It took ten years, but I think Nebraska has finally figured out how to win football games.
I’m not sure I can definitely say when Nebraska started to break, but it was either BYU’s Hail Mary in Mike Riley’s
first game, or the inexplicable 2015 14-13 loss to Illinois after Mike Riley called a pass play instead of running out the clock with 90 seconds left. It wasn’t an immediate thing; Nebraska still found a way to upset a playoff-bound Michigan State team a few weeks later, but the “find a way to lose” mindset was creeping into the program.
But by the time Mike Riley walked off the field the final time after letting Iowa score 42 in the second half to break open a game that was tied at halftime, Riley had broken the program. Scott Frost never figured it out; while the embarrassing blowouts faded, the reputation of “almost always almost (but not quite) winning” became cemented.
It continued under Matt Rhule’s first couple of seasons. You could tell he was flummoxed as well by how Nebraska found ways to not win at first. But in year three, things have flipped. And now two weeks in a row, Nebraska found ways to win at the end. Winners win, and we can now say Nebraska looks like a winning program for the first time in over a decade.
That’s a good thing. But it’s not a finished product, because while good teams know how to win games, great teams don’t make the mistakes that force you to find a way to win at the end. It’s good to celebrate this win, but let’s not forget Nebraska was their own worst enemy in this game.
With that’s, it’s onto the report card, and as always, your feedback is welcome in the comments.
QB: It was a Jekyll/Hyde performance from Dylan Raiola. He’s still too conservative at times, but in this game, he added three turnovers. The last one, the Pick-Six, looked the worst but that one might be on freshman receiver Cortez Mills. Only the coaches will know for sure on that one. The second one, right before halftime, was the worst. In that situation, Raiola did the worst thing he could do, and that’s just heave a catchable ball. Throw it well out of bounds. Take a sack if you must. But never, ever throw a pass that only the secondary can catch. At the end of the third quarter, it looked like I was going to have to explain a D or F grade to the Raiola apologists out there. But then Fourth Quarter Raiola took over, making play after play after play. Best throw might have been escaping the Turf Monster, yet somehow throwing a perfect spiral to Nyziah Hunter for a 33 yard gain.
Fourth quarter Raiola clearly earned an A. Problem is that there was second and third quarter Raiola with the three turnovers. So this one nets out at a C+.
I-Back: Emmett BLEEPIN’ Johnson. He literally carried this offense most of the game. If he likely wasn’t out of gas after his video-game 50 yard fourth quarter run, he probably should have gotten the ball before Nebraska settled for a field goal. (Take the points!) After the game, I thought that Johnson was a sure-fired candidate for Big Ten offensive player of the week, but King Miller’s 159 yard night for Southern Cal might sway some decision-makers in Chicago. Perhaps they’ll go with “Co-Offensive Players of the Week” because both performances warrant recognition. Grade: A+
Wide Receivers: There were a bunch of great catches out there: Luke Lindenmeyer, Nyziah Hunter, Heinrich Haarberg and, of course, Dane Key. I suspect the pick-six was a misread by Cortez Mills, though. Grade: A-
Offensive Line: Elijah Pritchett wasn’t 100% before the game, and it certainly showed right before halftime on the Raiola sack. Other than that, I thought the line did a decent job of blocking. Grade: B
Defensive Line: Some leaky rushing yards, and only one sack (by Kade Pietrzak). Keona Davis led with four tackles. Grade: B-
Linebackers: Javin Wright had another big game, leading with 12 tackles. Marques Watson-Trent was second with six. Grade: B
Secondary: Not a bad game, but it was the secondary’s least effective game of the season. (I hesitate to use the word “worst” in this case.) Nebraska still leads the nation in pass defense, even with Maryland throwing for 249 yards. DeShon Singleton again led with five tackles and Nebraska’s only pass breakup. Grade: B-
Special Teams: Nebraska returned four kickoffs, and only one failed to make it to the 25 yard line. Kenneth Williams nearly housed one, earning him a scholarship. Archie Wilson only punted once, and it wasn’t very good. Grade: B+
Overall: B Eliminate the three turnovers, and Nebraska wins comfortably. The mental attitude is finally where it needs to be in Lincoln, Nebraska, but the execution can use some more work.
Elsewhere in College Football
James Franklin – 0 No coach has had a worse 15 days without criminal charges being filed. People could understand the Oregon loss. But following that up with losses to what were the two worst teams in the Big Ten in inexplicable. Nobody really had to tell him; he knew it was over before he ever left the field for the final time in Unhappy Valley.
Luke Fickell – 0 You have to figure at this point that Wisconsin’s leadership has decided that there’s little point in pushing the eject button now versus Thanksgiving weekend. You have to figure at this point that Jim Leonhard will be getting a huge apology followed by a huge contract to return home.
Curt Cignetti – A+ The guy is about as cocky as it gets, but Google him. He wins. And will almost certainly get zillion dollar offers from Penn State and Florida in the coming weeks.
