Dylan Widger-USA TODAY Sports
Boilermakers Baffle Blackshirts as Martinez’s Multiple Miscues Muck Up a Must-Win Match
On a lovely late October Saturday afternoon in Lincoln, the Purdue Boilermakers staged a second half comeback and defeated the Nebraska Cornhuskers 28-23, all but ending the post-season bowl hopes for the home team. Purdue, a perennial bottom-feeder in the Big Ten has now beaten Nebraska three of the last four meetings. The Huskers led at halftime 17-14 and came within a whisker of going into the intermission up by ten points but came out in the third quarter and appeared to continue their bye week break. After racking up 237 first-half yards while averaging 7.4 yards per play, the Huskers gained just 26 yards in the first 24:15 of the second half averaging a paltry 1.6 yards per attempt. The ineptitude included possessions leading to 4 punts with three 3 and outs and two interceptions. Then the Huskers gained 22 yards before another interception. How do you have such a contrast in two halves? They did the same thing last game against Minnesota but stunk it up the first half instead.
Adrian Martinez (14 for 29 for 269 yards) was awful. Of the yards passing, 104 yards came on the final drive when the game was all but decided (a 10-yard holding penalty added to the 94-yard drive). Martinez may end up breaking about all the Husker quarterback career records but may well be remembered for his record of futility. The four-year starter made bad decisions followed by worse decisions and the cruel joke is that perhaps Purdue should have awarded him the game ball. After offering up a 45-yard pick six to Jalen Graham (who later picked Martinez again), he attempted a very ill-advised underhand toss to Travis Vokolek that was also stolen. At least he was under center for an early 3rd and 1 conversion but then later fumbled the snap while under center (because apparently, they don’t practice that very often).
Head Coach Scott Frost has hitched his wagon and his coaching career to Martinez ever since he flew to the west coast from Central Florida to sign him when he was first named the Husker head. Martinez has been a turnover machine his whole career but today he set a personal record with four picks in one game. Most coaches would sit the quarterback for at least a series to let him watch the action and give backup Logan Smothers a chance to hand off or run the option. But Frost is undeniably stubborn and won’t bench his starter the way he was benched 25 years ago in 1996 in the debacle in the desert when Matt Turman relieved him. In that game, two Frost fumbles resulted in safeties and a sack resulted in a third safety. Sound familiar? Ironically, that Tom Osborne move worked, and Frost was a better quarterback as a result. Now, unless the team miraculously goes 3-0 between now and the day after Thanksgiving, Trev Alberts will have to write the big buyout check and send the Husker hero off into the sunset.
It’s sad as there was so much hope and enthusiasm when Frost returned home to resurrect the flailing Nebraska program and tradition. But in year number four his record stands at 15-26 and his teams are 5-18 in one score games, which seems to be a statistical improbability. Can you name a coach whose hire created such a national buzz that has flamed out this miserably?
In this game the Husker offense went 3 for 3 on third down in their 82-yard opening scoring drive and went 1 for 7 on third down the rest of the game. The offense had the ball for just 3:21 in the final period and just 9:51 the entire second half. The offensive mediocrity took its toll on the Blackshirts as it allowed Purdue to dink and dunk their way to an 8 play 48-yard scoring play at the end of the 3rd quarter and a 14 play 75-yard scoring drive to begin the fourth. Purdue plugged along and did what they do best, and the Martinez miscues facilitated the end result – another one score loss to an average opponent. What a difference a month makes. October began with a 56-7 shellacking of Northwestern and a narrow 3-point loss to Michigan and many of the Husker faithful thought Nebraska had turned the corner. But the last two disappointments against beatable foes Minnesota and Purdue leave most Husker fans with the belief that we have circled the block and returned to the same old reality. It’s not getting better.
Offensive highlights included Jaquez Yant (6 carries for 60 yards) rumbling 33 yards on one carry and nearly scoring on another 18-yard scamper to the 1-yard line. Rahmir Johnson (13 carries for 52 yards) ran hard in the middle and caught a swing pass for a 12-yard touchdown at the end of the game. The one-two punch of these two guys has merit if the Huskers could figure out how to stick with it and not get behind the sticks or the score. Omar Manning tied his career high with four catches and had a career-high 75 receiving yards, eclipsing his previous high of 54 yards against Fordham. He opened the scoring with a 16-yard touchdown catch in the first quarter. Levi Falck had a 43-yard reception in the second quarter, bettering his previous career long catch of 40 yards at Missouri State in 2018, while Falck was playing at South Dakota. Samori Toure (2 catches for 47 yards) had a 31-yard grab and just missed making a great snag to end the first half. It looked like he needed to continue more vertical downfield instead of sliding somewhat laterally. Austin Allen (3 catches for 28 yards) coughed up a potential 14-yard grab at the Purdue 37-yard line that led to the final interception. Zavier Betts also made a nice 30-yard catch on a 3rd and 11 play on the opening drive.
Incredibly, the Boilermakers scored only 7 points off the four interceptions, none while the defense was on the field. But it killed any offensive momentum or rhythm and left the Blackshirts to face 28 more plays than did the Purdue defense. Purdue came into the game ranked 129th in rushing offense at 74.3 yards per game but the return of running back Zander Horvath allowed them to post just their second 100-yard rushing game of the year (116). Purdue completed 34 of 45 passes against the defense but with a long of just 21 yards. Defensive coordinator Erik Chinander seemed content to allow Purdue the underneath ball and they just kept taking it. Future first round NFL draftee David Bell pestered the defense with 9 catches for 74 yards but was held in check on deeper balls. Nebraska held Purdue scoreless in the first quarter and has allowed just seven points in the first quarter of five home games this season.
Linebacker Luke Reimer recorded his fourth double-figure tackle game of the season with a career-high 19 stops. He also had double-digit tackle games against Buffalo, Michigan State and Michigan, including a then-career-high 16 vs. Buffalo. His 19 tackles were the most by a Husker in a Big Ten Conference game and ranked in a tie for seventh overall in Nebraska history and were the most since Lavonte David had 19 tackles against South Dakota State on Sept. 25, 2010. Nickel back JoJo Domann made 13 tackles in the game, including 10 before halftime. Domann’s 13 tackles were a career high, bettering 12 on two previous occasions. Today’s game marked his third double-figure tackle game of the season, and he increased his career tackle total to 200, becoming just the 39th Husker to reach 200 career tackles. Linebacker Nick Henrich had 14 tackles in the game, increasing his career tackle total to 106 career stops. Cam Taylor-Britt (5 tackles) had two pass breakups and largely had the responsibility for guarding David Bell. Ben Stille (5 tackles) had one sack and Reimer and Garret Nelson (5 tackles) shared another.
In a year in which special team play has been an Achilles heel, today this squad was probably the best on the team. Sophomore place-kicker Chase Contreraz saw his first action as a Husker. The transfer from Iowa Western Community College connected on a 33-yard field goal in the second quarter and was 2-for-2 on extra-point attempts. Previous starter Connor Culp’s on-side kick attempt was very well placed but the ball barely skipped over the outstretched hands of Cam Taylor-Britt. Kickoff specialist Brendan Franke kicked touchbacks on all four of his kickoffs. Punter William Przystup averaged 41.5 yards on his four second half punts including a 62-yarder at the beginning of the third quarter. Oliver Martin had an 11-yard punt return which may be close to the longest year to date. No glaring errors on special teams that hurt the effort.
Next Saturday #5 ranked Ohio State comes to Lincoln after shaking off a gritty Penn State squad 33-24. The Huskers have six one-score defeats this season and the Buckeye brawl could get ugly if the Huskers play anywhere close to the way they have the last two games. So far this year it seems the Huskers play up to better competition and play down to inferior opponents. It may be Halloween this weekend, but next week could be the final nail in the coffin of Scott Frost’s tenure.
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Go Big Red!!
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