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Nebraska’s defense had Robert Griffin pinned back at his own 4-yard line. Five plays later, the Baylor quarterback was diving into NU’s end zone to give the Bears an early 13-7 lead.
Griffin, a human highlight reel as a true freshman, burned NU’s struggling defense last season for 149 rushing yards on 16 carries. On his lone touchdown, Griffin found an open hole along the left sideline and ran nearly untouched for 47 yards. On fourth-and-one.
When NU takes the field against Baylor on Saturday morning, though, the Huskers’ defense will be quite a bit better — and Griffin won’t get a chance to outrace Husker defenders.
Griffin went down in Baylor’s third game of the season with a torn ACL, ending his season and jeopardizing the Bears’ chances of achieving its first winning season in 14 years.
You’d think NU’s defenders would be thrilled about this lucky break, right? Ndamukong Suh thinks differently.
“I’m not happy about that at all,” Suh said. “I want to play against the best at all times. I don’t see them as a lesser team, though. They still have everybody else on their team that was there before; they just have a lesser quarterback, which is unfortunate for them.”
Since losing Griffin, Baylor has lost three of four games and now sits at 3-4. The Bears’ offense is averaging just under 14 points per game without its star signal caller.
Baylor’s offensive struggles have been due in large part to its lack of steady quarterback play in Griffin’s absence. Senior Blake Szymanski and true freshman Nick Florence have both tried their hand at replacing the dynamic passer with varied results.
Florence will start Saturday after Szymanski reinjured a bruised throwing shoulder. The 6-foot-1, 190-pound newcomer has found some success on the ground, rushing for 106 yards excluding sacks, and he’s passed for 720 yards and two scores in five games.
NU coach Bo Pelini said even without its star player, Baylor’s spread offense still packs a punch with its multiple packages and willingness to take chances downfield.
“Obviously, it’s a little different than when they have Griffin,” Pelini said. “It’s a different dynamic, but they do a lot of the same things. They have some great speed on the outside and some guys who can flat out run.
“When you have that kind of speed on the field, you can go the distance at any time,” he said. “They put some stress on you.”
Baylor has continued to find success with the long ball without Griffin. Florence has completed nine passes of 20 yards or longer this season, and NU defensive coordinator Carl Pelini has taken notice.
“More than any team we face this year, they’re willing to take those shots downfield,” Pelini said. “You’ve just got to be able to live through those shots and defend them. Our defensive backs have to be conscious of them all the time.”
The Bears try to balance this air attack with a two-back run game, but Big 12 Conference opponents have held Baylor’s rushing attack to a mere 46 yards per game this season.
Jarred Salubi and Jay Finley have combined for 489 rushing yards on the year.
Baylor coach Art Briles knows he faces perhaps the conference’s best defensive line Saturday, but that doesn’t mean the Bears will abandon their plans to run the ball.
“What we’ll do is try to take what they give us and be productive with it,” Briles said.
“They’re good up front, without a doubt. We’re going to have to be precise in our execution and intelligent in our schemes to get yardage.”
After having already faced Oklahoma and Oklahoma State this season, Florence knows he’s in for another challenging day against one of the nation’s top defenses, and he’ll look to guide Baylor’s offense back to the heyday it enjoyed under Griffin one game at a time.
“I think this week, as an offense, we need to just come out and find our identity,”Florence said. “I think everyone on the offense is pretty excited to find a groove and finally fit in. We are going to do that this week, and it’s going to be a good game Saturday.”
maxolson@dailynebraskan.com
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