When Will It End?

There is a certain amount of madness that encompasses Husker football the last three seasons.  Every time I think we are past it, Nebraska Football in general finds another way to stick it right to the heart of the fans.  

I know there is a certain number of other fans of other programs that are relishing the utter chaos that Husker football has found itself.  In some ways, that’s probably what it’s all about, wallowing in someone else’s misery, if you can’t have any joy of your own. Maybe that’s what I tell myself to get over the crushing agony each week.

We go through the same song and dance, over and over, right when you think they have righted the ship (Colorado? Minnesota? Indiana?) another disaster befalls the entire program.

And yet, here I sit, writing another blog, watching yet another game, or at least preparing to watch another game.  A wise person once told me, “enjoy these games, if you are lucky you get 13 a year, that’s not many and before you know it, you’ll be at the end of your life and be glad you watched any at all.”  That quote came circa 2011, but I keep that in my pocket when I think about how bad things have been for Husker fans the last few years. We only have four more games left in this season, if we are lucky five.  I know from last November until this August was an eternity. It’s been too long since Nebraska has played in a bowl game.

I wouldn’t even complain if we played in the Mars/M&M Bowl on the planet Pluto, as long as I get to watch Nebraska play again.

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So really what is the point?  We all sit and criticize what we are watching.  As a state, and as a, (God forgive me) “Husker Nation,” we all come together a dozen times each fall and share a bond that you don’t always find in other areas.  I won’t let a couple of down seasons ruin that for me. There are too many other bad things in the world to not enjoy some of the great things that we have all shared together with Husker sports.

So as a fan with way too much emotion invested in Husker Football, I’ll just ask that you think about how lucky we are to get to watch Nebraska represent us each week.  The road ahead with this rebuild is probably far tougher than we can imagine. Scott Frost told us it would take a while. He probably knew better than any fan, media member, or outside observer.  I just want to see Nebraska get back to playing an extra game each year. All the other stuff at this point…well I’m just going to enjoy as much of it as I can.

 ON WITH THE REWIND…

Last week’s prediction was Nebraska 24, Indiana 23.  The final score was Indian 38 Nebraska 31. Nebraska really needed to win that game at home, to have a chance at getting to a bowl.  Don’t get me wrong, they only need to finish 2-2 down the stretch, but this is a game you hoped you would win so the pressure wasn’t so great.  The backup quarterbacks played superb outside of a couple of plays, but the defense continues to melt down when it’s needed the most. Nebraska hasn’t had a killer instinct in almost 4 years.  It seems a lot longer.

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Quick Notes:

Quarterbacks… Noah Vedral and Luke McCaffrey played so well, you didn’t really miss Adrian Martinez last week.  McCaffrey especially gave the Huskers a jolt of athleticism at the position that it made you wish Martinez could get back to his 2018 form.  I will say, the group looks to be very exciting in the future and having great quarterback play is paramount to having a winning football program.  I think that Martinez has been playing hurt all year. I hope that the time off has allowed all his ailments to heal. We will need him to be healthy the last four weeks to have any chance of winning.

Road Games…. Since Scott Frost has returned, Nebraska has won exactly…one road game.  Out of 8 road games, that is about as rough a stat as you can have. It takes some resolve to win on the road.  You have to beat out the crowd, the feeling of not being in your own bed the night before and the realization that everything is just a little different when you walk into the stadium.  Great teams relish going on the road and beating someone. For Nebraska to get to that point, they will need to beat teams that are reeling. With only one exception, they have yet to do that under the Frost era.  

Erik Chinander…There has been a lot of talk this last week, that the defensive coordinator at Nebraska is in over his head at Nebraska and in the Big Ten.  As someone that has coached myself, I will say, better players make you look much smarter. I’m sure that Chinander has felt the pain of these losses and the poor play of the defense and wondered a little bit why his schemes haven’t worked.  As a coach, sometimes you need to shake up your own belief system, to see if you can shake something loose. I realize this group isn’t super talented, but I hope that the Blackshirts can rise up, once again and aren’t just a sieve the rest of the season.

Wan’Dale Robinson…Nebraska is so lucky Robinson picked them last year over his home state school of Kentucky.  There is no telling where Nebraska would be without him. He has played like a man on fire when given the ball.  His ability to make small holes into big runs has been a big reason Nebraska was able to move the ball up and down the field against Indiana.  I hope for his sake that he can last the next four games. I’d like to see Dedrick Mills get some more touches to try and lighten his load. Either way, he is electric, and he makes the Nebraska offense look bright for the future.  

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Score Prediction: Purdue 33, Nebraska 31 

Nebraska’s failure to win on the road the last two years is starting to make me weary.  I’ve thought Nebraska could have won at least four games the last two seasons on the road and they have failed in all but one opportunity.  I don’t know if the answer to the Husker road woes is with this group of players. If Rondale Moore plays for Purdue it will be trouble. Nebraska has shown that they can’t stop anyone from throwing the ball, because they fail to get a pass rush.  If Nebraska comes out flat, like they did at Minnesota, Tommie Frazier in his prime wouldn’t be enough to save them. I hope I’m wrong, but I will be cheering as hard as ever. GBR!!