Subject: read it and weep
and the hype begins
rod williams
07 / 13 / 2000 11 : 15 am
to : phil lowry / ots / enron @ enron , robert jones / corp / enron @ enron
cc :
subject : foxsports . com ' s - nebraska ' s option will blast through attacking
defenses
thought you might like to read this .
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - forwarded by rod williams / et & s / enron on 07 / 13 / 2000
11 : 10 am - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
rich holly
07 / 13 / 2000 11 : 04 am
to : chuck wagner / et & s / enron @ enron , ralph forbes / et & s / enron @ enron , ted
ritchey / et & s / enron @ enron , rod williams / et & s / enron @ enron , jskrok @ yahoo . com ,
bcomer @ hntb . com , kenneth miller / et & s / enron @ enron
cc :
subject : foxsports . com ' s - nebraska ' s option will blast through attacking
defenses
runs of steel
nebraska ' s option will blast through attacking defenses
jul 12 , 2000 10 : 12 p . m . et
by darryl richards
foxsports . com
the first national champion of the millennium will not be the product of a
space - age spread offense inspired by a mad scientist who calls himself an
offensive coordinator .
the best college football team in america this season will run the most basic
of offenses . call the option many things : plain , boring , ancient , uninspired .
but when nebraska runs it , it  , s cruel and usual punishment for opposing
defenses .
teams may be able to slow it down , but over the course of four quarters , they
will pay a price , slammed repeatedly by an offensive line that averages 303
pounds . remember the limp noodles crawling out of sun devil stadium in
january ? that was tennessee  , s defense after the cornhuskers drove 99 yards in
the fourth quarter of the fiesta bowl .
the beauty of the system is that it is the perfect offense for the current
rage of defenses using quick , blitzing attacks . sure , you can send everybody
after the ball , but the option demands you stop and think and play an
assignment . how do you properly scout a team that runs an offense you see
only once a year ? the answer is you don  , t .
arguably , the cornhuskers , foxsports . com ' s no . 1 team in its preseason top
25 , were playing the best football in the country by the end of the 1999
season . in their last five games , the cornhuskers beat texas a & m , kansas
state , colorado , texas and tennessee by a cumulative score of 164 - 72 . the
scary thing about nebraska is that 10 offensive starters return for a team
that finished 12 - 1 last season .
the cornhuskers have an unquenchable desire to be the best again . it starts
in the off - season and continues through january . the running game took a
while to materialize last season because of injuries , but i - back dan
alexander and quarterback eric crouch have the ability to rush for 1 , 000
yards this season . even if the oft - injured alexander can  , t hold up to the
pounding , the cornhuskers have a replacement with great credentials and a
fitting name for this smashmouth football team : thunder collins .
nebraska will not only push other teams around . the cornhuskers will push
themselves . the school is touting guard russ hochstein and center dominic
raiola for the outland trophy , presented to the nation ' s outstanding interior
lineman . the beneficiary of this internal competition is the offense .
" this group has a great deal of confidence that always shows come august and
september , " said nebraska coach frank solich , who has his best team since
taking over for tom osborne three years ago . " we have a rich history and a
team coming off a good season that is not questioning things .
" we have high expectations . some of it comes from how we finished last
season . a lot comes from playing in an excellent program and tradition . "
the option and the ' huskers are inextricably bound . it is their offense , and
they have been running it so long it is practically an open - book test for
defensive coordinators . yet , only eight teams have passed the test over the
last seven years . nebraska has won 81 games and three national titles in that
span .
" we try to keep up with what  , s current and we use the spring to experiment , "
solich said . " but our players and coaches like to line up and beat you . our
players that are here love it . it is an aggressive style of play and that  , s
how they want to play it . it  , s what our players want to do on offense . "
the cornhuskers will not go through the season unchallenged . crouch can put
his name up there with the turner gill , tommie frazier and scott frost for
the title of best nebraska quarterback ever , but all bets are off for this
team if crouch is hurt , because the cornhuskers lack depth at quarterback .
the schedule has its pitfalls too . notre dame , looking for a win that can
restore luster and a reason to keep coach bob davie , gets nebraska at home on
sept . 9 . a resurgent oklahoma team and top rival kansas state get nebraska at
their places . kansas state won the last time the teams met in manhattan .
the cornhuskers will probably play texas or oklahoma in the big 12
championship game , which has had a tendency to produce a surprise finish .
the cornhuskers also must shore up a secondary that loses ralph and mike
brown . but nebraska carlos polk back as the heart of the defense . polk is
heralded by nebraska insiders as the best linebacker in school history .
but come january 3 , nebraska will play florida state for the national title .
and the seminoles too will fall under the relentless attack .
senior writer darryl richards covers college football for foxsports . com . send
your comments to darryl richards .