LINCOLN — Please tell me Nebraska didn't pay Idaho State anything near $1 million for that spectacle at Memorial Stadium Saturday in Lincoln. Whatever the amount, NU should ask for a refund.
You should have seen it — well, never mind.
Husker fans experimented with the wave, varying speeds, and reversing course when the wave met in east stadium at one point. You can't blame them for the distraction — the "game" was ancient history barely four minutes into the second quarter of a 73-7 yawner.
No doubt, it was entertaining to watch Nebraska's offense run up and down the field. But let's not do this again anytime soon.
NU should check future schedules, identify the holes now, and do everything it can to never again schedule an FCS school. I get the whole thing about having to fill out a schedule, but seriously…
Nebraska Head Coach Bo Pelini said he was glad to see his team maintain focus.
"I said to the team last night, 'We'll find out how mature we are as a football team,' " he said. "How were they going to approach the game? Were we going to go out there and do what we're capable of doing, regardless of who the opponent was, and to play the kind of football we're capable of playing?
"I thought we did that early on. It's really easy to have a letdown or look ahead, but it's first things first."
No offense, but it's exponentially more difficult to compete for championships with the cupcakes Nebraska has feasted on in 2012.
Remember the Bill Snyder Kansas State teams in the '90s? The Wildcats put up huge numbers on weak non-conference opponents, but never seriously competed for national titles.
No question ISU was going to be way overmatched, but the same was said about South Dakota State in 2010 when NU came out with a 17-6 "win." The Jackrabbits played their fuzzy white tails off that day in Lincoln — can't say that about Idaho State.
It was downright unsightly to see ISU run with its tail between its legs.
Quite honestly, Bengal players were quitting early in this one.
At 6:03 to play in the first quarter Nebraska receiver Quincy Enunwa scored on a 35-yard touchdown pass from Taylor Martinez to make it 21-0. It may look pretty on Sports Center highlights, but ISU senior corner Anthony Boyles clearly gave up as he quit running at the 5-yard line -- essentially watching Enunwa score easily.
There were plays like that all over the field, and that lack of competition is not going to help this Nebraska team one bit. Simply put, NU got very little from the 2012 non-conference.
Officials seemed to give up on this thing too — missing blatant calls including pass interference when Jamal Turner was tackled in the end zone before a Martinez pass arrived near the end of the first half.
Another beauty came when officials allowed ISU defensive lineman Chris Edwards to catch a short Nebraska kickoff and lay the ball on the ground without even calling fair catch — on any other day NU picks up the ball, scores, and officials review the play.
Or how about the beauty in the third quarter when on fourth down Nebraska picked up a first down on an Idaho State illegal substitution.
Are you kidding me?
You'd have to take a long look back in Nebraska football history to find a more lopsided affair.
NU led 42-0 early in the second quarter, junior quarterback Taylor Martinez was resting on the sideline and backup Ron Kellogg III was at the helm with three quarters to play. That didn't last long as Kellogg locked in on a receiver and threw a pick. Even with the game far out of hand, Kellogg didn't get another shot until midway through the third quarter, leading NU on a scoring drive that made it 59-0.
Too bad Nebraska couldn't get South Dakota State on the schedule, just to beef up an already stellar non-conference.
The Nebraska offense was racking up big plays on Saturday, the defense was flying around, but what's the point?
It's still difficult to get a read on this Nebraska team.
After all, NU failed its only test of the season in the 36-30 loss at UCLA. When the spotlight shined brightest, Nebraska couldn't get it done.
NU is in the hunt for the Big Ten title. But who isn't?
Northwestern will make life difficult in Chicago. Ohio State is on probation but clearly stands in Nebraska's way in Columbus. Heck, don't count out Michigan or Michigan State. The Spartans get Nebraska in East Lansing and the Wolverines' offense has to be licking its chops at NU's questionable run defense.
Nebraska's defense continues to be a huge question mark and the Husker offense was alarmingly absent in the second half against UCLA.
After that loss NU had little chance to get better. There's just no way to know at this point.
With Wisconsin next on the schedule in Lincoln it would be easy to chalk this up as a Nebraska win considering the Badgers' struggles. I don't buy it. The game will likely go down to the wire.
This is no time for Nebraska to get a false sense of security.
The Idaho States of the world nowhere to be found on the conference schedule.
To read more, see Monday's Hastings Tribune or the Tribune e-edition.>>>
