Let get something straight right from the start…I am not a negative person. I am not a pessimist.

But what I most certainly am is a realist and critical thinker. Keeps those thoughts in mind as you read today, especially the latter portion of this.

Saturday night, the Huskers took on the FAU Owls. After a remotely competitive first half, the game got out of hand very quickly in the second half.

Most of you already know that Nebraska rolled to a 49-3 victory on a gorgeous evening in Lincoln. That point is not in question. And, no, I won’t go on hashing out oodles of stats and all the blah blah that goes with them. Even though I love stats.

I just want to take a look at how the kids (and I can call them ‘kids’ because I’m probably at least 13 years older than all of them) played and then get your thoughts.

The offense was vanilla flavored yet still fairly adequate. The running game functioned in the second half and the passing game, while still aimed mostly at high percentage passes when they threw, was effective yet again.

Zac Lee looked very sharp, especially early on. His passes were on target nearly every time, save for that interception, and he seemed to use the right amount of touch whenever he needed to. He managed the game very well and it appeared that he had been starting for years, not just making his first start wearing the Husker scarlet.

Roy Helu Jr. was a beast man…again. He may have started a little slowly but once he got his wheels spinning, the man ran with speed, agility, power and passion. He might be pretty special before it is all said and done. And Rex Burkhead didn’t look so bad either.

The inexperienced receivers showed some decent hands (better than expected) and some better moves. This group, if they continue to improve, could end up giving teams something other to think about rather than just Helu and the tight ends.

The defense played soundly, for the most part. A few breakdowns in coverage or assignments here and there but nothing traumatic. In fact, it was far fewer breakdowns than we saw early on last year. This team is beginning to really understand what it is the Pelinis want from them. They tackled well, pursued the football with speed and made some great breaks on the ball in open spaces. They will eventually have to get better pressure on the quarterback but it looked like FAU was holding a number of people in to keep their quarterback from being planted by any Husker defenders.

Now, my analysis after one game…

This team does appear to be improved and for many of the reasons that I mentioned above. From top to bottom, with the coaches and players alike, this group looks as though they are all getting more comfortable with the system and the expectations that each have, on themselves and for each other.

But before we all go running and screaming in joy that the Huskers are back, or that the Sooners lost or for any other reason, let us temper our expectations.

Myself, I was jacked to watch the game and see this newest incarnation of the Huskers but I couldn’t become overwhelmed with joy from them beating a Sun Belt (I think) Conference team. Here is why…

First, FAU was not a very good football team, at least not on Saturday night. Crushing them in that manner was a common occurrence that we all expected to happen every Saturday, even against other BCS opponents, in the years gone by. So thumping them is no great feat, even if they end up going to a bowl game.

Second, we have been tempted by thoughts of greatness before only to have the team lose momentum or confidence or other any other intangible that could cause disaster to strike the team’s record. Remember 2007? That team was ranked early on, thumped a non-BCS team soundly in the first game and then the wheels can completely off the bus after the disaster against USC. And that 2007 team was coming off of a 9 win season, a berth in the Big XII Title Game and a New Years Day bowl. This team is coming off of a 9 win season and a New Year’s Day bowl berth and just got done thumping a non-BCS team in the first game. So before we go all higgledy-piggledy with joy, let us remember that there are a number of games still to play.

Third, this team, while very young and also very talented is just an injury or two away from a whole herd of either true freshmen or red shirt freshmen being thrust into a full time job in the lime light. If Zac Lee or Roy Helu Jr. or Ndamukong Suh were to go down you’d be looking at true freshies or some other very young person in a very important position for the success of this team. Just ask Oklahoma. That team completely melted down after Sam Bradford was hurt. Granted, they were playing a pretty good BYU team, the argument remains that a team with such incredible recruiting year after year couldn’t overcome the loss of their starting quarterback. And Nebraska, while picking up some very talented athletes the last few years, is still looking for depth at a number of spots.

Fourth, and I have already mentioned this a few times, these guys are really young. Really young. Youngsters, no matter how talented or well coached, will make mistakes. They might right to the occasion against the big opponents but they may also fall on their grills against the lesser oppononets.


Now, I’m not insinuating that Coach Pelini and his coaching staff are anything like Bill Callahan and his but we need to temper our expectations at this point.

The only way that one can get excited is if this team continues to improve and not plateau after a few weeks. Many of us have seen teams or played on teams that rushed out of the gate only to trickle off as the season wore on. This team must continue to show increased abilities on the field if we are to see this team playing in the Big XII Title game or even on New Year's Day.

And with Missouri, Kansas and Baylor looking to be very difficult road trips, this team has its work cut out for it.

Luckily for them, the Huskers that is, they have a man in place that will accept nothing less than perfection from them.

That alone makes me intrigued to see what happens the rest of the season, even if it is with tempered expectations. But it will be fun. Because football season always is.

This is Pete…

Over and out.