Dave Feit: Would This Game Have Gone the Other Way in 2022?

Nebraska's win over Louisiana Tech wasn't flashy. But it wasn't a repeat of last year's Georgia Southern debacle, and that's progress.

During one of his post-practice media sessions last week, Matt Rhule said he asked the team “what would they do to go back and practice better the Wednesday before Georgia Southern” – a not-so-subtle reminder of the three-touchdown underdogs that left Lincoln with a win last September.

I loved the message: Learn from the painful losses and find a way to prevent them from happening again.

Rhule’s words were repeating in my head as Nebraska went to halftime tied with three-touchdown underdog Louisiana Tech. Was this going to be another painful home loss to a team outside the power conferences like Georgia Southern (2022), Troy (2018) or Northern Illinois (2017)? Would Rhule have to give a Tech version of his “don’t regret your practice efforts” speech next fall?

We’ll never know. The Huskers scored three times in the second half and did just enough after a weather delay to come out with a 14-point win. It wasn’t pretty, but it was a win.

This may not be a fair question, but I’ll ask it anyway:

Would Nebraska have lost this game a year ago?

Even though a lot of the main players are the same, there is a ton of juxtaposition between the Huskers of September 2022 and the Huskers of September 2023: Coaches. Culture. Which units are strong (and which are not). The levels of optimism and belief within the fan base.

I’ll freely acknowledge that 2022 Georgia Southern – a 6-6 bowl qualifier – is a better team than 2-3 Louisiana Tech. But you’d have a hard time convincing me that the Nebraska team that played on Sept. 10, 2022, would have walked out of Memorial Stadium with a 14-point victory against the Bulldogs on Saturday.

That’s progress.

It’s not flashy – or especially pretty. It’s understanding that the best way to win is to have the quarterback carry it more times than he throws it. It’s trusting your punter and your defense to do what they do. It’s realizing that no matter what happens against a Top 5 team, things are moving in the right direction.

Things I believe

Marcus Satterfield is calling plays for wins, not style points. Husker fans – especially those with Twitter accounts – have been vocal in their disdain for Satterfield and his low-scoring offense.

Stop.

Through four games, Nebraska is averaging 21.75 points, which is a mere 0.83 points per game less than the 2022 team averaged. You remember the 2022 team? Trey Palmer was down there somewhere to the tune of 1,043 yards and nine touchdowns. Palmer is now in Tampa and Nebraska currently has a severe lack of proven home run hitters.

Satterfield hasn’t been perfect by any stretch, but it’s very easy to see what he’s trying to do: Get the ball in the hands of his best options – the mobile quarterbacks and running backs. Limit the amount of YOLO balls that turn into interceptions. Try to keep the defense fresh by not going three and out in 45 seconds.

I have zero idea what Nebraska’s offense will look like in 2024 or 2025, but I doubt it will resemble the QB run heavy system NU is playing now. I know that is frustrating for some fans who want NU to start laying the groundwork for their offensive vision this year.

But this approach is a welcome change from the “square peg / round hole” offenses from the first year of the Callahan and Riley eras. Those OCs tried to make Joe Dailey and Tommy Armstrong into pocket passers at the expense of wins.

Aside from being complementary football – something that would have benefited NU in the Scott Frost era – Satterfield’s approach gives NU their best chance to make a bowl game, unlocking the extra practices that will help Year 2 growth.

Nebraska’s run defense is no joke. The Blackshirts held the Bulldogs to just 46 yards rushing – a total that was not padded with sack yardage. The Huskers flew around the field again, sending waves of defenders after every ball carrier. With the exception of LA Tech’s first touchdown, the tackling is some of the best in years*.

*Seriously, it has been a delight to watch the guys in the secondary – DeShon Singleton, Quinton Newsome, Omar Brown, Isaac Gifford, Malcom Hartzog, and others – tackle in the open field. I don’t want to be too munificent with my praise, so I’ll wait a few more weeks before making the old-school comp that is in my head.

On Louisiana Tech’s first drive of the 3rd quarter, they had 4th & 1 from the NU 28. For most teams, 4th & 1 is a formality. The offense has the benefit of knowing the snap count, so they can fire off and get enough push to allow a sneaking quarterback to gain 36 inches.

Except, the Bulldogs ran that sneak at Nash Hutmacher. Whoops. First down Nebraska.

I won’t be shocked if Blake Corum and Michigan get their yards. Frankly, that’s what the #2 team in the country should do against a 2-2 team. But I look forward to the matchup. And I’ll take my chances with this run defense against the rest of the West.

Nebraska’s last possession of the first half was a disaster. With 2:05 left in the first half, Nebraska takes over at their 35. They have all three timeouts.

The Huskers ran it three straight times, picking up 10 yards, and burning 1:23 off the clock. After the first down, NU calls its first timeout and finally gets to work. A 22-yard completion to Billy Kemp. A deep throw to Thomas Fidone that draws a holding flag. Now, Nebraska has 1st & 10 from the Tech 23. But there’s little time left.

After an incomplete pass to Alex Bullock, NU has just six seconds left in the half. On second down, they bring out the field goal unit. Tristan Alvano is wide left from 41 yards.

Nebraska takes its two remaining timeouts into the locker room tied at 7.

What would have the possession have looked like if Nebraska had time for two more throws? Maybe they still come up empty, but I’d like to give Haarberg another shot.

Things I don’t know

Why didn’t Nebraska blitz more? Louisiana Tech quarterback Jack Turner was making his first career start. His only other road experience as a college QB was a handful of snaps at Texas-San Antonio in 2022 in front of 25,000 fans.

It felt like a textbook situation where a combination of pressure from the Blackshirts and noise from the Memorial Stadium crowd could rattle a young quarterback into mistakes. That strategy worked last week against seasoned veteran* Rocky Lombardi of Northern Illinois.

*Lombardi is six months older than Nebraska wide receivers coach Garret McGuire. True story.

But a week after recording three sacks and three QB hurries, the Blackshirts had zero sacks and only one hurry. After a nervous first series, Turner settled in and completed 64% of his passes for nearly 300 yards.

In the weekly press conference prior to the LA Tech game, Rhule said he didn’t want to rely so much on the blitz to generate pressure. But maybe they should have brought some heat early to disrupt the opposing quarterback’s confidence.

Was it worth it to burn a great fake field goal against Louisiana Tech? First off, let’s give credit to special teams coordinator Ed Foley for a great design, and Timmy Bleekrode for the tremendous execution on the fake field goal. It was a terrific play call.

But should Nebraska have kept that play in their pocket for a more opportune moment? I know it was a scoreless game at the time, but the Huskers were a three-score favorite over the Bulldogs.

It says here that Nebraska would have won even if they saved the fake for a different occasion – like #2 Michigan, or one of the other Big Ten teams on the schedule.

The element of surprise – both in the fake and the personnel used to execute it – is now gone for the season.

But it was a cool play.

Who starts at quarterback against #2 Michigan? Heinrich Haarberg made his second straight start and played well. Jeff Sims came in for one play when Haarberg’s helmet popped off. That lone play was a disaster (we can debate if that falls on Sims, the line, Satterfield, or a combination of the three). But as Sims was scrambling for his life, it was clear that his ankle is nowhere close to 100%.

There was a lot to like about Haarberg’s day on Saturday: the two long touchdown runs (one called back by penalty). Some good throws to convert third downs, and – as Sims’ critics will quickly point out – zero turnovers.

But going by what we saw on the field, I don’t think Haarberg is running away with the job. He was credited with two fumbles (both recovered by NU), completed just 47% of his passes, and was fortunate to not throw an interception or two.

I’ll stand by what I said last week: Sims will likely be the starter whenever he’s healthy. I have no idea if that will be Saturday against Michigan or some point in the coming weeks. I wouldn’t be surprised if both quarterbacks see multiple snaps against the Wolverines.

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: 28-14

Is that a Huskerigami? No. That score has happened twice before. The first time was a 1974 loss to Oklahoma. The most recent was a 2006 victory at Iowa State.

5 things I loved

1. Heinrich Haarberg. Haarberg is a throwback to the Nebraska quarterbacks of the 1980s and 90s. Seriously, how many Osborne era QBs fit this description: A dynamic runner with the power to truck an unsuspecting safety and the speed to take it 70 yards. A slightly suspect passer who might not complete 50% of his throws. That sounds like the majority of guys I grew up cheering for. Haarberg was enough to lead the team to another convincing win over Northern Non-Conference Tech. Like Jeff Sims, his long runs and explosive potential mask some issues that better teams might exploit.
2. Anthony Grant. I was critical of Grant a year ago for his propensity to bounce every run to the outside. For the most part, Grant has been willing to follow his blocks and take what he can get. The notable exception was a 4th & 1 on the first drive of the second half. Grant got the handoff in the middle, had absolutely nowhere to go, and bounced it outside for a 19-yard gain to set up his touchdown. He’ll face a stiff challenge against Michigan, but feature back Anthony passed the eye test on Saturday.
3. Billy Kemp IV. During the broadcast, Matt Millen compared Kemp to Louisiana Tech’s do-everything-back Smoke Harris, which is a really nice compliment for a guy who is emerging as Nebraska’s go-to option. Kemp was the top target and top receiver by a wide margin, and picked up a rushing touchdown for good measure. He’s due to pop a big play.
4. Isaac Gifford. Gifford is one of those guys who are so consistent that we don’t always appreciate how well they play. He regularly fills up the defensive stat sheet (7 tackles, a partial TFL, a pass break up, and the interception to end the game) and is always near the play. The emergence of several of his Blackshirt brothers has overshadowed what has been another strong start by Gifford. Plus, I really got a kick out of him handing his intercepted pass to Rhule like a game ball.
5. Offensive Line. This writer has a long-standing policy that when Nebraska rushes for 300 yards, the offensive line shows up on this list. On running plays, the line – especially guard Ethan Piper pulling like a runaway freight train – played one of its best games of Donovan Raiola’s tenure.

Honorable mention: Timmy Bleekrode, Brian Buschini, Thomas Fidone II, Omar Brown, DeShon Singleton, Quinton Newsome, the blocking of the tight ends and fullbacks, Javin Wright, Nash Hutmacher, Ru’Quan Buckley, Phalen Sanford, Matt Rhule for avenging Beau Davis and the 70-10 game, all of the Butch Hug memes.

5 areas for improvement

1. Wide Receivers. Aside from the previously mentioned Billy Kemp, the WRs didn’t have a memorable game. One catch for 14 yards. A tough drop on 3rd down. Two holding penalties that brought back long touchdown runs. I can forgive aggressive downfield blocking, but both of those shoulda-been touchdowns turned into punts. Through four games, the WRs have a total of 26 catches … and Kemp has half of them.
2. Passing Game. Haarberg completed a Tommie Frazier-esque 47% of his passes, with several well off the mark. The longest completion of the day (29 yards) required 6’6″ Thomas Fidone to make an impressive leaping, twisting catch. I understand the 2023 Huskers are not going to be an Air Raid team, but I think there is more out there than what we’re seeing.
3. Offensive line. Pass protection – especially against pressure – continues to be an issue for the line. Haarberg was sacked three times and hurried twice more. Maybe NU’s woes in the passing game don’t change if the quarterbacks have all day to throw, but I’d sure like to find out.
4. Tristan Alvano. It was a growing-pains day for the true freshman kicker. A badly missed field goal from 41 yards, a couple of PATs that veered close to the uprights, and a kickoff that went out of bounds. I’m hopeful Alvano can get it going in the right direction so fellow kicker Timmy Bleekrode can continue to work his way up the depth chart at running back.
5. LNK Dome. This mythical dome is purported to be a weather-repelling force field keeping severe weather and unwanted storms away from the City of Lincoln. But it failed Saturday afternoon. A late afternoon zephyr allowed a rogue storm to sneak past the dome’s defenses and create (to my knowledge) the fourth lightning delay in school history. A special shout-out to those of you who (like me) were in attendance for the other three: 1991 vs. Utah State, 2001 at Baylor, and 2018 vs. Akron.