Nebraska Football: Honestly, It's Not for Everyone

Dave Feit isn't panicking over the bad first half against Purdue, as the Huskers need to win games like this to get where we all want them to go.

Sep 28, 2024; West Lafayette, Indiana, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers running back Dante Dowdell (23) jumps over Purdue Boilermakers linebacker Kydran Jenkins (4) for a touchdown during the second half at Ross-Ade Stadium. Images / Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images

At halftime of the Purdue game, the sky was falling almost everywhere you looked. 

Coming on the heels of a brutal overtime loss, the scoreless and sloppy first half caused many fans to spiral into doom and gloom.   

I shared a single post ("I refuse to panic") on my favorite forum, and received the following responses: 

• "You're the only one"
• "This is Frost 2.0"
• And my favorite, a GIF of the band playing on the deck of the Titanic 

I get it.   

We all want Nebraska to be a 9 or 10 (or more) win program.  The problem is, Nebraska has been a 5 or 4 (or worse) win program since almost everybody associated with the current team arrived in Lincoln.  Nebraska cannot become a nine-win team without winning games four through eight. 

As I wrote before the season, I don't want to skip steps.  I'm willing to embrace the journey, even if it's not the instant gratification, microwave results we'd all prefer.  Some days - like against Colorado - are a blast.  Others, like Illinois and the first half of Purdue, are a grind. 

After the game, Matt Rhule said it best:  "It might not be for everybody, but we are just a growing team." 

Sep 28, 2024; West Lafayette, Indiana, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers linebacker John Bullock (5) runs the ball for a touchdown after an interception against the Purdue Boilermakers during the second half at Ross-Ade Stadium. / Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images

Yes, the first half was an unquantified disaster.  Penalties, mistakes, atrocious special teams, and an overall inability to do anything right.  Then, growth as Nebraska chose to get out of their own way and win a conference game on the road. 

More Rhule:  "People can spend all their time trying to think what we're not.  I choose to see what we are." 

I agree.   

And what I see is a team that is noticeably better than they were a year ago, and unquestionably better than any other team this decade.  Are they going to beat Bama?  Probably not.  But I'll take my chances against Rutgers, Indiana, and the rest of a suddenly stiff schedule. 

It wasn't that long ago that we spent a season saying "if X and Y happened, NU would have won".  In 2024, it's "if X and Y happened, NU scores 40 points and wins going away".  That’s progress, even if Nebraska cannot make a field goal. 

As the old tourism slogan said:  "Nebraska. Honestly, it's not for everyone". 

Things I believe 

It was the worst of halves; it was the best of halves.  With apologies to Charlie Dickens - a guy who clearly never went to West Lafayette - Nebraska's game was truly a tale of two halves. 

The first half was a Big Ten West tribute.  Punts and penalties - but no points - at 11 am, watched solely by those who sought it out.  It was a half only sickos could love. 

In the first half, Nebraska played two opponents at the same time: Purdue and themselves.  As you might suspect, it went poorly.  Drives that stalled out, stupid mistakes, a stunning inability to run against one of the worst rush defenses in the country, and special teams failures galore.   

In the second half, the Huskers focused solely on the Boilermakers.  The defense turned up the intensity.  The offense got out of their own way and took advantage of Purdue's penalties.  The special teams weren't asked to do too much.  As a result, Nebraska won comfortably. 

This is Nebraska's last "easy" game for a while.  Remember back in the summer when we thought "with this easy schedule, if Nebraska gets by Colorado, they could start 7-0"?  Oh, how naïve we were.  We always forget that Nebraska's opponents put just as much time and effort into improving as the Huskers do. 

We already learned that Illinois is an improved team.  Next week's opponent, Rutgers, is undefeated.  Indiana could likely be undefeated when Nebraska visits in three weeks.  After that is a big test at Ohio State.  Looking ahead, the UCLA game in early November might the only other "gimme" on the schedule - and who knows what the Bruins (or Huskers) will look like in a month's time. 

While harder games that are competitive deep into the fourth quarter aren't great for my blood pressure, they are good for a team that is still learning to win. 

Matt Rhule was right to fight for Nebraska.  In the fourth quarter, Jahmal Banks was flagged for holding on a pass to Emmett Johnson.  As the flag came out, you could see Matt Rhule on the sideline take off his headset and throw it to the ground.  The referee saw it too, and flagged Rhule for unsportsmanlike conduct. 

In the moment, I thought Rhule's headset spike was more about being frustrated with his player for being penalized, than an attempt to "show up" the ref.  Regardless of his intentions, I'm okay with Rhule getting penalized. 

Sep 28, 2024; West Lafayette, Indiana, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers running back Emmett Johnson (21) is tackled by Purdue Boilermakers linebacker Yanni Karlaftis (14) during the second half at Ross-Ade Stadium. / Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images

This wasn't Bo Pelini losing his mind for the 753rd time, or swinging his hat at an official.  This was a coach who was frustrated by some bad calls - including an obvious miss that cost his team a touchdown. 

In the big picture, the headset toss isn't going to help Nebraska get the benefit of the doubt with officials.  Bo's antics never seemed to result in better treatment from the refs.   

But that penalty does give credence to what Rhule said after the game:  "I’m here to fight for Nebraska".  Knowing that your coach has your back means a lot to the guys in the locker room.  That’s worth 15 yards. 

Things I don't know 

Can the field goal unit be salvaged?  Through five games, the Huskers have made four field goals.  Only one make - a 31-yarder by Tristan Alvano against UNI - was longer than 21 yards.  The Huskers are currently 0-5 on field goal attempts 32 yards or longer, with two blocked. 

Alvano missed his second game with injury, and the timetable for his return is unknown.  According to Rhule, John Hohl can make kicks from 55 yards.  But if the snap and/or hold are bad, he has the same odds as the fans who try to kick a 30-yarder for $5,000 during home games (the fans are 0-4 on the season). 

Field goals require execution from the long snapper, holder, and kicker.  If any of the three are off, it's hard to be successful.  If they all struggle… well, maybe we should see what Raiola can do on 4th down. 

A random prediction:  Don't be shocked if Nebraska lines for a field goal attempt against Rutgers and runs a fake.  Can it really go worse than what we've seen so far? 

Should Nebraska have run the ball more?  Did you know that Nebraska only ran the ball twice in the second quarter?  Dylan Raiola dropped back to pass 13 times, completing seven, and getting sacked once. 

In a scoreless first half, Nebraska's running backs (Dante Dowdell, Rahmir Johnson, and Emmett Johnson) combined for just ten carries. 

But here's the thing:  the backs only gained 19 yards on those 10 carries.  Those two carries in the second quarter?  They gained a total of two yards. 

Maybe, if the Huskers had committed to running the ball more - especially in the first half - things would have gone better.  But for whatever reason (Purdue loading the box, the absence of Micah Mazzccua - Nebraska's best run blocker, the always confusing running back rotation) the Huskers could not get anything going on the ground until the second half. 

As a child of the Osborne era, I love watching Nebraska run all over inferior opponents.  But as a Nebraska fan in the 21st century, I don't care how the offense moves the ball.  Raiola is already the best passing QB Nebraska has had in years, so I'm fine with letting him gain 15 yards a pop instead of watching a rotation of backs plow into the line for two-yard gains. 

Sep 28, 2024; West Lafayette, Indiana, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers quarterback Heinrich Haarberg (10) and Purdue Boilermakers defensive end Will Heldt (15) battle for a pass during the first quarter. Heldt was flagged for interference. / Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images

Is the entire special teams unit a tire fire?  The short answer is no.  However, this is mainly because "special teams" is a pretty big umbrella that encompasses a number of different units. 

For example:  Nebraska is a perfect 20-20 on PATs.  Isaiah Garcia Castaneda has more punt return yards (52) in five games than the entire team had in 2023 (48).  Brian Buschini is averaging 46.5 yards per punt, with six of his 13 kicks being downed inside the 20. 

But on the whole, Ed Foley's units are struggling.  Field goals are a disaster.  Net punting is not great.  Coverage on returns is spotty.  While IGC's punt return yardage is ahead of 2023, 5.8 yards per return isn't drawing attention from the Jet Award committee. 

On the second-half kickoff, Purdue ran a reverse.  While the play backfired - Buschini made a great tackle and a holding penalty cost them 10 yards - the Boilermakers tried it because they recognized that NU's special teams units are in disarray and they wanted to exploit it. 

Huskerigami Update 

A “Huskerigami” is a final score combination (win or lose) that has never happened in the 130+ year history of Nebraska football. 

Final score:  28-10 

Is that a Huskerigami?  No.  It has happened three times before.  The first time was a victory over LSU in the 1985 Sugar Bowl.  The most recent was a win over Colorado earlier this season. 

5 Things I loved 

1. Jacory Barney Jr.  102 all-purpose yards for the true freshman, including a team-leading 66 yards on four carries, including a 25-yard touchdown.  He's electric whenever he touches the ball. 
2. Dylan Raiola.  Raiola played well in his first "road" game (I'm using quotations marks because West Lafayette at 11 am isn't exactly Happy Valley during a white-out).  Raiola did everything Nebraska needed him to do, making throws all over the field.  If Purdue could defend a pass without interference, Raiola may have gotten his first 300-yard game.
3. Emmett Johnson.  After appearing on the milk carton against Illinois, EJ had his best game of the season.  He provided a much-needed spark in the running game, and looked great catching passes out of the backfield.  A stumble on a pass reception is the only thing keeping him from breaking 100 total yards.
4. MJ Sherman.  The Georgia transfer played one of his best games, recording two huge sacks.
5. John & Alex Bullock.  The Bullock brothers had a pretty good day at the office on Saturday.  Linebacker John had four tackles and a 35-yard pick six to break the game open.  Wide receiver Alex had several great perimeters blocks, including a two-fer to spring Barney's touchdown run. 
   

Honorable mention:  Big hit Brian Buschini, Jahmal Banks, Thomas Fidone, James Williams, Ty Robinson, Ceyair Wright, Javin Wright, DeShon Singleton, Malcom Hartzog, Jr., Gunnar Gottula, Barret Liebentritt, all of the red in West Lafayette. 

Sep 28, 2024; West Lafayette, Indiana, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers wide receiver Jacory Barney Jr. (17) is tackled by Purdue Boilermakers linebacker Yanni Karlaftis (14) and defensive lineman Joe Anderson (95) at Ross-Ade Stadium. / Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images

5 Areas for improvement 

1. Long snappers.  Remember the drop off that occurred after Ndamukong Suh (Nebraska's last Heisman finalist) graduated?  The guys who replaced him did their best, but they couldn't perform up to the standard he set.  A similar thing is happening in the wake of Marco Ortiz's departure.  Last year, Ortiz was a finalist for the Mannelly Award (the Heisman of long snapping).  His replacements (Camden Witucki and Aidan Flege) are trying hard, the results aren't there yet. 
2. Self-inflicted damage.  Twice in the first half, the Huskers had short yardage situations (4th & 1 in the first quarter, 3rd & 1 in the second).  Both times, a false start pushed NU back and derailed the drive.  There were several other penalties that - if not for Purdue so graciously bailing them out - could have been devastating. 
3. Third downs.  The Huskers were 1 of 8 on third down.  The lone conversion was Raiola's touchdown pass to Jahmal Banks.  NU is now below 50% on third down this year (46%).  Meanwhile, the Boilermakers converted 7 of 15 third downs, pushing the season total up to 40%. 
4. Jacory Barney Jr.  I have no idea how the refs - who had no issue throwing a flag on every play - didn't see the peace sign flashed to a Purdue DB on his touchdown run.  That was begging for a 15-yard taunting penalty, which would have taken the touchdown off the board.  Celebrate after you hand the ball to the ref. 
5. Jac Collinsworth's spotter.  That guy who tried to dive into the end zone in the fourth quarter was a white guy wearing #29 (Carter Nelson), not the black player wearing #28 (Kwinten Ives) as Collinsworth repeatedly called him.  You've got to let him know he's got the wrong guy. 

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