2008 Woodie Awards
Carriker, Blackshirts upset Troy offense
Ben Gouldsmith
Issue date: 9/25/06 Section: Sports
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For example, Adam Carriker's stat line from Saturday's game doesn't do justice to the impact he had against Troy.
The Nebraska defensive end was credited with three tackles, including one for loss, one pass breakup and two quarterback hurries in the Cornhuskers' 56-0 shutout of the Trojans.
But what the stats don't show is how the 6-foot-6, 295-pound senior from Kennewick, Wash., had Troy quarterback Omar Haugabook on the run all night, forcing Haugabook to make numerous bad passes and generally just disrupting the Trojans' offensive rhythm.
On numerous occasions, Haugabook got off a pass right before Carriker was about to record a sack.
"You noticed him tonight, that was obvious," NU Defensive Coordinator Kevin Cosgrove said of Carriker. "We expect all our guys to be able to do that, but it sure helps when you have a guy like that."
Carriker said he was trying to redeem himself from the Huskers' 28-10 loss to No. 2 Southern California on Sept. 16 in which he recorded just two tackles and a pass breakup.
"Personally, I felt I didn't play very well last week," Carriker said. "I was kind of a man on a mission tonight."
While NU Coach Bill Callahan said Carriker played great and took advantage of a good matchup Saturday, he also noted the play of the rest of the defensive line.
"I thought our front four played extremely well tonight," Callahan said. "They put a lot of pressure and a lot of heat on (Troy's) quarterback."
The shutout marked the first for Nebraska since the 2003 season, when the Blackshirts blanked both Iowa State and Troy.
The shutout also was Cosgrove's first in his three seasons running the Nebraska defense.
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