I hope everyone had a great weekend of football, and a spook-tacular Halloween even though the Huskers lost! This post will have my reflections on the Huskers' big game against the Badgers and my predictions on the College Football Playoff Rankings that release tonight. Let's get down to it, enjoy!
A majority of the posts and comments I've seen after the game are all focused on the no-call pass interference on Nebraska's third down in Overtime. A majority of the fans on social media have been blaming the officials for the Huskers' loss, and although I AGREE that they missed the call, I still cannot blame the officiating for the loss. As I have said many times, ONE PLAY DOES NOT DECIDE A FOOTBALL GAME!! Yes, some plays have a bigger impact on the game than others, and I truly believe that they missed a bad pass interference call on that play (as well as a few holding calls throughout the game), but that is not the defining reason on why Nebraska lost. The Huskers played well, especially on the defensive side of the ball, but they missed their opportunities on offense. They had 2 interceptions on back to back drives in the 4th Quarter, and only came away with 3 points from them. After the first pick, Nebraska went three and out even though they had the ball at the Wisconsin 46 yard line to start that drive. Tommy did not have his best game, but I do think that he played well enough for our team to win. My biggest issue from Saturday was the play calling, especially in the 4th Quarter. Offensive Coordinator Danny Langsdorf seems to have the same system in mind whenever Nebraska gets the ball; 1st Down: Run up the middle and get stuffed. 2nd Down: Run up the middle and get stuffed again. 3rd and Long: Make Tommy throw into tough, press coverage while getting rushed and make sure the routes go either deep down the sideline or short underneath the first down marker. This game plan has not worked the best all season, so I really don't know why he keeps trying to use it, especially against one of the toughest defenses in the nation. Plus at the end of the 4th Quarter, Wisconsin missed a Field Goal that would've given them the lead, and Nebraska got the ball at their 27 yard line with 1:43 left in the game. All they needed to do was cross the Wisconsin 40 and they could have gotten Drew into Field Goal range. They probably didn't even have to go that far, because Drew has a big leg. However, Nebraska only moved the ball up to their own 49, and then proceeded to waste three plays by throwing an incomplete pass to Cotton, a pass for no gain to Newby, and then my most hated play of the game, a deep ball to a double-covered Brandon Reilly. I would have to go back and watch some tape to see if Tommy had a man underneath, but either way, there is NO REASON to throw the ball deep when all you need is a field goal. I would really like to know what Danny Langsdorf was thinking when he called that play, because if you send a man deep, no matter what Tommy will try to throw it to him. They should have ran a crossing route over the middle or a hitch over to the sideline to get the first down and move into field goal range. At least give Drew the chance to win the game, if he misses you go to Overtime, if he makes it we win! I am very upset with the play calling during the 4th Quarter, because although Nebraska won the 4th Quarter yet again, they missed their opportunities to dominate the final quarter. With some better play calling on offense late in the game and in overtime, I think Nebraska wins this game. That would be my main focus this week on offense for the Huskers.
Jumping over to the defense, they did everything they needed to do to keep the Huskers alive and give them an opportunity to win the game. The Blackshirts held Wisconsin to only 114 yards passing and got 2 big interceptions in the 4th Quarter. Sadly, the Achilles heel turned out to be the run defense, specifically the run defense against RB Dare Ogunbowale who ran the ball 11 times for 120 yards and the game winning touchdown. If you take out Ogunbowale's numbers, Nebraska held the Badgers to just 103 yards rushing, but for some reason could do nothing to stop Dare. Missed tackles and struggles holding the edge are really what allowed Ogunbowale to run wild, but again, when you hold a team to 17 points through 4 quarters, and get 2 picks in the 4th, you need your offense to step up and help you out. There is always room for improvement on defense, especially when you let one player out gain the rest of the team by himself on just 11 carries, but the Blackshirts proved they are not an easy task for opposing teams. JT Barrett and company should have an interesting week this coming Saturday.
Overall, I thought the game was a great performance from Nebraska, and proved to the nation that they are a legitimate contender and are deserving of their top 10 ranking. Speaking of rankings, the first College Football Playoff Rankings come out tonight, and here are my top 10 thus far in the season!
1. Alabama
2. Clemson
3. Michigan
4. Washington
5. Louisville
6. Ohio State
7. Texas A&M
8. Wisconsin
9. Nebraska
10. Auburn
My top 10 is very similar to the current AP top 10 rankings with exception for Auburn over Florida at #10. I think Auburn has better wins compared to Florida and their only 2 losses are to Clemson and Texas A&M. I hope you enjoyed my reflection post and please let me know if you have any questions! Also, BTN has a special on the late Sam Foltz, Nebraska's Punter who passed away this past summer, and I want to encourgage everyone to go watch at 8pm Central time. Sam was a friend of mine and a great example of what it means to be a Husker, not only as a football player, but a student as well. Thank you and GO BIG RED!
#CollegeFootballKnowItAll
Alex Fernando
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