Kenny Larabee, KLIN
The Turning Point: Nebraska vs. Northern Illinois
The average number of plays in a college football game is 180. Each snap brings an opportunity, but each one is not held equal. One snap every game creates one play made by one or a slew of players, affecting the rest of the contest. This play is the turning point. The turning point makes or breaks a team's game and sometimes their season.
This week's turning point sparked Nebraska's 35-11 win against Northern Illinois and eliminated any possibility of a major letdown in Matt Rhule's first home game as Husker head coach.
Saturday night's turning point was not just one play. It was one drive. With 8:10 left in the third quarter, Nebraska got the ball and went 76 yards down the field on 14 plays for a touchdown, pushing the Huskers' lead to 21-3. The drive was a beautiful mix of bruising runs and pretty skill plays.
The best was a 20-yard pass from Heinrich Haarberg to tight end Thomas Fidone on 3rd and 15. Haarberg flushed out of the pocket, moving toward the Nebraska sideline, and looked dead to rights. With three defenders in front of him, he floated a ball to Fidone, who corralled the perfect pass and kept a toe in bounds.
Six plays later, Nebraska got a big third-down gain from Alex Bullock, who picked up a short pass and wheeled his way for a 33-yard pickup to the NIU 14. During the play, Ben Scott was flagged for a personal foul that put the Huskers at the Huskie 29. Haarberg almost gained that penalty back on the next snap with a 14-yard rush.
A few plays later, Gabe Ervin Jr. punched the ball in for a NU touchdown.
Given what the had been, Northern Illinois had been one big play away from flipping momentum. The Huskies had been one pick-six or a turnover that could have put them in prime position to make it a four-point game with a nervous Memorial Stadium.
This drive eliminated that possibility.
Despite two penalties of the sort that all too often have killed Husker drives, Haarberg and the offense persevered. This drive was a culmination of everything the Nebraska coaching staff wanted to see. It was long, it was gritty, it was pretty, and it ended in seven points.
From that point on, Nebraska never looked back. NU scored touchdowns on its next two drives, one of which came off a Blackshirts takeaway. The defense kept its excellent performance rolling, and Husker fans never went quiet.
This drive was the turning point that caused a fun-filled night in Lincoln.
