Week 6 of the College Football season has come and gone and we're already moving into the heart of October. Conference play is in full swing and I have some great breakdowns and analysis for you all from the games this past weekend. Nebraska pulled off a home victory against Northwestern, while some top teams tumbled on the road. This post will have it all for you, and be sure to check out the newest episode of my College Football Podcast with my roommate Nate Muhlbach called The 2nd String! We have a great episode prepared for you all this week. Don't forget to share with all your football loving friends and family, enjoy!
Nebraska edged out Northwestern 13-10 with a last second field goal kicked by Lane McCallum for their second ever victory against the Wildcats in Lincoln since joining the BIG 10. The only other victory at home for the Huskers in this series was the Hail Mary to Jordan Westerkamp in 2013. This game was quite the grinder, with a number of players suffering injuries, including Adrian Martinez and JD Spielman, two of the Huskers most important on offense. The defense was tight in this game, and points were tough to come by. Northwestern-Nebraska games are always a coin toss on who will win, so I wasn't the least bit surprised to see this one come down to the wire. My breakdown and analysis of this victory will be laid out in three categories: GOOD, EXPECTED and BAD.
GOOD- The progress of the Husker Football team. Now, based on how the Huskers have looked this season, most fans would say this team has not progressed from last season, and in some ways possibly regressed from 2018. However, at this point last year, Nebraska was 0-6, now they're 4-2 and have matched their win total from a year ago. No, this team has not looked like a team that will be competing for a BIG 10 title or more, but this is a team that is moving forward. In 2018, the Huskers lost to Troy at home, while they beat both of their G5 opponents this year. Yes, there have been slip ups (Colorado) and games no one wanted to see (Ohio State), but this team is starting to win the games they're expected to win. This is one of the first steps in building a program (back) into one that will be seen as a dominant force in College Football. Yes, immediate results are nice, but it takes teams a while to develop their game enough to be able to run it seamlessly week in and week out. The next step for this team will be to win some more road games and games they're not favored in. It's a slow process to build a dynasty. Frost is in this position for the long haul, and I've mentioned before how I've seen flashes from this team. Four victories in six games is an important indicator to the progress being made in that locker room. There's still a lot to be done, but this team is on the right track. It's not going to look pretty for a while, but sit back Husker fans, and cheer loud. This team is going to take everyone on quite the ride over the next couple seasons.
EXPECTED- The game coming down to the wire. The Nebraska-Northwestern rivalry has brought us yet another thriller. As a Husker fan, this game is always a tough one to watch, but as a football fan, these are always one of my favorite games of the season. This game keeps the fans on edge for every minute, but most importantly, it's a grinder for the players. This is the type of game that will teach these athletes how to finish close games. The BIG 10 is a conference full of talented teams, and winning tough games like this against quality opponents is a step in the right direction for the Huskers. Not only is Northwestern a key divisional win, but this team challenges everyone they face in different ways. Their defense is tough to move the ball on, and they racked up 10 tackles for loss against the Huskers. But Nebraska was persistent, and were able to come away with a much needed victory. This was destined to be a battle, and that's exactly what we got.
BAD- Missed Pass Interference Call and offensive execution by the Huskers. First and foremost, I wholeheartedly believe that Nebraska won this game because of a completely blown pass interference call by the referees. During Northwestern's final drive, on the interception thrown by QB Aidan Smith, Nebraska Linebacker Will Honas absolutely laid out the Wildcats' wide receiver as he came across the middle to get the ball, thus letting it fly directly to Lamar Jackson for the pick. Short of the Rams-Saints pass interference call from the NFL playoffs last year, this was one of the worst missed calls I've seen in recent history. It really looked like Northwestern had the momentum and was ready to go down the field and win the game had that PI been called properly. However, I'm not too upset being the beneficiary of a call like that, but for the integrity of the game of football, I completely hate how that penalty was missed.
Now moving onto the Husker offense, it's horrible. The bad snaps are only getting worse, and they contribute to the already struggling execution level of this unit. The ground game has not developed at all, only regressed, and receivers are not able to catch the passes thrown over their heads. Worst of all, there is very little protection for Husker quarterbacks, leaving them no time to look down the field and make a read. There's a lot wrong with the Husker offense right now, but one of the key missing elements is tempo. This is primarily due to the lack of execution on first and second down, but even when the Huskers do have positive plays, it seems as though Frost and OC Troy Walters keeps the pace slow. The snaps are taken late in the play clock and players are always looking to the sidelines for more signals. Last year's offense ran with much more tempo, and I think that really boosted this team. This will be something to watch during the second half of the season, but the snaps need to be fixed immediately.
Overall, this was not a pretty game by any means. There were plenty of mistakes on both sides, but the Huskers came out victorious and have equaled their win total from 2018. The second half the season will be difficult, and a road game to Minnesota this weekend is no small task, especially if Martinez and Spielman are not 100%. It's a slow growing process for this Husker team, but they're growing nonetheless. Keep watching for those sparks in between the chaos, they'll catch light soon enough.
Now for some other thoughts and reactions from around Week 6 in College Football:
- The Cincy Bearcats won a very important divisional game against UCF to take hold of first place in the American Athletic Conference East. Still a long season ahead, but they're going to push for best Group of 5 team in 2019.
- Speaking of teams pushing for that best G5 spot, keep your eyes on the SMU Mustangs. Texas QB transfer Shane Buechele has this offense ranked 13th in the nation and averaging more than 44 points per game. There's still a long road ahead in the American West division, especially with a road trip to Memphis, but SMU is playing some good football... minus giving up a touchdown on a kickoff they were supposed to receive.
- Tennessee looked really good in the opening quarter against Georgia... and that was about it. The Vols, much like my Huskers, have a long way to go in this rebuild. Freshman QB Brian Maurer played pretty well in his debut though. Look for him to torment more SEC secondaries over the next couple of years.
- Like I said last week and on the podcast, Ohio State is going to have a lot of lopsided scores on their schedule by the end of the season... all in their favor.
- Other than the road game to Texas for the Tigers, LSU has had a very manageable schedule. They host the Gators this week and have Auburn, Bama and Texas A&M all in the second half of the season. Welcome to the SEC West, we're really going to see what this team is made of.
- Since I mentioned the Gators, I should also mention how they shut down the other Tigers of the SEC West this past weekend in the Swamp. Kyle Trask has this offense playing well enough to win games, but the defense is what really surprises me with this team. CHOMP CHOMP!
- Oklahoma has not been challenged much either. We'll see how they handle Sam Ehlinger and the Longhorns this week as we have the Red River Rivalry (I refuse to say showdown until I am paid to do so, and even then it will be a stretch). This game is going to be a shootout for sure!
- Cal played great defense to shut down the Ducks, but without Garbers at QB their team won't be able to pull as many upsets as I had hoped. Don't sleep to hard on the Bears though.
- Sticking with the PAC-12, Stanford just cannot be beat on the farm, no matter how many backup QBs you make them play. Luckily they had RB Cameron Scarlett to carry the rock, and the team on his shoulders with nearly 5 yards per carry. Big win for the Cardinal, big loss for the Huskies.
- Also in the PAC-12, Khalil Tate from Arizona is still very much a Heisman Candidate from way out West. He threw for 404 yards with 3 TDs and 1 pick as the Wildcats beat Colorado on the road. They're a force to be reckoned with in the South division.
- Miami and Virginia Tech was somehow one of the craziest and best games of the day... the ACC is wack people, straight up wack I tell you!
- My favorite stat of the week: Iowa had four times as many turnovers as rushing yards against Michigan. Four Turnovers for the Hawkeyes and just one rush yard against the Wolverines. I'm still not sold on Michigan, but this was definitely a telling game about Iowa.
Thank you for reading all of my Week 6 CFB reflections and be sure to listen to our latest podcast episode! My predictions for this weekend's games will be up soon, so keep an eye out, share with your friends and GO BIG RED!
#CFBKnowItAll
Alex Fernando
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