Nebraska Football’s Identity Crisis on Full Display vs. Iowa

The Nebraska football team got trounced by Iowa on Black Friday, losing 40-16 in a completely embarrassing and unacceptable performance. The Huskers were only down by eight coming out of halftime, but they completely unraveled in the 2nd half in a scene that was all too familiar to any fan who has been paying attention for the last decade. The Big Red was doomed by poor play calling/game management, poor execution, and special teams mistakes. We cover it all in the topline takeaways.

CHEERS TO THAT

Emmett. Johnson. This game was so bad that I contemplated putting the CHEERS TO THAT section last, because there was almost nothing to like about what we saw on Friday. But that would not have been fair to Emmett.

Every time it seems like EJ couldn’t possibly do more to carry this team, he outdoes himself. On Friday, he was at it again, with arguably his best game of the season. He rushed for 217 yards on 29 carries, a whopping 7.5 yards per carry. Even if you take out his impressive 70 yard run in the first quarter, he still averaged 5.25 yards per carry. He also scored Nebraska’s only touchdown.

I’ve mentioned this before, but I would love to believe there is a world where #21 might consider coming back to Nebraska for his senior season. Now that the regular season is over, perhaps we’ll get clarity on that sooner rather than later. In reality, he’s likely a 1st team All Big Ten running back, and he should be an All American. He will absolutely be drafted if he decides to go that route. Can Nebraska convince him to come back? Perhaps the opportunity to improve his draft stock, chase the Doak Walker Award and Heisman Trophy, and yes, make a boatload of NIL money, could be enough to get him to stay. But, given the shelf life of running backs in the NFL, I wouldn’t be surprised to see him take the opportunity to play at the next level.

DIDN’T LIKE THAT

Everything Else. Literally everything else about this game stunk. It’s inexcusable to lose to your rival by 24 points. It’s maddening for Husker fans to watch, for seemingly the thousandth time, Nebraska lose at the line of scrimmage, repeatedly miss tackles, have back-breaking penalties at the worst possible moments, and generally be outcoached and outplayed again and again. The fans deserve better, and with the amount of resources and energy the entire fan base pours into the program, there is absolutely no excuse for the performance we saw on Friday. That it came at the end of year three of Matt Rhule’s coaching tenure is perhaps most concerning of all.

2nd and Four. Believe it or not, I think there are a small number of plays that, if managed differently, could have led to this being a drastically different game. Iowa was the better team, and the Blackshirts got pushed around, so it’s hard for me to think the Huskers ultimately would have won. But the coaching staff did them no favors in trying to keep the team in it. Consider this:

With four minutes and 17 seconds to go in the 1st half, Nebraska was down 17-13, but they were seven plays into a promising drive. On 1st and 10 at the Iowa 24 yard line, Emmett Johnson ran for six yards. Good start. On 2nd and four, Dana Holgorsen dialed up a pass to the end zone that fell incomplete. I hate this play call with the fire of a thousand suns. How many times has the fade/one-on-one/jump ball to the end zone actually worked this season? Almost never. What’s more, the incompletion stopped the clock. When the next play only went for one yard, the Huskers settled for a field goal, which they kicked to pull within 17-16 with two minutes and 53 seconds on the clock. Plenty of time, as it turned out, for Iowa to score a touchdown and take an eight point lead into halftime. Now bear with me. On 2nd and four, I am supremely confident that Emmett Johnson could have gotten four yards on the ground over next two plays, keeping the drive alive, giving them a chance at a touchdown, and most importantly, running more clock! Even if they still had to settle for a field goal, getting the first down would have ensured they could have run more time off the clock, making it harder for Iowa to score. This one play is so maddening for so many reasons, and it encapsulates so much of what is frustrating for Nebraska fans. Keeping the ball on the ground and in the hands of your best player is 1) Nebraska’s best chance at a touchdown, which they desperately needed, and 2) the best option from a game management perspective. The fade ball to the end zone is the antithesis of complementary football.

Fast forward to the third quarter. Down 24-16, the Blackshirts actually forced a punt to start the 2nd half. Unfortunately, Jacorey Barney got drilled and fumbled the ball into the end zone, which ultimately resulted in a safety (yes, the play should have been called targeting, and the non-call was a critical turning point in the game. But Nebraska didn’t play well enough to be able to complain about the officiating). Now it’s 26-16 Iowa, and the Hawkeyes get the ball after the safety. Believe it or not, the defense forced another punt! At this point, even though Iowa is up by 10, the Huskers got the ball back with 9:14 left in the third quarter. Plenty of game left; plenty of time to stay in the game. At this moment, what the team needed more than anything was an extended drive that resulted in points. What they most desperately needed to avoid was giving the ball right back to Iowa. And, after a 1st down run for six yards, it looked like they might just do that. Once again it was 2nd and four. What happened next? Two consecutive incompletions. 3-and-out. Drive over. The Hawkeyes would score a touchdown seven plays later and never look back.

Looking back at this series of events, it was especially maddening to learn after the game that quarterback TJ Lateef was playing on a pulled hamstring for most of the game. It’s not complicated: Lateef was playing hurt. Iowa was having a hard time stopping Emmett Johnson. Emmett Johnson is your best player. Give Emmett Johnson the ball 50 times if you have to.

Offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen is known as one of the best offensive minds in college football, but I am increasingly wondering if he’s the best fit for Nebraska or the Big Ten. That said, I don’t put this all on Holgorsen. The focus on complementary football needs to come from the head man. Nebraska seems to be lacking an identity in how they approach games; there seems to be no overarching strategy and, too often, fans have witnessed maddening decisions when it comes to game management and play calling.

The Cold November Rain. In 2023, Nebraska started 5-3, only to lose their last four and finish 5-7. In 2024, the Big Red started 5-1, only to follow that up by going 1-5 in their final six games to finish 6-6. This season, the Huskers once again started 5-1, to be followed up by a 2-4 finish in the back half of the season. Are Rhule’s teams getting worse as each season goes on? Is this a strength and conditioning issue? Is it just the fact that the competition seems to stiffen the further Nebraska gets into conference play? Matt Rhule’s 2-10 November record isn’t going to cut it.

BOTTOM LINE

I am recalling, from the deep recesses of my brain, a line from the West Wing: “There are times when we are absolutely nowhere.” I don’t remember which episode or who said it, but it keeps running through my head as I think about Nebraska football.

That might not be totally fair. Perhaps I’m an emotional fan who is stuffed too full of Thanksgiving eats and treats. And, Rhule’s team is one win better than last year, when they were one win better than the year before. I guess that is tangible progress.

But there is so much that needs to be reevaluated in the offseason. I probably could have listed 10 more things in the DIDN'T LIKE THAT section. What is Nebraska’s identity on offense? What good is it to have the nation’s #2 passing defense if you can’t stop the run (and if receivers are running wide open against the best teams and at the most critical moments)? Why do Rhule’s teams fall off a cliff in November? Everything needs to be on the table; no job should be safe. I like Matt Rhule, and I believe he is a good leader of young men. But it is not remotely clear whether he can figure out the football part of this thing to a high enough level to get Nebraska back to competing for championships.

As always, GBR for LIFE.

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