After a wild Week 6 in College Football, there's a lot to analyze from the Huskers win over Michigan State to all of the upsets from around the nation. This post will focus on my thoughts from a crazy weekend of football along with highlighting some teams with a variety of good and not so good superlatives defining their season. Let's dive in with my GOOD, EXPECTED and BAD breakdown of the Huskers 38-27 victory over Sparty. I was able to attend Matt Rhule's press conference on Monday and have a few quotes and notes from his comments about the game.
GOOD - Husker defense and 4th quarter domination. Despite a late touchdown that the sports bettors did not enjoy, Nebraska owned the 4th quarter of this game. They put up 17 points, drove Michigan State back -5 yards in the three drives separate of the late TD. This was a very impressive finish to a mucky game in which Nebraska only ran 55 plays on offense and held the ball for just 26 minutes of game play. Despite the early struggles in the game, Nebraska stuck to their game plan and wore down the Sparty defense. Defensively, I tip my cap to the Blackshirts for their efforts throughout the game. Linebackers Javin Wright and Vincent Shavers Jr. were all over the field, combining for 19 total tackles and 5.5 tackles for loss. When your linebackers are putting up those kind of numbers, then your d-line is doing their job as well. If they're occupying the offensive line and not allowing them into the second level, then those backers have free reign to make plays around the field. Nebraska did just that and was able to put a very strong pass rush together with 4 sacks and 12 tackles for loss. As Matt Rhule said in his press conference, "We stopped the run and turned it into a dropback game". This plays into the strength of Nebraska's defense as the secondary came away with 2 picks and are still ranked #1 in the nation defending the pass. Keep it up Blackshirts!
EXPECTED - Special Teams making special plays. I highlighted in my preseason oddly specific predictions that Jacory Barney Jr. and Coach Eckler's special teams units would not only have a big punt return on the year, but make a strong impact on this team. Coach Rhule higlighed that Eckler's teaching style and energy have helped elevate the players abilities on the field during special teams plays. He's extremely happy with how that unit has shown growth over the first part of the season with 2 blocked punts, multiple big returns and turnovers being forced. I absolutely loved my interactions with Coach Eckler and hope to have more soon as his charisma is infectious and clearly showing with this unit. Brett Maher has also been a big help with the kicking game, so overall this unit continues to improve.
BAD - Pass protection. With Sparty adding another 5 sacks and 7 tackles for loss to the 7 sacks and 9 tackles for loss by Michigan, the Huskers have quickly fallen to #118th in the nation, allowing 15 sacks on the year. I've highlighted this as an area of extreme concern before, especially with Dylan holding the ball a bit long at times. Both of these things will continue to improve, but the sooner the protections can be elevated, the sooner Raiola can elevate his level of play. Elijah Pritchett clearly has all the physical traits needed, but misses assignments nearly every other play. Those mental lapses and issues across the oline have really limited the offense in the last couple of weeks, and Nebraska's next 4 games include 3 teams with top 25 rankings in sacks per game. This issue needs to be addressed quickly.
Now let's go to our mid-season superlatives following a week 6 full of upsets and various statements made by teams throughout the nation.
The Nightmare is Just Beginning Team - Texas Longhorns
There are so few things in life I enjoy more than a Texas football season going down in flames, so this superlative is written with a devilish smirk on my face. After falling to Florida 29-21 (and being beat thoroughly throughout the game), the nation is starting to see glaring issues not only with Arch Manning, but Texas as a whole. While the defense will certainly keep them in games, the offensive issues have Longhorn fans wondering when they will wake up. Unfortunately for them, as the superlative suggests, this is just the beginning. You heard it here first, but I think Texas loses 3 or 4 more games to finish 7-5 or 6-6 this season.
Late Bloomer Team - Cincinnati Bearcats
Don't blink twice, but Cincy has a very favorable path to be in the mix for Big XII Title contention. Nebraska was a bit lucky to catch them early in the season, because this offense has really clicked since facing the Blackshirts in Week 1. Now obviously I think my Huskers would've been fine regardless, but the efficiency of Brendan Sorsby and the chemistry with his transfer portal wideouts has really shown its true form in the last couple of weeks. Some highlights from the rest of their schedule include Baylor and BYU at home with road trips to Utah and TCU. There's a very real possibility they lose just 1 conference game the way this offense is playing right now.
New Year, Same Story Team - Cal Golden Bears
Justin Wilcox is a fabulous coach, and I always enjoy watching the Calgorithim, but every year they start hot, look like they've got all the tools to make a run, get up early in a big conference game, and then crumble. Duke had no answer for the Golden Bears in the first quarter, but as the mistakes piled up in quarter 2, so did the points for the Blue Devils. I'd love to see Cal break through, especially in a wide open ACC, but I think we'll see them revert back to a mediocre season by the time we reach the end of the season.
Show Me Something Team - USC Trojans
USC has all the talent necessary to be a dangerous contender in the BIG 10, but they can't seem to move up into the higher tier of the conference. With Michigan, Notre Dame and Nebraska over the next 4 weeks, this is where Lincoln Riley needs to show me (and the reset of the college football world) something that proves this team is looking to compete at the highest level. Statement wins or disappointing losses in this month will highlight the true ceiling for Lincoln Riley in my opinion.
Be Careful What You Wish For Team - Wisconsin Badgers
Wisconsin is falling into the Nebraska trap by trying to find a higher level of success by firing a coach who wins 9 or 10 games per year. Luke Fickell has really struggled to match his Cincy dominance and the Badger faithful are getting restless. With a very difficult schedule upcoming to finish the season, I don't see things going well for Wisconsin this season and I can only sit back and watch. I really thought Luke Fickell was a great hire there, and he very well could be still, but I'm not sure it will be for the Badgers in the long run.
No Bevel, No Problem. Keep Wreckin' Team - Texas Tech Red Raiders
Texas Tech recently stormed social media with a new (old) logo where they took away the 3D bevel and have a flat double T for their logo with some updated complimentary logos. Despite the backlash for the lack of beveling on the letters, this team is going to be just fine on the field. Texas Tech has a tough road game in Tempe against the reigning conference champs next week, but overall should be favored in most every matchup. I think they'll keep on wreckin' as they work their way toward the Big XII Title game and the playoffs. Guns up, Wreck 'Em!
Thanks for reading my Week 6 Reflections and be ready for Week 7 Predictions coming soon. GO BIG RED!
No comments:
Post a Comment