Another Rivalry Week has come and gone ladies and gentlemen, and with it, more chaos is left behind. Hello football readers and welcome to the end of the College Football regular season. I'm not crying, you're crying😭. However, there's still the conference championships and bowl games, so never fear! This post will highlight all the craziness of Rivalry Weekend, what this means for the CFB Playoffs and break down Nebraska's loss to Iowa. Thank you for all the support throughout the season and be sure to tell all your football loving friends where to get the best Husker/College Football info 😁, enjoy!
The Huskers finished the season at 4-8 for the second straight year. This 4-8 season definitely tastes a little better than last year. Scott Frost's first season as head man of the Huskers was full of ups and downs, but I think Husker Nation can all say this team is headed in the right direction with a confidence that has been missing in recent years. I really thought Nebraska was going to pull of the victory at Iowa this past week. The Blackshirts failed to show up, after putting on their best performance just a week ago against Michigan State. This whole team has been up against a steep learning curve this season, but the defense has struggled all year long. Iowa played a solid game, but they almost lost it themselves by throwing the ball so much. Adrian and the offense finished strong, but as we all knew from the beginning, this was a growing year. Read through my break down analysis of the Iowa game below.
GOOD- The GOOD award this week goes to The Man Stan. Stanley Morgan Jr. has been a stellar wideout for the Huskers over the past four years, proving it once again in his final game for the Scarlet and Cream. Against Iowa, Morgan became the first ever Husker receiver to surpass 1,000 yards in a single season. He finished the game with 7 catches for 81 yards, averaging 11.6 yards per catch. I've really enjoyed watching Stanley play, and as a former receiver it's great to see a player like Stanley having such a fantastic career. He leaves Nebraska as the all time leader in catches and yards, with 189 receptions for 2,747 yards and 22 TDs. I credit the Husker offense with the GOOD award as well, racking up 400 total yards and fighting back from a double-digit deficit. Maurice Washington finished with 102 yards receiving and a TD to lead the Huskers. While the offense struggled on third down for much of the game, they fought back in the end, erasing a 15-point deficit to force Iowa's last second field goal. The offense really started clicking during the last half of this season, and I'm excited to see how they do next year. Ozigbo and Morgan will be key losses, but there are a lot of weapons around Martinez, so opposing defenses better be ready.
EXPECTED- The EXPECTED category is how Iowa nearly handed this game back to Nebraska. Specifically with their lack of production on offense. Now I say that with a grain of salt, because the Hawkeyes did have 266 yards rushing, but they easily could've had more. I understand coaches need to mix it up and throw the ball once in a while, but the Hawkeyes offensive line was man-handling the Blackshirts' front 7, pushing them back at least 6 yards on every run play. If I were Ferentz,, I would've ran the ball until they proved they could stop it, Nate Stanley wasn't throwing very well anyways. Now this filters into my REAL EXPECTED category of Nebraska's defense still being on a steep learning curve and honestly just not very strong. It was clear to see the dominance of Iowa's O-line, but even more clear to see the work needed to be done by the Blackshirts in the weight room. They're not even 1 full year in with this Coaching and Strength staff, so I don't expect them to be world-beaters by any means, but you can't get knocked back 6+ yards on every snap. The defense has a lot of changes coming this off-season, and Chinander better make sure these guys really understand the scheme on top of getting in the weight room.
BAD- My BAD category for the Huskers this week was the secondary, specifically the coaching. As a former defensive back, I understand the various situations Corners and DBs are put into and how difficult of a position it is to play. However, there is absolutely no reason why the coaches should have our secondary players 10-12 yards off the ball in a third or fourth and short/medium. Chinander loves his zone coverage, but at least make it a press zone in those situations. They're so scared of getting beat deep, they constantly move further and further back from the line of scrimmage. Again, I don't know exactly how Nebraska's coaches run their system, and I don't mean to say they don't know what they're doing, they have far more experience than I do. But when it's 3rd & 4 or 4th & 8, there needs to be tighter coverage. Danny Langsdorf is not Iowa's OC, so he's not going to bomb it deep every other play. The coaches need to have the DBs put their heels on the first down line and stay put, make sure if the receiver catches it, they catch it underneath and you make the tackle. The secondary play has frustrated me (and many others) time and time again throughout the years, so expect that to be a big focus during the off-season as well. A big part of it is recruiting, but the coaches need to build up those recruits. I'm confident they can get it done. Again, there's no way of saying tighter coverage would've prevented Iowa from completing their 4th & 8 at the end of the game, but being 5 yards off the first down line where the ball was caught is definitely not going to stop it for the defense. A bit nit-picky, but it's the little things that count in this game!
Overall, I have to continue to remind myself this was a building and learning season. This team has been through so much overhaul, change and culture shock over the previous year or so, and with how they turned the second half of their season around truly impressed me. I'm excited for what Coach Frost and crew have in store for next year and the years to come, and now that I'm nearly graduated, hopefully I can be part of it! Tough, challenging and solid season by Husker Football this year, a lot to look forward to in 2019, especially with a more favorable schedule. GO BIG RED!
Now for some other news from around College Football:
- The Texas A&M/LSU game was AMAZING. I basically only watched Overtime, but that was more than enough. The Aggies and the Tigers dueled it out in a record-tying 7 Overtimes, scoring the most points ever in a College Football game with a 74-72 victory for A&M. The best part is that LSU thought they had won with an interception toward the end of regulation and celebrated prematurely with a Gatorade bath for Coach O. The Interception was overturned because Aggie QB Kellen Mond's knee was on the ground, and they tied it on the last play of regulation. Unfortunately a sour ending occurred when an Aggie staff member (possibly Jimbo Fisher's nephew) punched an LSU coach in the pacemaker, but otherwise a great spectacle of our sport. Crazy game, Mom would've LOVED it!
- One last thing from the A&M/LSU game, can we just award Kendrick Rogers the Biletnikoff for that game? He wasn't even the Aggies leading receiver but this kid made the biggest catches when it mattered most. With Kellen Mond being a Sophomore, and returning his top 5 receivers and his running back next season, watch out for the Aggies. This team will be LOADED in 2019 on the offensive side of the ball.
- Big coaching changes already occurring as Texas Tech fired Kliff Kingsbury and North Carolina fired Larry Fedora. The Heels immediately hired Mac Brown who added Kingsbury and Gene Chizik as his Offensive and Defensive Coordinators respectively. That's a very impressive staff, and North Carolina could at least cause some havoc within the conference now. USC also kept Clay Helton and Mike Leach is reported to be interested in the Texas Tech job... again. The big hire mid-week before the turkey was ready occurred in Kansas, as the Jayhawks finalized a deal with former LSU coach Les Miles. There will be plenty more coaching shake ups to come!
- Jim Harbaugh still cannot beat Urban Meyer. "The" Ohio State dismantled Michigan, dropping 62 on the top ranked defense in football. With LSU and Wazzu losing, the Buckeyes have a decent shot of getting into the playoffs.
- Minnesota POUNDED Wisconsin, winning Paul Bunyan's Axe for the first time in 15 years!
- UCF Quarterback McKenzie Milton suffered a horrible knee injury in their win against USF. He was carted off the field and taken to a local hospital. I hope his injury isn't too severe and that he's able to recover, because he was one of my favorite players to watch over the past two seasons. Prayers up!
- Much like Jim Harbaugh and Urban Meyer, Mike Leach cannot beat Christ Petersen. The Huskies took down my Bandwagon Cougars and won the Pac-12 North for the second time in 3 years.
- Oklahoma and West Virginia had their offensive explosion, and it did not disappoint. The Sooners defense made the difference though (they still gave up 56 points), scoring two TDs and setting OU up for another date with the Longhorns. CFB Playoff hopes are likely on the line and you NEVER want to play a team twice in one year, especially if you lost to them the first time. Look out Texas.
- A few classic rivalry week brawls occurred over the weekend, reminding us just how much these games mean. It hurts the importance of football in my mind, but are still kind of funny to watch.
- There were a lot of great games, catches and happenings this week in College Football. I'd just like to take a moment to think about the other parts of the game, like Tyler Trent with Purdue or The Wave to the Children's Hospital in Iowa City. The ability to bring people together in respectful competition is important to remember, and that while football is one of my biggest passions, there are more important things to focus on with it in life.
I hope you all had a wonderful Holiday weekend and are ready for Conference Championship week! Thank you all for reading my post and GO BIG RED!
#CFBKnowItAll
Alex Fernando
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