Armstrong Jr. Fully Engaged in More Ways than One

Huskers Ground UCLA in Foster Farms Bowl, 37-29

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Tommy Armstrong Jr. didn’t leave his heart in San Francisco Saturday night. He just opened it up a little bit, so Nebraska football fans can see the beginnings of what could become a personal but wide-ranging makeover designed to help lead the Huskers to college football’s promised land in 2016.

Two years removed from holding the Gator Bowl Trophy after Nebraska’s win over Georgia, Armstrong hoisted the Foster Farms Bowl Trophy over his head after the Huskers rushed for a season-high 326 yards and reached the 500-yard total offense milestone against an 8-4 UCLA team that once was ranked among the nation’s top 10.

Armstrong’s 12-for-19, 174-yard, one-touchdown passing performance, coupled with his 76-yard, 10-carry, one-touchdown rushing night, were a far cry from the gaudy numbers he’s used to recording. But the biggest number that helped Armstrong earn the game’s Most Outstanding Player Award was a near turnover-free game. Armstrong's only mistake was a lost fumble after a defender grabbed his facemask, which was not deemed a penalty. Still, Armstrong's overall performance was proof positive that he’s fully engaged in more ways than one to lead Nebraska into a bowl – or bowls – infinitely more important than the ones he’s led in Jacksonville, San Diego and Santa Clara.

No one will mistake Armstrong’s award as symbolic of where Nebraska wants to be a year from now, but it was still a major breakthrough that can carry the Huskers and their three-year leader into a fourth-year capstone to a career that could lead to the NFL.

Asking the Question Provided Relief for a Quarterback’s ‘Nervous Breakdown’

If you want to know the gist of Armstrong’s sturdy, stable, secure performance, listen to Lane Grindle’s interview with Nebraska’s newly engaged quarterback in the Husker Sports Network’s postgame radio show. Asked about his last 24 hours in the San Francisco Bay Area, Armstrong used a “kind of nervous breakdown” metaphor to describe his decision to propose to now fiancé Jaylyn Odermann. “It was probably harder than this game honestly,” Armstrong said.

Stay calm and be strong was a fitting description for Armstrong’s one-week experience in northern California. He’s been saving for months to buy an engagement ring. “I’m excited about it and the future,” he said, adding that he was also motivated to play Saturday night for his fiancé and his family, all of whom “showed up to support me.”

Armstrong may have won the bowl’s top individual honor, but he introduced the subject and went out of his way to give credit where it was due most. According to Armstrong, everything Nebraska achieved Saturday night was the result of the offensive line’s dominant, get-after-everyone attitude. “They said ‘run behind me; we’re going to lead you the whole way, and we want you to run the ball,’” he said. “It helped us a lot. We had more balance, and I could stay in the pocket and stay poised.”

Things Happen for a Reason: Mike Riley, Staff Teach Players to Learn, Correct

Such unity enabled Armstrong to forget “some bad reads” he made and focus on personal plays that proved pivotal in reading the defensive end. “I got a touchdown on one of them and converted a first-down to win the game on another,” he said.

Since throwing four interceptions in Nebraska’s 28-20 loss to Iowa, Armstrong made a vow to become a better leader, an improved decision-maker and a man on a mission to help the Huskers achieve greater consistency and reach bigger heights comparable to Michigan State, which lost only one game this season, 39-38, at Nebraska.

With one remaining year of eligibility as Nebraska’s starting quarterback, Armstrong was asked about the importance of leading the Huskers as a senior captain. “I need to be more poised in the pocket,” he said, “and I need to put myself in the right situations to maybe, you know, if it’s in my future to be drafted, or something like that, I just want to do what our offensive line did tonight – work my tail off for my teammates next year.”

That new standard of leadership was launched very simply after the ultra-confident Armstrong’s disappointment against the Rose Bowl-bound Hawkeyes. “I started out just by accepting all the responsibilities they want me to have,” he said. “I accept all the responsibilities they’re putting on my plate, and I think it helped a lot in this game.”

Freshman Stanley Morgan Jr. Shows a Trick Even Westerkamp Can Appreciate

With all due respect to Armstrong and the trophy he received in the post-bowl celebration, Nebraska's veteran quarterback was only half the scoring equation that was so rare, it became the top feature in USA Today's "ForTheWin" segment Saturday night.

Click this link and relive the excitement created when Stanley Morgan Jr., the Huskers' freshman wide receiver from New Orleans, fended off a defender with one hand and caught a touchdown with the other. USA Today and its 1.7 million readers said Morgan "displayed an incredible amount of concentration” in making the 22-yard touchdown catch that gave Nebraska a 27-21 third-quarter lead over UCLA.

One USA Today reader called the catch "sweet" and another called it a "double-tasking monster catch". The second Morgan caught the ball, my wife compared the uniqueness of the catch to Jordan Westerkamp's behind-the-back “snag” that he could only feel, not see.

Yes, Husker receivers coach Keith Williams knows the importance of instinct and preaches the value of using it whenever possible. His receivers are an incredibly talented, hard-working, well-coached group of student-athletes, who love playing for Williams. Once Nebraska’s offensive line establishes what it takes to be feared, make no mistake – a dominant running game would be the perfect companion that can light a torch for a gifted group of wide receivers.

Goodbye and Good Luck to Maliek Collins, Who Praises Future Talent

Every season finale brings change designed to build new horizons and recognize those with hopes and dreams for future successes. With that in mind, congratulations and good luck to Nebraska junior defensive tackle Maliek Collins, who decided to bypass his senior year at Nebraska in favor of pursuing an NFL career. Having talked to his teammates, coaches and NFL insiders, Collins (No. 7 above) could not turn down being a projected possible first or second-round draft choice.

“I’d really like to coach Maliek another year, but we’ll look forward to watching him at the next level,” Riley said. In his postgame radio interview, Collins labeled his decision as “the opportunity of a lifetime” and said he saw “a lot of young guys step up tonight, specifically at the DB positions.” He praised the efforts of Antonio Reed, a freshman safety from Memphis; Aaron Williams, a freshman DB from Atlanta; and Chris Jones, a sophomore DB from Jacksonville.

Collins also delivered kudos to Carlos Davis and Khalil Davis, 6-foot-2, 250-pound twin freshman defensive linemen from Blue Springs, Mo. “It’s crazy to me to see the potential in those two guys,” he said. “They play their best when they play together. When they get on that field, they’re going to play well, and I look forward to watching both of them in the future.”

Freshman Leading Rusher: West Coast Win Just a Springboard for 2016

With Nebraska fans still listening to Saturday night’s insight well into Sunday morning, Devine Ozigbo (No. 22 above) was an excited voice on the Husker Sports Network’s final interview. After rushing for career highs of 87 yards on 21 carries, the Texas native became a staple in a Nebraska attack that included short touchdown runs from Imani Cross (1 yard), Terrell Newby (3 yards) and Andy Janovich (1 yard). Ozigbo did not score, but he became the workhorse of choice down the stretch with the physicality and grind the Huskers would like to showcase next year.

“We knew UCLA was very athletic,” Ozigbo said. “In the conference they play, they don’t see a lot of fullbacks, so we thought we’d pound that ball and run hard. We thought we might be able to use what they’re not used to, to our advantage. That definitely was the plan, and it worked.”

Confidence begins at quarterback, and Ozigbo said Armstrong Jr. is a great leader to follow. “We always know that if we do what we’re supposed to do, we can play with anybody,” Ozigbo said. “So we just focused on our assignments and it worked out well. We all feel this game is kind of the springboard from here to spring practice to next season. We know what we can do, and we know we have to get a lot better, so we’re going to continue to work hard and build on the momentum we have.”  

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