[Husker] Other Observations

[Steve Stone]

This morning, looking at a home-made recording of the game, I gained 
some perspectives I missed Saturday evening:

1) The Husker defense seemed to be deployed for the primary purpose 
of preventing Bret Meyer gaining a lot of ground on foot. As part of 
that strategy, Husker defensive backs tried to keep ISU receivers in 
front of them, and to do so they had to allow some shorter 
receptions. The result was that Meyer netted a total of only 26 
yards, much shy of his regular output and didn't score any home-run 
passes.

2) Pre-season some concern was expressed (not on this List) about 
Andrew Shanle's ability to play safety. Unless my old eyes deceive 
me, this young man has played well.

3) Although I'm not Carmen SanDiego, I have to ask, "Where in the 
world was Brandon Rigoni?" Answer: not very much in the mix. 
Apparently the Cyclones took note of his presence near punt and 
kickoff receivers and employed special precautions to seal him away 
from the action, particularly since their punt receiver muffed two 
punts last week. As a result, on NU punts and kickoffs, Rigoni didn't 
even come into camera view until the last punt of the second quarter, 
much less play his usually "bullet" role. Not until the fourth 
quarter did he actually get to the punt receiver first or nearly 
first. When you think about it, ISU's attempt to eliminate him as an 
infuence is a tremendous compliment. How often is any "bullet" the 
object of an opponent's special attention?

4) It would appear that the Four Husker Horses (Glenn et.al.) are 
indeed being played on rotation, but an unusual one. Two get lots of 
work in a given game while token appearances are made by the other 
two who get lots of work in the following game while the first two 
make token appearances. This way each running back has a shot at 
getting a 100-yard day. This system may include an an ancillary 
benefit: which two should K-State prepare for next Saturday? And why?

Steve Stone