TEMPE, Ariz. - When you lose an All-Big 12 First Team selection who averaged 26.8 yards per catch to a knee injury before the two most important games of the year, you would think the chances of that player's position having an impact on the game were very slim.
But freshmen Aaron Golliday and Jon Bowling showed they could hold their own at the tight end position in the Fiesta Bowl. The position had been written off by many, including some Tennessee players, after it was announced that Tracey Wistrom would miss the game due to a partial left PCL tear suffered in practice Nov. 29.
That served as motivation for the roommates, who redshirted last year and came into the game with a total of five catches.
"The week before Texas when Tracey got hurt they said, 'You don't have to worry about Tracey's backups,'" Bowling said. "I'm sure Texas said the same thing when Tracey went down. They said now that Tracey is gone, they can key on other things. I think they did that and left me and Aaron with the opportunity to make big plays."
Bowling, who had two catches for 45 yards, said his game preparation came from a mental standpoint.
"I just imagined myself out there making big plays, and I thought I really had the opportunity to make big plays."
The freshman from Lincoln Southeast was instrumental in maintaining the Huskers' 96-yard drive in the third quarter when it seemed stalled on third down with 13 yards to go. Quarterback Eric Crouch hit Bowling for 17 yards and NU went on to score two plays later.
Bowling said the drive was huge for the Huskers.
"They had all the momentum, and then we stepped up," Bowling said. "It took all the air out of them, and from then on they felt they couldn't stop us."
NU Coach Frank Solich agreed with Bowling.
"I think when Eric threw to Jon Bowling and we were able to get that first down on that one to keep the drive alive, that was a big, big play."
Incidentally, the scoring pass that capped the drive was from Crouch to Golliday, who had two catches on the day, including the 13-yard TD reception. Golliday said he went out to just have fun and felt good about scoring points for the team.
The freshman started his second straight game and said he was relaxed coming into the game.
"I wouldn't say we felt pressure," Golliday said. "We practice the same plays that Tracey does everyday. The coaches do a real good job and prepare you so well that the key is to not make any mistakes. If we do what they tell us to, we will succeed. The way we play is almost robotic."
While both of them were catching passes, they were also helping NU pound Tennessee with its rushing attack for 321 yards. Golliday is known as the blocking tight end along with senior T.J. DeBates, and all three played a role in blocking for NU running backs - an aspect of the position that is overlooked.
Golliday said it was a case of as much as things change, they were the same.
"Smash-mouth football is what we tried early on, and then we tried mixing it up," Golliday said. "When that didn't work we had to give it to the fullback and go 96 yards."
Both Golliday and Bowling said the future of Nebraska tight ends was bright.
"We are only losing one for sure," Golliday said. "There will be a lot to come. We have two freshmen and more coming in. We are a little different in that we really aren't a position at Nebraska. We aren't lineman and we aren't receivers, so we are like our own little sub-culture."
Bowling agreed.
"Tracey is an All-Big 12 tight end, and he will be back so it will be me, Tracey and Aaron in the rotation. So I think I earned some playing time for next year after this game."
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