Special teams found yet another way to completely wipe away a historic performance.
It wasn’t just the punt return for a touchdown that was maddening. It is the week after week ineptitude of one disaster after another that kills most fans. One week it’s missed field goals, the next week it’s the inability to run the football, the week after it is failing to even field punt returns. False starts, personal fouls, pick plays by the wide receivers, you name it.
Scott Frost has had one of the most star crossed coaching records at Nebraska that you can have. From lightning to Covid to special teams that may as well not exist, it’s been one thing after another to keep Nebraska from winning consistently.
So, what’s it going to be? Frost has dug himself a pretty big hole to climb out of. Forget his record this year, which is still hopefully salvageable. In four years, he has managed to win just fourteen games. At a certain point you have to wonder, can he plug all the leaks that have plagued him since he got here?
If you were a betting man, you might have to say he will get it done eventually. There is little doubt this is the best team he has coached since his return to Nebraska. He has the best defense he has had by a mile. His quarterback is on pace to be All Big Ten. He has tight ends and wide receivers that he could only dream about his first three years in Lincoln. Recruiting has looked sour this year, but due to Covid that may be a blip on the radar in the long run. It’s clear that he has stacked talent on defense.
The question is, if he can’t get it done with this team, why should Trev Alberts give him a shot to coach the next team?
I still have faith that Scott Frost is the right man to lead Nebraska back to being a Big Ten title contender. At this point though, he is going to have to show it, not just to us the fans, but to administration in the athletic department. I’d set the demarcation at four wins. Anything at that mark or lower, it should be time to move on in Lincoln.
ON WITH THE REWIND…
Last game prediction was Nebraska 30, Michigan State 28. The actual score was Michigan State 23, Nebraska 20. When will I learn? Nebraska likely has an elite defense, but poor special teams basically wipe out the defensive greatness. So, the offense has to compensate. Nebraska’s inability to take advantage of red zone opportunities and score touchdowns continue to keep them from winning games against better teams.
Quick Notes:
Adrian Martinez…It can be frustrating sometimes when Martinez turns the ball over. The problem is, he must be almost perfect for Nebraska to win each game. That’s unfortunate because he has been the best player on this Husker team. Without Martinez, Nebraska likely has no chance in any of their three losses. On the flip side, they have three losses because Martinez has not made enough plays to win those games. That kind of pressure is difficult to manage, and quite honestly, it shouldn’t be all on him. He needs other players to make plays. When he came back after that vicious hit last weekend, he showed me all I need to know about his toughness. I just wish the players around him could lighten his load.
Damion Daniels…During one play against Michigan State on a third down, Daniels basically grabbed his counterpart on the offensive line, set him aside and made the tackle on the running back. Daniels has improved as much as any player on the Blackshirts since he set foot on campus. He allows the other defensive lineman to make plays and he has kept the linebackers free to pursue. If he plays this way all season, he will be All Big Ten.
Offensive Line…When you can’t just pick one player on the line to replace and say, “well that should clean things up,” you know it is bad. Outside of Cam Jurgens, I can’t recall a single player on the line that has ben above average. And yet Adrian Martinez is leading the Big Ten in total offense. If the line was even close to average, how high of a level could this offense operate? We may never know, but changes need to be made. You can’t consistently do the same things repeatedly and expect a different result.
Blackshirts…What can you say about this group? So far this is arguably the best unit at Nebraska since Ndamukong Suh wore the Husker uniform. From the defensive line, through the linebackers into the secondary, all the pieces are greater than the sum of their parts. Nebraska still doesn’t turn the other team over as much as you would like and they still need to find a pass rush that gets to the quarterback quicker on third and long, but that is being nitpicky. This is a Big Ten West championship defense so far this year. If they continue to play at this level, I think Nebraska will get into a bowl game.
Score Prediction: Nebraska 24, Northwestern 17
I don’t know if Nebraska will play another team this year with less talent. In fact, I will go as far as to say if Nebraska doesn’t win this game, they likely won’t make a bowl game. That’s the grim reality of this Homecoming game. On the flip side, if Nebraska even plays average special teams and the offensive line is at par, Nebraska could win this game by three touchdowns. That’s how close it is to greatness, while still courting failure. I’m going conservative on this score. Nebraska should crush Northwestern. I guess I’m back in the “see it to believe it” camp. I’m still cheering and GBR!!
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