If nothing else, Nebraska fans can be finicky. After pulling out a close win over a winless Penn State team, I found myself at odds with the second half offense. The defense rose to the occasion, two times shutting out Penn State in the final quarter, to help hold on to the victory.
The final defensive hold was great, and the defensive backfield played great late in the game, but what happened to the offense? Luke McCaffrey started the game so well. Nebraska looked like they were going to be a well-oiled machine when the rolled out to a 10-0 lead in the first quarter and with some help from the defense, extended it to 27-6 at halftime.
After halftime, I found myself wondering if we were watching the second half in Boulder last season. Or the final drive against Purdue last year, or for that matter every loss in the last two years that came down to a late lead lost in the fourth quarter under Head Coach Scott Frost.
Then I started to review a few things. First and foremost, Nebraska was playing on offense with a bunch of new players. Even the veterans, weren’t all that veteran outside of a couple of linemen. Cam Jurgens, redshirt freshman, Wan’dale Robinson, sophomore, Zavier Betts, true freshman, Marcus Fleming, true freshman, Ethan Piper, redshirt freshman and finally Luke McCaffrey, redshirt freshman. I’m leaving a few players out, but the fact of the matter is, Nebraska is going through a youth movement on the offensive end.
Tack on that Penn State is probably in the top two teams in overall talent in the Big Ten and you start to see that the win, while dicey, was a much bigger deal than it seemed as we held our breath.
If you have been a fan of this team for as long as most of you reading this blog, the last five years have been nothing but disappointment and despair for the most part. Scott Frost was supposed to come in and save the day, but along the way, talent simply wasn’t in place to take the league by storm. There was no impressive coaching to win close games and honestly, I’m sure Frost would tell you, he had to learn a few hard lessons in his initial run through the Big Ten.
Nebraska is working on a reboot of a storied program. Quite honestly, we only avoided rock bottom thanks to the brand that the red “N” provides in recruiting. Frost has done a lot to rebuild both sides of the ball, but the reality is, three head coaches in a four-year span of recruiting hurt Nebraska as much as any coaching has. It’s hard to build a program with that type of turnover. There are still crumbles in the foundation that are starting to be filled.
Nebraska will eventually get there, where they are old on both sides of the ball. That’s when you start to challenge for the Big Ten title. It may be a couple years away. In the meantime, I need to remind myself to enjoy the wins. There may not be many more this season, and while it’s our right as fans to judge everything in the program, I will try and enjoy the young players and their growing pains. We saw a bright light across the Husker universe last week in that first half. Hopefully we start to see the stars shine on a longer basis.
ON WITH THE REWIND…
Last game prediction was Penn State 24, Nebraska 21. The actual score was Nebraska 30, Penn State 23. The Huskers had to hold on for dear life in the second half after building a huge first half lead. Nebraska seems to have confidence in the first quarter, then looks a bit skittish after that. They need to build off that and start the second half as focused as they do the first. If they can do that, they will start to win at a more consistent clip.
Quick Notes:
Wide Receivers…When you play freshman at wide receiver, especially talented ones, you will see some great highs and generally some weeks that nothing happens. Marcus Fleming, Zavier Betts and Alante Brown are going to be really good players at Nebraska. They already are starting to show why they were four-star recruits. The issue with playing that talent is the other teams have coaches too and they know enough to throw the kitchen sink at them to see how they respond. Moving Wan’dale Robinson to tailback probably limited the amount of passing that Nebraska wanted to do in the second half against Penn State. If you are the coach of the Huskers, you hope to let these three guys contribute more every week. They need them all to play and play well. Be ready for some ups and downs.
Deontai Williams…Williams continue to make big plays for the Huskers. He along with Cam Taylor-Britt have provided a big spark to the Blackshirts. Williams’ sack, strip, fumble recovery for a touchdown was a play that the Huskers need to see more of when they play better teams. He hasn’t been shy laying the wood, but he has been caught out of position more times than the coaches would like. You take those busts when he can provide a play like that against Penn State. If he can sure up the more mundane parts of the game, he could be an all-conference type player this year for the Big Red.
Connor Culp…After last seasons debacle at kicker, Culp has been a breath of fresh air. He has been consistent on field goals and he has been uber-valuable on kickoffs. Nebraska has benefited from that type of play, when last year, it was lucky if they made half those plays. If Culp continues to provide consistent kicking, Nebraska could win a close game down the road, that they have lost in the past. It has provided a big boost to the team and should allow Frost to be more confident calling plays in the red zone. Despite a few hiccups against Northwestern, he had a stellar weekend against Penn State.
Offensive Line…For most of my life, Nebraska was synonymous with the “Pipeline” and the envy of most college football programs. The first game of the season, Nebraska looked like a return of the Pipeline was closer than it had been in years. Since then, injuries, inconsistency and miscommunication probably brought results that were closer to reality. Against good front lines on defense, the Huskers still don’t have the build to just line up and bust someone in the mouth. They struggle to drive good players off the line and the pass protection has been less than average. If Nebraska wants to finish strong this year, the offensive line will need to be the reason why. Nebraska is relying on a young group of skill players and a veteran tight end group to move the ball. Without the offensive line paving the way, it will continue to be a struggle.
I predicted a Penn State win last week and for about a half hour, I was worried I would be right. Last week was a relief and this week, Nebraska needs to build on that quick start and try to maintain it for 60 minutes. Illinois is probably in the bottom three teams in the conference. For the Huskers to take that next step, they need to dominate in these types of games. I don’t know that the Huskers will do that just yet, but if they can control the line of scrimmage this week, they should have a comfortable margin. If McCaffrey doesn’t end up in Victory formation this weekend, it will be a big blow to Husker Nation. I think they will end up closing out a game that they should, for a change. As always, GBR!!
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