Husker Football: Knee-Jerk Reactions – McNeese State

It was a Saturday afternoon ‘Ameer-acle’ in Lincoln with the Husker Football team barely escaping FCS top 10 contender McNeese State by the score of 31-24. Obviously it wasn’t the day any Husker fan ( or player or coach) wanted to see.

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As Ameer Abdullah dipped, dodged and ducked his way through the Cowboys defense, I had many thoughts going through my head, not the least of which included “why is a top 20 team struggling so much with an FCS school”?

What else came to mind first thing after this very frustrating game for Husker fans?

• Nebraska’s offensive line got manhandled in the run game. It seemed at every turn the Cowboys had a defender in the backfield making a play. The left side of the offensive line, including Jake Cotton and Alex Lewis, were non-factors.

• The Husker defensive line wasn’t much better. Jack Gangwish could do nothing against MSU’s FCS All-American candidate Antoine Everett. More often than not Cowboys were setting the edge and creating just enough of a hole to allow for positive yardage. Without Randy Gregory it’s hard to imagine this unit generating much of an outside pass rush.

• How lucky was the Husker defense on some of those drops by McNeese State? Nebraska themselves left big plays on the field, but McNeese State had many an opportunity to continue drives and they let those chances literally go right through their hands.

• The linebacking corps had trouble in space. McNeese State repeatedly put their running backs into the flats and the Husker linebackers couldn’t cover them. Losing Michael Rose stung, but one would have hoped that the linebackers who are available could play better in space.

• Surprisingly enough, the return game looked strong. After last week’s effort returning the football, most people did not go in to this game with high hopes. Enter freshman De’Mornay Pierson-El. The youngster returned comfortable in the return game, notching five returns for 52 yards. In the entirety of 2013, the Huskers totaled 70 yards in punt returns.

Sep 6, 2014; Lincoln, NE, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers running back Ameer Abdullah (8) breaks away from McNeese State Cowboys defenders Gabe Hamner (4) and Kevin Dorn (75) to score the winning touchdown in the final twenty seconds of the game at Memorial Stadium. Nebraska won 31-24. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Thorson-USA TODAY Sports

• Ameer Abdullah is an All-American and has as good of a shot as anyone to be in New York City. There are great players and No. 8 from Homewood, Alabama is one of them. Rewatching the play, I counted at least six tackles he broke on his way to the end zone. That’s a moment that won’t soon be forgotten in Husker history, McNeese State or not.

• Sam Foltz needs to do this more often. The Husker punter had a really solid day, booting five punts and averaging 54.7 yards per kick. It was nice to see him have a day like this and I hope he can find a way to consistently do that.