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Stukenholtz: How We Play the Blame Game
How should we assess blame?
This is a somewhat subjective topic, as there are many different interpretations of how and why a football game unfolds the way it does. One play early or one play late. A series of momentum-swinging events. Coaching decisions.
There are some familiar goats when it comes to football losses. Typically, the magnifying glass is focused on the end of the game, the highest leverage moments when the big mistake could prove to be the last chance. A late turnover or penalty, a missed kick, or a drop in the end zone.
Nebraska lost an eminently winnable game at Michigan State 20-17 this past Saturday. It’s a loss, so we play the blame game.
Is it just me, or is the majority of the blame for this one misplaced?
Stay with me for a minute. I’ve perused Husker Twitter, read some postgame writing, and listened to reactionary radio coverage. There will be much more of all of that throughout the week, too. Based upon what I’m seeing and hearing, the wrong side of the ball is getting all the grief.
Don’t blame the offense. Seriously.
The offense was bad, don’t misunderstand what I mean. Three turnovers, 33% on 3rd down, seven sacks allowed. But we expected them to be below average! We also expected the defense to do most of the heavy lifting in order to get the win. And they did play better than the offense. But that's not the bar we asked them to clear.
This is about performance relative to expectation.
For example, in NU’s victory over Purdue, the Huskers completed just 6 of 11 passes, turned it over four times, and gave up three sacks. But was anyone mad at the offense? Not really, because Nebraska won the game 31-14 thanks in large part to a blocked field goal return TD and the Blackshirts holding Purdue to under 100 yards rushing and passing.
The week before that, it was two interceptions, three fumbles but none lost, 33% on 3rd down, and again few sounded alarm bells about the offense. The Husker defense forced three field goals and sacked Northwestern eight times en route to a 17-9 victory.
Prior to the bye week, Nebraska won 20-7 at Illinois in spite of three 4th quarter turnovers. It’s all good if your defensive counterparts engineer a goal-line stand and force five 3-and-outs.
Head coach Matt Rhule has said it – this is a defensive football team. He has seen the injuries pile up on offense, just like he sees layers upon layers of skill and depth on defense. The Blackshirts have to do their job well in order for NU to win games. If the offense hits a few big plays and avoids too many mistakes, that’s gravy.
Against the Spartans, one side of the ball did exactly what they've done throughout the 3-game winning streak. The other side did not.
As great as they’ve been this season, the defense didn't play up to their standard against MSU. This loss is on them, NOT the offense. Zero takeaways forced, just three sacks, and too many big plays in the passing game allowed.
Have you ever potty-trained a toddler? It’s messy, frustrating, and time-consuming. If you expect them to pick it up within a couple days, you are setting them up for failure. Sure, the timing might be right once in a while, but as you help them figure it out, there are a lot of accidents. That’s like expecting this Nebraska offense to drive down the field and score twice late to tie it up or win. They got it done once, but then a turnover and the clock got ‘em. They aren’t quite ready for that yet. To have this offense playing from behind late is to set them up for failure.
There's gonna be a LOT of quarterback talk this week. And rightly so! But where has it been? This is who Heinrich Haarberg is. He's not an elite passer, not even average. He’s about 50%, misses some reads, misses some throws, and his ball security leaves something to be desired.
For those calling for Haarberg to be benched after (or during!) the Michigan State loss, I’m willing to bet most were not so quick to want Jeff Sims or Chubba Purdy in there in previous weeks. We’ve seen those guys in action before, too.
If Heinrich Haarberg didn’t deserve to be benched after the Northwestern game, he doesn’t deserve it now.
The offense has evolved out of necessity, and new guys have stepped up. But it’s still about survival for them as they deal with injuries. Drops. Fumbles. Penalties. Missed blocks. Errant throws This was all priced in. For better or worse, these are the pieces on offense. That includes Haarberg, whose good qualities keep him in the job. He’s tough, fast in the open field, and appears to be a good leader. I would certainly like to see him continue to grow into the role by increasing his completion percentage and cutting down on the turnovers. At the same time, he has limited resources. He’s not leading a unit as strong or as healthy as the Blackshirts.
Speaking of the defense, is it unfair to ask this much of them? Were we all wrong to be so confident that NU would defeat Michigan State? Is long-term consistency unattainable without more time and talent in place? These are fair questions.
I think it’s fine for Husker fans, media, or anyone to project a win this Saturday over Maryland. It’s also acceptable for folks to want to see improvement on the field as weeks go by. Just be honest about why you believe that will happen and – win or lose – be equally honest in your criticism.
