The Huskers did avoid another late 4th quarter collapse tonight by seeing to it they were down two touchdowns with over 13 and a half minutes to play in the final frame.
If switching things up by trailing entering it for the first time this season was an intentional strategy, it ended basically the same way. If there was an upside, perhaps it was losing 24-13 so as not to tack another one-score loss on the pile. And taking on a bunker mentality only had the effect of a larger spread when the gun sounded.
As in past games, they attempted to create a tight finish by leaving points on the board in the first half. John Hohl took over kicking duties for Kyle Cunanan but achieved the same results by missing from 45 and 54 yards. The kicks had plenty of leg and didn’t miss by much but the results were the same – instead of leading 10 or 13-7, the Huskers hit the locker room tied.
And that’s where the new wrinkle came in. The defense came out of the half and immediately surrendered a six and half minute 13-play 76-yard drive for a TD and never looked back until they had given up scores on four of five drives going from the 2nd quarter until things were basically over.
So goes another evening in Paradise. Go ahead and take a music break. It’s soothing.
It didn’t start out that bad, but it never really does, right?
The Huskers of course won all the statistical battles, because they win statistical battles whether the opponent is Indiana, Illinois or North Dakota. They outgained the Illini 426-376. Colandrea had his first interception-free night in five games after tossing 6 in the previous four. They held the time of possession advantage by almost four minutes. First downs? 25-19. Rushing? 158-96, which will probably annoy Bert tomorrow morning. Average yards per rush? 4.6 to 2.9 Nebraska, which will also upset Illinois’ head coach as he flips on his laptop in the AM.
But with the positive stats, there are always a couple which come back to bite the Huskers in the ass. One tonight was penalties. This more veteran Husker team was supposed to show more composure, but again and again flagged themselves out of scoring chances. They tallied 11 for 82 yards versus the 55 yards picked up by Illinois.
Yes, there was a shoulder to shoulder block on a Colandrea pursuer, who achieved the look of tunnel vision so crucial to drawing this ridiculous call which was basically put on the books to stop plankton-minded idiots on defense from seeking out a quarterback 40 yards away from the play after a turnover and attempting to KO him out of the game. It has instead been mostly enforced on football players making football plays.
But beyond that, there were repeated infractions which simply shouldn’t be happening, especially this late in the season with an older team. The other? Let’s just say the Huskers national #1 standing in 3rd down defense will probably take a hit after Illinois’ 8/15 success rate in that department.
But let’s talk about the offense for a bit.
On their second drive, they had advanced to the Illini 31 when Colandrea took off for a 21-yard gain to the 10. But bring it back to the 41 instead after Tree Babalade was called for holding. They still managed to move to the 28, but Hohl’s kick was off failing to draw inside the right upright.
When Barney bailed on a fair catch with defenders harassing him, the ball rolled to the 2. On a drive of pure beauty, they then took it 98 yards on 10 plays by air and land, with much of that land being straight up the Illinois gut. Mekhi Nelson finished it off on 15-yard sweep, his only touch of the night.
After punting, they got it back after an Illinois TD on their 25 with 1:36 and moved to the Illinois 36 with :11 ticks left in the half. Hohl’s 53-yard attempt again had plenty of leg but missed just left this time.
In the second half, they would have four possessions and gain solid yardage on three of the four with the second amassing 91 yards and 51-yard TD pass to Jacory Barney Jr. If we’re honest, though, it was an absolute YOLO rainbow into an even crowd of around four, from which Barney came down with it at about the Illinois 13 or 14 before trotting into the end zone.
Two of the other three? Turnovers on downs with odd calls, both incompletions. On a 4th and 1 in the 3rd quarter, they opted not run, instead putting Colandrea in the gun with an empty backfield and trying for Barney around 10 yards downfield. The second came in the 4th quarter with the Huskers still very much in contention with a 4th & 3 on the Illinois 34, they this time opted to try Kwazi Gilmer 21 yards downfield.
But on this night, instead of clinging to a tenuous lead, they found themselves chasing from behind. Why?
Despite the 2-TD 4th quarter in Eugene – correctly explained away by the fact they spent 12:45 of its 15 minutes on the field – and the 81-yard winning drive by Washington, Rob Aurich’s defense had been the bright spot in the three-game losing streak. “Exposed” may play out to be too harsh a description, but they certainly looked it in period spanning from 4:32 to go in the 2nd quarter until 7:51 remaining in the game.
During that time, they had five possessions going for 73, 8, 75, 74 and 76 yards respectively which resulted in TD, TOD, TD, TD and FG. It would be fair to toss the turnover on downs from the list as that was a 4-play 8-yard drive which took 11 seconds as the game proceeded to halftime.
On the first of those drives, the Blackshirts were gashed repeatedly through the air on play action. Whatever adjustments were attempted at halftime failed miserably as the final three drives of the stretch began with the opening of the 3rd quarter, and when everything was over they had rolled up 288 yards on the four successful possessions.
If the Huskers were looking to step out of their three-game rut, there had to be some pretty massive disappointment in sinking even deeper. After the 3-point loss to Indiana, there was definitely thoughts of what could’ve been, but talk of firings and the like weren’t in the discussion. After a game like this, there may be hard conversations behind the scenes. While there likely won’t be any mid-season bloodletting, there could be some boxes required checked to bring the band back in 2027. With “Don’t you dare lose to Rutgers,” in bold type before Ohio State and Iowa enter the chat.
Many disappointed fans tend to channel hurt and disappointment into online rages demanding scalps, and I can’t help but read these rants hearing the voices of the Jerky Boys. “Maybe I could fire all of you people.” “Fire me?” “FIRE EVERYONE!” (Sol Rosenberg voice – go ahead and search YouTube if not familiar.)
The reality includes a huge buyout. How much would it hinder the incoming coach? How would a Rhule departure affect the recruiting class and throw blood in the water for opponents to poach with impunity? On the flip side, how much more could be absorbed without actually driving fans away in numbers until it becomes more expensive to keep him? Troy has repeatedly been often appearing with Rhule as a show of support. Or if this season continues on its current trajectory, does he go the route of a combination of Wisconsin giving Luke Fickell one more season and his own decision to back Fred Hoiberg after his horrendous start in Lincoln?
We’re not there yet, but these may be some of the questions rattling around in Dannen’s head. And they may rattle harder if the Huskers are sitting on 5-5 after matching up with a pesky Rutgers squad in New Jersey next weekend.
