Nebraska Preview: The Keys to Victory
UHND.com - Bob Wible
Septemmber 6, 2000

The game Notre Dame fans have been waiting for is finally upon us!  The top ranked Cornhuskers will invade Notre Dame Stadium this Saturday, in a contest that should keep college football fans glued to their seats from beginning to end.  Let's take a look at this year's Nebraska squad and examine what will be the keys to an Irish victory.

Make no mistake, Nebraska will not be intimidated playing in Notre Dame Stadium.   This program has been among the elite of college football for the last several decades and will be motivated to embarrass Notre Dame in their own backyard.  If the Irish win, it will not be the ghost of Rockne or "let's win one for the Gipper" that will do it.  It will be the Irish playing 60 minutes of "smash mouth" solid football, both offensively and defensively.

The character of the Nebraska offense has not changed since the days when Bob Devaney roamed the sidelines as head coach.  The Cornhuskers play "smash mouth" football and will line up and attempt to run the ball down Notre Dame's throat between the tackles.  Nebraska will pound, pound, and pound some more with that great offensive line lead by All America candidates C Dave Raiola and G Russ Hochstein.  With QB Eric Crouch, the Cornhuskers have one of the country's best option wizards.  Crouch led the Huskers in rushing last season with 889 yards and has a
fine stable of RB's led by Dan Alexander and Correll Buckhalter.  If Nebraska can achieve dominance of the inside with their running game, they then will work the perimeters with Couch on the option and All American candidate Wingback Bobby Newcombe, who is equally dangerous as a pass receiver.  The Huskers also have a fine TE in Tracey Wistrom (Grant's little brother) who is versatile and effective as a blocker and pass receiver.  Bottom line is that Nebraska has enough offensive weapons to both wear down the Irish defensive and keep them off balance the entire afternoon.  The achilles heal of this unit however, is that last season the Huskers put the ball on the ground 49 times, losing 25!!

Defensively, Nebraska lost six starters most notably CB's Mike and Ralph Brown.  The big name on this year's unit is lightening quick, All American candidate LB Carlos Polk.   The defensive line is led by DE Kyle Vanden Bosch.  The question however, is how will this unit be effected by the retirement of long time Defensive Coordinator Charlie McBride?  Does anyone think Penn State's defense would be a little more effective if Jerry Sandusky was still around?  This unit appears somewhat vulnerable and can be exploited by a solid Kevin Rogers game plan and the versatility of this year's Irish offense.

The Nebraska kicking game is one of the best in the country with All America candidates kicker Josh Brown and punter Dan Hadenfeldt.

So with all this Nebraska talent, what are the keys for an Irish victory?

1)  Yardage on first down.  Both Nebraska and Notre Dame love to line up and run the football.  If ever the Irish offensive line (a projected strength) needs to have a big game this is it!  The Irish offense MUST play ball control and keep the Nebraska offense off the field.  To do that, first down yardage will be the key.   If the Irish cannot consistently gain four to five yards on first down it may be a long afternoon.  The Irish offensive line must put a "hat on a hat"   and establish themselves early in the contest!  This unit is two deep at every OL position and "fresh legs" could be the key in the second half, as the Cornhuskers are not as deep defensively as in years past.  The last thing the Irish coaching staff wants is to be placed in second/third down long yardage situations.   Again, Battle must pass when he wants to NOT when he has to!!!  If the Irish defense (which is thin along the defensive front) is facing that physical Nebraska offensive line for the majority of the game, it may wear down in the second half.   Remember the Ohio State game in 1996, when a big, physical OL led by Orlando Pace wore down the Irish defense in the second half.  This could be a repeat of that scenario!

2)  Turnovers.  The Nebraska offense is loaded and doesn't need any help from the Irish offense.  Battle must have the same type of game he had
against Texas A&M, that is play within the offensive scheme, don't try to do too much, and use all the offensive weapons at your disposal.  This Irish unit has the potential to be explosive, and with the right game plan will be!!  Battle working the perimeter on the option can be as effective as Crouch.  The question is, can Tom Lopenski and Mike McNair gain just enough yardage between the tackles to make the Nebraska defense respect that facet of the Irish attack?  An effective inside running game will keep Carlos Polk on the inside and make the option more effective. On the flip side, if Nebraska continues putting the ball on the ground as they did last year, the Irish offense must make Nebraska pay by turning those turnovers into points!

3)  Get the ball into the hands of the play makers.  As mentioned, this Irish offensive unit has the potential to be explosive!  Play makers such as Julious Jones, Tony Fisher, David Givens, Javin Hunter, Joey Getheral and Jabari Holloway, must handle the ball and be given the opportunity to make plays!  This Irish offense is as talented at RB, WR and TE as any unit in the country.  In this game "potential" must be translated into results.  Now is the time for Givens and Hunter to have that "breakout" game and utilize their speed and physical play.

4)  As with the offensive line, the Irish defense must establish itself as a force early in the contest and force Nebraska into turnovers on the option.  If Nebraska can establish the inside running game, the option will open on the perimeter, and Crouch and company will have the Irish right where they want them!  The "potential" of Irons, Wisne, Campbell and Weaver must be translated into big plays.  A key matchup will be Irish NT Lance Legree against C Dave Raiola.  If   Legree can hold his own, this will keep the Nebraska OL off  LB's Denman and Harrison and free them up to make plays on the inside.  If the defensive front cannot get the job done, it will force Notre Dame to bring the safeties into play for run support.  That's when Couch will go over the top to Newcombe, who most likely be in single coverage, or Wistrom down the seam of the defense.  Coach Davie has been questioning the Irish coverage skills.  If this situation occurs, we'll find out early how far the secondary has come!!

5)  Special teams and kicking game.  We all saw the importance of the kicking game last week.  Joey Hilbold's 70 yard punt and Glenn Earl's partial block of an A&M punt led to great field position and the Battle to Hunter TD pass.  At that point the Irish seized momentum and never looked back.  Nebraska has two of the finest kickers in the country, so it will be up to Hildbold and Setta to hold their own.   One key was Matt McNew's booming kickoffs which negated the return game for A&M.  Well need the same from McNew on Saturday!

One last point!  This is the type of situation that Notre Dame football has been famous for throughout its long illustrious history!!  A win could re-establish the Irish program as a force to be reckoned with!! Let's hope the Irish play a great game and get last year's 5-7 record out of their systems once and for all!!