[Husker] Perspective

[Steve Stone]

Doug Martin wrote:

>Some items that I would like to add after seeing the game in 
>addition to what I have read so far:
>1.  Kunalic is a good kick off guy but we have some issues on 
>kickoff coverage when he does not get it in or out of the end zone. 
>There are all speed guys on the coverage team and Lawson and 
>Castille I assume are supposed to be the wedge destroyers.  Problem 
>is they were held up by average blocks at mid field and we don't 
>have the instinct from the outside to cave in like we should.  I 
>think this is fixable.
>2.  Our offensive line does not sustain blocks like I hoped they 
>would.  If we are going to compete in the Big XII this absolutely 
>must improve.  I was disappointed in that.
>3.  Holt is just like Purify.......big presence, hard to cover.
>4.  Our defensive line is not even what I would call average.  We 
>are going to have to live by scheme, not brawn in the Big XII.  I am 
>very fearful of what a decent running game will do against us.  God 
>forbid a mobile quarterback.

I think the jury is still out on this one. I particularly liked the 
play of redshirt freshmen backups Moore and Crick. They're going to 
be good backups this year and monsters the following three seasons.

>5.  Everyone seems to like Dillard, unfortunately he was pretty 
>non-existent from my seat.

I've had time to review the game tape, and I have to disagree on this 
point. Dillard was very much in evidence.

>6.  There are some new wrinkles on offense with double tight end 
>sets that I did not see at all last year.

Agreed. We saw lots of things we didn't see last year. Mostly good.

>7.  It takes Lucky an inordinate amount of time to see the hole.  He 
>got "Lucky" on the sweep play to the left for a TD because their 
>entire defense overran the play and we had a hat on everyone of them 
>anyway.  Maybe I am spoiled, but Green, Jones, Hipp, Redwine, Berns, 
>Davis, et al. would have been standing in the end zone at the time 
>Lucky finally saw the hole on that play.

Lucky was relatively slow to see the hole on at least two occasions, 
but when scoring his first TD he hid behind Matt Slauson until he had 
the opportunity to take a quick stutter step, then blaze away. There 
was nothing at all slow about the play. Lucky was patient, not slow - 
- and he played it exactly right.

I keep mentioning Prince Amukamara as the closest thing to a cheetah 
we've got on the field, and he proved it again on Saturday when he 
closed about four yards on the receiver from the NU 10 yard line to 
he goal line where he batted the WMU pass down. A genuinely 
remarkable feat. Doesn't anyone else on the HuskerList see these 
things?

Steve Stone