Ugh... hello my football friends. This is getting more and more frustrating each week due to the poor performances by my Huskers, but I'm still here to give you all the College Football content you're looking for! As usual, my reflection post will have a full analysis and break down of the Husker game as well as all the other exciting things that happened around the nation. There were some big upsets, big injuries and big performances, so let's get to it!
Another poor performance by the Huskers leads to another loss to Iowa and more excuses from Scott Frost about how the coaching staff before him is to blame. Regardless of the team's performance, it is way past time for Frost to take responsibility for this team. I will rant a bit more about this topic later in my reflection, but for the last time, THE HUSKERS LOSING RIGHT NOW IS NOT MIKE RILEY'S FAULT. Looking at the game itself, there were some bright spots for the Huskers, but more mental errors and dumb mistakes did them in more than the Hawkeyes did. I've got everything broken down into my GOOD, EXPECTED and BAD categories below.
GOOD - The Husker Defense & Adrian Martinez. I am cautious to give the Blackshirts title back to the defense, but honestly they performed very well against Iowa, holding the typically efficient Hawkeye rushing attack to just 128 yards. The Hawks were only able to score TDs on 2 of their 5 trips to the redzone, as the Husker defense forced 5 field goals throughout the game, Iowa made 4 of them. This is a great turnaround for a unit that gave up 41 to one of the worst offenses in the BIG 10 with Illinois last week. The defense played well enough for the Huskers to win, and overall, I thought Adrian Martinez did as well. Martinez was nearly perfect on the day, completing 18/20 for 174 yards. The Huskers still have yet to throw a legitimate TD pass, but Martinez was able to make the best out of some very bad situations thanks to his creativity outside of the pocket. I was a bit disappointed to see the lack of playing time Luke McCaffrey got, but Martinez did what he was supposed to in most circumstances of the game. He even saved some potential disasters, so I give him a nod in this one. There's still no clear starter for the Huskers, which is another reason why I don't see any issue in putting them both in the backfield. There's a different kind of tempo when Luke runs the offense, and if Frost wants the BIG 10 to change for him, that tempo is necessary. I was very happy to see Adrian play well, but there's still a lot of work to do before he is able to lead this team to victory. Also, the golden rule should just be give the ball to Wan'dale Robinson as much as possible. The kid is a baller and defenses rarely have much of an answer for him even though they can focus 3 defenders on him at once.
EXPECTED - Predictable play calling and dumb mistakes. At this point, I honestly think I could script most of the Huskers' playbook in my sleep. Iowa was clearly able to read a majority of Nebraska's offensive plays before the snap, leading to another pedestrian performance and an atrocious 4 of 12 on third down for the Huskers. Nebraska now ranks 116th in the nation for third down conversion rate, sitting at 32.26 percent. The lack of ability to sustain drives goes far beyond third down though, as most of these failures are set up on first and second down where the Huskers often times go backwards. Nebraska clearly cannot run any of the RPOs with much success, and the run game (outside of Martinez & McCaffrey making 3 defenders miss on their own) is nonexistent. The Huskers continue to neglect using their talent on the outside with the lack of a downfield passing attack and the QB draws can be sniffed out a mile away. The offensive line has not push and often acts as a dysfunctional floodgate for any running plays between the tackles or when the Huskers attempt a pass more than 7 yards. Then you add in untimely holding penalties, bad snaps and fumbled punt returns, there's not much rhythm to be found on the offensive side of the ball.
BAD - Cam Jurgens and Scott Frost's inability to accept responsibility. In the words of my Aunt Jennifer, "what type of blackmail does Cam Jurgens have on Scott Frost to keep him in there?" It's honestly a fair question, especially after hearing Frost double-down on his decision to have Cam Jurgens as the starting Center. The snaps did improve in the second half, but after a season and a half at the position, it's pretty obvious this is not the best spot for Jurgens. It's worth noting that Jurgens was a 4-star Tight End prospect coming out of High School, and was ranked in the top 10 in the nation for the position. Now it's fairly common for TEs to be moved to the offensive line, but typically not Center. I don't mind having a player of Jurgens' speed and agility on the line, but he clearly does not know how to play the Center position. The Center has to call and change blocking schemes depending on what he sees from the defense, and most importantly keep the timing of the play intact by snapping the ball directly to the QB. In a very low-level comparison, the 3rd & 4th grade rookies I coached this fall struggled on offense because we were sitting in shotgun and could not snap the ball well enough to set up the timing of our plays. We had to switch players into the Center position numerous times and eventually went under Center to fix the issue. Again, this is a very thin string connecting the two situations, but it's worth putting other players at the position if they're more successful. Timing of the play is dictated by the snap from the Center.
Now onto my second issue, Scott Frost. I do still believe there's potential with him and this team, but I am extremely disappointed in the lack of responsibility he's taken, especially now that we're in year 3. Following the Iowa loss he's still blaming the Mike Riley staff for culture issues, players leaving and the overall terrible performances on the field. I worked with the Riley staff in recruiting athletes to the program, things were far from perfect, and the on-field performance highlighted some of the issues, but things were not as bad as Frost makes them seem. I repeat, THE ISSUES UNDER MIKE RILEY WERE NOT AS SIGNIFICANT AS SCOTT FROST SAYS, especially for a coach in his third year. I've had Husker fans tell me they would trust Frost to do open heart surgery on their mother before they trusted Mike Riley. Now there's a number of glaring issues with statements like that, but I'll focus on the blind loyalty to a coach who still has yet to win more games than his predecessor did at this point in the tenure. If Scott Frost does not begin to take responsibility for the performances by his team, they will continue to crumble and lose players. Frost announced on Monday that WR Marcus Fleming is no longer with the team, taking away more depth at one of the thinnest positions on the roster. If Frost is so worried about a culture problem, then he needs to ensure this team is prepared for each practice, game and plays like they want to win, not like they already have. This team has become complacent and doesn't get phased by losing (from an outside perspective). A big responsibility is on the athletes as well, getting that fire and passion to play comes from within. However, that fire is stoked by a coach who wants to win and can motivate their players to do the same. I'm sure Frost can be that guy, it's clear (most of) these players like him, but culture is more than being friends. I liked the tough love comment from Monday's press conference, but the toughness needs to show in practice and on the field. It's well past time to stop blaming Mike Riley, this is Frost's team. Own it and coach them up. Go Big Red.
Quick hit thoughts from the rest of CFB:
- Notre Dame flexed their defensive muscles by shutting out the dynamic Tar Heels offense in the second half to win 31-17. They close their season against the Organge before likely squaring off against the Tigers again in the ACC Championship.
- Brock Purdy played a tremendous game and the Cyclones scored 10 4th quarter points to beat Texas on the road and lock up their spot in the Big XII Championship. This brought Head Coach Matt Campbell to tears. Good to see for the Cyclones, and they better hold onto him as long as they can.
- Ex-Husker QB Tristian Gebbia led a tremendous comeback win by the Beavers as they beat the Ducks 41-38. Oregon State just wouldn't go away and a 22-point 4th quarter capped in by a game winning QB sneak by the back-up QB after Gebbia got hurt completed the comeback. OSU Running Back Jermar Jefferson went wild with 226 and 2 TDs on the ground, single-handedly outrushing the Ducks by himself. The Bevers are on the rise in the PAC-12, and the conference is certainly out of Playoff consideration for yet another year.
- 25 4th quarter points by the Chippewas prevented Eastern Michigan from recording their first victory of 2020.
- A blocked PAT at the end of the game gave Stanford the victory over Cal and the Ax Trophy from the oldest rivalry in the West.
- Bama rolled in the Iron Bowl as Mac Jones threw for 5 TDs.
- Clemson was very excited to have Trevor Lawrence back, especially since he threw for 406 yards and 2 TDs over Pitt.
- LSU brought their defense to College Station, but that was about it. A&M had an impressive defensive performance of their own and were able to win 20-7.
- The Gators are on a collision course with the Tide and are looking to jump over A&M (their only loss) to get into the playoffs.
- Pat Fitzgerald and the Wildcats were bit by the turnover and penalty bugs as Rocky Lombardi led Sparty to a 29-20 upset over Northwestern. The Purple Cats can still win the Big 10 West, but Playoff hopes are dashed significantly and they still need a run game.
- Georgia changed QBs and started winning big again, about damn time.
- In true 2020 fashion, Indiana's star QB, Michael Penix Jr., tore his ACL in the Hoosiers victory over Maryland and will be out for the remainder of the season. He's been sensational to watch and hopefully will make a speedy recover to be back next year. Dark horse Heisman if the Hoosiers can keep this momentum in 2021.
- The Chanticleers continue to roll and will get to host College Gameday this weekend. I guess there are some good things in this world!
- The Pokes out last the Red Raiders in a classic Big XII shootout 50-44.
- Penn State notches their first victory of 2020 in the Big House against Michigan. Haha Jim Harbaugh!
- If you haven't heard of Buffalo's RB Jarett Patterson, you need to watch this kid. He tied an NCAA record with 8 rushing TDs on 409 yards. The kid is phenomenal and is 5th in the nation with 920 rushing yards despite playing in just 4 games this season. He's tied for 2nd in TDs at 16, behind Bama's Najee Harris at 17. GIVE THIS KID THE WALKER AWARD!
- Ohio State is in danger of missing out on a BIG 10 Championship due to a small covid outbreak canceling their game against Illinois.
- Rutgers surprised everyone and beat Purdue on the road despite a pretty solid game from the Boilermaker offense. Purdue will try to right the ship against the Huskers this weekend.
- Colorado was able to play San Diego State after USC cancelled due to covid and the Buffs are 3-0.
- The best was saved for last as we look at the Vandy-Mizzou game. The score didn't matter much as Sarah Fuller became the first woman to play football for a Power 5 school by opening the second half with a kickoff! This was incredible for College Football and I hope the Commodores are able to drive into field goal range next game to give her a shot at some points. Congratulations Sarah Fuller and thank you for helping change the game!
Thanks for reading all of my week 13(ish) reflections and be watching for my predictions post later this week. GO BIG RED!
#CFBKnowItAll
Alex Fernando
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