Nebraska proved a lot to the rest of the Big Ten with its 31-14 victory over Michigan State on Saturday at Spartan Stadium.
More importantly, the Huskers’ biggest lesson might have been for themselves.
Anthony Colandrea answered the big question on his mind: Could he step up to compete after tearing up the Mountain West last season at UNLV? He wasn’t perfect but he was good enough. You won’t see a prettier ball than his 44-yard touchdown pass to Kwazi Gilmer for the first touchdown of the game.
Other questions lingered: How would Nebraska handle a road game for the first time this season? How would Nebraska handle its first Big Ten game?
The answers: Yes, yes, yes.
If Nebraska was bothered by the Spartan Stadium crowd of 68,161, it didn’t let on. A road game? Ho-hum. Nevermind. A Big Ten game? Again, nothing to worry about. Granted, the Spartans (2-2) are in the midst of a rebuild under new coach Pat Fitzgerald, but MSU was expected to provide stiff competition.
Does this victory mean the Huskers are the new beasts of the Big Ten? Of course not. But it showed that the fourth edition Huskers led by coach Matt Rhule are resilient, tough and tenacious. With a screaming crowd fully engaged in the game and behind their Spartans, Nebraska brushed aside all the negativity that came their way, plowed forward and plowed under the Spartans.
That’s what else Nebraska has proven, at least for now: that the rest of the Big Ten better not take the Huskers for granted, which is something that might have happened over the past decade. If nothing else, this win at Sparty showed that Nebraska is *not* an easy out and Big Ten teams should know that.
A must-have game?
It was and was not a must-win game for the Huskers. It’s silly to suggest that the fourth game of the season would carry that kind of weight. And that’s not the case.
Without Rhule and the Huskers, a loss would have been devastating. Not only on the season ledger and the Big Ten standings – although losing wouldn’t have helped – but in the psyche of the football team. They needed this game, for the questions that were asked.
Nebraska (4-0) needed this game to continue its early season momentum. Nebraska needed this game to take a deep breath, look back on the accomplishment and look forward to what comes next. Next up is Maryland, losing 54-3 at home Saturday to UCLA, with Terrapins coach Mike Locksley’s job perhaps hanging by a thread.
Nebraska needed this game for several other reasons. After two 7-6 seasons – and this season, like last, could end there – the conference and the nation view Nebraska with some skepticism. Are the Huskers over the hump? Is this the small start of a Nebraska resurgence?
We don’t know if the Huskers got over the hump and we don’t know if this was the start of a season-long resurgence.
Here’s what we think: A loss to Nebraska would have been devastating. In the quiet plane, return from East Lansing and move forward. The uncertainty the Huskers would have felt after a loss would have been unimaginable.
This leisurely plane ride now has to wait for another day.
More questions answered for Nebraska
More answered questions were about the Huskers’ defense. Could they stop MSU’s ongoing attack? Could they get the turnovers every good team needs to succeed?
Yes, and yes.
Injuries to running backs played a role. The Spartans’ Cam Edwards was injured, as was Nebraska’s Jamal Rule. Sparty rushed for 39 yards, as MSU passed the ball 28 times.
Nebraska had three turnovers — defensive coordinator Rob Zurich’s stated goal for each play — and didn’t turn the ball over. This statistic is a winner.
Just like the Huskers’ defensive pressure on the quarterback. It’s also a winning formula.
“I’m really excited for the guys,” Rhule said in a postgame press conference. “It’s a good first step…
“I never felt our guys panicked. They kept attacking. That’s the kind of team we’d like to be.”
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