Nebraska Hones the Art of Clearing Hurdles

Randy York's N-Sider

Every college football team in America has hurdles to clear, handicaps to overcome and hardships to face.  The key is to keep moving, keep improving and keep redefining yourself.  Nebraska did all of that Saturday night, and more, in a 38-17 win over Northwestern in Evanston, Ill.  Somehow, two turbo-charged Nebraska sophomores looked like Big Ten hurdlers in helping the No. 16-ranked Huskers sail past a Wildcat team that has beaten Wisconsin at home and Penn State on the road. 

Winning in Evanston adds fuel to fire and creates confidence for Nebraska to clear two more road hurdles at Wisconsin on Nov. 15 and at Iowa on the day after Thanksgiving.  The Huskers' three remaining home hurdles are Saturday's date with Rutgers at 11 a.m., followed by Purdue on Nov. 1 and Minnesota on Nov. 22 (kickoffs TBD).  Players in passionate pursuit of Nebraska's first conference championship in 15 years see the challenge just like Miles Ukaoma, the Huskers' 2014 400-meter NCAA hurdle champion, viewed his ....  one hurdle at a time. Quarterback Tommy Armstrong Jr., above, couldn't resist elevating the team he leads, even though his head coach has issued warnings about the dangers of hurdling defenders to gain more yardage.  

Jordan 'Hail Mary' Westerkamp Can Hurdle, Too

The Huskers' other consummate hurdler Saturday night was Illinois native Jordan Westerkamp, below.  Talk about an inerhent sense of football timing.  Huskers.com photographer Scott Bruhn had his own game face on,  His photos show how Armstrong and Westerkamp relish their equal opportunities to avoid congestion and maximize yardage.  Armstrong's drama was part of a 17-yard bolt of electricity, and Westerkamp's hurdle display enabled him to stretch his reception into 23 yards.

The Evidence: Bo Greets Tommy with a Smile

Let the record show that Nebraska Coach Bo Pelini couldn't help but smile when Armstrong gave Wildcat defenders an airborne sample of his athleticism.  In his own way, Bo, shown on the sideline immediately after Armstrong's acrobatic leap, gave Tommy tacit approval for his actions. The photo above is what video boards inside Wildcat Stadium showed when Pelini welcomed Tommy back to the sideline. 

Pierson-El Shows Versatility, Earns Offensive Honor

As dazzling as Amstrong Jr. and Westerkamp can be, and as productive as Husker Heisman candidate Ameer Abdullah showed once again at Northwestern, none received Nebraska's Offensive Player of the Game award.  That honor went to De'Mornay Pierson-El, pictured above throwing his first-ever Husker pass and below while celebrating the completion with his teammates.  Pierson-El, a freshman from Alexandria, Va., gave defenses another reason to fear the weapons he carries with him to practice every day.  We've all seen his skill sets on punt returns and kickoff returns.  He's also a dangerous wide receiver who becomes even more explosive once he has the ball in his hands. Saturday night, Pierson-El returned three punts 26 yards and two kickoffs 29 yards.  He also caught three passes for 66 yards, including one for 46 yards, and completed his only pass to Tommy Armstrong Jr. for a 16-yard touchdown and 121 total all-purpose yards.

Throwback Play Reminiscent of 2001 Crouch Catch

Kudos to Nebraska Offensive Coordinator Tim Beck for addng the forward pass to De'Mornay's growing freshman resume.  With 74 seconds left in the second quarter and Nebraska trailing, 14-7, Pierson-El threw a spiral  touchdown to a wide-open Armstrong Jr..  It would have been nice to be sitting next to Eric Crouch or Mike Stuntz when the 2014 version of Black 41 Flash Reverse came out of a time machine 13 years after that pair hijacked Oklahoma with similar fireworks.  Giving multi-faceted quarterbacks the thrill of catching the ball instead of just throwing or running it gives defenses headaches that more than match hurdles.  Current football staffer Joe Ganz was the last Husker quarterback to catch a touchdown pass when running back Marlon Lucky connected with him on a 20-yard score against New Mexico State in 2008.

Williams Shares Defensive Award with Gerry; Foltz Honored

One of the greatest gifts of a season that still has Nebraska's major goals intact was the return of a defensive tackle who would have started last year if he had not been sidelined with a twice-torn ACL.  Even though Kevin Williams, No. 92 above, has missed action on the field, the talented junior from Holland, Ohio, has kept his focus in the classroom, earning his Bachelor's degree as a Management major last August.  Williams is a role model student-athlete who turned down scholarships from the likes of Michigan, Michigan State, Wisconsin, Oregon, and Stanford. His return to action Saturday night was an emotional experience for him and a meaningful moment for Nebraska Defensive Coordinator John Papuchis, shown hugging the perservering Williams below after No. 92 recorded 2.5 sacks that resulted in 24 lost Northwestern yards.  Williams shared Nebraksa's Defensive Player of the Game honor with Nate Gerry, a sophomore defensive back from Sioux Falls, S.D.  Gerry had two solo tackles, three assists and an important interception in the end zone that thwarted a Northwestern scoring threat.  Sam Foltz, a sophomore from Grand Island, earned the Player of the Game Award for Special Teams.  Statistically speaking, Foltz's 33.4-yard average for five punts sounds like a high school stat.  But his delicate mastery of his chosen craft helped place all five punts inside the opponent's 20-yard line.  With continued improvement and consistency, Foltz looks like another Husker destined to punt in the NFL.  Just watching him jump straight up in the air to warm up is a testament to his athleticism.  The 6-foot-1, 200-pound Foltz is every bit the human pogo stick you see on Nebraska's track and field team.

Ketter, Mosely, Poppen Earn Husker Scout Team Honors

Three Scout Team players, which help the Huskers prepare for each opponent, received Play of the Game honors as well.  Connor Ketter, a 6-foot-5, 240-pound redshirt freshman tight end from Norfolk (Neb.) Catholic, was named Scout Team Offensive Player of the Game.  Trai Mosley, a 5-foot-10, 165-pound freshman defensive back from Hendrickson High School in Pflugerville, Texas, was named Nebraska's Scout Team Defensive Player of the Game leading up to Northwestern.  Garrett Poppen, a 6-foot-1, 215-pound linebacker from Giltner, Neb., was named Scout Special Teams Player of the Week.

Gangwish Gets Hugs from Papuchis, Kaz, Others

Kevin Williams wasn't the only Husker getting a hug from Papuchis.  Jack Gangwish, a 6-foot-2, 260-pound junior walk-on defensive end, found J.P., above, and Rick "Kaz" Kaczenski, his position coach, waiting to celebrate on the sideline after he combined with Williams on a quarterback sack that forced Northwestern to punt late in the third quarter.  Big Red fans should know that Gangwish walked on to follow in the footsteps of his father, Paul, who lettered as a Husker walk-on in the 1980s. 

Nebraska Players, Coaches Salute Faithful Fans

One thing I like most about Big Ten schools is their joint commitment to honor college football fans who pack stadiums like no other fans in America.  Saturday night, Nebraska fans accounted for half of the seats Northwestern sold, and Andy Janovich (35) above, took the time to honor those who supported the Huskers in Evanston.

Northwestern Coach Glad to See the Last of Ameer

Coverage from Nebraska's win rightfully focused on the Huskers' 24-0 second-half mastery of Northwestern. My Quote of the Week comes from Pat Fitzgerald, Northwestern's head coach who is a good friend of Bo Pelini, an Academic All-Big Ten honoree at Ohio State.  Reminded that Ameer Abdullah rushed for 146 yards and scored four touchdowns against the Wildcats, Fitzgerald asked his own question as an answer to the one directed his way.  "He's a senior, right?  That's terrific.  I'm going to send him a present for his graduation," Teddy Greenstein wrote in the Chicago Tribune.  

Bo Grateful for Huskers Having Homes Away from Home

We end this N-Sider column with a photo of Bo Pelini acknowledging Husker fans who took precious time and spent hard-earned money to support Nebraska football in Evanston.  In the hotel where we stayed in Chicago, two brothers, who work for the railroad, drove with their father, a farmer near Waverly, Neb., for their first-ever joint Husker road trip.  As hard-working professionals who love Nebraska the state and the state of Nebraska, they enjoyed their maiden voyage so throughly, something tells me they intend to repeat the experience as a close-knit family soon.  Like so many others, they relished visiting the dynamic Windy City, but prefer to live where they already live.  Why, I asked?  "Because there's no place like Nebraska," the brothers said almost in unison.  Their father didn't say anything.  He just nodded, letting us know he felt the same way.

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