don’t know if UT’s defense ate too much turkey on Thanksgiving, but Texas A&M gashed the Longhorns all night with quarterback running. Texas’ defense should be feeling less than invincible this week.

4. Henery’s right foot. The Nebraska kicker is in an amazing place right now. He punted six times for 50.7 yards on Friday, but it’s not the yardage so much as the placement. Henery keeps topping himself with punts that spin backwards, sideways, forward, any which way he commands. When you have a weapon like that, you can put McCoy deep in the heart of Texas and play a field position game. Which is the only kind of game NU wins next weekend.

5. Lee. A month ago we were ready to throw the junior away, but he bounced back off the bench with some grit and confidence. Lee is measurably better than he was against Texas Tech and Iowa State. He’s throwing better and running harder. His body language is that of a leader. He’s growing up as a quarterback. You saw that on Friday, when he banged up his ankle and came back after one series. He’s no longer the problem. He’s becoming a solution.

6. Nebraska’s offense. Imagine that. The change to big personnel and power running has helped. But so has health. Roy Helu and Rex Burkhead are finally healthy. Niles Paul has found a niche as a deep threat playmaker. The run game has gotten the offensive line into more of a groove.

Is it a great offense? Nope. But it’s the best Nebraska offense it’s going to be this season, and it’s right on time. If it can get two touchdowns and a handful of field goals next Saturday, it could be enough.

7. Finally, there was Friday’s 28-20 victory over a sad-sack Colorado team. As Texas found out Thursday night, there aren’t any bad victories in November. Nebraska was more functional than good on Friday. But that plays perfectly into the hands of Bo Pelini, amateur psychologist.

“I didn’t like the way we played in any phase of the game,’’ Pelini said. “It’s a win, and I’ll take them any way I can get them. But we played sloppy football. We didn’t play to our standard. We have a higher standard than that.’’

On the other hand, the Huskers played in one of the hardest kinds of games to win, with a Big 12 North title clinched and the Big Game a week away — and they still won it. It was a litmus test for the Pelini Way: Show up and do the job every week.

“I don’t know what (Bo) said, but I’m happy,’’ NU defensive coordinator Carl Pelini said. “Our backs were against the wall after Iowa State, and we just ran off five straight wins. That’s not easy to do, especially with all the parity.’’

There’s something to be said for learning how to win every week. There’s also something to be said for a team that knows exactly who it is in December — a team that is still playing in December.

“We know we have to win a certain way — the team way,’’ Watson said. “We know what our (the offense’s) role is: Take advantage of the short field. Field position. It’s Woody Hayes ball.’’

Call the Huskers what you will, but call them 60 minutes from a Big 12 championship and a return to a BCS bowl. They look like a Big 12 favorite next year. But they might just be ready now.

Contact the writer:

444-1025, tom.shatel@owh.com

« Sports - Main

Share