Feit: Oasis or Mirage?

No matter what happens from here on, the Northwestern game has shown what the Frost era can be

Kenny Larabee, KLIN

(NOTE: As is the custom with the "Battle for NU" game, to the victor goes the initials. Anywhere "NU" is used in this piece, I will be referring to Dear old Nebraska U.)

Well. That was fun.

Kids, this is what it used to be like. A no-doubt, over before it started, good old-fashioned blowout beat down that was not as close as the final score indicated. A beautiful fall day spent watching the team in red run roughshod over an outmatched conference foe. And as a special throwback treat for the Homecoming crowd, the victim was a purple and white team known as the "Wildcats".

Option pitches flew. Speedy players ran untouched. Fullback bodies rumbled and stiff-armed their way down the middle of the field. Defenders flew around and extinguished all hope. Penalty flags (mostly) stayed in the refs' pockets.

Believe it or not, younger Husker fans, but this used to be a regular occurrence. Throughout the '80s and '90s, Nebraska blew out conference foes two, three, or four times a season. Every. Single. Year.

Death, taxes, and scoring 56 on a conference opponent.

Then, Nebraska started wandering in the desert. Nebraska stopped blowing out teams. Wins - of any kind - became increasingly hard to find. The Huskers started finding themselves on the wrong end of blowout games.

Don't believe me? Consider:

Prior to the 2021 Northwestern win, the last time Nebraska scored more than 55 points in a conference game was a 56-28 win over Kansas State on November 15, 2008. That is a span of 4,705 days, 158 games, and three head coaches. In that same 12+ year stretch, Nebraska allowed more than 55 points eight times, to five different conference foes.

For a fan base that has been wandering in the desert for what has felt like an eternity, this win was a welcome gulp of cold water.

Now we wait to find out if we have arrived at an oasis - or a mirage.

Things I believe

This was the most complete win of the Scott Frost era. It was a true breakthrough moment. A successful proof-of-concept test. So many of the things that Nebraska fans have been promised were delivered: Oregon speed. Nebraska power. An aggressive defense intent on getting the ball back to the offense. Four-star recruits and Nebraska kids working together to make plays all over the field.

In addition, almost all of the perpetual nagging issues seemed to vanish into the October sky. Zero turnovers. Four penalties of little consequence. An 84-yard punt. Zero sacks allowed and very little pressure on the quarterback. No special teams snafus. Offensive play calling that hammered the plays that worked, then exploited overcorrections. For the first time in forever, Nebraska played a football game without shooting itself in the foot.

Turns out, a team can look pretty good when they do that. Who knew?

I have no idea what will happen next week, the rest of this season, or any point going forward with the Scott Frost era at Nebraska. So far in 2021, we've seen the version that can lose to anybody, and the version that can beat anybody. It's still anybody's guess which version shows up week over week, but the trend is positive.

No matter what happens, we'll always have this game as an example of what the Frost era can be.

Beware of being sucked in by one great game against a not so great opponent. Two seemingly contrasting things can be true at the same time. Nebraska played an amazing, complete game. Period.

But let's be honest: Northwestern is not a good football team. Whatever talent and momentum they had from winning the Big Ten West twice in the last three years is gone. The only drama in Evanston will be the Nov. 27 game against Illinois to avoid last place. If Northwestern and Buffalo played this weekend, I'd take Buffalo and give you 10 points.

I say this not to pee in your Big Red Kool-Aid, nor to diminish Nebraska's most dominant win under Scott Frost. But how many times in the last 3½ years have we seen what looked like a momentum-shifting win followed by an ugly, setback loss?

Before we proclaim that NU's offensive line woes are fixed, I want to see how they fare against a quality defense. I want to see multiple punts travel more than 25 yards. I'd like to see Nebraska return a punt or make a 40-yard field goal. Can they continue to avoid the devastating mistakes when the stakes are higher and the team on the opposite sideline is better?

All of it is absolutely doable. They just need to go out and do it.

I'm really excited by a Rahmir Johnson / Jaquez Yant backfield. Rahmir Johnson appears to have established himself as Nebraska's starting running back - a position he's earned through solid performances against Oklahoma, Michigan State, and Northwestern. Seventy-four yards on 12 carries with two touchdowns won't hurt his status as top dog.

But I really enjoyed watching Jaquez Yant make the most of his first extended action as a Husker. Yant is an excellent, physical runner with good vision and no fear of contact. I think the two running styles will complement each other and make life harder for opposing defenses.

I suspect we will see both of them on the field at the same time, with Yant lined up in a traditional fullback position. Of course, somebody could have a monster week of practice and Yant won't get another carry until November. I’m still trying to decipher the running back rotation.

Things I don't know

Can we put the "identity" discussion to bed? As you may know, I detest the "what is Nebraska's identity?" discussions that seem to pop up after a loss. I've heard and read about Nebraska's missing "identity" so many times in the last three years that it was lost all identity*.

*Yes, I have used that line before. But when the same discussion is rehashed over and over, I get to reuse material too.

Over the past few games, we've started to see Nebraska's offensive identity emerge. It all starts out of the pistol formation with a deep running back, a tight end behind the line of scrimmage, and two receivers split wide. Prior to the snap, one of the receivers goes in motion and loops behind the RB.

Then the fun begins.

Out of this formation, Nebraska has run power, option, counters, play-action passes, and more. When it's working, there are multiple things to account for, multiple weapons involved, and multiple ways Frost and Matt Lubick can exploit a defense. I'm excited to see what they come up with next.

Is "Thunderstruck" going to be a permanent thing? By now, I'm sure you have seen pictures and/or video of Nebraska's latest attempt to create an experience between the third and fourth quarters. If you weren't there, let me assure you: the pictures and video don't do it justice. There's a reason folks are talking about it as much as (or more than) the game. So how does it work going forward?

Obviously, we'll see it again this week against Michigan. Ditto for any of the remaining home games that have late afternoon/night kickoffs.

But can the all red "nightmare mode" (as @PaperStadiums calls it) work for an 11 a.m. kickoff when it is still daylight in the fourth quarter? Would it have the same effect?

Probably not. And that's okay.

I say you can do different things in that 3rd/4th gap. I know fans are divided on the use of The Killigans' cover of "The Cornhusker" (aka "Come A Runnin' Boys"), but I like how it has been used. There are times and places (i.e., 11 a.m. kickoffs against Fordham) where it makes sense.

Heck, did you even know this was not the first time Nebraska tried all-red lighting? Unless you were one of the 20,000 or so masochists who stuck it out for the fourth quarter of the 2019 Ohio State game (with the Buckeyes up 48-7) you probably don't remember it.

Save the light show and pyrotechnics for the big games. Nebraska has been searching for their own "Jump Around" since before they joined the Big Ten. It's okay to take it slow.

Who will be more physical on Saturday? Flashback time. In 2016, Frost's Central Florida team went into Michigan's Big House and lost 51-14. After the game, Frost said: “It’s hard to say when the score is what it is, but we came in here and outhit those guys today. Standing on the sideline there’s no doubt which team was hitting harder."

In 2018, Frost took Nebraska into the Big House, and lost 56-10. Afterward, several Michigan players brought up Frost's 2016 statement, saying "we remembered it", and "I think he can eat his words". Husker players who played in that game have mentioned how physical it was.

Now, Michigan is coming to Nebraska. Can NU - bigger and stronger than they were in 2018 - match or surpass Michigan's physicality? Does Harbaugh still hold a grudge from 2016?

5 things I loved

1. Jaquez Yant. Power, speed, toughness, and a cow-catcher of a stiff arm. Mama, I'm in love. After the Fordham game, I wrote "I want to see what he can do on 3rd and 2 against a Big Ten defense." Fast forward to Saturday: 3rd and 2 at the Wildcat 34. Yant ran up the middle for 6 yards and a first down. Any questions?
2. Offensive Line. As is my policy, any 300-yard rushing day gets the line a spot here. The boys up front hit that number with 13:48 left in the 3rd quarter. I've been critical of the line this year, but give credit for their best performance of the season. Here's hoping the addition of Teddy Prochazka and Nouredin Nouili is what brings some needed stability and success.
3. Wide Receivers & Tight Ends. Any time Nebraska rushes for 427 yards, you know the receivers and tight ends are a big reason why. Go back and look at any of Nebraska's big runs and you'll find a WR or TE in the mix. Samori Toure, Omar Manning, Oliver Martin, Austin Allen, and Travis Vokolek all had key blocks on long runs. They also did all right catching the ball too.
4. Chancellor Brewington, Royal Archduke of Pancakes. We just talked up the receiving corps for their blocking, but special recognition needs to go to Chancellor Brewington. Some might say that Nebraska set the tone for the evening with the 70-yard bomb to Toure on the first play of the game. But the tone setter came two plays later when Brewington came in motion on 2nd and goal from the one and knocked a Wildcat into the stands. That's how you set the tone for a blowout.
5. JoJo Domann. If Brewington set the tone on offense, JoJo set it on defense. On the first series, he had a physical open-field tackle and a monster hit on a blitz to get off the field. He ended up with nine tackles, two sacks, three TFLs, and two forced fumbles. That gets you into the conversation for the best game of the year.

Honorable Mention: Adrian Martinez, William Przystup, Deontre Thomas, Garrett Nelson, Nick Henrich, Zavier Betts, Luke Reimer, Caleb Tannor, Husker players looking sharp in their new suits and ties

5 areas for improvement

• Punt Return. It says a lot about where Nebraska has been when six fair catches on six punts is a dramatic improvement. But now it is time to take the next literal and figurative step forward: positive yardage. I know it sounds crazy and scary and possibly revolutionary, but I think it can be done.
• Option pitches. I love the option. You (hopefully) love the option. I'm guessing Frost and his staff are loving the option too. But Nebraska is walking a tightrope with some of their pitches. NU lost 7 yards (and killed a drive) with a bad toss that, thankfully, went out of bounds. Martinez appears to have a little fear within the option game, but he's playing with fire.
• Bryce Benhart. We were sooooo close to having a game without a false-start penalty. It's worth noting that led to Nebraska's only punt of the evening.
• Heinrich Haarberg. No disrespect to Matt Masker, but this would have been a great time to give the true freshman from Kearney Catholic a few snaps under the big lights. With the four-game redshirt rule, he would likely be able to maintain eligibility and finish up the last series or two.
• Um??? Seriously, what else is there to critique? I officially crossed over into "ridiculously nit-picky" when I called out a second-string offensive lineman for a penalty that occurred with a 42-point lead, and led to an 84-yard punt.