Well, things in Husker Nation just got kind of interesting.
I know many Husker fans were concerned how the absence of Nebraska’s team captain and starting quarterback was going to affect the prospects for the season. Some, noting that backup TJ Lateef only threw for seven yards last week, started to write off the season. I wasn’t that pessimistic for two reasons:
- In recent weeks, Raiola’s passing game had become increasingly horizontal. Last week, I noted that Nebraska simply couldn’t throw the ball downfield against Southern Cal.
- Lateef brought a slightly different skillset to the game. In relief earlier this season against admittedly overwhelmed opponents, he showed the ability to make some throws that Raiola couldn’t.
So while it would have been a stretch to call for a quarterback change, especially with a five-star team captain, prior to the injury, having
to try something different because of necessity was intriguing.
And on Saturday night in Pasadena, it was impressive. A spark. And you could tell it right away, starting with a 14 yard keeper, quieting the skeptics who noted that Lateef wasn’t really a runner in high school. Three plays later, Lateef rolled right and hit Nyziah Hunter 11 yards downfield. YES! A downfield pass! And after four more Let-Emmett-Eat runs, Lateef hit Jacory Barney at the goalline in a contested situation that I suspect Dylan Raiola would shy away from.
OK, it’s one drive, and Nebraska has been pretty good with the starting script all season; it’s the second and third quarters where things hit quicksand. Well, Lateef put Nebraska in the end zone on NU’s next three drives; Archie Wilson didn’t have to punt until there were less than five minutes left in the third quarter. Going 40 minutes without needing to punt? That’s productivity.
The defense was hit-and-a-lot-of-miss in this game. Quite a few third down busts kept the Blackshirts on the field as UCLA slowly worked their way downfield. Nico Iamaleava showed why Tennessee got a spot in last year’s playoff; he’s a helluva athlete and, to be honest, UCLA’s offense. But giving up drives of 17, 13 and 12 play drives (the last being for 96 yards) is not defensive success. The game could have gone sideways at the end of the first half when Nebraska called timeout after Williams Nwaneri sacked Iamaleava with 1:15 left. I get why the timeout was called; force a punt and let Lateef have a shot to add more points. But Iamaleava made NU pay for that choice, converting the 3rd and 11 and then driving into field goal range. Fortunately, Mateen Bhaghani’s 49 yard field goal attempt hooked wide left just before halftime.
Another coaching curiosity was challenging Iamaleava’s third down pass on UCLA’s final drive. I know at first glance it looked like Iamaleava was at the line of scrimmage when he threw, but a check on replay showed he was a yard behind. And more importantly, the rule is that the player has to be completely past the line for it to be a penalty. Rhule and his team need to get better at these situational management situations.
With that, it’s on with the report card. As always, your feedback is welcome in the comments.
QB: TJ Lateef didn’t look like a freshman, and he did it against a pretty good pass defense as well. When you don’t throw an incompletion until the fourth quarter, you’re doing something good. Good vision, accurate arm and mobility. No sacks taken, no turnovers. You really could not ask for anything more. Does Nebraska have a quarterback controversy? Not yet; remember, it’s just ONE game. Now, if we get three more similar performances, we can entertain that discussion in January. Grade: A
I-Back: Let’s give the man some credit; I doubt that Lateef has that kind of game without the help of Emmett Johnson. Especially since his three catches amounted to 103 off Lateef’s 205 yards passing. But 28 carries for 129 yards just kept the ball moving down the field. The double-100 yard, 232 yards of offense performance should rate him B1G offensive player of the week honors, perhaps in a combo with Lateef as freshman of the week. You cannot ask for anything more. Grade: A+
Wide Receivers: OK, let’s table the discussion about Nebraska’s receivers not getting open…because they were in the Rose Bowl. Interesting to note that the tight ends were NOT involved in the passing game; perhaps because Lateef was more than willing to hit his primary receivers downfield. (Contrarian opinion: they may have stayed in more to pass protect the freshman.) Grade: A-
Offensive Line: On Johnson’s 56 yard screen pass, did anybody else notice the big road graders clearing the way downfield? Nice. No sacks given up, and while they may not have pushed the UCLA line too far downfield, they opened up enough of a hole for Johnson to get yardage. Grade: B
Defensive Line: Keona Davis had a huge game with seven tackles, with a sack and a pass breakup. I think the line was fine in this one, considering the ability of Iamaleava to make plays on his own. Grade: B+
Linebackers: Javin Wright had another big game with 9 tackles, and Vincent Shavers made a huge play at the start of UCLA’s long, final drive to move them back to their own two yard line. But from there, it was a mixed bag. The UCLA running backs were mostly held in check, but then Iamaleava would just make a play. Grade: B
Secondary: Sometimes the coverage was good. Sometimes it wasn’t. And quite a bit of the evening, nobody had an idea what to do with Nico Iamaleava. UCLA faced a third down 14 times, and came away with first downs ten times. (Two on fourth down.) Grade: C-
Special Teams: Archie Wilson did his job, pinning his two punts inside the UCLA ten-yard line. UCLA did get one kickoff return go a bit far. Not a significant part of this game, but a solid B performance.
Overall: B+ Solid win all around. Offense looked pretty good, defense not so much. But this game should give you hope that Nebraska can finish this season strong.
Elsewhere in College Football
Fox ZERO Somebody just needs to blow Fox Sports college football coverage up. Keep Joel Klatt; he’s fine. Pair him with Jason Benetti, and flush everyone else. Put Tim Brando back in the studio, and hire an entirely new slate of announcers. How the heck do you have the audacity to run ads that say “Best Announcers” when Fox delivers THIS call for one of the plays of the year?
Yeah, that includes Devin Gardner from last night’s Fox misproduction of the NU/UCLA game.
I’m dreading the Penn State game in two weeks, because unless CBS gets a choice before Fox, it looks like Big 11 am Kickoff is going to be the Huskers and the Nittany Lions.
