Seeing the Huskers take Washington apart every which way last Saturday--with those long runs by Taylor Martinez and Roy Helu, the TD pass to Mike McNeill that featured his stretch to hit the pylon, and that terrific INT and broken-field TD run by Alfonzo Dennard included--reminded me of a term that Barry Switzer used when he crafted another in his Sooner Magic wins at Lincoln during the 1986 OU 20, NU 17 win--one absolute hell of a game, by the way.
According to a Sports Illustrated article after the game, Switzer uttered this comment when he was trying to rally the bad guys in the 4th quarter:
"Oh hell---let's just out-ath-a-lete 'em."
And they did. Nothing fancy--and another heartache in November to Oklahoma was in the books.
That comment has stuck for a long time. And it hit me this week, after the surprising (to me and a few others) thumping that the Huskers put on Washington---that this year's version of Big Red can grab that comment from the Bootlegger's Boy and add it to their resume as well.
Ath-a-lete. Because that's what we are looking at here on both sides of the ball. This is what the great Oz teams of the mid-90s threw at their opponents--and before that, it was what OU used to trot out on the field.
This scares other teams---and it should. For all the right reasons. Mainly, this elite-level talent and speed forces other teams to be perfect on both sides of the ball. And that actually is a self-defeating philosophy. On defense, worrying about "perfect" causes hesitation. It makes a linebacker hold up for a half-second before making a move. Or, a d-back wonders if "now" is the time to fill a running lane. And on offense, the QB knows that the throwing windows will be narrower and briefer; the result being that he may double-clutch before throwing.
This is no joke. I saw such a reaction time and time again during the heyday of OU under Switzer. But now, darned if I don't see that same kind of pure talent oin both sides of the ball with this bunch that Bo Pelini is rolling out this season.
Yes, this is a championship-caliber outfit we're looking at for sure. Could the Huskers lose? Sure--but I do not think this teamm is going to be outgunned when it comes to talent.
What fun!! I posted when Bo first came on board as coach that it would be great to see the Huskers "in the conversation" when it came to top rankings. And it's happening right before our eyes. A promising season for sure! With a team like this, you don't want the season to end!
Go Big Red!!!
The Old Husker Fan
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