L AWRENCE, Kan. — Marvin Sanders wasn’t going to say it in the week leading up to Nebraska’s game against Kansas, but he was concerned about how the Cornhuskers would play.
Nebraska upended Kansas 31-17 Saturday in a game that was finished off by the Husker offense, in complement to steady defensive play down the stretch. The Jayhawks took a 17-16 lead in the fourth quarter, but NU followed with two scoring drives and a lockdown defense to seal the win.
Sanders said it was good to see Nebraska’s improved offense and stressed that’s what the Huskers needed against KU.
“It’s a team,” Sanders said. “When one element is down, another element can pick you up, and that’s part of being a team. We are growing everyday as a team, and hopefully this will bode well for our remaining two games.”
The NU defense seemed more vulnerable than usual on Saturday, but Sanders and his defensive players credited a lot of their struggles to the playmaking ability of KU quarterback Todd Reesing.
The Jayhawk signal-caller was one yard shy of leading his team in rushing with 42 yards on nine carries. Frequently, Reesing was flushed out of the pocket by the Blackshirts, but the senior routinely cut through the NU defense for big plays.
Sanders said he wasn’t surprised to see Reesing’s mobility be so effective.
“When you got a quarterback there that can find his way through some holes, that gives them some experience,” Sanders said. “We knew that. We just had to make some adjustments.”
Kansas couldn’t score when it mattered most, but the Jayhawk offense did expose the Blackshirts on multiple occasions Saturday. The 17 points by KU marks only the third time this season Nebraska allowed more than 15 points.
NU coach Bo Pelini was excited about the grit his team showed during the win, but he wasn’t too pleased with what he saw from his defense.
“I thought we started well, but we had too many busts,” Pelini said. “We gave (KU) some things that should not have happened. I thought at times we had shoddy tackling. I’m far from happy about how we played defensively.”
That is certainly a change of pace from recent weeks in Lincoln. The Blackshirts had only given up 47 points over the previous four games going into Saturday – an average of just more than 11 per game.
On the other side of the ball, the Husker offense hadn’t scored more than 30 points in a game since a 55-0 win against Louisiana-Lafayette in September. The offensive surge was a welcome sight for the Blackshirts.
“It’s a good feeling,” NU defensive tackle Jared Crick said. “We’ve had faith in the offense all through the season. So to see them have great success gives you a feeling of pride, knowing we can put up points on anybody. It was the perfect time to have a breakout game.”
The Jayhawk offense was very successful as well. Kansas’ 335 yards on offense is the most the Nebraska defense has given up since its season opener against Florida Atlantic when the Owls hung 352 on the Huskers.
Although the numbers might not look great defensively, NU quarterback Zac Lee was thrilled with how the defense stepped up late in the game.
“We put up some points, but our defense still held a very good offense to not a lot of points,” Lee said. “It really was a great team win. It was nice to finish the game on the field. It felt good.”
Nebraska’s win over Kansas sets up the biggest game of the 2009 season for the Huskers next week. Kansas State and Nebraska will play for the Big 12 North Division title in Lincoln.
The Wildcats lost at home 38-12 to Missouri on Saturday, setting up the critical game. Sanders emphasized that although the KU offense caused some concern for him and the NU defense early, he has no worry about NU’s confidence going into this week.
“From a mental standpoint, you worry about how your players will rebound (after a big win against OU),” Sanders said. “(The KU game) was the game we were concerned about. Next week, there’s no concern. We can learn from the mistakes we made, and I think our kids will play hard.”
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