Editorial

Huskers regain respectability

Thursday, December 29, 2005

How about those Huskers? With a prime time audience watching on ESPN, Nebraska's scrappy Cornhuskers climbed back to national respectability Wednesday night with their stunning 32-28 upset of the Michigan Wolverines.

From start to finish, it was an exciting game, with first Nebraska, then Michigan holding the lead.

The clash ended -- at well past 11 p.m. central time -- with a wild and crazy catch and lateral play by Michigan. The desperation play came close to scoring, with Michigan's Tyler Ecker reaching the 13-yard line before being shoved out of bounds by the Huskers' Titus Brothers.

Ben Eisenhart of Culbertson played a key role in the Huskers' victory, making two solo tackles. On one, he was prominently featured on the television broadcast, with announcers giving Ben's name while the camera focused upon him.

Ben was one of many standouts for the Huskers. As he has so often, Nebraska quarterback Zac Taylor took a beating and kept on ticking, making the key plays to lead NU to victory. Also giving a boost to the Nebraska offense were the running thrusts of the little warrior, Cory Ross. The game in the Alamodome was the Husker finale for Ross, and he responded with one of his best showings, finding creases in the Michigan defense to dart for much-needed yardage.

Nebraska also played well 0n defense. In the secondary, Zachary Bowman made some spectacular plays for the Huskers, including a touchdown-saving interception on the edge of the end zone. And, despite a rash of injuries, the play of Nebraska's front seven was outstanding. To the surprise of many, the Blackshirt lineman and linebackers played toe-to-toe with the Wolverines'.

Following Nebraska's convincing win over Colorado in the final regular season game, fans sensed that the Cornhuskers had turned the corner. Wednesday night provided further proof, as Nebraska gained a big boost in confidence by beating Michigan, one of America's premiere football programs.

A tough season looms in 2006, with the Huskers scheduled to play both USC and Texas, the two top-rated teams in the nation. Before the victories over Colorado and Michigan, playing USC and Texas was a scary thought. The highly talented Trojans and Longhorns will present a formidable challenge, but that's as it should be. On the way back to national prominence, the Huskers need to test themselves against the best teams in the land.

Respond to this story

Posting a comment requires free registration: