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Who should get the nod at quarterback for the Huskers?

Freshman Cody Green could be the spark the Nebraska offense is looking for.

Coming into last Saturday’s game against Texas Tech, many fans and media members, including myself, thought that this could be the game that the Nebraska offense and passing game would finally break out against a BCS conference opponent. It was expected that after the Huskers scored three passing touchdowns in the fourth quarter alone against Missouri, the offense and the rest of the team would be riding a wave of confidence and carry it into the team’s second conference game. As we all know by now, that was most certainly not the case.

 

Even though it didn’t help that the defense gave up a touchdown on Tech’s opening drive, it was imminent from the Huskers’ first offensive series that the team wasn’t clicking yet again. The confidence breaker Saturday had to be when Nebraska was driving and Zac Lee through a swing pass out to Niles Paul who proceeded to drop it. The pass was clearly backward and without Paul and the rest of the offense being focused, Tech scooped up the ball and took it back to the house to give the opposition a 14-0 lead.

 

With Rex Burkhead out and Roy Helu obviously playing injured, Nebraska had to rely on the pass and it simply did not work. It’s tough to point fingers but looking at the offense as a whole, the majority of the blame has to go on both Zac Lee and offensive coordinator Shawn Watson. Despite completing 16 of his 22 passes, Lee was off on many of his reads and held the ball in the pocket for far too long. On the other hand, Watson called certain plays that befuddled Husker fans and quite frankly hindered the team from making a comeback.

 

Finally in the third quarter, Bo Pelini made the move he admittedly pondered against Missouri and put true freshman quarterback Cody Green in the game. It was exactly what fans were looking for as chants of “Cody! Cody! Cody” could be heard throughout Memorial Stadium. Green’s first past was dropped by Brandon Kinnie on a perfect throw while Kinnie was running a slant pattern. Shortly after, Curenski Gilleylen couldn’t hang onto what would have been a touchdown pass that could have possibly jump started a comeback. However, after the one series Green was taken out and Lee reentered. Personally I think this was the wrong move because now not only was Lee’s confidence shaken by being taken out of the game, but Green’s was more than likely as well after given only one quick series to prove himself.

 

Eventually Green was able to finish the game once Texas Tech clearly had things in hand and looked pretty decent doing so. Despite throwing an interception late in the game, Green led the only touchdown drive of the game as he hooked up with redshirt freshman Khiry Cooper for a 13 yard score. The game left fans wanting more of Green and wondering who should finish at the season as the team’s starter.

 

I don’t put much blame for the offenses struggles on Zac Lee, however I do think making the switch would be in the best interest of the team. So far this season Watson seems determined to run a zone read, a play in which the quarterback has the option whether to hand off the ball or run it while lined up in shotgun formation. I like the new addition to the offense, but that style suits Green far better than it does Lee. Cody has proved he has far better speed and athleticism in order to run these plays and gather better results.

 

In my opinion, the future is now for the Big Red, so why wait? As soon as Green signed his letter of intent to become a Husker, it was clear he had the ability to be a major part of the team’s efforts to become as successful as they once were. The way I look at it is, the coaches decided to burn Green’s redshirt immediately, so they might as well make the most of it. Give the change a try see if  it could possibly create a spark in the offense, much like what happened when Joe Ganz took over for Sam Keller two seasons ago. I wouldn’t be opposed to Lee still getting a few series a game, but I would be extremely disappointed if Cody Green doesn’t start the game on Saturday against Iowa State. The defense is good enough to keep the Big Red in every game the rest of the year, so it’s very important Watson and the offense figure things out quickly.