Dave Feit: Is ‘a Chance That's Fair’ Too Much to Ask For?

Nebraska football's struggles against USC were compounded by an inexcusable no-call at the finish.

Dave Feit | Nov 18, 2024

Nov 16, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers running back Emmett Johnson moves the ball against Southern California Trojans linebacker Mason Cobb during the second half. / Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

In this story:

Dear Lord, the battles we go through life,
We ask for a chance that's fair.
A chance to equal our stride,
A chance to do or dare.

Nebraska players have been saying these words for decades before leaving the locker room. It is practically a mission statement for the program.

But with five seconds to go on Saturday, Nebraska did not get a chance that was fair. The officials either did not see - or refused to call - an egregious hold on Jahmal Banks in the end zone.

I despise the notion - in any sport - that the refs should swallow their whistles to avoid impacting the outcome of a game. If it is a penalty in the first 59 minutes, it absolutely should be a penalty in the final minute. Seeing something as blatantly obvious as that hold and not throwing a flag IS deciding the outcome of the game.

And kindly get out of here with the "good teams should never be in a situation where the refs can take the game away from you" talk. At best, you're saying we should be okay with teams being penalized for not meeting some mysterious standard of "good."

Also - and hopefully this isn't news to you - Nebraska has not been a "good team" for a while. Mediocre to bad teams (such as Nebraska in the last decade) have a hard enough time getting out of their own way without having to worry about the officials screwing them over.

Nov 16, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans cornerback Greedy Vance Jr. celebrates after intercepting a pass against Nebraska on the game's final play. / Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Just how much of a cushion would Nebraska have needed to overcome the holding in the end zone, the other defensive holding that would have given NU first and goal, or a possible illegal touching penalty before USC's first touchdown?

Expecting a mediocre team to score an extra 17 points to overcome botched calls from the officials is like expecting to find a bespoke tuxedo at Walmart.

It doesn't take a psychic to predict how things likely would have ended if the Huskers were correctly awarded an untimed down from inside the 10-yard line (half the distance from the previous line of scrimmage). Matt Rhule now has a worse record in one-score games at NU (2-9, .182) than Scott Frost (5-22, .185). It was unlikely that Nebraska was going to come back and win - or even tie - this game.

But Nebraska's impotence in clutch moments doesn't excuse a horrible no-call. Nebraska - just like any other team - deserves the chance to succeed or fail on their own merit.

As that Husker prayer says:

If we should win, let it be by the code,
Faith and honor held high.
If we should lose, we'll stand by the road,
And cheer as the winners go by.

Things I believe

Day by day, this team is not getting better and better. The Nebraska team that beat Colorado by 18 points ten weeks ago would absolutely destroy the team that showed up in Los Angeles.

The early September team had a healthy quarterback playing with an intoxicating mix of confidence and pizzazz. The defense flew around looking for quarterbacks to sack. They rallied to the ball and refused to give up rushing yards to anyone.

Since then, there has been a lot of regression. The execution isn't as sharp. Nobody seems especially confident. Special teams is the only unit that is even marginally better than where they were in September - and that's only because the bar was set very low.

That's not very encouraging for a team that still needs to find one more win to get to a bowl game. But other than kicker John Hohl, who would you say is playing better than they were in September?

When Rhule says "players need to make plays," he's right. If you've listened to any of Matt Rhule's press conferences in the last month or so, you've likely heard him say something about needing the players to make plays. While some fans may not like that message, he's undisputably right.

I can think of two different drives where a Nebraska player had a realistic chance to make an interception. Both of those drives ended in USC touchdowns.

Offensively, the first drive of the fourth quarter was a case study in what Rhule has been talking about. The drive opened with Heinrich Haarberg keeping the ball for a 13-yard gain. Haarberg was visibly upset because he was one broken tackle away from a big gain or touchdown.

After two runs gained a total of five yards, Raiola hit Emmett Johnson on a screen pass. If EJ makes one guy miss, he easily picks up the first down and a big chunk of yards. Instead, he's tackled after a two-yard gain, setting up the bizarre timeout / delay of game sequence we'll address below.

I'll freely acknowledge that Nebraska's coaching and play calling - in every phase - has often left much to be desired.

But I'll guarantee that Raiola has been coached to find a wide-open Jahmal Banks - or to pick up the first down before sliding. And the defensive backs have been coached to catch (or bat down) passes that are seemingly thrown to them.

Nov 16, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans running back Woody Marks runs the ball against the Nebraska Cornhuskers during the second half. / Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Tony White got out-coached. Lincoln Riley didn't seem intimidated by White and Nebraska's 3-3-5 defense. Riley started his backup quarterback (Jayden Maiava) and put up 441 yards of total offense.

Nebraska had some chances to rattle Maiava after the early pick six, but two other potential interceptions ended up in his receivers' hands. When Nebraska brought pressure, they couldn't get him on the ground. Once Riley got his quarterback comfortable and confident, he was able to achieve balance with a running game that often used Nebraska's aggression against itself.

That said, I'm not going to lose a ton of sleep over it. Despite USC's struggles this season, the Trojans have been a much better team at home than on the road. Riley is still one of the top offensive minds in the game with a proven ability to develop quarterbacks. Tony White is not the first good defensive coordinator to look mortal facing Riley, and he won't be the last.

Things I don't know

If you didn't know Nebraska had a new play caller, would you have noticed any changes? Game one of the Dana Holgorsen era looked a lot like final games of the Marcus Satterfield era: Lots of screens and short passes, a short-lived attempt to establish a running game, and just a handful of points.

As I wrote after the Holgorsen change was announced, I wasn't expecting big changes in the last three games. It is unrealistic to implement a new offense in November.

But I did think we might see more passes beyond the line of scrimmage. A willingness to stick with something that is working. And a focus on getting the ball in the hands of potential playmakers like Haarberg and Jacory Barney Jr.

One game is obviously too soon to make any sweeping judgments, so I'll say this: If Nebraska is going to become bowl eligible, the offense will need to score more than 13 points.

What the hell was that timeout / delay of game / punt sequence? After Emmitt Johnson was tackled on a screen pass (see above), the Huskers had 4th & 3 from their 40, trailing by 1. It seemed too early (and too far) to go for it, but Nebraska called a timeout to presumably talk it over.

After the timeout, the offense lined up, and Raiola just sort of walked around until the play clock expired. There was no attempt to hard count. Heck, Raiola never even went under center. After the delay of game backed them up five yards, NU punted. USC marched down the field and scored. Even by Nebraska standards, it was bizarre.

I'm willing to buy Rhule's postgame explanation (they wanted to fake the punt, but didn't have the right look so they called the timeout and decided to go for it. But they didn't get the look they wanted there either, so they took the delay).

But at the same time, I'm frustrated by a) wasting a timeout in a game that seemed destined to come down to the last drive, b) not having a Plan B if the look wasn't right for them to go for it (isn't that what helmet communications are for?), and c) generally looking inept.

In the big picture, the sequence didn't really matter, but it didn't instill a lot of confidence in NU's clock management.

Nov 16, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers quarterback Dylan Raiola throws as offensive lineman Bryce Benhart blocks Southern California Trojans defensive end Kameryn Fountain during the second half. / Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Should you hold out hope for a bowl game? I won't sugar coat it: the odds for getting that elusive sixth win do not look great. In their last 20 games against Wisconsin and Iowa, the Huskers have a total of two wins - both against the Hawkeyes. The last time Nebraska beat Wisconsin, Mitt Romney was campaigning to become the 45th President.

 The Badgers (also 5-5) are arguably Nebraska's best remaining chance for a victory. They've been up and down, battled injuries, and just fired their offensive coordinator. They've also played a hard schedule with losses against the (then) #1, #3, #4, and #13 teams, nearly upsetting Oregon on Saturday.

 Iowa is already bowl eligible and will likely be 7-4 when Nebraska visits for a Black Friday night game. The Hawkeyes would absolutely love to (once again) be the reason Nebraska stays home for the holidays.

 I'm still optimistic that Nebraska can make a bowl game, but fans going to the game on Saturday need to be ready to bring the energy for four quarters. If I lose my voice willing this team to a bowl game, so be 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: 28-20

Is that a Huskerigami? No. It has happened five times before. The first time was a September 24, 1955, loss at #6 Ohio State. The most recent was a November 27, 2015, loss to #3 Iowa.

5 Things I loved

Ceyair Wright. You know the old Madden or Sports Illustrated cover jinxes? Nebraska has the opposite going with their pregame graphics. They predicted Brian Buschini's big game against Ohio State, and absolutely nailed Ceyair Wright's return to LA. A gigantic pick six and a field goal block that kept Nebraska in the game. Memo to NU's social media team: put Raiola on the graphic before the Wisconsin game.
Jahmal Banks. For over a month, we've been criticizing Banks for a lack of production and struggling in perimeter blocking. Let's give credit where it is due: five catches for a team-high 55 yards and several key blocks to extend plays. More please!
Ty Robinson. Just two tackles, but one was a strip sack recovered by Mikai Gbayor. I'll have to double check the stats, but I think it was Nebraska's first strip sack since Grant Wistrom graduated.
Emmett Johnson. A good proof of concept game for how a running back might be used in Holgorsen's offense. Ten carries for team-high 55 yards, plus seven receptions and a nice 29-yard touchdown.
Tight ends. Their production (a combined four catches for 26 yards) doesn't fly off the stat sheet. But after a summer predicting increased production for Thomas Fidone, Nate Boerkircher, and Luke Lindenmeyer due in part to their position coach calling the plays, it was nice to see them all catch passes in the same game. Even if the irony was palpable.

Honorable mention: Janiran Bonner, Brian Buschini, John Hohl, Dante Dowdell, Marques Buford, Jr., Nash Hutmacher, Jimari Butler, Husker fans in Los Angeles, Nebraska volleyball

5 Areas for improvement

Punt returns. I liked seeing Barney out there as the returner, even if his first return resulted in zero yards. I was baffled as to why Isaiah Garcia-Castaneda fair caught a punt at the four yard line but passed on the chance to fair catch another around the 15 before it rolled inside the 1. The Huskers continue to hemorrhage field position with their pathetic return game
Rush defense. Woody Marks is a very good back. But I'm not sure he's a 146-yard, 7.7 YPC back, especially on a bum ankle. The Huskers got gashed - repeatedly - on running plays, often falling for play fakes and over pursing.
Vertical passing game. Until the final do-or-die drive, Nebraska seemed afraid to throw the ball down the field. We've discussed the things that limit NU from being a chuck-it-deep team, but we can see how living and dying with screen passes is working out. For the game, Raiola's throws went for an average of 7 yards per completion. For comparison, Jayden Maiava got over 10 yards per completion.
Clock management. We already covered the fourth-down fiasco, but even with that sequence, Nebraska still brought an unused timeout home with them. A timeout that could have been used to stop the clock after Johnson's three-yard run at midfield in that final drive. NU could have saved 10-15 seconds, which would have given the officials one or two more opportunities to ignore USC holding Nebraska's receivers.
Midfield logo beefs. Memo to college football teams: If you're going to get salty and sassy when teams pray at midfield hours before the game, put a velvet rope around your precious logo. Otherwise, you just look foolish.