It's that time of the week again football fans... here are my (sad) Week 9 Reflections for the Huskers and College Football. Throughout the day there were a number of great games and a couple of big upsets, so there's a lot to hit on this week. This post will have a full break down for you, read on and enjoy!
Nebraska fell short at home against the Indiana Hoosiers this last weekend 38-31. The Huskers were once again without starting QB Adrian Martinez, but didn't have too many issues on offense, scoring the most points since dropping 42 at Illinois. Defense was the primary concern as the Husker football team attempted to embrace the "Blackshirts" tradition by wearing alternate jerseys. They may have looked the part, but after giving up 351 passing yards to the Hoosiers second string quarterback, you have to wonder if the Blackshirts were actually present in Memorial Stadium on Saturday. Even with the offense back on a productive track after disappearing for a month, the defense was not able to slow down Peyton Ramsey and star wideout Whop Philyor. This post has my break down of the game with the GOOD, EXPECTED and BAD categories.
GOOD- The Husker offense (especially with Noah Vedral). Nebraska came out hot on offense, surprising not only the Hoosier defense, but myself as well. Vedral commanded the offense well, pushing the tempo and moving the ball downfield with a beautiful deep ball to JD Spielman on the opening drive. Coach Frost and crew even mixed in some creativity with direct snaps to the running backs and a pass to Vedral down the sideline. This is what Husker fans (and especially me) have been waiting for. Frost is known for the high-octane, creative play calling, take some shots offense. The team is still on a learning curve, but this was one of the better games on offense I've seen over the last couple seasons with Frost in charge. I do believe they got a bit conservative when Luke came into the game, which is completely understandable. I would've liked to see a couple more throws down the field, but overall the offense was a bright spot in this game, and it's been a while since I've been able to say that. Keep watching for those flashes to grow brighter and brighter. Also, keep giving Wandale Robinson the ball, my goodness that kid can play.
EXPECTED- The success of Peyton Ramsey. The Hoosiers may have been playing with their second string QB as well, but Ramsey is not inexperienced. The former starter hasn't been stellar throughout his career, but he's been accurate and consistent. His career completion percentage is just a hair under 67% and he's thrown 37 TDs. The experience helped Ramsey tremendously in this game, allowing him to easily pick apart the Blackshirts for 351 and 2 TDs through the air with another 42 and TD on the ground. Ramsey isn't the most talented QB Nebraska has faced this season, not by a long shot. However I knew he'd be difficult to stop, and with help from 14 catches for 178 yards from WR Whop Philyor, Ramsey looked like a superstar against the Huskers. Tip of the cap to the Hoosier QB, he played a great game.
BAD- The "Blackshirts". The quotation marks may be harsh, but after the last couple performances, they're more than necessary. What looked to be one of the few strong points of this 2019 Husker unit has quickly diminished into a pitiful mess over the last few weeks. Other than a lucky bounce or missed PI call (Sorry Northwestern QB), the defense has failed to force any turnovers since their win at Illinois. A couple weeks ago, the Gophers ran for 322 yards, and this past week, the Hoosiers threw the ball for 351. There's no reasoning to why the defense gets torched in all different directions, but concern is starting to rise rapidly for this group. Most of the team's experience is with the defense, and key players like Mohammad Barry are making atrocious mistakes time and time again. There are two decently "win-able" games left this season, the Blackshirts better show up for them if they want to go Bowling.
I have to say, I was impressed with Indiana's game plan for this game. They wanted to let Ramsey sling it and open up against the Husker secondary. He was very rarely under pressure and their offense wouldn't quit. Whop Philyor was phenomenal to watch, catching nearly everything thrown his way and creating great separation from the Husker DBs. Rough game to lose for Nebraska, especially after the offense played so well, even with backup QBs in. Like I've said a thousand times, I did expect this team to be a bit better than what they're showing, but they're still young and have a long way to go before they're consistently beating opponents and rolling like we all want them to be. Don't chalk up Purdue as an easy win. They may be banged up, but West Lafayette in November is not a fun place to be. Best of luck Huskers.
Now for some updates on other happenings around CFB:
- #5 Oklahoma was upset on the road by K-State in Manhattan. I didn't think the Power Cats would quite pull the upset, but I alluded to the possibility of this being a tight game in my predictions. Never underestimate the Cats at home.
- As my colleague Brandon Nutting once told me: "Texas Tech always finds the sh***est way to lose". The Red Raiders did this once again as they fumbled a blocked kick attempt to give the Jayhawks a repeat chance for the game winning field goal, one they gladly executed. Rock Chalk.
- Tennessee won against South Carolina, and the receivers on both sides balled out! I may be biased as a former wideout myself, but when you see crazy one handed catches and 170+ yard performances from that position, it's a good day.
- North Carolina defeated Duke, tying Mac Brown as the winningest coach in Tar Heel history with Dick Crum. It also causes more chaos in the ACC Coastal Divison, which is always exciting!
- Speaking of the ACC, Louisville beat Virginia and Florida State beat Syracuse... so more chaos!
- The Gophers are rolling and have a BYE to prepare for their home stand against Penn State. The Nittany Lions will be a real test for Minnesota, but PJ Fleck has them playing some good football up North. Plus, with Wisconsin and Iowa sitting with two losses in the BIG 10 thus far, they're in the driver seat to win the West Division.
- Speaking of Wisconsin, they were DEMOLISHED by Chase Young and the Buckeyes. Did I not tell you that this was going to happen to everyone on Ohio State's schedule? They are hands down one of the best teams in the nation, and I'm excited to watch them with an almost inevitable playoff bid (barring any dumb losses).
- Texas lost, that's always nice.
- Utah and Oregon are still taking care of their respective businesses out West.
- Notre Dame and Michigan? This is the last time we'll see the rivalry for a while, and man was it a good one. Harbaugh somehow got his offense going in this one, and the Wolverines took it to the Irish with a 45-14 beat down in the Big House. They're undefeated at home thus far, but still host Michigan State and Ohio State in November. We'll see how they finish out.
- As for Notre Dame, they're done. No Playoffs for them, but a fairly easy schedule remains.
- Colorado had a chance to beat USC for the first time in program history as they were up 10 in the 4th quarter. They lost and I was happy. Then I was sad, how the hell did Nebraska lose to them?! Ugh.
- LSU survives a tight one against the Auburn defense and now we're just one BYE week away from the Bama-LSU showdown. It's going to be a crazy game.
Thanks for reading my Week 9 Reflection post and be sure to watch for my predictions coming later this week. GO BIG RED!
#CFBKnowItAll
Alex Fernando
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