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Dave Feit: Another ‘What If?’ for the 2023 Huskers
There have been a lot of "what if" moments in this Nebraska football season. Injuries, questionable quarterback play, situational failures, inconsistent performances, peculiar play calls, coaching decisions, and more.
This is to be expected given a new staff - especially one lacking a ton of experience - as they learn how to work together. They've been tasked with trying to get the most out of an ever-changing cast of players who - save for about a dozen guys - have never won more than four games in a season wearing a Nebraska uniform. Anybody expecting Year 1 perfection hasn't been paying attention.
But as Nebraska sits one game away from bowl eligibility, it is natural to look back at missed opportunities. To wonder if a butterfly flapping its wings near a flower could keep six years of clouds from becoming seven. What if they hang on against Minnesota? Or kick the field goal against Maryland? Or manage the clock better against Wisconsin? What if?
I'll be honest: going into Nebraska's game at Wisconsin, I never felt great about the Huskers' chances to win.* Madison has been - for a variety of reasons - a hard place for Nebraska to find wins.
*The comments from Wisconsin players and coaches after their last loss were very reminiscent of what Nebraska coaches and players were saying before the Illinois game - a game the Huskers controlled. I don't trust the offense's ability to go eight straight plays without a turnover. Even Nebraska's explosive first quarter gave me a flashback of how NU led 17-3 in what is now known as "the Melvin Gordon game."
But this loss has been really hard to swallow.
I'm well aware of all of the flaws and warts within this program. And yet I keep expecting Charlie Brown to kick the football, even when everything around me is screaming that Lucy will once again pull it away. Surely, the law of averages will eventually even out.
Right?
In theory, this gets better next year. More talent. More development. A ton of young guys gaining experience and learning from failure. And there have been a lot of opportunities to learn. What if…
While I'm still firmly in the camp of this being a successful debut season - no matter what happens on Friday - it's okay to wonder "what if?"
Things I believe
I don't understand Nebraska's clock management strategy. At the end of both halves, Nebraska was driving for the end zone. Nebraska ended these drives with a total of three points. Nebraska called three (out of their six) timeouts. Heck, Wisconsin called two timeouts!
My confusion over clock management isn't limited to Matt Rhule leaving the field with timeouts in his pocket. It also includes the pace at which Nebraska decided to run (or walk) their offense.
At the end of the first half, I can understand slow playing things to start. Wisconsin had just scored, so NU was beginning from their 25. Take a few plays to see if the drive is going to go somewhere, or if you're going three and out. But once Nebraska decided to go for it - hitting Malachi Coleman over the middle for 26 yards - it was Wisconsin who called timeout to stop the clock.
I liked the idea to take a shot at the end zone before settling for the field goal, but Rhule was lucky he didn't have to do an imitation of Mack Brown holding up 1 finger for the replay official. Regardless, the 42-yard field goal try was no good.
At the end of the game, NU started out from its own 20 with 3:37 to go. With 1:35 left, Nebraska had first down at the Wisconsin 26, with the Badgers again calling timeout. Two plays later, it was 3rd & 2 from the 18 with 20 second left. Nebraska burned 75 seconds. The Huskers made the field goal and sent the game to overtime, but what happens if they had time for two more plays?
Being deliberate on the end of half drives makes sense if you have confidence in the offense's ability to execute. If you are confident the quarterback and receiver can connect on a shot to the end zone, then go ahead and bleed the clock dry. But that's not this team. This team is incremental movements and QB scrambles that take time.
Worst-case scenario, Nebraska scores a touchdown "too soon" and has to rely on the defense to get a stop. Unlike last week with Taulia Tagovailoa, I'll take my chances with a clearly limited Tanner Mordecai needing to lead a 75-yard drive in 90 seconds to win.
Nebraska is failing at situational football. Do you remember back in the spring, when much was made about Rhule and Nebraska focusing on situational football? There was the noteworthy story where it was 3rd & goal from the 9. The offense needs a score to win. The defense needs a stop. Do or die.
Those lessons seem to have been forgotten.
In November, Nebraska has reverted to its old habits when in these critical situations. In the Michigan State and Maryland games, it was turnovers. Against Wisconsin, it was dumb penalties, clock management, and expecting the third-string quarterback to be a one-man show. In all three games, it has been asking the defense to do too much for too long.
I know Nebraska has a short week before a do-or-die game against the situational football kings of the West, but I hope the Huskers can spend some time working the scenarios they'll likely experience on Friday.
Nebraska is losing third down. Stop me if you've heard this before: Nebraska is not a very good team on third down.
The offense was 5 for 12 on third down and did not convert anything longer than 3rd & 4. The Huskers committed two false starts on third down. Chubba Purdy often struggled to find open receivers. They then had to punt, which was a different mess.
Meanwhile, the defense allowed Wisconsin to convert 7 of 15 tries. Every Wisconsin touchdown drive was extended by a third-down conversion. The defense gave up 18 yards on two third-down plays in overtime.
Things I don't know
Did Nebraska get out-coached? Nebraska got off to a great start, with arguably their best quarter of football of the entire season. The offense piled up 162 yards and 14 points. The defense held the Badgers to just 32 total yards and zero points.
But after that? The advantage was decidedly with Wisconsin. The Badgers kept running, bettering their output in every successive quarter. Meanwhile, their defense mostly shut down Nebraska's passing game and kept the offensively challenged Huskers off schedule.
I question the lack of adjustments by Nebraska's staff. How many times did Tanner Mordecai - nursing an injured hand - gain yardage on the same designed run behind his running back? How many times did NU drop back on third down, but had absolutely nobody open?
We've been able to criticize some play calls here and there, but this the first time it's felt like the staff was out-coached.
Why does it take so long to get the play in? How many times, over the course of the season, has Nebraska had to burn a timeout because they were at risk of a delay of game penalty?
Against Wisconsin, Nebraska was flagged once for delay, used their lone timeout in overtime to avoid it, and regularly snapped the ball with under five seconds left on the play clock.
While some of that may have been a strategic decision to shorten the game, it sure feels like there is indecision/confusion/disagreement on getting play calls into the quarterback that is having a negative impact on an already limited offense.
Aside from burning timeouts (bad) and risking penalties (worse), there's another impact that might be the worst. If Purdy (or any of NU's other inexperienced quarterbacks) is coming to the line with less than five seconds left on the play clock, he has little chance to read the defense before the snap.
Given Nebraska's offensive struggles, the staff (O.C. Marcus Satterfield and whatever is causing delays) needs to get the play in faster.
When do we panic about Tony White leaving? Defensive coordinator Tony White has had the greatest impact on Nebraska's rebuilding efforts. His Blackshirts are the reason Nebraska is 5-6 instead of 2-9.
As the annual coaching carousel starts to spin, there are several jobs that may be intriguing to White:
- Syracuse. White spent the last three seasons as a successful defensive coordinator under Dino Babers, who was fired Sunday.
- San Diego State. Head coach Brady Hoke announced his retirement, opening the door at a school where White coached for nine years.
- UCLA. The Bruins' win over USC may have cooled the rumors of Chip Kelly being on the hot seat. If they make a change, I doubt UCLA would hire a rookie head coach. But a new coach might be able to lure White - a Bruin alum - back home to run the defense.
White is a rising star in the coaching business and will be a head coach someday. For Nebraska, the question is how long can they keep that from happening?
My recommendation is the same as it was at the midway point of the season: Say "Yes" to whatever he asks for.
Maybe White should hire the same agent as Trev Alberts. NU’s A.D. got a very nice raise this week.
Huskerigami update
A “Huskerigami” is a final score combination (win or lose) that has never happened in the 130+ year history of Nebraska football.
Final score: 24-17
Is that a Huskerigami? No. It has happened seven times before. The first time was the 1995 Orange Bowl win over Miami. The most recent was last year's win over Iowa on Black Friday 2022.
5 things I loved
- Ty Robinson. Robinson's debut game as a Husker came way back in 2019 against #15 Wisconsin. On that day, Robinson proved he could play with anybody. Fast forward four years, and the big D tackle showed he's ready for the next level. He technically has another year of eligibility, but Friday will likely be his last game for NU.
- Chubba Purdy. Playing with a groin injury that will require surgery, Chubba had the most complete performance by a Husker quarterback in 2023. He rushed for 105 yards, completed a season-best 65% of his passes, and his lone turnover was a desperation throw on 4th down in overtime.
- Marques Buford Jr. The safety, playing in just his third game of the season, was terrific. He had a team-high 10 tackles, including 1.5 for loss. And he had one of the biggest hits of the night.
- Freshman wide receivers. Jaylen Lloyd and Malachi Coleman combined for three catches for 90 yards and a touchdown. I'd love to see them get some more targets and opportunities to use their speed in the open field. Regardless, their best days are ahead of them.
- Linebacker corps. I continue to be impressed by the play of the linebackers – particularly Luke Reimer, Nick Henrich, and Javin Wright. They tackle well in the run game, are effective pass rushers, and cover well.
Honorable mention: Emmett Johnson, Anthony Grant, Isaac Gifford, Billy Kemp IV, Nick Henrich, Thomas Fidone II, Phalen Sanford, Cameron Lenhardt, Riley Van Poppel, Barret Liebentritt.
5 areas for improvement
- Clock Management. I remain stunned that on two end-of-half drives, the opposing defense called almost as many timeouts as the offense.
- Brian Buschini. I don't think I've ever seen a punter make a tackle and down one of his own kicks in the same game. So, there's that. There's also a 35.2 yard average on five kicks. I'm operating under the assumption that Buschini - who battled ankle injuries throughout 2022 - is playing hurt again this year. If so, how big is the gap to his backup? If not, what can Ed Foley do to help him out?
- Penalties. The Huskers were flagged seven times, six on offense. The total yardage (54) wasn't bad, but every flag was an absolute killer. Twenty yards on the drive before halftime that resulted in a missed field goal. A defensive hold that led to a Wisconsin touchdown. Four pre-snap flags (three false starts and a delay of game) on drives that ended in punt, punt, punt, game ending interception.
- Tackling. Nebraska missed some big play opportunities by failing to wrap up when they had chances. The tackling - especially in the open field - has been so good throughout the season that I hate to ding them for it, but there were some game changing plays that were lost.
- Hunter Wohler. I have no beef with Wisconsin's safety, a fine player. But I'm perturbed that the replay official did not stop the game after Wohler used his helmet to hit Billy Kemp in the head. Aren't we concerned about player safety? Unfortunately, Wohler got the worst of the illegal hit and didn't return in the second half. But NBC showed him so often I was wondering if he is related to Deion Sanders.
