NU's Holt performs well at linebacker

With injuries depleting its linebacker corps, Nebraska went off the depth chart last Saturday to find a starting linebacker against Texas Tech.

Matt Holt, listed in the Cornhuskers' media guide as a true freshman running back/middle linebacker from Lee's Summit, Mo., got the starting nod as a linebacker in the dime package against the Red Raiders with starting linebackers Cody Glenn and Phillip Dillard sidelined by injuries. The 6-foot, 200-pound Holt responded by finishing second on the team with eight tackles, including seven solo stops in Nebraska's 37-31 overtime loss.

Nebraska coach Bo Pelini said Holt performed well in his first significant action.

"We had some guys go down and Matt's a guy who is very confident," Pelini said during Monday's Big 12 Conference coaches' teleconference. "He's athletic. He's not the biggest guy in the world, but he's tough. He has a good understanding of the game and we just felt he was the right guy for us with all the injuries we've had.

"He practiced well and he earned the right to get in there."

Holt starting was certainly a surprise to some as he isn't even listed on Nebraska's weekly depth chart. But at this point in the season, Pelini said he doesn't want to burn the redshirts of highly touted linebackers Will Compton and Sean Fisher, who has played but was slowed by injuries and could still possibly receive a medical redshirt.

After originally committing to South Dakota State, Holt decided to walk on at Nebraska. During his senior season at Lee's Summit West, he rushed for 1,529 yards and scored 24 touchdowns, leading his squad to an undefeated season and the Class 4A Missouri state title.

"He came on our radar late," Pelini said of Holt. "Carl (Pelini) knew his head coach in high school. I'm glad he's here. I think he's a pretty good football player."

Turning the focus to the offense, even though Nebraska rushed for just 114 yards -- 3.3 yards per carry -- against Texas Tech, the Huskers' much-maligned offensive line received praise for their most recent performance from two different sources Monday. One of them was Red Raiders coach Mike Leach, who watched NU outgain his high-powered offense 471-421 in total offensive yardage.

"We thought they were going to be a big, strong, physical group coming in and it turned out that they were -- and probably even more so than we've seen on film," Leach said of Nebraska's offensive line. "I'm not able to say if they had an exceptionally good game or anything like that, but I thought they played incredibly hard and they did remind me of the great Nebraska offensive lines.

"Going in, I thought they were the best unit on the team and leaving the game, I still believe that."

Bo Pelini said he saw signs of improvement from his offensive line.

"I thought they played well," Pelini said. "I thought that was a good front they played against. I thought they blocked well.

"We still had a couple missed assignments, missed targets where we didn't quite target things the right way on the run game, but overall, I thought they played a pretty game, both in the run game and protecting (quarterback) Joe (Ganz)."

Up next for Nebraska (3-3, 0-2 Big 12) is a trip to Iowa State (2-4, 0-2) this Saturday in an 11:30 a.m. game that will be televised by Versus. The Cyclones are coming off a 38-10 loss at Baylor last Saturday.

Iowa State coach Gene Chizik called the loss to the Bears his team's worst performance of the season.

"I don't feel like we were ever really in it," Chizik said. "We had a chance to get it close there right before halftime and go in at halftime (behind) 14-7, (but) we shot ourselves in the foot with penalties.

"There are no excuses, no reasons why. I could make up some things, but that's now what we're going to do. We just didn't play well."

Chizik said facing Nebraska will be a challenge, despite its three-game losing streak. The Huskers' losses have come to Virginia Tech (35-30), Missouri (52-17) and Texas Tech -- with both the Tigers and Red Raiders ranked in the top 10 when they played NU.

"They've lost to some great teams -- this is a very good football team," Chizik said of Nebraska. "They played a great football team Saturday and had a lot of chances to win. They made a great comeback there at the end to send it into overtime -- a great last-minute drive.

"I'm sure they're very confident."


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