Another week and another Husker loss. I swear, if there was a way to break your heart every week and you asked a team to do it to you, this Husker team has been on it. You couldn’t have written a script for how this Husker season has went that would be approved in Hollywood. It wouldn’t be realistic.
Last Saturday was the final straw for me. With Nebraska leading by 10 points with less than six minutes to play, it really seemed that the Huskers would finally get a victory in 2018. What followed was heartbreak for the coaches, players and fans. I felt like a gut punch had landed. What cruelty is someone putting on this team? Is it Voodoo? A hex? A curse?
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After some inner anger had subsided, I decided to look at the team and see if there was something that would tell me why the team has struggled to get a victory so far.
What I have come to realize is that the coaching may have as much to do with Nebraska losing at least three games as anything the players have done. I really have stayed away from criticizing Coach Scott Frost too much, simply because we knew that the culture around Lincoln needed to be fixed and that it would take some time. I know that a poor effort in recruiting by the previous two staffs was going to cause issues this season. Nebraska lacks depth in key areas and is playing a young player at quarterback. That is going to bite you in the rear end a few times during the season.
The Huskers lack key playmakers on defense on third down. They have failed to build a pass rush without blitzing in Big Ten play and even when they have blitzed, they have left themselves vulnerable to open men down field. The blitzes barely get to the quarterback and that simply can’t happen if you want to put a stop to long drives.
A lot of these things were known prior to the season starting. I will give the coaches a break for the Troy loss and Michigan and Wisconsin were simply better teams. That leaves three games though, that Nebraska could have and probably should have won.
Against Colorado, Nebraska failed to manage the clock properly. Against Purdue, bad play calling probably cost Nebraska on third and short plays with questionable reads and runs. Northwestern had a combination of the two and it allowed the Wildcats to come back from their own 1 yard line with less than a minute and a half on the clock and no time outs.
Some of that has to lie at the coach’s feet, specifically Coach Frost. I’m sure that Coach Frost knows this, but you have to ask yourself why? Our conversion rate on fourth down is horrible. I know the offensive line isn’t going to win many awards, but give them a chance with some different play calls.
Don’t let off the gas when you have the lead. Use your dynamic quarterback to try to get to the outside on plays that typically go up the middle on short yardage situations. Run some type of bootleg or option. Just don’t continue to try and line up and blow people off the line. This team isn’t built for that. It will be in time, but you have been bitten by the same issues over and over the first six games.
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This offensive line is built to pass block and to run block on passing downs. You can see it in their sets. They do really well when there aren’t eight guys on the line. The have blocked well enough to get Devine Ozigbo over six yards per carry and they have blocked well enough to let Adrian Martinez get to the edge for run pass options. Let them do what they do best, even if you have the lead and running the clock is imperative. Maybe try letting the play clock run down, but don’t get Martinez out of his rhythm. It’s ok to continue to do what you did to have success. Don’t give up on that, just because the “normal” game that you know should work. It clearly doesn’t with this team. Embrace the difference. It might just start winning you some games.
ON WITH THE REWIND…
Our previous score prediction for the Northwestern game was Nebraska 32 – Northwestern 31. The actual score was Northwestern winning 34-31. If you had told me that the Huskers would lose in overtime on the road, normally I’d say, ok, good game. In this case though the Huskers had them on the ropes and couldn’t finish. To say it was deflating was putting it mildly. I couldn’t even drink an adult beverage after it was over…there was no joy in it.
Quick Notes:
Culture… Coach Frost continues to tell everyone that the Culture is getting established. I believe him, but we need to start seeing some tangible wins to back it up. The excitement of adding Frost as the head coach has worn off, results are going to be necessary and soon. Credit to the players for continuing to fight, for many of the seniors they could cash it in. As a fan, I hope they don’t, but it won’t be easy for Frost to keep the ship afloat without a win soon.
Adrian Martinez is the man…. Despite a costly fumble by Martinez that possibly let Northwestern steal momentum, he continues to play great most of the time. Martinez is one of the top signal callers, not just in the Big Ten, but the entire country. For the bigger part of his last two games he hasn’t played like a freshman. His ability to beat teams with his legs and his accuracy has been better than even I could have imagined. He will win plenty before he leaves Nebraska, even if it isn’t his first year.
Defense Needs a Break … I feel like the defense is improving week to week, but the offense and special teams need to win a game for Nebraska and give the defense a rest. From the start of the season, the Huskers have been playing just well enough to lose. That will wear down a great defense, let alone one that is closer to average. The Blackshirts aren’t going to win games by themselves, but don’t blame them alone. I think they will continue to answer the bell this weekend.
Score Prediction: Nebraska 34 – Minnesota 28
I haven’t even talked about the discrepancy in penalties at Northwestern, even though it continues to be a huge issue for Nebraska. If the Huskers can get out of their own way this weekend, I think coming back to Memorial Stadium should be the fire needed to finally get over the hump. Nebraska must protect the football and continue to build on creating turnovers. The Gophers aren’t exactly a world beater, but they play hard and they just gave Ohio State a game. Nebraska can ill afford to continue to hurt themselves if they want to win this game. I’m going back out on a limb again and the Huskers get a pelt this weekend. GBR!!
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