[Husker] Some thoughts on Troy and the Big-XII

[rczeranko at juno.com]

This was exactly the kind of win that Nebraska needed. I stated early last week that Nebraska needed to dominate Troy the way they did La Tech and Nicholls State. And they did just that.
If you stop and think about it for a moment, playing USC was probably the best thing for Nebraska to prepare them for the Big-XII. USC has a lot of speed on defense, more so than most teams that Nebraska will face this year. I bet that playing against Troy almost seemed like slow motion after playing USC.
Nebraska has kept up its tradition of being a very physical team. USC was banged up after playing Nebraska and struggled in Tucson against UofA. I don't want to beat a dead horse, but Nebraska played well against USC and it showed yesterday against Troy.
Reread the posts expecting a closer game and how listers 'would be happy with a win'. The win yesterday tells me that Nebraska will be ready for their Big-XII run.
Colorado showed that they should not be counted out. Kansas State and Iowa State will be tougher as road games. Missouri traditionally plays Nebraska tough. I am not as sure about Oklahoma State and Texas A&M. And of course Texas will be a big test. If Nebraska keeps playing they way they have during the non-conference season, they could have 1 lose going into the Texas game.
Coach Callahan has done a good job moving Nebraska from a Power-I/Option team to a West Coast team. Nebraska needs to stay healthy (especially in the defensive backfield) and they should win the North. A rematch against Texas in the Big-XII Championship game is definitely a possibility even before Nebraska has started their Big-XII season.
When I watch the games, my 4 and half year old son does the 'Go Big Red!' along with his daddy.
Go Big Red
Rob Czeranko