With about 11 minutes to go in the game and Nebraska up comfortably, I felt like this is it, Frost has new coaches and a new quarterback and the light is turning on! And then we went down the same damn rabbit hole we have gone down every week before with Scott Frost coaching Nebraska.
Frost can’t get out of his own way. I won’t rehash the onside kick, mostly because I didn’t think it lost Nebraska the game, but the kind of “get it all back right now” attitude is not helpful when you are behind, and it certainly wasn’t helpful when you are ahead.
It was more than that though. The Blackshirts, after so much improvement last year, were destined to reload through the transfer portal and home-grown talent. Instead, they imploded, got no pressure on the quarterback, and couldn’t stop the run when they needed. Northwestern figured out they didn’t have to do anything different to come back. They just let Nebraska beat themselves.
And therein lies the problem. Other eyes, other ideas and new players were supposed to help fix these issues. Now the spyglass is clearly only on Scott Frost. He needs to be more mature with the media this season. He needs to understand that Nebraska fans are out of patience. He says he didn’t charge his phone last weekend. That’s smart if you want to block out the people that worry about you the most.
Frost has eleven games to turn around this narrative that he is an awful power five level coach. For three quarters I was convinced. It only took one quarter to remind me that it’s going to take a lot more than this for Frost to have any hope of being in Lincoln in 2023.
ON WITH THE REWIND…
Last game prediction was Nebraska 31 Northwestern 16. The actual score was Northwestern 31 Nebraska 28. Nebraska’s offense looked like a thing of beauty for 2 and ½ quarters. It was silent in the fourth. We have come to expect that from Frost, but Mark Whipple having the same issue is a bit alarming. Nebraska must find a way to run the ball consistently until the defense has their feet under them. If they don’t, there isn’t a game left on the schedule outside of the next two that Nebraska will be favored.
Quick Notes:
Casey Thompson…In all the direness of last week’s loss, if there was a bright spot it was Thompson. He struggled a bit in the second half, but he was so on the money in the first half he seemed superhuman. Thompson is the most polished passer at Nebraska since Joe Ganz and could set a lot of records this year. He needs more help from his wide receivers. He also needs another tight end that can catch. Travis Vokolek’s injury may be the biggest loss of the season last week. It made teams defend the middle of the field. When Vokolek went out, Northwestern was able to sit on the downfield throws and shut off the outside of the field.
Anthony Grant…Grant is clearly the number one back in the Husker depth chart. He had multiple nice runs, including a 46-yard touchdown run. He breaks tackles and can break past the linebackers for long runs. Grant should be a great addition. I was disappointed that Rahmir Johnson didn’t play more against Northwestern. Nebraska is going to need to use his speed to keep defenses honest and allow Grant to have more room inside.
Tommi Hill…You couldn’t pick out many bright spots in the Blackshirts in the second half, but Hill looks like a keeper. He made multiple pass breakups and played well in man-to-man coverage. I think Nebraska has the talent to play more man. They certainly didn’t play zone well enough to win.
Brian Buschini…I was going to bring up Isaiah Garcia-Castaneda, who had a great game, but Buschini was such a welcome sight to Husker fan’s eyes, I couldn’t leave him out. Nebraska has struggled with the punt game about 90 percent of the Scott Frost tenure. To see Buschini be able to give the Huskers an edge in special teams gave me a warm fuzzy feeling. When it’s 20 degrees in November and Nebraska needs a lift, I think this new punter might save a game for the Huskers.
Score Prediction: Nebraska 38, North Dakota 28
Can the loss to Northwestern have the opposite effect on this year’s Husker team? I don’t know, but we do know that there are certain players on the Huskers that are working hard to turn this thing around. If Nebraska has a close game this weekend, don’t let it dampen your spirits. The Huskers have a lot of newness to work out. Their offense should take advantage of a smaller North Dakota defense and the Blackshirts will have their hands full with a veteran quarterback. I expect Nebraska to have the game in hand, but it will be closer than the spread. GBR!!
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