Hello football friends! It's been a long week and I really did not want to write this reflection, but I must let my thoughts flow as we try to move forward from the heartbreaking Michigan loss. There are a number of other big happenings from across college football last week, so we'll cover those as well. Read them quick and let's move onto Minnesota. Here's my breakdown of Nebraska and Michigan.
The Huskers had Memorial Stadium rocking with just a few minutes left in the game. Tied up at 29 and a potential game-winning drive set up to send the stadium in to absolute berserk mode. However, due to a very unfortunate late fumble, the Huskers found yet another way to snatch defeat out of the jaws of victory. There was questionable officiating throughout the game, and questionable play calling from the Husker offensive coaching staff, but Nebraska still had victory in their hands. This analysis uses my GOOD, EXPECTED and BAD categories to break everything from Saturday night down.
GOOD - Stadium Atmosphere and offensive production. First and foremost, this game had one of the best Husker Football atmosphere's I've ever experienced. I was able to bring one of my best friends, John, to his first ever Husker game and it did not disappoint. A Mizzou grad, John stated the atmosphere in Memorial Stadium was nothing like he's experienced before and far exceeded his expectations. One factor of the game that exceeded my expectations was the 431 total yards of offense by the Huskers. There were a lot great plays by the Husker offense and the unit had a lot of success, especially in the second half. I appreciated the fight in the Husker offense, especially the O-line, which gave up just 1 sack and 4 tackles for loss against arguably the best defense they've faced this year. This was an impressive game with a handful of very well thought out play calls and a fantastic atmosphere.
EXPECTED - Defense bending, but not breaking. The Blackshirts were certainly challenged on Saturday as the Wolverines have one of the BIG 10's best offensive attacks. The two-headed rushing monster of Blake Corum and Hassan Haskins did not disappoint, racking up 212 yards and 3 TDs between them. The Husker defense gave up the most yards on the season thus far with 459 by Michigan. However, the Blackshirts also held the Wolverines to Field Goals 4 times. This was the highest point total given up by Nebraska this season as well, but I expected a tough challenge in this game and overall I think the Blackshirts faired well.
BAD - First half play calling, misuse of talent and officiating. I'll get the obvious one out of the way quickly, the officials had some very poor calls in that football game. My roommate is an official for high school games and NEVER blames the referees for impacting a game, but on Saturday night he felt that a number of their calls were not only wrong, but negatively impactful to the game. The defensive delay of game, the joint possession, not stopping Martinez with forward progress before the fumble (this one I'm pushing for more than I should be) and a horrendous PI at the end of the first half on a ball that was not catchable. However, regardless of the officiating, the Huskers had numerous opportunities to help themselves and did not. The first would be their opening offensive drive after forcing a Michigan punt. Nebraska marched right down the field and went for it on 4th and goal from inside the 5 yard line. This was the right decision, I am all for this move. The issue I have is the play call and poor use of talent. Multiple times on that drive, the Huskers ran Rahmir Johnson (5'10 185 lbs.) up the middle for little to no gain. They tried it on the goal line without success as well. So for 4th down, they ran the very predictable QB stretch out to the pylon with a Tight End lead blocking. Michigan was ready for it and had 3 defenders ready to stop that. The entire first half was a reflection of that drive and the play calls were very conservative. It opened up a bit in the second half, but the misuse of talent continued to run rampant. Samori Toure, arguably the best wide receiver on the team, didn't catch a pass until the second half. Jaquez Yant was benched for the last quarter and a half of the game for running the wrong way on one play. Worst of all, the best offensive weapon on the team, Adrian Martinez RUNNING, wasn't used other than a few short yardage design runs and a couple of scrambles. This is a recurring issue Frost and his coaching staff has shown and it's costing the Huskers too many opportunities on offense. When you're in the red zone, throw the ball to your 6'8 Tight End. When you need a short gain for a first down, give it to your 230 lbs. running back. When your special teams is playing well, DON'T SWITCH YOUR PUNTER! This was infuriating to watch throughout the game, especially as a coach myself. There's a big difference between the Huskers and my 7th graders, but the principles are the same. GET YOUR TALENTED PLAYERS THE BALL!
Quick Hit thoughts from around CFB:
- Big comeback win in the Red River Rivalry (Showdown) as Oklahoma beat Texas 55-48.
- Arkansas and Ole Miss had a barn burner down in the grove, but the Rebels prevailed as the Hogs missed a game-winning 2-point conversion.
- Boise State upset #10 BYU on the road 26-17.
- Iowa fended off a scare from the Nittany Lions and won at home with a late Field Goal.
- Notre Dame pulled one out of the fire against Virginia Tech, winning 32-29.
- Kentucky is 6-0 for the first time in over 70 years as they rolled LSU 42-21.
- Texas A&M did the impossible and knocked off Alabama 41-38. The Tide haven't lost a regular season game since 2019.
Thank you all for reading my reflections and get ready for my predictions this weekend!
#CFBKnowItAll
Alex Fernando
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