Tad Stryker: First Step

Defense and kicking game show life as Joseph, Huskers handle Hoosiers on Homecoming

Tad Stryker | Oct 2, 2022

In this story:

As the final seconds ran down during Nebraska’s 35-21 victory over Indiana (see video clip above), it seemed appropriate to look to the south and thank the Cajun connection of Mickey Joseph, Bill Busch and Trey Palmer — all of whom moved from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, to Lincoln this year — for injecting a much-needed dose of good news into the bloodstream of the Nebraska football program, which earned its first win over a BCS team in 364 days.

Busch’s fingerprints were all over this victory, because defense and special teams showed up in a big way for the Huskers, who had not defeated Indiana in Lincoln since I.M. Hipp played I-back for the Big Red

For starters, Nebraska ended a three-year drought of special-teams touchdowns. Chris Kolarevic and Malcolm Hartzog teamed up to deliver a blocked punt for a touchdown, something NU hadn’t done since Halloween 2009 in a 20-10 win over Baylor, the day Jared Crick had a school-record five sacks for the Big Red. And even more surprising, the Huskers put together three punt returns for 37 yards, and one of them set up a touchdown.

The defense, which came into the game rated near the bottom of all BCS schools in almost every defensive category, can enjoy a measure of pride. The unit may have earned back its Blackshirts, giving up only 290 yards of total offense to what has been considered a decent Indiana offense.

The Hoosiers scored no points in the second half, and the Huskers allowed the Hoosiers only five total yards on 12 snaps in the fourth quarter. Moreover, Indiana, which ran more than 100 plays from scrimmage in its game against Cincinnati, had only 67 snaps against Nebraska. Joseph and Mark Whipple didn’t dramatically slow down Nebraska’s offensive pace — the Huskers rarely huddled — but they held nearly a 10-minute advantage in time of possession and practiced complementary football for the first time in recent memory.

In his maiden voyage as Husker defensive coordinator, Busch used quite a bit of press man-to-man coverage, and Travis Fisher’s secondary held up well, breaking up eight passes, with Hartzog getting one of those in his first start at corner. Linebacker Luke Reimer intercepted a pass.

Joseph, who was largely responsible for bringing Palmer to Lincoln, and received the game ball from Trev Alberts in the locker room, was the catalyst to a rejuvenated-looking team — an offense that played sloppy football quite often, piling up double-digit penalties and triple-digit penalty yards — but overall, played with more energy than it has all year.

With the game tied 21-21 heading into the final period, Nebraska put together a strong fourth quarter when it needed one.

Credit quarterback Casey Thompson, who was sacked four times but kept coming back, even after injuring his shoulder midway through the third quarter. He threw a 71-yard touchdown pass to Palmer early in the fourth quarter to give the Huskers the lead. Then he came back and led the drive of the game, a mistake-free, 12-play, 54-yard scoring march that consumed 6:05. Thompson scored on a 1-yard run with 6:53 remaining to give NU some breathing room.

Credit Joseph and Whipple for sticking with the run game even when it wasn’t producing all that well. They stayed patient as the Big Red frittered away excellent field position in the scoreless third quarter with sloppy offensive line play, including three penalties over the course of back-to-back series that started at the Indiana 49 and the Husker 44. In the end, Nebraska ran the ball 51 times, stacking up that time-of-possession edge, and Anthony Grant had another big game, rushing for 136 yards on 32 carries, and toting the ball seven times for 31 yards on the game-clinching touchdown drive.

“We finished today in the fourth quarter,” Thompson said in the postgame press conference. “We finished the game with the ball in our hands, which is a positive. We've been overdue to finish the game in a victory (formation), and take a knee.”

Palmer caught eight passes for 157 yards and a touchdown, and he had those three punt returns. He caught an 11-yard pass on third-and-10 crossing route to jumpstart that game-winning drive.

Joseph and his team needed something to build on, and winning a game that was tied in the fourth quarter is a good starting point. The road will get harder. It’s time for another step.

More coverage & commentary: HuskerMax game page

Published Oct 2, 2022

TAD STRYKER

Tad Stryker, whose earliest memories of Nebraska football take in the last years of the Bob Devaney era, has covered Nebraska collegiate and prep sports for 40 years. Before moving to Lincoln, he was a sports writer, columnist and editor for two newspapers in North Platte. He can identify with fans who listen to Husker sports from a tractor cab and those who watch from a sports bar. A history buff, Stryker has written for HuskerMax since 2008. You can reach Tad at tad.stryker@gmail.com.