Dave Feit: Any Win Is a Good Win

Forget style points. What mattered Friday night at Rutgers is that Nebraska won a close game.

Dave Feit | Oct 9, 2022

Rich Schultz photo/Getty Images via Wibbitz

In this story:

Nebraska won a close game.

Do you remember back when that wasn't a shocking, headline-worthy statement? I'll understand if you don't, because it has been a while.

This was Nebraska's first win in a one-score game in their last 10 tries. (Ironically, the last time NU won a one-score game was a Friday night in 2020 when they traveled to Piscataway, New Jersey). It was the first Husker win by 3 points or less since Illinois in 2019. And finally, it was the first 1-point win since Indiana in 2017.

Nebraska won a close game.

It's hard to overstate just how important it is for this team - and especially the players who will return in 2023 - to experience winning a close game. Clearly, that was a skill they (and/or their leadership*) lacked in 2021.

*Let's be blunt: there is no way in hell Scott Frost wins this game. Trev Alberts knew it, which is one of the reasons he fired Frost before the buyout dropped on Oct. 1. That was a career-defining decision and Alberts nailed it.

I don't care how bad Rutgers is this year, or how bad they've been since joining the Big Ten. Before you look down your nose at the Scarlet Knights, consider this: Between the start of the 2020 season and kickoff on Friday, Rutgers was a combined 5-15 in conference play. Nebraska was 5-14 in that same stretch.

Nebraska is currently a program where ANY win is a good win. One point or blowout, ugly or masterpiece, it does not matter. These Huskers should be judged only on if they win or not.

Maybe in a year or two this program will return to a level where we can criticize wins that lack aesthetic beauty. But not today. Not after all of the "close" losses from a year ago, and definitely not for the remainder of the 2022 season.

Nebraska won a close game. That is good enough for me.

Things I believe

That was another Blackshirt-worthy performance. The strangest thing happened Friday night. NU punted the ball back to Rutgers with 1:03 left in the fourth quarter. The Scarlet Knights needed about 50 yards to get into range for a game winning field goal, against a defense that gave up 1,222 yards in back-to-back games last month.

The strange thing? I was confident the defense would win the game.

Yes, part of that was Rutgers's struggles to throw the ball with any of the 37 quarterbacks they played. But it appears that interim defensive coordinator Bill Busch has figured out that pressuring the quarterback is a great way to help his young secondary.

Against Georgia Southern and Oklahoma, NU sat back and tried to be a "bend but don't break" defense. It didn't work.

Now, the hopefully-soon-Blackshirts are playing aggressively. They are trying to attack the ball, instead of trying to tackle it as it goes by. The result? Against Georgia Southern, NU allowed 45 points and 642 yards. Against Indiana AND Rutgers, NU allowed 34 points and 638 yards.

Give credit to Busch for the change. And give a ton of credit to the players for buying in. They could have quit on the season and half-assed their way to a 1-11 record. Instead, they're playing with passion and pride.

It's fun to not be the team that melts down. Stop me if any of this sounds familiar.

The team that lost on Friday:

Struggled on offense
Settled for field goals
Lost the turnover battle
Had horrible clock management
Wasted a timeout
Was killed by penalties in critical moments
Still had a chance to win, but threw an interception on their final drive

Look: I'm not naïve enough to think that Nebraska's myriad of issues and propensity to make mental mistakes are fixed. Something I listed above WILL happen again this season.

But it sure felt great to - for the first time in forever - be on the right side of the agony.

Nebraska needs to have a "hot call" to run after close plays. Twice in the second half, Marcus Washington appeared to make a diving catch. Both times, the officials ruled it a catch and spotted the ball for the next play. Both times, the replay official stopped the game for a review, which ultimately reversed the play.

But what if, after the ball was spotted, NU lined up quickly and got off another play? A coach recognizes that it will likely be reviewed, and shouts a simple code word (I'd suggest "Warren"). The offense sprints to the line and runs a quarterback sneak, or basic trap play. Once the ball is snapped, no replay could occur, and the result of the questionable play would stand.

Arguably, the officials wouldn't let that happen, or the opposing coach would burn a timeout to try to trigger the review. I acknowledge this. But I'd love to see NU try to exploit a loophole in the system instead of losing a 20-yard completion because the ref has a very strict definition of what is a catch.

What's the worst that could happen?

Things I don’t know

What is going on with the short-yardage play calls? You know the two plays we're going to talk about:

Early second quarter, NU has 3rd & 1 at their 31. The Huskers do a jet sweep-ish toss to Trey Palmer that has zero chance for success. Palmer was lucky to get back to the line of scrimmage. NU punts. Rutgers drives down and scores a field goal.

Late third quarter, NU has 4th & 1 from the Rutgers 27. I have no issue going for the first down instead of trying a 44-yard field goal. But on this play, NU emptied the backfield and threw over the middle to Marcus Washington. Personally, I thought the Rutgers defender got there early, but on Friday the refs were only interested in calling offensive pass interference. First down Scarlet Knights.

These play calls tell me that when push comes to shove, Mark Whipple does not trust his offensive line to push or shove. Maybe he's right: Rutgers came into the game with a very stout run defense, and held the Huskers to just 72 yards on the ground.

Maybe Anthony Grant would dance around too much and get tackled. Maybe Jacquez Yant would get stuffed on a dive play. But shouldn't you at least sell the possibility of conventional short-yardage run?

Who knows? Maybe Yant is such an amazing deep threat that it made sense to take him out of the backfield and split him out wide.

Should you start making reservations for Indianapolis in early December? As I type this, Nebraska is currently in three-way tie for first place in the Big Ten West. After the game, Mickey Joseph referred to it as "fake first place". Regardless, a pivotal game at Purdue (also 2-1 in the division) looms next week.

The Huskers are currently in "control your own destiny" mode in a division that is as open/mediocre/bad as it has ever been. It seems likely that the West champ will have two or three conference losses. So, if you want to be optimistic and start scouting hotels, go for it. Just be sure to read and understand their cancellation policy.

One other thing: just imagine where Nebraska could be if Scott Frost didn’t call an onside kick against Northwestern. That loss could end up being what keeps Nebraska from a division championship.

Is anybody healthy? Isaiah Garcia-Castaneda did not travel with the team. Omar Manning limped off the field in the first quarter and did not return. Luke Reimer appeared to be injured. Travis Vokolek had a nasty ankle sprain. Casey Thompson took another beating. Heck, even punter Brian Buschini was limping after his first-quarter punt was blocked.

And I feel like I'm missing a few more.

That was a very physical game (how would you like to be the guy that Anthony Grant ran through?). Hopefully, these guys can get healed up before a very important game at Purdue.

5 things I loved

Casey Thompson. It wasn't a great statistical night (241 total yards, 2 TDs and 2 interceptions), but Thompson is such a warrior. He takes an absolute beating every single game, gets back up, and makes the plays to give Nebraska a chance to win.
Garrett Nelson. After a slow September, it's great to see Nelson break out. Eleven total tackles, one and a half sacks, and some emotional leadership for a defense that could easily have collapsed after a rough start.
Travis Vokolek. His back-to-back catches in the third quarter were key to getting Thompson and the offense into a rhythm. The big tight end had a big game - and first Husker touchdown - against his former team.
Marcus Washington. Rutgers did a good job of (mostly) keeping Trey Palmer contained, which opened up opportunities for Washington. Thompson targeted his former Texas teammate a team-high nine times. While he had only four catches, Washington had two plays ruled catches on the field but overturned by the replay booth.
Malcolm Hartzog. Noah Vedral, who graduated from high school when Hartzog was in seventh grade, picked on the true freshman in the first quarter. Hartzog spent some time on the bench, came back in, and was picked on again. But Hartzog got the last laugh as his interception sealed the victory. His perseverance will serve him well.

Honorable mention: Blaise Gunnerson's tackle on the blocked punt, Brandon Moore, Myles Farmer, Trey Palmer, Anthony Grant's shoulder, kickoff return specialist Chris Kolarevic, Brian Buschini.

5 areas for improvement

Punt protection. The blocked punt was almost the reason NU lost this game.
Penalties. Yes, there were some questionable calls (i.e., the offensive pass interference on Palmer), but the false starts, offsides, and others are totally within NU's control. NU's offense is not good enough to overcome penalties.
Offensive line. Again, I think there is reason NU made those questionable play calls on 3rd & 1 and 4th & 1. There's also a reason that Thompson had to be helped off the field for the second straight game.
Slow start. For the first time all season, Nebraska did not score on its first or second possession. The Huskers did not score until their eighth possession at the start of the second half. The defense and special teams also got off to slow starts. NU appeared to be in a fog for most of the first half.
The Birthplace of College Football. Going to a college football game at Rutgers seems like a surreal experience. The thousands of empty seats (during a "sellout"). The random train horns. Their bizarre Oasis "Wonderwall" club mix. The stadium lighting appears to be 60-watt compact fluorescents. And new for 2022: playing Timmy Trumpet 39 times in the first half. As the old joke goes: College football may have been born at Rutgers, but it left home and never came back.

More coverage and commentary: HuskerMax game page