Opening Thoughts
In retrospect, last week’s win over Minnesota was pyrite. (That’s fool’s gold for you non-geologists.) It was not a turning point for the Huskers. It was merely a data point on a continuum not dissimilar from the San Andreas fault during “the big one.” This team is all over the map because individual players, units, and the coaches are all over the map. Northwestern was not a good football team. (Make the Stanford argument all you want, but did you watch the Cats? They dropped passes, committed costly penalties, and ran an offense about as exotic as vanilla pudding.) But Nebraska was worse. An average team would have beaten the Wildcats comfortably. But at 3-5 with two more likely losses on the schedule, the Huskers aspire to average.
 
The Good (What I Liked)
The Gunslinger: Tommy played erratically on Saturday, but was by far at his best on third and long and on the move. He made repeated big throws downfield to convert and keep the chains moving. It looked like the Huskers had the offense clicking at the end of the second quarter and throughout the third, but in reality, that was mostly the off-the-cuff playmaking of #4. As frustratingly bad as he can be when he’s off, his ability to pull a play out of the fire makes him exciting and dangerous.

Three Minus Three: For three quarters, except for three plays (all scrambles by Northwestern QB Clayton Thorson), the Blackshirts played very soliddefense. They were particularly stout against Northwestern’s designed running plays. They were also good with their backs against their own goalpost, forcing NU to run three plays to get two yards for a first-quarter touchdown and holding them to a field goal in the third quarter.

The Bad (What I Didn’t Like)
Drop it Like It’s Hot: Credit to @BigRed_Fury for what might have been the quote of the day: “A blind lobster could do a better job catching passes than this receiving corps today.” Pretty much. Tommy’s passing was inconsistent enough without them brick-handing touchdowns and first downs. The Huskers WRs are really good, but not all the time. Saturday they were just plain bad.

Live by the Sword . . .: I don’t know what it is, but for the last five years, Nebraska has been “blessed” with talented QB’s (T-Magic and Tommy) who have made a lot of big, spectacular plays. Unfortunately, not all of those big plays have been for Nebraska. Both players too often ran/run around like chickens with their heads cut off. I said after the pick-six (which was just awful) that Tommy should sit a series to regather his poise. He didn’t, and he still responded with some big-time throws and runs. But the interception was too much for a Huskers sloppy offense to overcome.

Disappearing Act: After three quarters, the Huskers had run 70+ plays to Northwestern’s 31. Yet, after taking a 22-20 lead and forcing a three-and-out immediately thereafter, instead of seizing control of the game, Nebraska flopped on both sides of the ball. The offense went three-and-out, the defense gave up a touchdown, the offense went three-and-out again, and the defense gave up a field goal. Suddenly the Huskers were down eight. The offense did respond with a big drive to score again, but the defense allowed Northwestern to run out the final four-plus minutes of game clock. You have to wonder, if the Huskers couldn’t secure momentum in this game, can they ever?

Big Spin: Through eight games, I still have no idea what Nebraska is trying to accomplish on offense. I do know it isn’t a running game. I get it, they can’t just pound the ball into the line every play. But Iowa showed Northwestern is susceptible to a power running game (particularly, say, if their defense is on the field all game). And Nebraska had good success on downhill running plays in the first half. But after getting solid gains (six-plus yards) on first down, they’d get cute with obvious jet sweeps or bubble passes and the drive would stall. It’s like Danny Langsdorf is spinning a wheel to see what play call he lands on. Power run. Drop-back pass. Bubble screen. Misdirection handoff. Jet Sweep. Heave it deep. There’s no consistency, no rhythm, no theme. And far too many bankrupts.

At the End of the Day
The story of the 2015 Huskers seems to be that they can’t get over the hump and close the sale on games they could win—in several cases, games they should win, either because of the situation or the talent of the opponent. But I’m starting to wonder if that isn’t a false conclusion. I’m not sure Nebraska should be winning these games because I’m not sure they’re any better than these teams. Nebraska didn’t look like a good team playing down to Illinois’ level; they looked like a (marginally) better-dressed Illini team. Saturday, the Huskers didn’t slop their way into a loss against a gutty opponent. Northwestern was just as sloppy, but in the end, made one less mistake. So is it the players’ fault? Is it Bo Pelini’s fault for not recruiting/developing better talent? Is it Riley and his staff’s fault for taking a good (if not great) team and turning them into a mediocre (at best) team? I don’t know. Maybe the final third of the season will give us a better answer. All I know is that, on the day when the university honored the 1995 national championship team, the product on the field couldn’t have been more different from what those legendary Huskers produced. Riley may still be “the guy,” but we’re a long way from home right now. A very long way.

Extra Points
Johnny Cash once sang, “I wear the black in mourning . . .” Perhaps that explains the absolutely atrocious unis the Huskers wore. Never mind the fact that black is not even a school color. Never mind that nobody had any idea who was who (Note to Adidas, contrast would help). Why do we feel the need to keep trotting out these garish alternate uniforms? The old standby I hear is that kids love them. At some point, don’t we have to ask, what’s wrong with kids? Nebraska looked like the “bad guys” in a movie about high school football. All that was missing was a demon logo on the helmet.

Nebraska still had a Michigan State-esque chance when Maliek Collins decided to blow his stack and get an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. That’s twice now that Husker captains have lost their composure and ruined what little chance the team had of getting a win. Not exactly the leadership I’m looking for.

I did have a little joy in the “early window” of games, watching Miami get caned by Clemson. Ha ha, ha ha ha.

Next Week
Um, who cares? Wait a second, you say. Isn’t your Twitter handle @atruebluehusker? Isn’t your entire wardrobe red? What kind of fan are you? The kind who gets sick of watching a pile of hot, stanky garbage, that’s what kind. I have no idea what Nebraska team will show up in West Lafayette next week, or if really matters against Purdon’t. But if I’m honest, I don’t much care. I’m not sure I have the heart to spend three and a half hours in front of the TV watching them piddle around with the Boilermakers, maybe losing in another puke-inducing performance, maybe winning and “showing potential” to create more false hope. Right now, I feel about Nebraska the way I feel about weddings: I’m not in the mood for cooing and gushing, buying shower and wedding gifts, and wasting a Saturday afternoon on a 50/50 proposition. If you’re still together in ten years, call me and we’ll celebrate. Similarly, if Nebraska does get rolling, okay, I’ll get excited again. But I just can’t get on the hope train any longer. Call me a fair-weather fan if you like, but I’m getting really tired of cheering in the rain.

Opening Thoughts
That felt good. That felt really good. That didn’t feel like a team with a losing record achieving a slightly better losing record. The fans who made the trip to the Twin Cities and who cheered the team off the field didn’t feel like the fans of a bad (according to the W/L column) team. It all felt like a turning point, and speaks volumes of the commitment and buy-in of the players and of the support of the fans. Sticking together in all kinds of weather feels real and feels good today. Let’s be honest, Nebraska needed that win. The players needed it for their psyche. The coaches needed it to cool their seats back to room temperature. The fans needed it to keep them hopeful. And the team needed it, frankly, because I don’t think they were coming back from 2-5. They don’t exactly have it made in the shade at 3-4, but did you notice ESPN’s FPI (Football Power Index) that was displayed late in the game? Nebraska is favored in all of their remaining games, save for Michigan State. That includes Iowa, who is projected to be 11-0. Here’s hoping they are, setting up a huge spoiler opportunity on the day after Thanksgiving.

The Good (What I Liked)
Swagger: As mentioned above, Nebraska didn’t look like a 2-4 football team. They played with fire, passion, purpose, and with, yes, swagger. No doubt they were helped by big plays early and by the return (in a contributory sense) of De’Mornay Pierson-El. But listening to comments of coaches and players, this was not a team hanging its head all week. This was a team that fought. At the beginning of the year, I said one of the keys to watch would be how much resolve the Huskers displayed. We saw them show fight early in the year against BYU and Miami, and these last few weeks we saw it when the season could have gone into the tank. The Huskers don’t quit, and that reflects well on them as a team and on their coaches.

Pass it On: I do get why the Nebraska coaches want to throw the ball. When he’s on, Tommy is really good. And he might just have the best receiving corps in the Big Ten. Saturday, Armstrong got off to a bit of an errant start, but really settled in (15-20 in the first half). The on-the-run TD pass to Moore was a huge play, both for Tommy’s confidence and for the momentum of the game. Had the Huskers squandered good field position back to back times, it could have set up a long afternoon.

Potential: It has been very frustrating to watch the Huskers in recent years, because they’ve had—in my opinion—Top 10 potential. The problem has been, they’ve seldom lived up to it. On Saturday, Nebraska showed that the ceiling is again high. Beating Minnesota doesn’t put them on par with the big boys of the sport, but it does give fans hope. There is still plenty to work on, but we got a taste of what can be when all is well.

$5 Bits of Broken Chair Trophy: I love trophy games. I love seeing Minnesota or Wisconsin players race across the field to grab Paul Bunyan’s axe and “chop down” the goalpost, or seeing Texas coach Charlie Strong don the Golden Hat after beating OU last week. So when the Huskers joined the Big Ten, I was excited about the possibility of them developing a “trophy game” with someone. Unfortunately, the Heroes Trophy (vs. Iowa) and the Freedom Trophy (vs. Wisconsin), while well intentioned, fall flat. Trophy games aren’t about capturing a contrived piece of craftsmanship. They’re about taking home an absolute piece of crap, like a bucket full of chains (Indiana-Purdue), a wooden statue of a mythical legend (Michigan-Michigan State), or an old brass spittoon (Indiana Michigan State). Which is why I think it is awesome that Nebraska and Minnesota now play for the $5 Bits of Broken Chair Trophy. Twenty-five years from now, we’ll be explaining to the younger generation why the Huskers and Gophers race across the field after a win to hoist a broken wooden chair the same way the older generation explained to us why Iowa and Minnesota fight over a bronze pig or Michigan and Minnesota vie for a little brown water jug. And the reasons are absurd. (Although arguably not as absurd as a Twitter fight between a parody of Nebraska’s former coach and a rodent.) The trophies wouldn’t fetch five dollars at a flea market (except for the $5 Bits of Broken Chair Trophy which actually has five-dollar bills attached to it). But they are what make the college game so unique and grand. Some might say weird. But I, like psychic detective Shawn Spencer, would counter with, “It’s not weird; it’s wonderful.” Oh, and that splintered, broken, somewhat ugly piece of junk is back in Lincoln, baby! Whaaaaat.

The Bad (What I Didn’t Like)
Passed By: New week, same song. The Huskers pass defense continues to be porous. In defense of the Blackshirts, they did stuff a good running game, so well in fact that Minnesota didn’t really try to run up the middle, where they had success (read: wore Nebraska out) the last two years. Some of that may the absence of David Cobb. A lot of it was a fired up Maliek Collins and company. It’s also fair to note that a lot of the Gophers’ passing yards came in the fourth quarter when the Huskers had a big lead and Minnesota was passing every down. And the Blackshirts did end the last two Gopher possessions with interceptions, including Kalu’s pick six. But if Joel Stave and Mitch Leidner can throw for 300 yards each in back-to-back weeks, it is a problem. I’d rather be stout against the run and leaky against the pass than the other way around. But until there’s significant improvement, nobody is ever out of a game against the Husker D.

Three and Out?: Minnesota’s three touchdown drives started when they converted third and five, seven, and ten respectively. This is a recipe for disaster, allowing a clock-eating team like Minnesota to stay on the field in situations where, as a passing-challenged team, they shouldn’t succeed. Fortunately, the Gophers went just 3-12 on their other third downs (including several great run stops by the Blackshirts) and the Huskers’ offense was in fine form. But getting off the field on third and long has plagued the Big Red in recent years. It’s another area where some improvement is sorely needed.

Run it Out: Overall, I thought the play calling was pretty good by Danny Langsdorf. It’s hard to score 41 points with bad play calling. Still, it frustrates me to see the Huskers run for five or six yards on first down and routinely start passing. I get that they can’t run it up the center’s back every play, but this staff seems intent on passing. It worked Saturday. It might work long term. They do have really good receivers, as noted previously. Maybe I’m just nostalgic for the days of power football. Then again, I’ve seen too many “cute” offenses bog down in November Big Ten play. I come from the old school mentality: when the running game is working, run it some more. (Also, I give Langsdorf a pass (pun intended) for throwing deep on the series after Minnesota cut the deficit to 38-22. I don’t give him a pass for calling three straight (and after a 15-yard run on the first play of the series) that used up almost no clock.)

At the End of the Day
Before the year, I said Minnesota would be a swing game for the Huskers. I expected them to beat Illinois and enter the contest at 3-3. Because of the loss in Champaign, this game was even more monumental. The team stayed upbeat after the Wisconsin loss, likely feeding off the environment and electricity in Memorial Stadium late in the fourth quarter. But a third consecutive loss, especially had it been in heartbreaking fashion, would have made it a real challenge to stay positive. It would have made any respectable season goals mere pipe dreams. Now, it really feels like Nebraska could get on a run. In baseball, they say that momentum is only as good as the next day’s starting pitcher. And if Nebraska comes out against Northwestern and starts dropping passes and committing penalties and beating themselves, this all falls apart and the season could still get ugly. But we saw how good Nebraska was when they only have to beat one team—the one in opposite colors. The positive vibe started with great effort against Wisconsin. It got a huge boost with a blowout win over Minnesota. If the Huskers take care of business against the Purple Cats, they’ll have two should-win games against Purdue and Rutgers and two good opportunities to make a statement against Michigan State and Iowa. It’s still overcast in Lincoln. After all, the team is still 3-4. But there’s a line of blue sky on the horizon. Now to keep the front from stalling.

Extra Points
It sure is nice having DPE back and making big plays. Even though his punt return ended in a missed field goal, it was a huge play in that it inspired the Huskers and served noticed to the rest of the conference. Don’t punt to #15! (His one-man tip drill TD wasn’t bad either.)

Nebraska is tipping its plays. Several times Saturday, they lined up with two receivers on the same side of the field both on the line of scrimmage. The inside man is considered “covered” and thus ineligible to catch a pass, which tells the defense a running play is most likely coming. And each time it did. Nebraska gained some big yards on Armstrong runs and Reilly sweeps on such plays, but formationally, can’t they stop giving away that plays are likely to be runs.

It got tense for just a little while there. I never thought Nebraska would actually lose, but had the Gophers punched it in to get within 10 or even 8, well, let’s just say I wouldn’t need to cut my fingernails for a few weeks. Kudos to the Cornhuskers for closing the door. As Keith Jackson once said, “it wasn’t terribly authoritative,” but it got closed nonetheless.

Michigan, oh, Michigan. I feel ya.

Next Week
Nebraska is catching Northwestern at the perfect time. The Huskers’ trajectory is up, and the Wildcats’ is down. After back-to-back thumpings at the hands of Michigan and Iowa, Northwestern, to quote their former coach, is “who we thought they were.” They have to be reeling mentally now, and Nebraska has a chance to deliver the knockout punch. The Cats won’t be pushovers, mind you. And one clean performance hasn’t fixed Nebraska’s woes. But the Huskers have an athletic edge over the kids from Evanston and now a psychological one as well. I expect a repeat of last year. It will be close for a while, but the Huskers’ superiority will show in the second half. Nebraska 41, Northwestern 24.

Opening Thoughts
The Huskers might be the best 2-4 football team ever. Consider they’ve lost by a combined 11 points and led or been tied for the lead with 15 seconds left in the fourth quarter of each game. They’re not far from 6-0. Then again, Nebraska has nobody but themselves to blame for their losses. Penalties, questionable play calling, atrocious game management, and failed opportunities cost them against Miami, and especially against BYU and Illinois. Nebraska should have beaten the Cougars and Illini. Those games were in the bag. This one wasn’t quite the same. Nebraska could have beaten the Badgers, and had every opportunity to do so. But they didn’t collapse in calamitous fashion in the final minutes. Rather, a series of the same old problems plagued them throughout the game. The second half was like watching a person throw up in slow motion. It was that scene from so many movies where a desperate man’s fingers slowly slip off a ledge. Give the Badgers credit—they won the game. But fault the Huskers too—they lost the game.

The Good (What I Liked)
On Fire: No, not Mike Riley’s chair. The Huskers still appear to be playing with passion. The fans, despite some of the grumbling on social media and message boards, are still behind them. Memorial Stadium was rocking Saturday. The team hasn’t quit and they haven’t split, not discernably. If the old adage is true that what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, then the Huskers are going to be real strong someday. But in order to avoid being killed, they’ll need to “stick together in all kinds of weather.” So far, so good. But will the team continue to hold together with the season on the brink of falling apart?

On the run: Remember the last two outings against the Badgers? Wisconsin linemen opened holes wider than I-80 West and a bevy of Badger backs ran, danced, strolled, and laughed their way to astronomical rushing totals. Wisconsin was without the elite running backs of years past and their O-line isn’t up to typical standards, but the Husker defense was still much improved. Maliek Collins and Vincent Valentine looked more like the dynamic duo we expected, and Chris Weber has played admirably in the absence of Banderas and Rose-Ivey.

Pass, Bucky, Pass: I have no idea why the Badgers’ game plan included Joel Stave going all Drew Brees and heaving the ball all over Tom Osborne Field, but it played right into the Huskers’ hands. True, Nebraska’s pass defense is porous, but passing is clearly not Stave and Wisconsin’s strength. Their running game was mostly held in check, but did have success against a worn down defense in the fourth quarter. Had they pounded the rock all game, I doubt Nebraska’s in position to win late. I particularly appreciated their pass calls on third-and-short in plus territory. I was just sure Stave was going to serve up a game-ending pick, but to his credit, he didn’t.

The Bad (What I Didn’t Like)
Attention to Detail: Nebraska continues to struggle with little things—running a three-and-a-half-yard route on third-and-four on the opening series, a DT lining up in the neutral zone on a third-and-one, repeated dropped INTs, procedure penalties, and so forth. All of those things are going to happen from time to time, but they keep occurring, and that ultimately reflects poorly on the coaching staff. Bo Pelini’s teams were known for similar frustrations, and it is disappointing that thus far Mike Riley’s staff hasn’t corrected them.
 
Turn Around: Back in the day, my grandpa used to complain about Nebraska cornerbacks (Erwin Swiney especially) who “won another track meet” but failed to play the ball in the air. The Cornhuskers’ current crop of DBs make Swiney look like Deion Sanders (or like Richard Sherman for you young folks). Nebraska corners repeatedly look lost, staring at receivers who catch a ball that seemingly (to the DBs) came from nowhere. Pass defense was always a strength of Bo Pelini’s defense, so I have to ask why they suddenly seem to have lost all ability to defend the forward pass. Whatever it is, the defensive staff needs to coach them up and fast. If Joel Stave can throw for 300 yards against them, who can’t?

Management: What is it that Nebraska is trying to do? When in crisis, what do they rely on? I don’t know because I suspect they don’t know yet. The running back rotation gets crazier by the week (back to Newby and Cross again—the way it’s going, Mikale Wilbon may start next week) and the reluctance to run Armstrong at the most logical times (final third down against BYU, on the final series Saturday) is questionable. The decision to bleed the third quarter clock instead of running a third-down play (and likely ensuing punt) with the wind was also a head-scratcher. Maybe I’m nitpicking, but there seem to be a lot of nits to pick.

The Door is Ajar: Bottom line, the Huskers can’t close games. It’s not just a problem in the final minutes. Nebraska had chance after chance in the third quarter, but couldn’t put points on the board with momentum, great field position, and the wind. They couldn’t contain the Badgers after Sam Foltz pinned them at the one. They couldn’t hold a lead late with Wisconsin backed up and the crowd howling. I know the defense was gassed and missing a lot of key players, and I don’t question their effort or heart. But something is lacking, and that something is big-time players making big-time plays. In each of these losses (Miami perhaps exempted) all Nebraska needed was one player to make one play somewhere along the line, and nobody could do so.

At the End of the Day
Nebraska’s not competing for a Big Ten championship this year. They’re not continuing the nine-win streak (neither’s Oregon, it would appear). Right now, a reasonable goal is making a bowl game. For any Husker fan older than a Husker player, that’s incredibly disappointing. I’m frustrated by it. But if Nebraska can stick together and keep fighting, if they can show improvement (both coaches and players), if they can eliminate mistakes and form an identity, and if they can scratch and claw their way to a bowl game and a winning record (even if it’s a 7-6 record earned with a win in a Detroit bowl named for an oil change provider), then I will see 2015 as a success in that it is part of a building process. If they fail—if they achieve a winning record but still are inconsistent, sloppy, and mismanaged—it will be a long off-season. And should they fail in both regards, particularly if the season should spiral into a 4-8 or 3-9 debacle . . . well, it won’t be pretty but let’s not go there yet. I still think this team has potential. Nebraska isn’t losing because they’re not as good as BYU or Illinois or Wisconsin. They’re losing because they’re not playing and coaching as well as those teams. That can be corrected. Now we’ll have to see if gets corrected.

Extra Points
I blinked and must have missed Jordan Westerkamp’s participation again this week. I also didn’t see too much of DPE. When Nebraska needed a big play offensively (all second half) I’d have expected more plays go toward #1 and #15. Makes me wonder if Pierson-El isn’t 100% yet.

Now we run Janovich on third-and-seven? NOW! Last week was the time to run a very conservative dive and this week was the time to try something “cute” like a bootleg. Or put the ball in Tommy’s hands on the QB counter or QB power. Just a thought.

Speaking of the walk-on fullback, his go-ahead TD run was a thing of nostalgic beauty and a great Husker moment. Too bad it was negated by another heartbreaking loss.

Is there anything systemic to all of these injuries? I get that they happen and even in bunches, but with this many, it’s worth asking if there’s a training/strength and conditioning issue that could be addressed?

Texas and Tennessee got off the schneid. Hope springs eternal for the Huskers . . .

Next Week
In the final round of the 1968 Masters Tournament, Argentine golfer Roberto De Vicenzo tied Bob Goalby to force an 18-hole playoff the following day. Only De Vicenzo’s playing partner incorrectly recorded the Argentine’s score on the seventeenth hole, and De Vicenzo didn’t note the error and proceeded to sign an incorrect scorecard. As a result, his score was recorded as on the card, placing him one stroke behind Goalby. Instead of potentially winning the coveted green jacket, De Vicenzo went down in golf lore for his mistake. I bring this up because the only way Nebraska could lose in more agonizing fashion than they have thus far is by doing whatever the football equivalent is of signing an incorrect scorecard. (I hate to even think what that might be.) I’ve said all season that Minnesota is nothing special, and I still believe that. But they know who they are and don’t often beat themselves. Meanwhile, Nebraska is beat up physically and beat down psychologically, and still searching for an identity. I want to be optimistic and pick the Huskers, but until they get over this hump, it’s hard to do so. Minnesota 20, Nebraska 17. (And not on a 64-yard FG into the wind and snow or anything, just a regular, run-of-the-mill close loss.)

Opening Thoughts
I need to remind everyone—myself foremost—that it is too early to make definitive, sweeping statements about Nebraska football as a whole. But right now, things are not looking good in Lincoln. There’s a difference between experiencing bumps in the road during a transition year (Nick Saban going 6-6 and losing to UL-Monroe his first year at Alabama) and dragging a proud program through the mud (RichRod going 3-9 and losing at home to Toledo his first year at Michigan). There’s a difference between a slow learning curve and just not getting it. Or, to put it Nebraska terms, there’s a difference between the 3-3 start (and 9-4 finish) in 2008 and the 4-2 start (and 5-6 finish) in 2004. We don’t know how 2015 will turn out, but I sure know which of the two it feels like.

As for the game itself, losing to Illinois is bad. There’s no way to spin it differently. But losing to Illinois isn’t the end of the world. We see upsets all the time in college football. They’re one of the things we love about college football. The problem is, this didn’t feel like an upset. This felt like two evenly-matched, pretty bad football teams bumbling and stumbling around for four quarters, and Nebraska bumbling a little more at the end. For much of the first half, it actually felt like Nebraska was hanging around with Illinois, surviving missed FGs and getting red zone stops to keep the game scoreless, then getting two big Tommy Armstrong scrambles (one a run, one a lucky heave to Cethan Carter) to set up their only points of the half. There was never a moment when Nebraska looked like the better team, and that is what is most distressing of all.

The Good (What I Liked)
And kick, kick: It’s bad news when the highlight of the day is your punter. But on an afternoon when the wind was blowing such that two pretty good quarterbacks looked like 50 Cent throwing out a first pitch, Sam Foltz was booming howitzers and downing punts inside the five. Kind of makes you wonder what happens if Nebraska chooses to punt on the final fourth down of the game.

Move that Line: For the first time this year, the Nebraska defensive line—and particularly Maliek Collins—looked nasty, blowing up the Illini O-line and stuffing numerous running plays. It’s hard to get too excited about dominating Illinois at the line of scrimmage, but it was an area of improvement.

The Bad (What I Didn’t Like)
Everything else: Too generic? Okay . . .

Lost: No, not the ABC cult phenomena from a decade ago, but OC Danny Langsdorf. It is clear that he has no idea what he’s doing. That’s not to imply incompetence, but rather a complete lack of strategy. It wasn’t just against Illinois, but all year. Consider the running back position: Week 1, Newby, Cross, and freshman Mikale Wilbon share time and carries equally. Week 2, Newby gets run into the ground, but accumulates almost 200 yards. Week 3, Newby has the primary role but there wasn’t much rushing. Week 4, Newby gets the lion’s share of the carries until the third quarter, when Cross reemerges out of nowhere . . . and fumbles his way back to the bench. Week 5, Devine Ozigbo is suddenly the bell cow of the offense. If they’re still trying to evaluate talent mid-season, it sort of makes you wonder what was going on all spring and in fall camp. The use of Andy Janovich is also mystifying. I love the walk-on fullback, and he runs like some of his predecessors. But last week, against Southern Miss, he had great success on fullback traps and on a short pass out of the fullback position. So naturally, this week they move him to tailback. I’ve never seen a player excel so much at one position that the coaching staff decided to move him to a different position. As much as I love Jano’s running, it’s not like he’s the second coming of Leonard Fournette or something. He’s a real weapon, but as a fullback, not a feature back.

Pass it On: It’s hard to tell what this Nebraska offense’s identity is going to be, but it seems to revolve around the pass. And while I’m not calling for the Huskers to replicate Army or Navy’s offense, on a day when the wind was howling, when Tommy couldn’t hit the ocean from the beach, when the receivers suddenly developed the dropsies again, and when the Huskers were churning 5.5 yards per rush, pounding the rock seemed like a wise strategy. Especially late in the game, when the Huskers were clinging to a 6-point lead and needed to melt clock. Instead, Langsdorf opted to chuck it around like he was Steve Spurrier back in the Florida Fun ’n Gun days. The results were predictable. And lest anyone argue that the Big Red was just trying to keep Illinois’ defense off balance, I would point out two things. One, no one has ever needed to keep Illinois’ defense off balance; it is their default position. Two, on the final drive when Nebraska did finally commit to the run and the Illini knew it was coming, the Huskers marched the ball down the field and ate up most of the final five minutes of game clock.

Butch!: Nebraska is giving Tennessee a run for its money as the team most likely to pull defeat from the jaws of victory. From failing to capitalize on great third quarter field position (and inexplicable officiating) to heaving deep balls into the wind to suddenly forgetting to cover receivers, the Huskers gave this game away. Of course, all the talk is about the third down with a minute left. With Illinois out of timeouts, Nebraska only needed to run the ball, eat forty seconds, and leave the home club needing a Kordell Stewart-like miracle to win the game. Instead, they throw an incomplete pass and stop the clock. According to Riley and Langsdorf, Armstrong was told not to pass the ball, which makes it something of a boneheaded play on his part. Eat it. Take the sack. Have awareness. But he never should have been put in the position, and that is on Riley: A) the Huskers were lined up in an illegal formation (five players in the backfield) so Riley should have used a timeout. B) Several players were clearly running pass routes, meaning the team was confused about the play, which they admitted afterwards. C) There is no need to run a bootleg, fake pass. Maybe with two minutes left, where a first down is still important, I’d understand the call. But all Nebraska needed to do was bleed the clock and get the heck out of Dodge. There was no need for cuteness. Dive Janovich for half yard, run the clock to twenty seconds, take a delay of game, and punt. This isn’t second-guessing. This is common sense. As was the case with BYU, the game and clock management were terrible, and while the players and the QB deserve some blame, that is ultimately on the head coach.

At the End of the Day
Perhaps it is fitting that Nebraska lost to Illinois, because Nebraska has started to resemble Illinois and fellow Big Ten West thorn-in-the-side Minnesota. You see, as do the Huskers, the Illini and Gophers have proud football traditions, replete with national championships, Heisman and other prominent award winners, and legendary players. And as is more and more the case with each passing year for the Huskers, the Illini and Gopher football prowess is totally irrelevant in the 21st century. No current players—and certainly no current recruits—remember when these teams meant anything. They are has-beens, toiling in obscurity while older (and older) fans wistfully remember the glory days.

When Frank Solich was fired after the 2003 season, AD Steve Pederson made the infamous comment about not letting the program slide into mediocrity. Bill Callahan (pardon my French) came in and embarrassed the fine history of Nebraska football. Bo Pelini brought Nebraska back, but only to mediocrity. Now, there’s nothing to suggest Mike Riley will achieve anything higher. Yes, it is only five games. Yes, I remember my Nick Saban analogy from earlier. Yes, I know it’s possible that in a few years we’ll all be laughing about how we prematurely bailed on Mike Riley. But I’m tired of having my hopes buoyed only to have them dashed again. I was optimistic when the Huskers whipped Colorado in 2005 to “turn the corner.” I was optimistic when Pelini declared the program back after stifling Arizona in the ’09 Holiday Bowl. I was optimistic when Riley took over last December. You’ll understand why my optimism is waning. I hope that Nebraska figures this out and turns things around. I hope that I’m wrong about whether or not Riley can ever achieve greatness. I hope that the early returns aren’t indicative of where the program is heading. We are only five games into year one, so it would be unfair to declare Riley a failure at this time. But you’ve heard the old saying, “the proof’s in the pudding”? Maybe all the ingredients haven’t been added yet or maybe it still has to chill a while. All I know is that right now, the pudding doesn’t taste very good.

Extra Points
If Mike Riley is going to routinely bungle game management in the fourth quarter, he could at least go for it on fourth down all the time, mispronounce rivals’ names (Ar-Kansas), and eat a little grass on the sideline. After all, Les Miles is endeared at LSU. “Have a great day.”

Alex Lewis is a chump. The end. His blowing kisses to the fans and shouting “I’m sorry we suck” is not befitting a captain, and he should have his C stripped from his jersey until he earns it.

Remember when Liv Tyler’s character broke up with her boyfriend at the end of That Thing You Do and said to him, “Shame on me for kissing you with my eyes closed so tight.” Well, that’s how I feel about buying into the hype around the offense again this year. Sure enough, the calendar turned to October and the high-flying Huskers were grounded.

As I said last week, it could be worse, Husker fans. We could be Texas. Ouch.

Next Week
Wisconsin has owned Nebraska in the Big Ten, winning three of four games—all by blowout—and leading by 17 in the second half of the one game they lost. And while the Badgers are the very definition of pedestrian this year—especially on Saturday against Iowa—they are always humdrum until they play Nebraska, at which point they magically transform into the ’95 Huskers. This may be the worst Badger team of the last five years, but the same could be said of Nebraska. And while the Huskers have been stout against the run, they’ve yet to play a running team. In a boxing match between two double amputees, I say pick the short, stocky guy, as he’s less likely to trip over his own feet. That would be Wisconsin, who for all of their failures, at least knows what it is they’re trying to do. A Nebraska win wouldn’t shock me, but neither would the Badgers rolling by five touchdowns. I’ll predict a close game, but until I see it happen, I can’t pick Nebraska to beat Wisconsin. Badgers, 27-21.