Jan

1

Video: Gator Bowl Highlights from CBS Sports

Filed Under 2008 Opponents, Clemson, Gator Bowl, Videos | Leave a Comment

Highlights of Nebraska’s 26-21 victory over from CBS Sports!


Watch CBS Videos Online

Tags: , , ,

Jan

1

Gator Bowl Postgame Notes

Filed Under 2008 Opponents, Bo Pelini, Clemson, Gator Bowl, Joe Ganz, bowl games | Leave a Comment

Courtesy NU Media Relations :

* Nebraska head coach Bo Pelini picked up his ninth win in today’s game, tying for the most wins by a Nebraska first-year head coach . He joined Bob Devaney (9 in 1962), (9 in 1973) and (9 in 1998) with nine wins in their first season leading the Cornhuskers.

* Bo Pelini’s ninth win also tied him for the most victories by any of the 18 first-year head coaches in the Division I ranks this season.

* Nebraska senior quarterback completed 19-of-36 passes for 237 yards. With his 237 passing yards, Ganz increased his season passing total to 3,569 yards, building on his Nebraska season passing record . Ganz finished his Husker career with 5,126 passing yards, good for second on the NU charts. In today’s game he passed (5,035) to move into second place, trailing only Zac Taylor’ s 5,860 career passing yards.

* Ganz accounted for 239 yards of total offense, increasing his final career total to 5,468. He moved up two spots to fourth on NU’s career total offense list. In today’s game Ganz passed Jerry Tagge (5,283) and (5,421) while falling just short of Tommie Frazier (5,476) on the list.

* Nebraska senior receiver caught three passes for 32 yards and one touchdown. With his 32 receiving yards, Swift finished second in the Nebraska record book for season and career receiving yardage. Swift finished his senior season with 941 receiving yards, just short of Johnny Rodgers ’ 943 yards in 1972. Swift ran his career receiving yardage total to 2,476 yards, also just shy of Rodgers’ 2,479 receiving yards from 1970 to 1972.

* Nebraska nose tackle Ndamukong Suh blocked a second-quarter Tiger FG attempt, his second blocked kick of the season. Nebraska’s Rickey Thenarse added blocked punt as the Huskers finished with six blocked kicks on the year (3 by ). The six blocked kicks are the most by Nebraska since the Huskers blocked seven kicks in the 2005 season.

* Suh finished the game with a team-best eight tackles, including sacks of 12 yards in the second quarter and seven yards in the third quarter. Suh finished the 2008 season with 76 tackles and became the first defensive lineman to lead Nebraska in tackles since 1973. Suh totaled 7.5 sacks sacks and 19 tackles for loss this season.

* Sophomore I-back Quentin Castille rushed 18 times for a career-high 125 yards, including a career-long 58-yard rush in the third quarter. His previous long rush was a 37-yard touchdown run at Kansas State earlier this season. The 58-yard run also tied the season long rush for Nebraska (Marlon Lucky 58 yards vs. New Mexico State).

* The 11-point deficit Nebraska overcame ties for the largest comeback by Nebraska in a bowl game , matching the 11-point comeback against Michigan in the 2005 Alamo Bowl when NU trailed 28-17 in the fourth quarter.

* Senior defensive end finished the game with four tackles, including two tackles for loss of four yards. He also had one pass breakups and one quarterback hurry. Potter finished his senior season with 16 tackles for loss and 28 TFLs in his career.

* Sophomore tight end Mike McNeill had three receptions for 27 yards in today’s game. McNeill finished the season with 32 catches, breaking Johnny Mitchell’s Nebraska position record of 31 catches in 1991.

* Sophomore place-kicker Alex Henery connected on field goals of 48, 28, 28 and 22 yards, tying the Nebraska bowl record with four made kicks in a game. Nebraska’s first points of the game came on Henery’s seventh field goal of 40 yards or more this season (he is 7-of-9 from that distance). Henery improved to (18-of-21) on field goals this season and (26-of-29) in his Husker career.

* The registered five sacks for 44 yards, pushing its season total to 35 sacks, more than double the Huskers’ 2007 total of 13 sacks. The Huskers produced 19 sacks for 169 yards in the final four games of the season .

* Nebraska held Clemson to 208 yards of total offense in today’s game. The Nebraska bowl record for yards allowed is 174 vs. Michigan State in 2003, Bo Pelini’s game as interim head coach. In two bowl games with Pelini as head coach, Nebraska has allowed an average of 191 total yards.


Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Jan

1

CBS Sports intro video for 2009 Gator Bowl

Filed Under 2008 Opponents, Clemson, Gator Bowl, Videos | Leave a Comment

Whoever it was at CBS who compiled this , give that person a promotion!

Tags: , ,

Jan

1

Huskers Win! The Huskers Win!

Filed Under Gator Bowl | Leave a Comment

Check back soon for comprehensive coverage and commentary of the Huskers Gator Bowl victory over Clemson.

Some quick thoughts:

  • Amazing half-time adjustments by the Huskers
  • We take for granted
  • Quenten Castille = battering ram.
  • Little output from Helu or Lucky. We’ll explore this later
  • What a ‘good-feeling’ win for the Husker program
  • I don’t think we’ll forget Joe Ganz’s performance today any time soon. It was one for the ages.

What will you remember from today’s Gator Bowl?

Leave a one-liner in the comments section!

Tags: , , , ,

Jan

1

Fresh Gator Bowl breakdown from this morning’s Jacksonville Times-Union

Filed Under 2008 Opponents, Clemson, Gator Bowl | Leave a Comment

GO BIG RED!


We are less than 8 hours from kickoff of the 2009 , and you can feel the anticipation in the air!

We’ve got a breakdown of Nebraska vs. from this morning’s Jacksonville Times-Union, courtesy of Jacksonville.com columnist Garry Smits :

2009 Breakdown from

Garry Smits of the Jacksonville Times-Union

INTANGIBLES

Both teams are entering the on three-game winning streaks. Both have overcome adversity this season. Both have first-year coaches. At midseason, neither expected to be in a New Year’s Day bowl. It’s hard to forecast how each team will respond. has played in the nine times, and Nebraska is in its first trip to Jacksonville, but that doesn’t affect any players on either team one way or another. last played here in 2001. However, the Tigers still might feel more at home just a few hours away from South Carolina. With two good offenses and two suspect defenses, the team jumping out to an early lead might get the upper hand.

’S OFFENSE VS. NEBRASKA’S DEFENSE

The perception is that still has a potent offense, but the statistics show otherwise. Despite the presence of the "Thunder and Lightning" running back combination of C.J. Spiller and James Davis, the Tigers are only 92nd in rushing in the nation and 82nd in total offense and have scored fewer than 20 points in five games. The Cornhuskers have made great strides in defense under coach , but they are 67th in the nation in total defense and don’t force many turnovers or get many sacks. These units didn’t perform as well this season as they traditionally do at these two schools.

NEBRASKA’S OFFENSE VS. ’S DEFENSE

The Huskers epitomize balance. Seven receivers have caught 21 or more passes, and eight receivers have caught touchdown passes. The three-pronged running attack is led by Roy Welu, but don’t forget (below), the team’s leading rusher and pass receiver in 2007. At the trigger is quarterback , who calmly distributes the ball and manages the game with the poise of a polished professional, leading Nebraska to 18th in the nation in scoring offense. has its prototypical defense , with speed and a mean streak at every position. They stop the pass a bit better than the run and are ninth in scoring defense in the country . However, hasn’t faced an offense like this, even if it is in the middle of the pack in the Big 12. Nebraska’s offense, statistically, would lead the ACC in five categories.

SPECIAL TEAMS

Both place kickers, Alex Henerey of Nebraska and Mark Buchholz of , are capable , but Henerey has the stronger leg and booted a 57-yarder to put the Huskers ahead of Colorado to stay in their final regular-season game. Henerey is 6 of 8 on field-goal attempts from 40 yards or longer, and Buchholz is 3 of 6. In addition, Henerey made all five of his attempts in Nebraska’s final three games, while Buchholz was 4 of 8 in his last three games. Each team has one dangerous returner , of Nebraska on punts (tied for eighth in the nation with 14.78 yards per return) and C.J. Spiller of on kickoffs (10th in the nation with 27.93 per return). Both have one TD this season. Neither team punts or covers kicks particularly well.

COACHING

Both coaches, of Nebraska and of , are in their first seasons as head coaches, and Swinney has had the job for only six games. They’re energetic, focused and have their teams and fans behind them, but this will be the biggest game either has coached in .

That might make the game a toss-up, but here’s one possible edge for Nebraska: Pelini won a bowl game as Nebraska’s interim coach in 2003 and has been a defensive coordinator with Oklahoma and LSU in BCS national championship games . Swinney has never been a head coach or a coordinator before this year.

- GARRY SMITS /The Times-Union

gator-official

Tags: , , , , ,

Jan

1

Ten USA Military Heroes will be attending today’s Gator Bowl

Filed Under Gator Bowl | Leave a Comment

From MSNBC and the official press release:

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - As the Clemson Tigers and Cornhuskers get ready to go head to head, there will be 10 wounded veterans in the stadium trading in their fatigues for red and white or orange and purple.

will be one of those attending.

Boggs, who lost his left eye, ruptured both eardrums and suffered a traumatic brain injury in the Iraqi war, is the spokesperson for the Coalition to Salute America’s Heroes.

His organization partnered with Konica Minolta to bring some of the country’s most severely wounded veterans, their families and caregivers to the . He hopes this will let them forget even if only for a day the problems they are facing in the aftermath of the war.

This is the second year Konica Minolta has donated tickets to the organization, the leading organization providing emergency financial aid to severely wounded troops from Iraq and Afghanistan and their families as part of its continued efforts to support local communities in which the company maintains a presence.

“This is our second year as the title sensor of the Konica Minolta , and again we wanted to leverage this position in a way that allows us to honor the brave men and women who have served our country,” said Kevin Kern, vice president of Konica Minolta.

“These people put their lives on the line, sacrificed their time. If you look what they’ve been through, all the stuff they’ve done is just tremendous … And really to reward them for what they did for our country,” added Kern.

usa-flag

Tags: , , ,

Jan

1

Today’s key Gator Bowl matchup: Nebraska QB Joe Ganz vs. Clemson Safety Michael Hamlin

Filed Under 2008 Opponents, Clemson, Gator Bowl, Joe Ganz | Leave a Comment

Continuing our look at this morning’s Gator Bowl coverage from the and Jacksonville media, here’s the key match-up identified by the Myrtle Beach Sun-News: Senior Nebraska QB Joe Ganz against safety .

More Gator Bowl breakdown from people with a bent right here.

About : Earlier this week, coach said that few will have appreciated the 6-3 senior from Timmonsville enough until he has gone. Hamlin has 14 career interceptions, third most in program history, and 18 career takeaways, one off the record held by Terry Kinard (1979-82).

About Joe Ganz: The 6-foot-1 senior largely has been overshadowed by the quality of other Big 12 quarterbacks who played on teams that contended for the conference title. But Ganz is a gamer whomay well would be been the cream of the crop in the ACC. He has 23 passing touchdowns this season, two shy of the school record.

How Hamlin will win the matchup: The knock on Ganz is he can be a risk-taker, and Hamlin has certainly proven adept at positioning himself to capitalize on an opponents’ mistakes. Ganz isn’t afraid to throw over the middle, which is where Hamlin is at his best as a center fielder.

How Ganz will win the matchup: has yet to see an offense with such an aggressive passing attack approach and the quarterback to execute it. Offensive coordinator Shawn Watson does a masterful job of incorporating Ganz’s ability to throw on the run, and when that is paired with high-percentage throws, the Cornhuskers have tended to pick up their passing yards in large chunks and thus scored lots of points.

Key numbers:

  • Nine of 15 career starts: number in which Ganz has thrown for at least 290 yards.
  • 3 Consecutive games in which Hamlin has recorded an interception, one shy of the school record and the second time Hamlin has produced such a streak.

new-huskers-script

Tags: , , , , ,

Dec

29

VIDEO: ESPN’s Todd McShay Previews the Konica Minolta Gator Bowl

Filed Under 2008 Opponents, Clemson, Gator Bowl | Leave a Comment

Tags: , , ,

Dec

27

Nebraska OC Shawn Watson speaks with reporters after Saturday’s Gator Bowl practice

Filed Under Clemson, Gator Bowl, Videos | Leave a Comment

From the Lincoln Journal Star website:

Tags: , ,

Dec

26

Husker Links: Gator Bowl Edition

Filed Under Bo Pelini, Clemson, Gator Bowl, Huskers in the NFL, Ndamukong Suh, Recruiting, Shawn Watson, Steve Sipple | Leave a Comment

Links:

Huskers get down to business in Jacksonville.

Suh said the mood gets even more serious now with the game less than a week away.

“We’re definitely down here for our business,” he said. “The main thing here is to come down and beat Clemson. Do that and then you can celebrate and have all the fun you want after the game.”

HuskerLocker on why it is good to recruit in Texas.

says Shawn Watson will be back in 2009.

Cornhuskers arrive in Jacksonville with heavy hearts.L

Good profile from the Chicago Sun-Times on former Husker Mike Brown:

”He’s the best football player I have ever played with,” Urlacher said. ”He’s the smartest guy I have ever been around on and off the field, a great teammate, a leader. He’s who I consider our team leader.”

Le Kevin Smith is finding his role with the Patriots.

Tim Griffin and Omaha World-Herald take a look at how little the Huskers D has been on the field during Big 12 play:

Nebraska’s average time of possession of 33 minutes, 59 seconds ranks as its best figure since records were first maintained on the statistic in 1980.

NU, on break until Friday from preparations for the Jan. 1 Gator Bowl, ranks second nationally to TCU in time of possession and better than the national leaders from each of the past three seasons.

So what does it mean?

“It’s the greatest thing in the world,” Nebraska defensive coordinator said.

The Huskers’ clock advantage helped offset their poor turnover margin, 105th nationally, and provided relief for a defense short on depth. The style of play was born, like much of Nebraska’s progress in this 8-4 season, after a 52-17 loss to Missouri on Oct 4.

Tim Griffin’s 30 most significant moments in Big 12 in 2008.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Next Page →