LINCOLN, Neb.—If Nebraska gets into a close game with Virginia Tech on Saturday, Cornhuskers coach Bo Pelini likes his team’s chances.
The first-year head coach has nothing to base that on other than his gut feeling.
“I like my team. I like the whole staff. I like the players. I like the attitude they have,” Pelini said this week.
The Hokies (3-1) come to Lincoln having won two straight 3-point games. None of Nebraska’s wins has been decided by fewer than 23 points.
Pelini pointed out that the 35-12 win over San Jose State on Sept. 6 was closer than the score indicated. Nebraska (3-0) led by just 2 points early in the fourth quarter.
“We reacted pretty well,” Pelini said. “One thing I like about the guys on this football team is that they just play. There’s not a lot of talking. When good things happen, they don’t get too high. When something bad happens, they’re not getting too low. That’s the sign of a maturing football team.
“We have some tough tests down the road. We’ll have adversity, and we’ll have to stare it in the face and overcome it.”
That adversity could come Saturday in what figures to be a close game. Virginia Tech statistically has been one of the top defensive teams in the nation in the 2000s. Their numbers aren’t eye-popping this season—they allow 327 yards a game—but they’ve used 11 takeaways in four games to hold opponents to an average of 17 points.
Before beating Georgia Tech 20-17 two weeks ago, Virginia Tech had lost six of its past seven games decided by 3 points or less since 2001. The Hokies overcame a 14-point deficit in the third quarter to win 20-17 at North Carolina last week.
“They’ve hung in there,” Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer said. “I’ll give credit to our coaches and players. We’ve been good in the fourth quarter. I’ve been pleased with how we’ve hung in there and kept battling and playing hard and found a way to get it done.”
Nebraska was 2-1 in games decided by 3 points or less last season, winning 20-17 at Wake Forest and 41-40 at home against Ball State and losing 28-25 at Texas.
Though the Huskers have won by wide margins so far this season, there have been some snapshots of adversity.
“We’ve had a case of that playing in these last couple games in different series,” defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh said. “That’s the name of the game. We’ve all responded to that in the correct way, and the best way we know how to, which was the right way. We’ve moved forward and past it.”
After Western Michigan had two 80-yard scoring drives in the third quarter, the Huskers shut down the Broncos the rest of the way in a 47-24 win.
The next week, San Jose State was within 14-12 before Niles Paul ran back a kickoff 85 yards for a touchdown to break open the game.
In the 38-7 win over New Mexico State, the Aggies drove 77 yards on the opening series before Zach Potter blocked a field goal. The Huskers held again in the third quarter when the Aggies drove inside the 3.
“We faced quite a bit of adversity in those first three games, even though they were games that we were expected to win,” Potter said. “I think we’re prepared for something like that, whereas last year, we really weren’t and we didn’t respond the way we should’ve. We’ve responded the right ways this year and we’ll continue to respond that way if that happens.”
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