Week 2 Recap

-PYB would be remiss if it didn't start by commending Minnesota Defensive Coordinator Kevin Cosgrove on holding the Coyotes of South Dakota to just 444 yards and 41 points in a narrow loss Saturday. In all fairness, the Golden Gophers had to be physically and emotionally drained after leaving it all on the field by limiting Middle Tennessee State to 318 yards the week before. Cosgrove's defensive philosophy is obviously taking hold in Minneapolis, as he has his unit positioned at 82nd nationally.

A few more games, and Coz should have them in the 110s as normal. The natives are restless, and apparently it's not just the good folks in Lincoln who hate your tired act. If Minnesota wants him gone after barely more than one season, how'd he last four in Lincoln? And more restless, read here. Fight on, coach, as USC comes to town. Good thing the Trojans' offense sucks and will likely only ring up 450 yards or so.

-Is Nebraska's win over Idaho worth reviewing? No, but we'll give a Cliff's Notes version. Hopefully, the turnover problem is an isolated incident, but we all saw this last season at times and there is no rhyme or reason. Shawn Watson continued to show his 'balanced system' against shitty teams, without ever establishing an identity that can win games against good teams. Just like his days in Boulder. Roy Helu cracked 100 yards but got only nine carries and moved to 18th on NU's all-time rushing list. It's so sad to see this talent constantly underutilized. The cut he made before turning the corner to the end zone was next-level material.

The offensive line play seemed uninspired and mediocre, just like every game during the Barney Cotton regime. How NU can finally create some depth but never seem to dominate the line of scrimmage is beyond us. Barney was blabbing something about chasing execution.....whatever the fuck that means. Sounds like just another mantra that losers use for failing once again.

Even more concerning is the fact that NU has no downfield receiving threat. Watson continues to run hitch routes, lulling Taylor Martinez into a false sense of security. Those routes are open continually against bad teams, but they're just recipes for INTs for TDs against real competition. The Wildcat snap to Niles Paul was absolutely brutal.....why not snap to Helu, or even better, Rex Burkhead, the RB who ran it extensively in the Holiday Bowl last season? Wonders never cease with Twatson, however, and his arrogance seems to grow as he lauds the number of weapons he has to choose from. PYB finds his cocksure attitude mystifying, considering he can't find a way to truly integrate Mike McNeill into the gameplan and has yet to find any use for Kyler Reed.

Let's move to defense, where the superb coaching staff can make us forget about the turds running the offense for at least a moment. DBs looked awesome, as expected. They could challenge the 47 interceptions that Pelini's unit got in his first one-season stint at NU. The only liability will be Rickey Thenarse, who despite taking an INT in for a TD, is an accident waiting to happen. He damn near killed Alfonzo Dennard in Week One and got a bad 15-yard penalty against Idaho.

The pass rush was much improved, but the front four will have to prove this week that they can produce the same results against good competition. If they can, it could be a long day for Jake Locker as he tries to decipher Pelini's patented zone coverages. It will be key for linebackers Eric Martin and Lavonte David to keep improving on their leadership while calling the defensive sets. Just a few mistakes in Seattle could lead to early points for the Huskies and big trouble for the Cornhuskers.

As for special teams, NU has been solid but not spectacular. Niles Paul is terrible as usual as punt returner, despite being in the top 10 nationally in yards/return. Tim Marlowe may not look pretty, but has been surprisingly effective. Can he make a difference against D-I coverages? Alex Henery continues to be great at pinning teams deep but is subpar in distance and hangtime. Kick coverage has been pretty good, though Pelini's perfectionist nature has him pissed about some aspect of it.

NU is currently a 4.5-point favorite Saturday. PYB says barring turnovers and a vast number of defensive gaffes, NU covers this rather easily. Come in scared, however, and sprinkle in a few freshman mistakes at QB mixed with Watson's clueless play calls, and trouble is just a second away. Our gut feeling is that Pelini will have his defensive A-Game in tow, limiting Locker and pounding him physically. Will his pupils be up to the task? Stay tuned for more.

-Glad to see Matt Slauson is still a stiff, despite somehow starting for Bill Callahan's offensive line in New York. Haloti Ngata threw him down like a rag doll tonight on MNF. PYB can't believe the face paint didn't intimidate Ray Lewis and the Ravens.

-How the hell can they have a 9:15 pm kickoff in KC for game two of Monday Night Football? At least we've got 14 first-quarter points, though, and more action in two series than we got during the entire Baltimore-New York game. Matt Cassel threw for 68 yards, the Chiefs racked up fewer than 200 total, and KC still beat pussy Phillip Rivers and the Chargers 21-14. Rivers showed his playoff colors last night, as the rain all but paralyzed San Diego's offense.