You feel that? I did, it was the pain of a thousand sharp needles, all over your body. How did Nebraska play so well in the first half in Boulder? How did they play so bad in the fourth quarter in the same place?
We have seen it before since Coach Frost has come back to Lincoln. Nebraska gets up on someone, but they don’t put them away. Nebraska looks like a top 25 team against someone (Northwestern, Ohio State and 2019 Colorado) but they only look that way about 75-85% of the time. It is super frustrating. After Maurice Washington scored in the fourth quarter on a 75 yard pass to erase the 96 yard flea flicker from the Buffs, it seemed as though whatever evil demon possessed Nebraska, they could overcome it. Unfortunately, it wasn’t meant to be.
Whatever you think of Scott Frost, we know he suffers with us. He is one of us. He played here, he bleeds red. His frustration is probably as high as anyone's. So why do we keep losing close games? A couple of reasons come to mind.
First, the offensive line needs a lot of work. It’s true if you can’t dominate the line of scrimmage on one side of the ball, you will get wrecked. If you recall, in a Mike Riley coached game against Wisconsin, they simply decided to run the football in a close game in Lincoln. They didn’t pass, they simply knew Nebraska couldn’t stop them. That happened a lot to Nebraska, playing against good offensive lines, since Nebraska joined the Big Ten. Unfortunately, Nebraska’s own offensive line resembles nothing like that. It’s ironic that the first time since Bo Pelini left that Nebraska has a strong defensive line, and the offensive line is below average at best.
Second, this team has to learn how to win. We talked about it last year when the Huskers had their worst start in our lifetime, this team simply doesn’t know what it takes to bury a team. Nebraska really dominated Colorado in the first half of their game. When you are up on a team 17-0 on the road, you would say that the odds are in your favor. The problem is, Nebraska struggled to do anything offensively in the third quarter. You could sense the walls starting to tighten up on Nebraska. When a team doesn’t win a lot, little things can start to make you think the whole thing will collapse. Until you have those things go your way and you put a team away and get backups in the game late, you just don’t know what else bad can happen, but you are sure that it can.
Last, the expectations on this team were probably way too high. I read a lot of preseason publications and sportswriters, basically wanting to will Nebraska into winning the Big Ten West. It could still happen, the Colorado game really doesn’t matter in the big picture. However, we all knew (including Frost), this job wasn’t going to be a redo of Central Florida, no matter how much we all wished it. Face it, Nebraska is a program that for five years prior to Frost taking over, was headed in a large tailspin. Poor recruiting, poor coaching, poor culture and poor development has plagued Lincoln for a long time. That is hard to turn around in a couple years, let alone one season and two games. Nebraska doesn’t play in the same conference as Central Florida, the roadblocks are a bit higher up north.
Nebraska will be back in the national conversation, I’m sure of it. I actually feel like Nebraska by the end of the season is going to be a team no one wants to tangle with. I also think that in two more seasons, you will see Nebraska in the conversation for a national playoff berth if things continue at this current pace. I get it that many of us want this program to head back to the 90’s type dominance yesterday. What we should be hoping for is a replication of the 80’s at this point. Just start winning nine games a year again for 2 or 3 seasons. With this staff and the people behind Nebraska football, I foresee it happening. Unfortunately, this season is just another block in the base of what is being rebuilt. It’s going to give us some gut punches along the way. Better prepare for a few more before it’s all said and done.
ON WITH THE REWIND…
Last week’s prediction was Nebraska 34, Colorado 31. The final score was the reverse with Colorado coming out on top. We know Nebraska can beat Colorado. If the played them 10 times, I’m sure Nebraska would win their 5. Unfortunately, they only play one. It can be a stepping stone or an anchor. I think it’s just another step forward, despite the outcome.
Quick Notes:
Cam Taylor-Britt… A perfect microcosm of last week, Taylor-Britt made some unbelievable plays, tackles for loss, forced a fumble and yet he was the player defending the receiver on the flea flicker that really turned the corner for the Buffs. Taylor-Britt is special. To me, he is like a mini version of how Nebraska is progressing. He can be sensational, but he isn’t perfect yet. He may get there, I just hope it is soon.
Maurice Washington…. Man, this kid is special. Off the field stuff not withstanding, he is probably the most talented player on the Husker roster. Washington makes plays that no one else on the team can make. Any time he is in the open field he can house it. I’d like to see him play some wide receiver when Dedrick Mills and Wan'dale Robinson are on the field. Last season against Iowa he was almost unstoppable. He needs to play as many plays as he can, he is that great.
Kickers …Nebraska was so spoiled last season with Barrett Pickering. He adjusted after a rough start and became another of a reliable, if not spectacular kicker in a long line of Huskers specialists. You could argue his absence has made Nebraska fall from the ranks of the undefeated. Hopefully he is healthy by conference play. Nebraska needs him.
Blackshirts…We talked about them some last week, but that first half against Colorado was almost brilliant. I honestly felt like the emotion of the first half was what tired Nebraska out in the fourth quarter. Nebraska put it on Colorado, and looked like they had the fire to carry Nebraska this season. Injuries have put a bit of a damper on their performance and the late game collapse was really bad, but I continue to be encouraged by their tenacity and willingness to tackle with violence. I’d argue that the personal foul on Lamar Jackson in the first series was a bad call. I know it was early, but I felt like it gave Colorado some life. If Nebraska could have capitalized on that early stop, it would have really changed that game. The Blackshirts needs to cut down on penalties, but they could be a force in the Big Ten based on the first two games.
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Score Prediction: Nebraska 37 – Northern Illinois 21
When Northern Illinois came to Lincoln and upset Nebraska two seasons ago, it set in motion the ability to have Scott Frost come back to Nebraska. I thought that was rock bottom for Nebraska that day, but I was probably wrong. I’m not sure if we really have hit it yet, but I sure hope so. Nebraska needs to make a statement at home this week, offensively and defensively. If Nebraska is up by three touchdowns going into the fourth quarter, they need to get young players into the game. That's the only reason this game should be as close as we predict. Nebraska is capable of dominating this team. As always GBR!!!
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