Week 7 Reflections

     We're halfway through the College Football season and we finally have some major chaos! Husker fans have been in chaos for a while, but regardless, there were some great games this past weekend and I'm ready to break them all down for you. This post has all of my reflections and analysis of this weekend's games *sigh* including the Huskers. If there's anything you'd like me to do a deeper dive on, just leave a comment below. Otherwise, here are my Week 7 Reflections for Husker and College Football, enjoy!


     After a wild weekend in College Football, we have one of our first big shakeups along with some key victories for teams fighting for those mouthwatering playoff spots. Before I give my thoughts on football as a whole though, I must suffer the ongoing grief put upon us all by my beloved Huskers. Nebraska traveled North this past weekend to take on the Minnesota Golden Gophers in the battle for the $5 Bits of Broken Chair Trophy. Unfortunately for the team (and Husker fans alike) they forgot to bring with them any concept of football talent they were expected to have. I may be a bit dramatic here, but saying that was one of the worst football performances I've ever witnessed is not much of an exaggeration, if at all. Nebraska looked completely unprepared as the Gophers racked up 322 rushing yards in the game, 220 of which came in the first half. Minnesota's three-headed rushing monster of Smith, Brooks and Ibrahim had no issue gashing the Blackshirts as they ran through holes large enough for Goldie himself to run through. Ibrahim had the lowest yard per carry average at 5.6, but finished the game with 3 TDs. Smith and Brooks finished with 7.7 and 7.6 yard per carry averages respectively. Nebraska's offense was led by backup QB Noah Vedral, who started in for the injured Martinez. Vedral's performance was nothing special, but it's not like the redshirt sophomore had much help to begin with. Heading into the matchup with the Gophers, I stated that Vedral could not be the leading rusher for Nebraska if they wanted a chance to win this game, and that statement was proven correct. I'll break down my thoughts on this game in my GOOD, EXPECTED and BAD categories.

GOOD- I honestly don't have anything good or positive that I saw from the Huskers in this game. Kade Warner back in action late in the game and Cam Jurgens having decent snaps was about it. My good for this game is that more than $12,000 has been raised between the two schools for research on pediatric cancer through the Team Jack Foundation and the University of Minnesota Masonic Children's Hospital. Regardless of the outcome of the game, this organic rivalry helps two very important organizations in the fight against pediatric cancer and it's always a good time when you have a broken chair!

EXPECTED- The lack of a Husker rushing attack. I said that Nebraska needed to find a way to help out backup QB Noah Vedral in this game, but that did not happen. The Huskers' rushing attack has been a big disappointment this year, and really causes the offense to struggle more than other issues in my opinion. Nebraska (somehow) ranks 45th in the nation for rush offense, but the lack of a run game has plagued this team over the first half of the season. There is very little push from the offensive line and without being able to run the ball effectively, Nebraska often finds themselves in 3rd and long situations. The other factor is the QB runs. Coach Frost's system is built for a dual threat QB, but does not want that QB to be the leading rusher. If Nebraska cannot figure out how to move the ball on the ground soon, the second half the season will be very tricky as three out of their final five opponents rank in the top 15 in Time of Possession in the nation (Indiana (#13), Wisconsin (#1) and Iowa (#9)). The offense cannot execute without a running game to set the pace and get them into rhythm. Runs up the middle are definitely not the solution either.

BAD- Everything. Honestly, I truly mean it when I say this was one of the most terrible football performances I've ever watched. The Huskers were beaten off the ball on every snap and the Blackshirts, which were supposed to be one of the few bright spots of 2019, were no where to be found. Minnesota did not have a single negative play in the first half of Saturday's game, and Husker linebackers were completely confused by one of the simplest run block strategies I've seen in a while. The Linebackers did not fill gaps correctly and would not hold the edge for anything. Missed tackles and poor communication helped the Gopher offense look like they could rack up points on anyone. The Husker offense was a dumpster fire and more injuries didn't help the cause. Let's hope they can figure it out during the BYE week, because this team has not looked prepared to play a full football game in a very long time.

This is the kind of loss you just need to get over and move on quickly with. So that's what I'm going to do. We can't lose this week, and I'm looking forward to that!

Now for some other highlight points from around College Football:

- South Carolina nearly lost their chance at the upset, but were able to knock off #3 Georgia, in Athens, in double overtime. They were without their best receiver or QB, but the Gamecocks could make a challenge in the SEC East if they knock off Florida this week. Watch out for this defense, they're gaining confidence and have some stellar playmakers.

- Oklahoma fends off Texas (for the first time at least) 34-27. The Red River Rivalry is always a fun one to watch, and when Jalen Hurts and CeeDee Lamb are on the same page, it's absolutely insane. Go look up the Jalen Hurts behind the back move he put on the defender. These two could be the best QB-WR duo in College Football right now.

- Temple pulled a big upset over #23 ranked Memphis in the American Conference, keeping them on pace with Cincy for the top spot in the American Athletic Conference East division.

- Texas Tech & Baylor had quite the game. Double OT win for the Bears, and they remain unbeaten so far this season.

- LSU's offense is completely legit as they just destroyed a very good Gator defense. Keep your eye on those Bengals from the Bayou.

- Iowa couldn't quite get their Kinnick Stadium magic to work against the Nittany Lions, but are starting to show their true colors and how much their tight ends from a year ago did.

- Miami upset #20 Virginia down in South Beach, proving once again how crazy the ACC is outside of Clemson.

- USC put up a fight in South Bend, but Notre Dame survives with a 30-27 victory. The Irish will need to start pounding some opponents if they want to fight back into the playoff picture however.

- Wisconsin is TERRIFYING. The Badgers have shut out 4 opponents this year, and their most recent victory came against a very capable Michigan State Team. Wisconsin travels to Ohio State in a couple weeks, but I imagine we'll see a rematch of that game in the BIG 10 Championship as well.

- Arizona State struggled early on, but after a big day from RB Eno Benjamin, they've remained a major contender in the PAC-12 South. They have a date with the Utes in Salt Lake City this week.

- Louisville caught fire and upset #19 Wake Forrest 62-59.

- The wave of Washington football success is back in the good after a big win down in the desert. They host the Ducks next, so I imagine a dip is coming.

Thank you for reading all of my Week 7 Reflections and be sure to check out all the hot takes from our most recent podcast episode on The 2nd String. GO BIG RED!

#CFBKnowItAll
Alex Fernando