QB Jammal Lord on paper had one of the best games he has ever had as quarterback. He was 12 of 18 attempts passing and 1 touchdown for a 67% completion rate. Lord rushed for 111 on 19 carries and had a 35-yard touchdown scamper late in the third quarter to put the Cornhuskers up by 10 points. The fourth quarter may have been Lord's worst performance to date. The Tigers scored a touchdown early in the fourth quarter on a 39- yard run by QB Brad Smith. Remember the Cornhuskers still have the lead 24 to 21. The Cornhuskers' next drive was only 3 plays that ended in a Lord fumble giving the Tigers the ball on the Nebraska 9. That lead to a 14-yard touchdown pass to WR Victor Sesay making the score Cornhuskers 24 and Tigers 28. On the next series, Lord went 3 and out and the Cornhuskers had to punt. The Tigers started this drive on the Nebraska 36-yard line, 8 plays later it ended with TB Zack Abron scoring on a 1-yard touchdown run. After a failed extra point the Tigers were now leading 34 to 24. Lord started this series with great field position on the Nebraska 43-yard line. On the second play from scrimmage Lord throw an interception to DE Zach Ville who returned the ball all the way back to the Nebraska 7-yard line. Once again the Tigers had a short field to work with. QB Brad Smith scored on a 9-yard touchdown run on the drive's second play from scrimmage. The Tigers had extended their lead to 41 to 24. On the next possession, Lord was unable to move the ball again and the Cornhuskers went 3 and out and punted the ball back to the Tigers. The Tigers ran the clock out. Lets recap Lord's performance in the fourth quarter throwing the ball. He was 1 of 4 attempts for minus 2 yards and 1 interception with a completion rate of 25%. He was also sacked 2 times for 24 yards and rushed for 1 yard and let's not forget the fumble on the Nebraska 9-yard line. This type of performance is unacceptable, but I am sure Frank Solich and Barney Cotton will dust Lord off and send him out next week against Texas A&M as our best chance to beat the Aggies. I say enough is enough. It's time we start giving QB Joe Daily some playing time. Joe Daily is the better passer and will be the starter next year. Let's start getting him prepared to play. On a more positive note, IB David Horn had a good game rushing for 119 yard on 26 attempts and scoring 1 touchdown. IB Josh Davis only rushed for 4 yards on 7 carries and caught 1 pass for minus 2 yards. Josh also fumbled a first quarter kick giving the Tigers a short field to work with starting at the Nebraska 6-yard line. This one bad performance by Josh isn't enough to make Horn number 1 again on the depth chart, but if Josh has one the next game the talk will begin. With that being said look for Horn to get a longer look against Texas A&M. WR Mark LeFlore had a good game catching 6 passes for 76 yards. Early in the first quarter LeFlore scored on a 55 yard screen pass showing good speed. This year the Cornhuskers have seen good performances from WR Ross Pilkington, WR Mark LeFlore, WR Isaiah Fluellen and TE Matt Herian. These are weapons in the Cornhusker arsenal that must be involved more in the game plan. The Cornhuskers need a more consistent quarterback and one that can complete passes when the game is on the line. QB Jammal Lord has yet to convince the Husker Nation or the rest of the country that he is that guy. The Cornhusker defense has been taking some criticism for the loss to the Tigers, but let's take a closer look at some of the obstacles they faced. First of all, the offense didn't help any turning the ball over five times. Three of those times set the Tigers up inside the Nebraska 10 yard line giving the Tigers a short field to work with. The Cornhusker offense failed to help the defense by not producing any drives over three plays in the fourth quarter, thereby keeping the defense on the field for most of that time. The Cornhusker defense didn't have their best game tackling and were only able to cause two turnovers. Bo Pelini's defense has helped carry this team most of the year and should get the benefit of the doubt with this performance. LB Barrett Ruud led the team in tackles with 12 and LB Demorrio Williams had 10 tackles, one sack and an interception. FS Josh Bullocks had 6 tackles and another interception this week, making his yearly total 6. This week Texas A&M comes to Lincoln. The Cornhuskers should be ready to show the nation that they are still a team deserving of a top 25 ranking. Frank Solich will stay with Jammal Lord as quarterback. Look for the natives to get restless if Lord gets off to a slow start. My prediction is Nebraska 31, Texas A&M 10. |
