Husker Corner
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Husker Football Heroes and Villians: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

By Brent Craig

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The 8-1 Husker football team had the week off to prepare for Saturday’s 2:30 game against Wisconsin. Huskers want to win the last three games on the schedule and play against Ohio State in the Big Ten Championship game. It’s been a nail biting season at times, but the Husker football team was a touchdown away from being 9-0 (Mich. St. loss) While we await the showdown in Madison, let’s take a look at this season so far; lthe Good, the Bad, and the Ugly:

The Good:

Ameer Abdullah

– aka

Captain Marvel

– Going into the Purdue game, Ameer Abdullah was the #1 rusher. He has rushed for 1,250 yds, averaging 6.7 yards per carry, has scored 17 rushing touchdowns, and is averaging 138.9 yards per

David Banks-USA TODAY Sports

game. He’s third on the team in receiving with 13 catches for 169 yards, averaging 13 yards per catch, and he has 2 receiving touchdowns. Abdullah set the Husker record for the most all-purpose yards at 1,691, and is currently second on the all time Husker list for rushing, closing in on Mike Rozier. He may not win the Heisman, but Husker fans certainly believe he deserves it!

Jordan Westerkamp

, aka

Mr. Fantastic

has been targeted a total of 50 times this season catching 33 of them (66.7%), he leads the team with 600 yards receiving, and has 4 touchdowns on the season so far. Westerkamp’s longest reception was 70 yards this season and he is averaging 18.2 yards per catch.

Kenny Bell

, aka

Afro-Man

is currently second on the team in receiving yards with 577 yards on 34 catches; his longest reception was 63 yards and is averaging 17 yards per reception. Besides being a dynamic receiver, he is also the best blocking wide receiver on the team and a great team leader. Bell just became the Husker career reception leader with 168 receptions is just one yard away from the Johnny “The Jet” Rogers 1,901 career receiving yards.

De’Mornay Pierson-El

, aka

The Flash

is a true freshman. He hasn’t been targeted much this season, but when he catches it, good things happen; he has 9 catches for 124 yards with 2 receiving touchdowns. The Huskers haven’t had a dynamic punt returner in a long time, and Pierson-El has given Husker fans something to cheer about. (returned 29 punts for 441 yards averaging 15.2 yards per return) He has an 86-yard punt return for one touchdown against Fresno State, and a 62-yard touchdown return against Michigan State. Besides returns, he can throw too. He became the first Husker since Bobby Newcombe to have a return, a pass, and a reception for touchdowns in a season. Maybe we should let him kick field goals too.

Sep 20, 2014; Lincoln, NE, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers defender Randy Gregory (4) sacks Miami Hurricanes quarterback Brad Kaaya (15) in the second half at Memorial Stadium. Nebraska won 41-31. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Thorson-USA TODAY Sports

  • Husker Defense -aka the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. There have been a few bumps, but they are playing great. Randy Gregory, aka the Punisher- may not be leading the team in tackles, but does lead in team in sacks with 5.5 and he is double and triple teamed all game long. The Huskers haven’t blitzed much because the front four have handled themselves pretty well combining for 13.5 of the 21 total sacks. And Nate Gerry-aka Hawkeye- has to be the best safety in the Big Ten. Gerry already has 4 interceptions and is second in team tackles with 50. So many players have stepped up and when one struggles another take his place. They are a far cry from a top ten defense, but they are the best we have had since 2010.

    • The Bad

    1. Offensive Line– aka Force Works has had problems with inconsistency, and other times they have looked great. During the Michigan State game the O-line could not open up any holes for Abdullah and Armstrong took the beating of his life. Why didn’t the backup offensive linemen play more? During Big Ten play, the back-up offensive linemen have been performing better than their first string counterpart at times (See the Northwestern game).
    2.  QB performance – Although Armstrong-aka Daredevil has shown no fear when on the field and has thrown for 1,827 yards and rushed for 571 yards, he has thrown 8 interceptions and a completion percentage of 53%. Turnovers need to be less and completion percentage must go up. Whether Armstrong is locking in on his receiver or the receivers are just running the wrong route, this problem needs to be fixed as all three teams left to play are ranked in the top 32 for passing defense, allowing less than the 209 average passing yards per game and have combined for 26 interceptions this season.
    3. Inconsistent Linebackers– Lately the linebackers have been stepping up. Zaire Anderson-aka Judge Dredd leads the team in tackles with 63 and has really come on as of late with 4 pass breakups. The linebackers have been up and down this season. Most of the problems occurred early in the season, but they had better remember how to stop the run. Wisconsin’s RB, Melvin Gordon is the 10th leading rusher in the nation, averaging 7.8 yards per carry. Minnesota’s RB, David Cobb is also making a name for himself as the 27th leading rusher averaging 5.1 yards per carry.

    The Ugly:

    Tim Beck

    -aka

    Captain Obvious

    and the inconsistent offensive play calling. Why is it when something is working Tim Beck tries to change it up and the Husker offense stalls? And when something is not working, we keep running it? (four straight runs up the middle against Purdue near the goal line) Many Husker fans are upset with the way Tim Beck is running of the Husker Offense. He needs to start earning his $700,000 a year with better play calling.

    More from Husker Corner

  • Fumbles-The Huskers average 2.1 fumbles per game. This doesn’t seem like much but they average losing 0.9 fumbles per game. The ugly ones are the center to the quarterback exchange. Huskers have fumbled 19 times losing 7 of them and currently sit at -0.11 in turnover margin. On the other side of the ball, the Husker opponents have fumbled only 9 times, losing 3 of them. Five fumbles were forced by the Husker defense, one by a Husker Linebacker. The Blackshirts need to do a better job of stripping the ball and recovering it.

    • The Huskers are in control of their own destiny, win out and they will play for the conference championship. Despite the bumps, Coach Pelini seems to have the team heading in the right direction. Wisconsin a BIG test for the rest of season. Let’s hope the real Big Red can take care of business.

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