Cornhusker Carryover

I’m not sure how far Nebraska is in the McNeese Cowboys’ rearview mirror.

I know it’s against the laws of the turf, but this team should keep that performance and the near-historic upset of the then-19th ranked Cornhuskers in the corners of the mind for as long as possible, and as long as it serves their purpose.

This time around, it might be different. Because of this game, at this time, and how it played out, an old school coach like Viator might just remind his troops throughout the season about that intensity, the will to compete, and the high level of execution they achieved on that field of dashed dreams.

“What I told the players, what we did from an energy standpoint and execution in front of 91,000 people was great. It’s not like we do that every day around here. We went toe to toe. Those were the positives. We had an opportunity to win that game. Why didn’t we? What happened? Lets all take a look, because it was a winnable game. We have to look at it, and I do, as a head coach — we all do. It was a winnable game, and why didn’t we win it? And I think we did that,” explained Viator.

The near-win had various ESPN networks switching to ESPNU for a possible crowning of the Cowboys as the latest in a long line of FCS media darlings to knock off an FBS Power Five program.

It was close. It could have easily gone to overtime. It could have been McNeese’s greatest football feat in the school’s history. All of the above did not happen.

Cowboys do cry, and this was a good reason for it.

When the extreme emotion ran its course, McNeese, like any team would after just one game, went back to work preparing for opponent no. 2.

Let’s just say Prairie View A & M is no Nebraska. But the Cowboys probably seemed like the Cornhuskers to A & M.

“I thought they (the Cowboys) did a great job getting themselves back ready to play after a tough week. We played a lot of guys, but we never got into a good rhythm. We’ve got a lot to work on,” Viator said.

When you are an FCS team — even a Top 10 squad like McNeese — you can take away, build, and carry over a losing effort for a few games, at least, and maybe for the run of the schedule. Remember, McNeese ran off winning streaks the last two years after scoring convincing wins at FBS Middle Tennessee State and South Florida.

It was Prairie View last week, an open date this weekend, Arkansas Tech on Sept. 27, then Nicholls State to follow on Oct. 4. The guys who strap it up won’t look ahead, but a 4-0 start is likely before a much-anticipated road trip to Sam Houston State on the second Saturday in October.

Most of this corner of the state saw the depth of talent and speed that McNeese can bring to the table via ESPN’s national telecast at Nebraska.  The rest of the Southland Conference and FCS ranks did, as well.

The Cowboys defense swarmed and engulfed Nebraska’s Heisman hopeful Ameer Abdullah to a pedestrian 50 yards for most of the game. They harassed Huskers quarterback Tommy Armstrong, Jr. to an uneven day after he’d led Nebraska to a record-setting 798 yards of offense the week before against Florida Atlantic.

Viator unveiled a two-quarterback rotation of Tyler Bolfing and Kansas State transfer Daniel Sams, whose diversity of skill kept Nebraska’s defense guessing and, at times, swiping at air in the wake of runs and scrambles by the elusive Sams.

I knew the Cowboys would be prepared, and able to compete on this national stage, but could not have conjured up a 98-yard pick-six from Aaron Sam. McNeese saw a game-high 74 yards rushing from Sams. (He showed passing touch at times, to go with his well known running skills).

The great unknown that became quite clear early on was how the Cowboys defense would hold up against Abdullah and the bevy of very skilled offensive weapons on Bo Pelini’s roster. Unfortunately for the seventh-year head coach, he saw a few of them sidelined due to injury, but that was not why McNeese defenders dominated the second half, forcing seven three-and-outs and allowing only 140 yards. Keep in mind that 99 of those 140 yards came on two big Husker plays.

McNeese’s offensive and defensive lines were stellar in Lincoln, and back home against Prairie View.

You heard a lot about the Cowboys’ speed in the secondary and offensive backfield, but the up-front beef set the real tone. Defensive tackles Kevin Dorn, Antonio McGhee and Sean Brown have stuffed run gaps and collapsed passing pockets.  Defensive ends Everett Ellefsen (finally healthy) and Brian Hine have chased down running backs, and have hurried quarterbacks enough to hinder timing and accuracy.

The O-Line has been equally impressive, helping Viator achieve a near 50/50 balance in offensive yards by pass and run. The thinking coming out of August camp was that this offensive line, led by senior tackle Antoine Everett, would be a strong suit of this team, and they have proven their worth and lived up to their rep early on.

Remember all the preseason chatter on the transfers?  I was banging that drum pretty hard, too. Well, the transfers have had significant impact at their respective positions,  and if that continues, more dividends will come over the conference schedule.

Sams has been both exciting and slightly rough around the edges. His speed, scrambling and running have outshined his passing, but I expect that to equalize as he grows more confident and comfortable in the passing game. He is quick to tuck it and run, but that’s OK with the man calling the plays.

“That’s what Daniel does. If he doesn’t feel good, he takes off running.  It’s different from what we have had the last couple of years. I will continue to let Daniel do that. We have to let him play to his strengths. That’s what he’s comfortable doing — tucking it and taking off running, like he did last week against Nebraska, and I will continue to let him do it,” Viator asserted.

Tailback Derek Milton (Mississippi State), who had a nice nine-yard touchdown run that spotted McNeese an early 7-0 lead over the Cornhuskers, scored another against A & M. He has displayed both inside power and edge speed. Former Arkansas Razorback Nate Holmes is overloaded with speed. Cornerback  Jermaine Antoine (TCU) fills a critical need in coverage. His crushing hit on A & M quarterback Jerry Lovelocke forced an early fumble, which was recovered and taken in for a score by linebacker Deonte Thompson.

Defensive end Brian Hine has energized the front four with penetration and pressure, and a relentless pursuit of the ball.

The defense has 12 points through the first two games. That was unexpected, and very valuable.

“Any time you score on defense, that changes the whole mentality, wherever you are in the game,” Viator said.

The school-record-tying 98-yard interception return for six by Sam, a senior from Lagrange High School, stunned Nebraska, and turned the momentum toward the Cowboys.   Antoine’s hit, fumble and subsequent score nailed the game down against Prairie View by the end of the first quarter.

We are still waiting on a special teams breakout.

And now the play that will go down in McNeese football lore, and that’s burned into the memories of many.

Back to the game in Lincoln, tied at 24 under a minute to play, with the Huskers trying to get in field goal range. Armstrong to Abdullah on a short swing pass. Three McNeese defenders provide converge, and seemed to hit him in unison. All three bounce off, as Abdullah finds a seam and breaks two more tackles on his way to a 58-yard game-winning touchdown.

The run salvaged his otherwise ineffective game, and kept him in the Heisman Trophy hunt.

More importantly, it denied these Cowboys a place in McNeese history, with what could have been a chance in overtime for the title of greatest victory ever.

The Cowboys reviewed tape, isolated both good and bad, came back down to earth, and went back to work.

The buzz from Nebraska carried over to the fan base here, as a near sell-out crowd of 17,469 turned out for the expected romp over the A & M Panthers. They even had some spill over onto the hills in the endzone.

That was good to see — a much needed attendance bounce from the dismal showing at the last home game  of 2013, where under 5,000 braved an admittedly cold and harsh night in that FCS home playoff loss to Jacksonville State.

At times, Viator measures his words carefully when talking about home game attendance, especially when the crowds are thin. But when the stadium is packed in blue, rest assured the head coach notices and appreciates it.

“It’s unbelievable, and I can’t thank everybody enough. Obviously, a lot of people got to see the performance last week (at Nebraska). I think we have done some really good things with Bruce Hemphill (athletic director) and the administration trying to entice the crowd back. And the 6 o’clock kickoff is fine with me. I hope (the near sell-out crowds) continue, because I really, really like this group.”

The Cowboys came out with sufficient juice and energy. They were measured and methodical in their execution. Sams scrambled and ran well. Bolfing’s arm and accuracy have been impressive, and he offers a lethal contrast to what Sams offers this offense. He hit Ernest Celestie with two perfectly thrown long passes. The second went for a 19 yard touchdown.

Viator has told me numerous times that he has no problem playing two quarterbacks if they have diverse talents, as Sams and Bolfing do. But it seems Viator is leaning toward making a decision soon on identifying and sticking with a starting quarterback. He’s still unsure at this point who that will be.

“I don’t know (who the starting quarterback will be). I haven’t gotten that far yet,” was Viator’s answer to that question after the Prairie View game. “I don’t mind playing two guys, as long as they are different. We still have to get where ‘this is the guy, and you’re the other guy,’ so to speak.  And that’s what we are trying to figure out. When Tyler is in there, we are doing what we did last year. When Daniel is in there, we are doing what we’ve added offensively. We just have to narrow some things down, and I didn’t want to (do that) until after the open week.”

This could be an interesting week, if Coach V does indeed decides to opt for one primary starting quarterback between the strong armed Bolfing or the productive legs of Sams.

Early returns on the rotation system have been impressive, so why the hurry?

I would double down and spin the wheel with both quarterbacks. And if one gets the hot hand and is on a roll, then stay with him.

If it worked against the Cornhuskers, then it surely will against the likes of Sam Houston, Abilene Christian and Southeastern Louisiana.

You see, memories from that day in Nebraska are not all bad.

Get Rick Sarro’s perspectives on sports on Soundoff 60, which airs Monday through Sunday nights at 9 pm on Suddenlink Channel 60 and Saturday and Sunday mornings at 10 am as well.