Ron Johnson-USA TODAY Sports
Dave Feit: Finding Beauty in an Ugly Game
Nebraska won the game.
They beat a Power 5 team. A divisional foe. A Big Ten opponent. On the road. In a game where they turned it over three times and committed 10 penalties.
Do you know how many times Nebraska has lost games like this in the last six years? Too many to list.
So forgive me if I'm not going to use the rest of our time together to rip on Marcus Satterfield, dissect Heinrich Haarberg's arm angle, or try to cheapen the win by pointing out the many ways in which it lived up to its billing as the Sickos Committee Game of the Week. I'm aware that Illinois is not a very good team.
Yes, there are things we'll discuss and critique. That's a big part of what we do here. But just so we're all on the same page: if you offered me the opportunity to lock in three to seven more wins exactly like this one (to be used before the end of 2023), I'd jump at the offer.
In a perfect world, this should have been a 49-0 blowout* where NU scores touchdowns every time they get the ball into the red zone.
*If we're going revisionist history, the refs would notice - and call - the blatant hold on Illinois's lone touchdown too.
Instead, it was a 20-7 game that had several tense moments in the fourth quarter. Obviously, Nebraska has not operated in the "perfect world" conditions for a long, long time. While there have been many games over the years where fans could rightfully complain about a lack of style points, the current Husker program is several years away from getting back to that point.
As the Huskers head into the off week to recover and prepare for a season-defining stretch run, it's okay to be happy with a win - ugly or not.
Things I believe
We "found out" about this team on the first two possessions. In the postgame press conference after the Michigan loss, Matt Rhule said: "Everybody in Nebraska will find out about this team next Friday night. They’ll find out about me, they’ll find out about them, they’ll find out about all of us Friday night."
Rhule, the coaches, and players were not pleased with their level of play against the Wolverines. They wanted to use the week of practice and the Illinois game to make a statement about what Nebraska Football is all about.
It did not take long for us to find out.
On the game's opening possession, Illinois marched down the field…. right into a brick wall. The Illini had three plays inside the three-yard line and got two yards. The Blackshirts made an all-caps STATEMENT with their goal line stand, and set the tone for the night.
Now, it's the offense's turn to make a statement on their first possession. A QB sneak gains zero yards, but sets up a second down 39-yard YOLO bomb to Marcus Washington. The Huskers drive the ball 86 yards before Tristan Alvano drills a 31-yard field goal to give Nebraska a lead they'd never surrender.
Time will ultimately tell what we truly "found out" about Rhule and this team. Maybe, in the panorama photo of the season, it's one of the high points. Or maybe it's the start of tangible, long-term progress.
This defense is perfect for the Big Ten West. On Illinois' first play from scrimmage, Reggie Love III ran up the middle for 10 yards.
It was the Illini's longest run of the night. The next-longest run was a five-yard scramble by quarterback Luke Altmyer.
For the game, Illinois was held to 21 yards on 19 carries. Those are excellent numbers, and a recipe for winning football.
Stop the run. Make teams one dimensional. And make bland Big Ten West quarterbacks like Athan Kaliakmanis, Luke Altmeyr and others beat you with their arm. This allows Tony White to decide if he's going to unleash a blitz from one of six different positions, or drop eight into coverage. The idea is to confuse and create chaos.
Sometimes it fails. Minnesota's Daniel Jackson makes a highlight-reel catch. Or Shedeur Sanders has enough talent (and enough to opportunities) to overcome eight sacks.
But I'll take my chances with this approach, especially in a "Find Four" drive for a bowl game where only one or two of the QBs remaining on the schedule can match the talent of Sanders. The majority are a lot closer to Kaliakmanis and Altmyer.
The players in single digits showed why they earned those numbers. As you likely know, Nebraska players awarded single-digit jerseys to their toughest teammates. The Illinois game proved that the team got those votes right. A quick sampling:
- 0 Nash Hutmacher. He was the immovable object that Illinois twice tried to run into on 4th down.
- 1 Billy Kemp IV. Tied for the team high in receptions. 85% of his yards came after the catch.
- 2 Isaac Gifford. Arguably the best defender on the field, which is saying a lot.
- 3 Nick Henrich. Five tackles, including a tackle for loss. Also had a QB hurry.
- 4 Luke Reimer. Did not play due to injury.
- 5 John Bullock. Six tackles, a sack, and a pass break up.
- 6 Quinton Newsome. Got his first career interception and five tackles.
- 7 Jeff Sims. Did not play due to injury.
- 8 DeShon Singleton. Did not play due to injury.
- 9 Ty Robinson. Another immovable object on the defensive line. Had a team high three quarterback hurries.
- 57 Ethan Piper. The guard, who received an honorary single digit, was a Husker House of Pancakes every time he pulled.
Things I don't know
Who starts at QB after the bye week? After Heinrich Haarberg's first career start against Northern Illinois, I asked if there was a quarterback controversy. I said then "as long as Jeff Sims is injured, Heinrich Haarberg will continue to start. But what about when Sims is back at - or close to - full health?" Admittedly, it was a bit of a "we'll cross that bridge when we come to it" take.
Well, we're about to cross that bridge.
If we assume that a) Sims suffered a high ankle sprain against Colorado, and b) those injuries take 4-6 weeks to properly heal, the Northwestern game will be the six-week mark since the injury. Sims likely will be good to go.
So, then what?
Haarberg has done an admirable job as the starter. He has a team-leading 352 rushing yards (on a team high 69 carries). He's completing just 52.1% of his passes, but is 3-1 as a starter (with the lone loss to #2 Michigan).
Some fans closed the door on Sims after his turnover-heavy games against Minnesota and CU. I hope those fans are aware of the good fortune that has kept Haarberg from replicating those numbers in some of his starts. Against Illinois, Haarberg fumbled (and recovered) a snap and had at least three throws that could have been picked off.
I remain of the opinion that Sims will return as the starter when he's healthy. Rhule has said repeatedly that they're going with the guys - at every position - who give them the best chance to win. Make no mistake: Haarberg's emergence has eliminated the staff's need to "ride or die" with Sims.
Jeff Sims should get another opportunity to see if he can elevate this offense from its Ferentz-ian state. If he can't, then Nebraska is no worse off than they are today. But if Sims can spark the offense, then you might want to start looking at hotels during bowl season.
My advice for Rhule: control the narrative by communicating the plan to media and fans during the off week. Otherwise, the speculation - and unnecessary drama - will get out of hand.
Should we be concerned with how Matt Rhule uses timeouts? On the surface, Rhule spends his timeouts like my kids spend their birthday money: as quickly as possible, and often on silly junk.
But is there a method to his (perceived) madness? Let's look at four timeouts (one in the first quarter, and three in the second half) to see what patterns emerge:
First quarter: Nebraska called timeout before 3rd and goal inside the 1. The defense got a stop on 3rd and 4th down, so this appears to be a good timeout.
Second half, first timeout: After the Phalen Sanford forced fumble, NU got nothing on 1st down. Prior to 2nd & 10 from the 21, Rhule called timeout and could be seen saying "No, no, no" in the direction of Satterfield. I'm going to go out on a limb and assume the head coach disagreed with the play call. After the timeout, NU ran a shovel sweep to Kemp for a gain of nine. The Huskers settled for a field goal on this drive to push the score to 20-7.
Late in the third quarter, Anthony Grant is stuffed, setting up 3rd & 4 from the Illini 44. After the timeout, NU spread out their receivers, emptied the backfield, and ran a designed QB draw for the first down.
Early in the fourth quarter, Nebraska had 1st & 10 from the 11, looking to put the game away. The Huskers came out in the "I", but called their final timeout before the snap. NU came back out in the same formation, and Emmett Johnson fumbled the handoff.
To my amateur eye, it appeared all three of the timeouts in the second half were done to change the offensive play call. All happened with five to seven second remaining on the play clock, so I don't know if there are issues getting the play in with enough time to allow for an audible. Regardless, if points are going to be at a premium (which certainly seems to be the case for Nebraska this year), I'm okay with using timeouts to get the call right.
What will come of Rhule working the refs? Nebraska was called for five false-start penalties on Friday. During the broadcast, Rhule could be seen talking to - and yelling at - the officials about it. On Illinois' final drive, Rhule was pleading for holding to be called, demonstrating what the Illini players were doing on his black windbreaker.
In this postgame press conference, Rhule said: "I was really, really upset with the officials tonight, and I never talk about officiating."
Rhule claimed that Illinois was saying and doing things to get Nebraska to jump offsides. Rhule mentioned that he had previously asked the league office for clarification and thought what the Illini was doing was illegal.
I mention this not to take a swipe at the refs, nor to reignite the tin foil hat conspiracies about the refs and/or league office being out to get Nebraska. Instead, I'm curious to see if outcome(s) we'll see - if any.
Will the Big Ten reprimand or fine Rhule? Probably not. Will the Huskers have some additional calls go their way - or against them - the next time NU sees this crew? And if certain crews are not going to call the infamous "disconcerting signals" penalty, could we see Nebraska stretch the boundaries like Illinois (allegedly) did?
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: 20 - 7
Is that a Huskerigami? No. It has happened nine times before. The first time was an October 31, 1914 win versus Iowa State. The most recent was a win over Iowa on November 25, 2011 featuring a school-record 38 carries by Rex Burkhead.
5 things I loved
- Blackshirts. Two stops on fourth and short, including a goal line stand. Two turnovers, three sacks, six hurries, and seven pass break ups. Inject it all into my veins. Nebraska can ride defensive performances like this all the way to a bowl game.
- Isaac Gifford. Midway through the fourth quarter, after making his team-leading seventh tackle, he hobbled off the field. But if you thought his night was done, you'd be wrong. On Illinois' final drive, Isaac Gifford had three pass break ups. Three PBUs. On one crunch time drive. That is ridiculous.
- Heinrich Haarberg. Did you see him stiff-arm an Illini defender into the turf? Put on a poster (or a GIF). He's - figuratively and literally - carrying this offense on his back. His lone interception was essentially an arm punt. By the fourth quarter, he was playing with a noticeable limp. I wouldn't be surprised if he spends the entire off week in an ice tub.
- Phalen Sanford. That epic goal line stand on the first drive? It doesn't happen unless Sanford makes a great shoestring tackle at the 3 yard line. Tommi Hill's fumble return? It was Sanford who made a textbook tackle on the ball. Sanford's transition from 8-man football walk-on to winter conditioning freak performer to special teams standout to starter has been a helluva journey and a joy to watch.
- Freshman wide receivers. Welp. With Marcus Washington out for an unknown length of time, the future is now. It's all hands on deck in the wide receiver room, which means learning on the fly, getting thrown into the deep end of the pool, and a few other cliches to boot. Malachi Coleman caught his first career pass (and had some nice blocks on running plays). Jaidyn Doss made his NU debut and was targeted once. Jaylen Lloyd also saw action. I’m excited to watch the young pups break out.
Honorable mention: Nash Hutmacher, Grant Tagge, Nick Henrich, Princewill Umanmielen, Tommi Hill, Mikai Gbayor, Thomas Fidone II, Blaise Gunnarson, Alex Bullock, John Bullock, Ty Hahn, Pullin' Ethan Piper, and the late, great Dick Butkus.
5 areas for improvement
- Finishing drives. NU seemed happy to take the field goal on their first drive. But the Huskers made five more trips into the red zone on Friday night and scored just 10 points. Two fumbles and a missed field goal kept this from being a blowout win.
- Finishing halves. Late in the first half, Illinois scores to make it 17-7. NU gets the ball at their 25 with 1:31 on the clock, two timeouts, and the knowledge that they get the ball to start the second half. After a quick first down, Haarberg throws three incomplete passes - all of which could (should?) have been intercepted. NU punts and Illinois has 41 seconds and two timeouts to drive into position for a long field goal attempt.
- Ben Scott. There's playing to the echo of the whistle, and then there are cheap shots. Ben Scott picked up a 15-yard penalty for the latter. He's too valuable to the offense to get kicked out of a game. Clean it up.
- Heinrich Haarberg. No, he's not here for his arm angle or throwing motion. Haarberg is here because he needs to understand that not all of his receivers are 6'5" like he is. Thomas Fidone (6'6") routinely has to go up to catch his passes. Poor Billy Kemp (generously listed at 5'9") often does not have a chance.
- Illini Anemometers. An anemometer is a device used to measure wind speed. The one at Memorial Stadium in Champaign is clearly defective. Throughout the game, the wind speed was listed at 11-13 mph. Meanwhile, the FS1 crew was talking non-stop about the impact of the wind (17 times in the second quarter alone). I wasn't there, so I can only draw one of two conclusions: a) the anemometer Illinois uses is broken, or b) the FS1 crew was trying to turn an October breeze into Category 3 hurricane force winds.
