Dylan Widger-USA TODAY Sports
Dave Feit: Enjoy the Ride
A few weeks ago, after the Illinois game, Matt Rhule said something that has stuck with me:
“Instead of jumping ahead to what we’re going to be, I just hope (people) kind of enjoy this ride.”
Nebraska first-year head football coach knows it is human nature – especially among fans – to look to the future. What will the team look like when so-and-so is a senior? Or when this recruit gets on campus? Maybe they get a quarterback out of the portal, and then the schedule…
Pause.
Stop and look around. Enjoy the ride.
It’s something that is easier said than done. Like we said, it goes against our nature as fans. Plus, the 2023 Huskers aren’t exactly playing a beautiful brand of football. Points are at a premium, and there are plenty of fumbles to go around.
And yet, Nebraska has their first three-game winning streak since 2016. They’re currently tied for first place in the Big Ten West. Apologize for the condition of the division if you wish, but don’t you dare apologize for winning games.
Here’s another Rhule quote from that Illinois postgame press conference: “It can be a little bit frustrating, but it’s a beautiful phase watching young people do something. Learn how to win. Fight for each other.”
I saw that throughout the Purdue game. Nebraska fumbles the opening kickoff, giving the Boilermakers the ball at the 32. The Blackshirts give up zero points. NU almost fumbles away a punt. The offense goes on the longest scoring drive (in plays, time of possession, and yards) of the season. The defense gets another big stop, forcing a field goal attempt. Special teams blocks the kick and returns it for a touchdown.
All three phases picking each other up. Fighting for each other. Learning how to win. It may be ugly, but it is also beautiful. No matter how you choose to describe it, I had a blast watching that game – even if the temps were in the low 30s.
We’ve got to be willing to stop and look around.
Enjoy the ride.
Things I believe
The Blackshirts deserved a shutout. This past Wednesday (Oct. 25) marked 20 years since Nebraska’s last shutout over a conference opponent (Iowa State in 2003).
Through the game’s first 51 minutes, I felt like Nebraska might snap that streak. The Huskers thoroughly confused Purdue quarterback Hudson Card. He didn’t know if the Blackshirts were blitzing, dropping eight in coverage, or shutting down his running game.
Going into the fourth quarter, Purdue’s longest drive was 43 yards in eight plays that resulted in a punt from midfield. They had done nothing to suggest they were capable of driving the length of the field. Unfortunately, Nebraska’s offense gave them a gift: a fumble on the NU 24-yard line.
Even then, I held hope that the shutout was still possible. The Blackshirts have – in this game and throughout the season – shown an impressive ability to mitigate turnover damage.
But after a 5-yard loss and an incompletion, Card found a receiver in the end zone for a nice diving catch. Shutout gone. Another offensive fumble – this one returned for a touchdown – was salt in the wound.
I hope the Blackshirts can notch in shutout in one of their remaining games. They’ve shown they are capable, and I think they’ve earned it.
Nebraska’s possession after Purdue’s first touchdown was a disaster. Quarterback Heinrich Haarberg was apparently in the tent being treated for an injury sustained on his fumble on the previous drive.
In came Jeff Sims, in his first multiple-snap action since the Colorado game. Anthony Grant gained a total of 6 yards on first and second down. On 3rd down, Sims gained three on a keeper to set up 4th and 1 on the Purdue 45.
At this point, Nebraska should have punted. Period. NU was up 18 and there was less than seven minutes to go in the game. Let Brian Buschini (with the wind at his back) try to put the ball inside the 10 and trust the dominating defense to close it out.
Instead, NU lined up like they were going to go for it. Sims did a hard count and actually got a Boilermaker defender into the neutral zone. But the Husker across from him did not react, nor did NU snap the ball to draw the flag. Instead, NU took a delay of game, presumably to give Buschini more space to operate.
On the punt, a different Boilermaker was offsides, so we went back to 4th & 1. At this point, Nebraska should have punted. Exclamation point. Instead, the decision was made to go for it – with Sims in the shotgun. Purdue easily penetrated NU’s offensive line, wrapped up Sims, and forced a fumble that was returned 55 yards for a stunning touchdown. Oof.
Next time, don’t overthink it.
Punt, and trust the defense.
I’m not interested in entertaining the Marcus Satterfield haters. Every coaching staff has an assistant that fans love to hate. On the 2023 Huskers, that assistant is offensive coordinator Marcus Satterfield.
You don’t have to look very far to find somebody who is critical – and quite vocal – about Nebraska’s O.C. At some point in the first quarter, I got tagged in a tweet that simply said “Fire Satterfield.”
I’ll be the first to acknowledge that Satterfield has been far from perfect. Far from it. Heck, the previous section was all about a bungled possession that led to a scoop and score touchdown with a QB who hasn’t played meaningful snaps in seven weeks.
But the Haterfields needs to acknowledge some basic facts: 1) he didn’t exactly inherit the 1983 Scoring Explosion offense, 2) Injuries have decimated the running back and wide receiver depth charts, and have strained the QB and O line rooms, 3) those injuries have forced him to adjust – if not scrap – his entire offensive vision and adapt to what his team can do.
Let’s look at two drives:
- End of the first quarter / start of the second: NU methodically marches 87 yards in 15 plays, taking 8:52 off the clock. Six different Huskers touched the ball in a creative mix of runs and passes that got the ball to players in space. Touchdown, NU.
- After Tommi Hill’s first interception: Using a play that was not in playbook a month ago, Satterfield has his backup quarterback throw a 73-yard play-action bomb to a true-freshman wide receiver (who should be redshirting this year) while enjoying excellent protection from three linemen starting their first game of the season. Touchdown, NU.
Yeah, I’d love it if NU was averaging 30 points per game or if the quarterback didn’t have to run it 17 times every week (or could complete 60% of his throws). I’d love it if cookies and beer made me lose weight. But that’s not the reality of the situation.
Maybe the Haterfields are right and Satt is a horrible O.C. who should be fired. I’m not going to jump to that conclusion until he’s making recipes out of his cookbook with ingredients he has picked out. That won’t happen until 2024.
Things I don’t know
How big is the gap between Jeff Sims and Chubba Purdy? Two more things I believe: 1) If Haarberg continues to take a beating carrying the ball 17 times a game, he will spend more time in the medical tent, 2) Jeff Sims did not look good in his four snaps Saturday.
So, the next time Haarberg is unable to go, do the coaches go back to Sims?
For the purposes of this question, we’ll ignore the message board speculation that is focused on the number of games Sims has appeared in during the 2023 season (currently, four, which is right at the limit for players hoping to maintain a redshirt season). Until I’m told otherwise, I’m going to believe a single digit-wearing team leader is fully invested in this team’s success.
But, given Sims’s performance in games, how close is Chubba Purdy to overtaking him?
It’s unclear. The only conclusion we can draw is when NU got the ball for the final time with 1:51 left in the game (and a 17-point lead), it was Haarberg – not Sims or Purdy – who handed the ball to the walk-on running backs to end the game.
Was the revamped offensive line better? Worse? The same? This was the first extended action of the season for tackle Teddy Prochazka and guards Justin Evans-Jenkins and Henry Lutovsky, all of whom were replacing injured starters on the offensive line.
Did those changes have a positive impact? Or did they make the line worse?
I think it’s tough to say with any certainty. The Huskers ran for 155 yards, which is 40 yards below what they had been averaging. But the Boilermakers appeared focused on a) stopping Nebraska’s running game by loading the box, and b) shutting down leading rusher Heinrich Haarberg.
Haarberg was sacked three times, one more than their average, but at least one of those should be considered a coverage sack.
My unprofessional opinion is that the line play was pretty much on par with what we’ve seen throughout the season. I’m hopeful that with more time together this new lineup can gel and improve.
Who is the defensive MVP? With two-thirds of the (regular) season complete, it’s obvious that the defense is the strength of this team. But what is not as obvious is who is the standout star performer of the Blackshirts.
I love that a strong case can be made for several different guys (listed alphabetically):
- LB Jimari Butler. Team leader in sacks, tied for first in tackles for loss, also has a forced fumble. Getting him to withdraw from the portal was HUGE.
- DB Isaac Gifford. Leads the team in tackles, and pass break ups. Third in tackles for loss. Instinctive player who does things the stats don’t always see.
- DT Nash Hutmacher. Eighth in tackles, tied for first in TFLs, and second in sacks. The Polar Bear has been a dominating force.
Those three would be my finalists, but I’d hear arguments for any of the following to be the fourth option: John Bullock, Omar Brown, Quinton Newsome, Nick Henrich, Luke Reimer, DeShon Singleton, Phalen Sanford, Ty Robinson or Tommi Hill.
I’m not sure how I’d vote. A few weeks ago, I would have immediately picked Hutmacher, but Gifford is just so damn good. Meanwhile, Butler is becoming a big play machine. And then, there’s….
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: 31-14
Is that a Huskerigami? No. It has happened four times before. The first time was a home win over North Carolina State on September 22, 1973, where NU trailed 14-10 going into the fourth quarter. The most recent was a November 14, 2015 win at Rutgers. Tight end Cethan Carter caught and ran for a touchdown.
5 things I loved
- Quinton Newsome. Newsome showed a nose for the ball on Saturday. He recovered the fumble forced by Jimari Butler in the first quarter. Later, he bailed out Alex Bullock after a fair catch was muffed. Finally, his 68-yard return of the blocked field goal and the high five with Tommi Hill (an unintentional tribute to the 1988 Okie State game) was the epitome of “right place, right time”.
- Special Teams. Ed Foley’s special teams had a great game. A blocked field goal was returned for a touchdown. Tristan Alvano bombed a 55-yard field goal (second longest in school history). Brian Buschini had another strong day punting. Tamon Lynum made a great tackle in punt coverage. Grant Tagge stopped a kickoff return from breaking. The hands team – including Alex Bullock – secured two onside kick attempts in the fourth quarter. The punt and kickoff return fumbles are the only thing keeping this from the top spot.
- Isaac Gifford. This week in “Isaac Gifford makes an amazing play”: 3rd & 10 from the Purdue 36. Card throws a deep ball for a wide receiver with Gifford in coverage. Gifford is locked in on the receiver, not looking back. When the WR puts his hands out to make the catch, Gifford does too and records a no-look pass break up. Honorable mention to the TFL where he tackled the quarterback and running back.
- Tommi Hill. I’ve joked that we all need somebody to believe in us the way Matt Rhule believes in Tommi Hill. Well, that trust is being repaid. Hill intercepted two passes Saturday, one to stop a scoring threat and one to close the game. In addition, he saw time as the punt and kickoff returner. The next step for Tommi is to get a ball into the end zone.
- Emmett Johnson. Here’s what you need to know about the redshirt freshman: after Purdue cut the score to 24-14, Johnson got five of the next six carries, which he ran for a total of 46 yards and a nail-in-the-coffin touchdown. I’ve been impressed with Johnson. He shows good patience, nice burst, and isn’t afraid to run to contact.
Honorable mention: Elijah Jeudy, Jaylen Lloyd, Phalen Sanford, Joshua Fleeks, Omar Brown, MJ Sherman, Luke Lindenmeyer, Jimari Butler, Ty Robinson, John Bullock, Trevin Luben, Maurice Mazzccua, Keegan Menning and every other Husker who saw their first action.
5 areas for improvement
- Fumbles. Five fumbles, four of them lost, and the last two were turned into 14 points. Yet – and here’s the kicker – Nebraska wins by 17 points. Somewhere, the players from the infamous eight-turnover Iowa State loss in 2009 are shaking their heads in disbelief.
- Jeff Sims. I’m not interested in joining the mob that takes delight in crapping on every mistake Sims makes. I won’t speculate on what’s going on with him, or if (as the rumor mill suggests) he’ll appear in a fifth game this season. But that performance is not going to get it done.
- Punt Return. Nebraska’s interest in returning punts is similar to my candy-loving kids’ interest in eating an Almond Joy: it can fall on the ground as they walk away from it. What little desire NU had completely left when Alex Bullock muffed a fair catch in the first half. For the record: as critical as I’ve been about NU’s punt return ineptitude, I did not participate in the sarcastic cheer when NU successfully caught a punt. That felt mean.
- Ryan Walters. The first-year Purdue coach – and former Colorado player – made of point of sharing his dislike for Nebraska’s helmets and the color red during the week. That doesn’t bother me. Heck, I’d probably feel the same if this happened to me. BUT – Walters didn’t need to encourage his players to embrace the Colorado style of football known for borderline dirty play.
- Referees. From a jawing match early in pregame to Purdue DB Derrick Rogers Jr. throwing a punch – TWICE – at Malachi Coleman, it was obvious that the officials did not have control of the game. A few unsportsmanlike conduct flags in the first quarter would have gone a long way toward reducing the chances of a skirmish that nearly happened.
