What a big week in College Football and what a great game for the Huskers! Four undefeated teams have now fallen from the ranks of the unbeaten, but the sweetest has to be the fall of Sparta. Nebraska finally gets a storybook ending to fall their way this season, and knock off the 7th ranked Spartans. That game was absolutely insane and the stadium was rocking like never before. I was at Memorial Stadium for Alex Henery's field goal and for Westerkamp's Hail Mary catch, but I have never seen the stadium that pumped up. That was definitely a game for the ages.
Nebraska finally won a close game this year, and have now accomplished something that has not been done in over a decade in Lincoln, beat a top ten team. A lot of controversy has come up on the game-winning touchdown catch by Brandon Reilly. I personally do not see an issue with the call on the field. They have had numerous referees and other officials comment on the play, and all have said that the correct call on the field was made. Sparty fans might still be upset, but they need to remember that Michigan State did not lose on that play alone, they could've put that game away by getting a first down on their drive before Nebraska took the lead. There were plenty of opportunities for each team to win the game, and Nebraska made the most of them. Tommy Armstrong played a fantastic game, and was lights out in the 4th Quarter. He made some very clutch plays, especially with his two touchdown runs. My personal favorite is when he ran over the Michigan State defender and knocked him back into the endzone. Nebraska's wideouts played a great game as well. Westerkamp took shot after shot while still holding onto the ball, and Reilly had some amazing catches throughout the night. One of the most impressive catches was that 50/50 grab where he wrestled the ball away from the Michigan State defender, giving the Huskers a first and goal at the 4. Sadly the Huskers squandered that opportunity by throwing two straight passes, the second one getting intercepted. Overall, the Huskers were fairly balanced on offense rushing the ball 36 times and throwing it 33 times. Hopefully they can keep this balanced attack into the future and execute well in their upcoming games.
On the defensive side of the ball, the Blackshirts played well, especially in the first half. Connor Cook was able to make adjustments and burn the secondary for 335 yards and 4 TDs. The Blackshirts did come away with 1 interception, and held the Spartans to a total of 143 rushing yards. Although they struggled in the second half, they did make a few key stops throughout the game that helped the Huskers to victory. I really wish they could've gotten some pressure on Cook, but I'll take the win regardless.
Just a couple quick notes from the game:
1. This was a much needed win for the Huskers, the players, fans, and staff.
2. Michigan State had one of the most impressive drives I have ever seen in football when they took 8 minutes off of the clock on their lone touchdown drive of the 4th Quarter.
3. The final kickoff for the Huskers was not thought out well. I'm positive that Coach Reed had Drew kick it short, and I am still trying to understand why. You know for sure that you can put their offense has far back as the 25 yard line. There is no reason to give them the extra 15-20 yards. I'm still scratching my head on that call.
I ended up with a 4-4 record on my picks this week. My losses were pretty lopsided, so I'll have to straighten those up in the final few weeks of the season. Memphis proved that they are not the real deal, and I probably shouldn't have switched horses off of Navy so quickly. I definitely believe that they will win the American Conference after that beat down of the Tigers. As for the recent CFB Playoff rankings, I think that they got them right. I still have Baylor ahead of Iowa, and I think that as we move through November, that will be the case as Baylor has 3 top 15 teams over the next 3 weeks. We're in for an exciting finish to the College Football Season, and it's coming fast! If you would like my analysis on any of the other big games or how teams have played this season, please comment! Thank you, and GO BIG RED!
#CollegeFootballKnowItAll
Alex Fernando
No comments:
Post a Comment