Adam Carriker's Gut Reaction to Nebraska's Much Needed Win Over Rutgers

“This win doesn’t wow you, but wow did we need this win.”

Adam Carriker sums it up pretty well in his Gut Reaction to Nebraska’s win over Greg Schiano and Rutgers. The Huskers had some ugly stretches, especially early, but they kept Rutgers off the scoreboard and eventually pulled away.

Nebraska had been waiting since 2003 for another conference shutout, and this was its first since joining the Big Ten. On a day when the offense took a while to get going, Rob Aurich’s defense gave the Huskers time to figure things out.

Nebraska ran the ball 43 times, with 30 of those carries going to the running backs. Jamal Rule went over 100 yards, and the Huskers also made more use of Anthony Colandrea’s legs. Carriker wants to see that continue. He points out how much better things tend to go for Nebraska when it reaches 150 rushing yards, and he sees Matt Rhule’s influence in the way the offense is called. Nebraska’s first scoring drive felt like a marathon, but it showed what the Huskers can do when they stick with the run and put a drive together.

Even Adam’s 9-year-old picked up on something about the passing game. Colandrea was getting the ball to his tight ends. The running backs got plenty of looks, too, and Nebraska went until the third quarter before completing a pass to a wide receiver. Carriker liked some of Glenn Thomas’ play calls in the red zone, and he gets into the X’s and O’s of why one pitch worked. He also breaks down the fake punt, explaining why Carter Nelson made the right read even though he couldn’t complete the pass.

There’s still plenty for Nebraska to clean up. Penalties made the opening drives feel sloppy, and the Huskers came out of halftime up 14-0 only to get stopped on fourth down on their early possession. Carriker questions the decision to go for it on fourth and short. He gives Caleb Benning credit for the way he played on defense. There’s even a joke about how good a spot the stadium could have been for a nap.

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Now it’s on to Ohio State and Iowa, and Carriker wants the Huskers to get there healthy. He looks at what the Rutgers win means for Nebraska’s bowl outlook and what parts of this game can carry over against tougher competition. After watching Nebraska lean on its running backs, use Colandrea as a runner and put up a shutout, Carriker has a better idea of what he wants this team to look like the rest of the way. The next two games will show how much of it the Huskers can sustain.

Husker fans, follow the Carriker Chronicles for more of Adam Carriker’s Gut Reactions and Nebraska football coverage.

Program sequence

00:00 Adam Carriker Reacts to Nebraska’s Win Over Rutgers
00:27 Nebraska Ran 43 Times, With 30 Carries by Running Backs
00:58 Nebraska’s First Big Ten Shutout
01:40 Matt Rhule’s Influence on the Nebraska Offense
02:20 Why 150 Rushing Yards Matters for Nebraska
03:10 Grading Nebraska
04:08 Taking a Nap at the Stadium?
05:00 Nebraska’s First Couple of Drives
06:00 Early Penalties and a Sloppy Start
06:19 Nebraska’s Defense Looked Good
07:00 Adam Carriker’s Biggest Takeaway From the Win
08:18 Laying the Seed for What’s Next
08:30 Jamal Rule’s Role in the Run Game
09:25 Nebraska’s Marathon Scoring Drive
10:06 A 9-Year-Old’s Take on Colandrea and the Tight Ends
10:36 No Completion to a Wide Receiver Until the Third Quarter
12:28 Nebraska’s Tank Formation
13:03 Good Win vs. a Bad Team and the Fourth-and-Short Call
13:23 Up 14–0, Then Three-and-Outs to Open the Second Half
14:48 Nebraska’s Offensive Identity
15:01 Why Nebraska Should Keep Running Anthony Colandrea
15:30 A Look at the First Downs
16:24 What Nebraska Needs to Clean Up
17:07 Glenn Thomas’ Red-Zone Play Calling
18:33 What the Huskers Can Take From This Game
19:38 Caleb Benning Was Balling
20:15 The X’s and O’s Behind Why the Pitch Worked
21:25 Nebraska vs. Rutgers Game Stats
22:05 A Win the Huskers Will Take
22:40 Adam Carriker Breaks Down Carter Nelson’s Fake Punt
23:30 Jamal Rule Rushes for Over 100 Yards
25:16 Ohio State, Iowa and Nebraska’s Bowl Outlook
25:37 A Dress Rehearsal for the Huskers
26:27 A Get-Right Game and a Moral Win
28:00 “This Win Doesn’t Wow You, but Wow Did We Need This Win”

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