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Washington Huskies vs Nebraska Cornhuskers Football Recap

Nebraska 52, Washington 21

The Nebraska Cornhuskers routed the University of Washington Huskies by a score of 56-21 Saturday afternoon in front of a packed Husky Stadium crowd.

Former Heisman hopeful Jake Locker finished the game with record-low numbers in the worst game of his collegiate career. Going four-of- 20 for just 75 yards and one touchdown, Locker could only watch as the Huskies experienced a throttling on their home turf.

On the opposite side of the field, Nebraska quarterback Taylor Martinez lived up to the hype, completing seven of 11 passes for 150 total yards. The biggest degree of impact in the game was delivered by Martinez’s ability to run the football for the Huskers. Rushing for 156 yards, including an 80-yard touchdown, the young quarterback had a commanding presence outside of the pocket and displayed great confidence running the football.

The Huskies showed little to no improvement in the performance of their special teams, allowing 112 yards in that phase of Saturday’s game. The Huskies’ inability to limit field position for their opposition created a quick and easy series of scoring drives for the Nebraska offense.

The highlight of the game for the Nebraska fans was their cornerbacks.

Locker’s four-of-20 afternoon was a direct result of the play of the Nebraska secondary. With the Huskers playing excellent matchup coverage, Locker never truly had and open receiver downfield. The one time he did, it was a clear blown coverage by the Nebraska safety, who jumped the pivot route and got beat in the defensive backfield for a 45-yard touchdown pass to from Locker to Jermaine Kearse.

The highlight for the Huskies in this game? Basically, no one was injured – that’s the most positive thing UW could take from this disappointing performance.

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Saturday’s game was the definition of bigger, fast, stronger— outweighed on both lines, the Dawgs struggled to establish the line and were often beaten off the ball. While Locker was sacked just once, he was rushed in the pocket on many plays.

Nebraska University outgained the Huskies, 533 yards to 246. It seemed to be all-red in a general sea of purple. The Huskies looked utterly confused as the Cornhuskers ran the ball into the end zone, possession after possession.

The Huskies’ offensive production was a fraction of the Huskers’ gains. UW seemed unable to find an answer to the Nebraska rushing game. Missed tackles, blown coverage’s, and general confusion found the Huskies down by 38 and resulted in three 100-yard rushers for the visitors.

The Huskers proved they are a quick physical team that can win on the road, while the Huskies did not play their best football – far from it. Nebraska certainly silenced many who argue that the Huskers don’t have what it takes to challenge in the Big 12 Conference.

The Huskies, on the other hand, will have an extra week to lick their wounds in hopes of rebounding for a conference match up versus USC in Los Angeles on October 2.

By Ganelle Swehla
DFN Sports Staff Writer