Hello Football fans, I hope you're all having a great week! The Huskers were close last week, but couldn't quite seal the deal as they fell to their old rival Oklahoma 23-16. It was certainly a much tighter game than the experts (including myself) predicted, and it's frustrating to know victory was within reach. This post will break down my thoughts on the game as well as the other highlights from around college football this past weekend.
Nebraska and Oklahoma renewed their rivalry for the first time in over a decade as the Huskers traveled to Norman on Saturday. Despite attempts to cancel this game from the Head Coach (still not impressed by that), the Husker faithful came out in full support of their team. I'll be the first to admit I didn't have high hopes for anything close, so the fact that this game ended in a 1 score game with Nebraska ultimately outplaying the Sooners is pretty fantastic. However, a loss is still a loss and while there's a bit of a confidence boost following this game, moral victories don't count for much against your rival on national television. I've got my breakdown of the GOOD, EXPECTED and BAD categories below, covering all aspects of the Huskers' 23-16 loss to the Sooners.
GOOD: Adrian Martinez and the Blackshirts. I gave Martinez some props last week, but I'm ready to shower him with more after his performance in Norman. He once again has shown why he is QB1 and how the offense truly runs through him. This is a double-edged sword, but for the good category we'll focus on his ability to extend plays, run the ball effectively and make smart throws and accurate throws. His development took a while (and still has more to go), but he's playing his best football right now and it's starting to seep into the rest of the offense. The receivers had a good day, running crisp routes and getting open. Martinez threw the ball on time and was able to keep the defense guessing with his ability to tuck it and run. He will continue to be the primary factor in Nebraska's ability to win games this season if he can stay healthy. On the other side of the ball, the Blackshirts held their own against a team that typically has one of the best offensive attacks in the nation. Oklahoma certainly didn't look like it on Saturday, but that's in big part because of how well the Husker Defense played. While they couldn't quite bring Rattler to the ground, the front line kept pressure on him and contained the run game fairly well. The coverage was good and apart from some missed tackles they didn't let many big plays happen. This unit continues to be solid for Nebraska and keeps them in games. I'm sure it's frustrating for them to do their job well and watch the rest of their teammates botch it away, but if they continue to hold teams to around 20 points per game then it gives Nebraska a shot to win every game.
EXPECTED: Adrian Martinez being the only source of offense and lack of run game creativity. The other half of that double-edge sword I mentioned earlier is that Martinez is truly the primary source of offense for the Huskers. Tied into the lack of creativity in the run game, this offense wouldn't function in any way, shape or form without 2AM making plays. Losing Gabe Ervin Jr. for the year isn't ideal, but none of the Husker running backs have made much of an impact on the season thus far. It seems as though there's a new starter every week and none of them are within striking distance of overtaking Martinez as the lead rusher. I'm waiting for someone to step up and take the lead role, but there just doesn't seem to be much aggression when carrying the ball. Unfortunately they are limited by a horrible offensive line, but the running play calls (other than the QB Draw and QB Power) are not designed well at all. The zone handoffs where the line slides down and the backs have to pick a hole that opens up never results in anything and most of the time the backs are being met behind the line of scrimmage. Martinez can not be everything in this offense and needs the backs to step up and make some plays to spread the defense and take some pressure off his shoulders.
BAD: You all know what I'm going to say here, Special Teams and the Offensive Line. I really think I should just rename this category to Special Teams permanently with how unbelievably terrible they are. One week I hope they may end up in my EXPECTED category, but they always seem to surprise us with something even more stupid than the week before. This week the Special Teams unit gave up 8 points, which would've decided the game in Nebraska's favor. Culp has missed 5 field goals in the last two weeks and to top it off Oklahoma was able to block a PAT and run it back for two points of their own. I was happy to see Cam Taylor-Britt not returning punts, but there's still no blocking or any evidence of a return set up. I suppose there's baby steps involved with that, but this unit is costing the Huskers victories and it will continue to be an issue throughout the season. I don't see much of a light at the end of this tunnel. Looking over to the offensive line, they have also proven to be the achilles heel of this squad. The unit had 4 penalties by 4 different offensive linemen on the opening drive, giving an already underwhelming offense even more to overcome. Adrian is often running for his life and was sacked 5 times on Saturday with 10 total Tackles for Loss for the Sooners. The Huskers rank 117th in the nation with 11 sacks allowed through 4 games and there would be plenty more if Martinez wasn't able to save himself and make a positive play out of it so often. This unit needs to improve if the offense is going to score above 25-30 points. The BIG 10 defenses will not hold back and the Husker O-line won't hold up with their current rate of play.
This game had a few steps forward, but without an effective run game or protection for Martinez, this offense will cripple quickly against tougher defensive units. Nebraska can start winning some of these close games, but fixing special teams and owning the line of scrimmage are two necessary factors to make that happen. They've got a tough challenge with a physical Michigan State team up next.
Quick Hit Topics from around CFB:
- Florida staged a big comeback at home against Bama, but couldn't quite punch in a 2-point conversion to send the game to overtime and fell 31-29. This does show they can keep pace in the SEC better than expected with the new talent they're breaking in on offense.
- Clemson escaped the Yellow Jackets without being stung for an upset, but the Tigers' offense is really having issues in 2021. This will need to be fixed quickly as they head deeper into ACC play.
- The Bearcats had to claw their way back against the Hoosiers, but dominated the second half on their way to a 38-24 road victory. Indiana has really struggled to find the magic from last season and Michal Penix Jr. continues to struggle. They will need to fix things quick heading into BIG 10 Conference play.
- Penn State returned with the whiteout and fended off the Tigers of Auburn to a 28-20 victory. Sean Clifford had just 4 incompletions and Jahan Dotson continues to be an issue for opposing defenses. The Nittany Lions have a tough defense and can certainly challenge for the BIG 10 East Crown. Auburn needs to find some ways to open up their offense if they want to keep pace in the SEC this season.
- The Irish put together a solid performance against the Boilermakers, they've got a tough one coming against another BIG 10 foe with Wisconsin at Soldier Field this week.
- UCLA did me dirty and fell victim to the pesky Bulldogs of Fresno State. They still have a shot at winning the PAC-12 South, but this shows some holes in their defense. Fresno State has a good set up to run the table the rest of the way as they get both Nevada and Boise State at home.
- West Virginia won the Black Diamond Trophy for the first time since 2004 after beating rival Virginia Tech 27-21.
- Coastal Carolina survives Buffalo 28-25 as the Chanticleers keep their regular-season win streak alive with 16 straight.
- The Cougars' defense forced 4 Sun Devil turnovers on their way to a 27-17 victory. BYU also continues to stay hot!
- The Tar Heels found some offense as they racked up 59 on Virginia to bounce back into the ACC Coastal race.
- Sparty routed Miami in South Beach, exploding for 21 in the 4th quarter.
- Despite nearly 400 yards of passing and 6 TDs from Kenny Pickett, the Pitt Panthers were upset late by Western Michigan 44-41 at home.
- Minnesota shut out Colorado in their own stadium and looked very good with Potts running the ball in place of Mohamed Ibrahim.
- K-State put up 21 in the final frame to knock off my dark horse G5 pick in the Wolfpack from Nevada. Carson Strong is still slinging it well, but needs help from the defense if this team is going to make the jump. Watch out for the Wildcats in the Big XII, they get OU and ISU at home.
- SMU walked off with a 33-yard Hail Mary from Tanner Mordecai to stay unbeaten as they beat Louisiana Tech 39-37.
- USC's first game without Clay Helton resulted in a 45-14 victory where Freshman QB Jaxson Dart threw for nearly 400 yards and 4 TDs.
- The PAC-12 struggled against the Mountain West as the Aztecs of SDSU upset Utah.
- Oklahoma State squeaked one out on the Smurf Turf as they beat the Broncos 21-20.
Thanks for reading my Week 3 Reflections and get ready for predictions later this week. GO BIG RED!
#CFBKnowItAll
Alex Fernando
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