Dave Feit: This Will Take Time

Concerns and positives after the Matt Rhule era at Nebraska begins with a last-second loss to Minnesota

Matt Krohn - USA TODAY Sports

What - you expected a 180-degree turnaround in one game?

That was never going to be the case. Matt Rhule is a good coach with a proven track record of turning around programs. But as I wrote about before the game, this is a full-on rebuild and the wins and losses are secondary to establishing a cultural foundation.

Some things will come quickly. Some will not.

Nebraska spent much of Thursday night playing the greatest hits of the last five seasons: Procedural penalties, poor ball security, back-breaking turnovers, an upperclassman leader committing a costly personal foul, red zone failures, disconcerting signals, a one-score game, and a walk-off loss.

The only things missing from a full Frost Era Blackout Bingo were "bad snap" and "special teams snafu."

Nope, it's not going to be quick - or easy.

This will take time.

BUT!!! There was a lot to be encouraged about. A defense that showed potential. Special teams that were actively trying to win the field position battle. No panic when Nebraska fell behind - or when the lead evaporated. A kickoff return that crossed the 40-yard line!

As is the tradition for the first game column of the season, I encourage you (and me) to NOT overreact to one game. I’m not calling for anybody to be fired or canceled, and you shouldn’t either.

Yes, there are several things to be concerned about. We'll talk through most of them. I'm hopeful to see how this team responds and grows over the next three weeks. If they're still playing "Greatest Hits: 2017-2022," we'll look for a panic button.

Until then, I will continue to believe that this staff can get the job done.

Things I believe

Nebraska will have to lean on the defense. We'll talk about the offense in a little bit, but let's start by celebrating the impressive start for Tony White's 3-3-5 defense.

The Gophers were held to just 55 rushing yards (251 total), 3.6 yards per play, and just 13 points. I'll take my chances with that on any given Saturday (or Thursday or Friday).

Compared to other season openers, it felt like there were fewer missed tackles. And while the secondary was the star unit, there were decent contributions from all levels of the defense. I’d like to see more sacks and turnovers, but that’s getting nit-picky

In fairness, I thought Minnesota's offensive talent and game plan were about as exciting as a bowl of black licorice jelly beans. But considering where this defense was a year ago (100th in total defense, running a completely different scheme with two other coordinators), I'm encouraged by what I saw.

Nebraska needs to find some offense other than Jeff Sims running. The old football axiom is that the defenses are always better in the early going than the offenses. This is especially true when the reliable depth at WR is paper thin, and the offensive line is far from dominant.

Jeff Sims showed some potential in his first game as a Husker. I doubt I was the only one who had flashbacks to when Jammal Lord* was the starting QB. Big, strong guy, deceptively fast runner, cannon of an arm, and a negative TD:INT ratio.

*Can we pause for a second and appreciate the following irony:

In the 19 years since Lord graduated, the closest thing Nebraska has run to the offense quarterback Scott Frost played in (lots of designed QB runs, power running game with fullbacks, limited passing) occurs after head coach Scott Frost departs?

Unfortunately, there was little beyond Sims' legs. One target for the tight ends. Just 81 yards rushing - combined - from the three running backs. Third-string quarterback Heinrich Haarberg had more receptions (1) than prized transfer portal WR Billy Kemp (0).

Nebraska's only touchdown (and longest play of the night) came on a trick play that broke down. I'm curious if offensive coordinator Marcus Satterfield usage of trick plays and gadget personal groupings (such as Haarberg as a third down back) is part of his philosophy - or an attempt to kickstart a stagnant offense.

I would hope this is obvious, but I'll say it anyway: If the Huskers want to make a bowl game, they must find a way to move the ball other than having Sims run 19 times a game. The odds are stacked against that being a sustainable offensive strategy.

I'm pretty sure that in the last 20 years, only two Nebraska running QBs have made it through an entire season: Tommy Armstrong Jr. in 2014 and, you guessed it, Jammal Lord in 2003.

Execution in key situations is a work in progress. One of the things that make me hopeful for a winning season is Rhule's focus on situational awareness in practice. For example, he might say "Offense, it is first and goal from the four with less than 30 seconds in the half. We must get points here."

Or perhaps: "Blackshirts, it's a tie game late in the fourth quarter. They're at our 40-yard line and only have time for two plays. The limit of their kicker's range is the 30. If they get 10 yards or more, we lose. Stop them outside the 30 and we go to overtime. They have a timeout left, so watch for the draw."

You practice scenarios like these so they are familiar when you're in them during a game. That experience allows you to breathe, slow down the game, and focus on your assignment instead of getting overwhelmed by the moment.

Nebraska came up short in these two real-world scenarios, but I did see some other situational moments where the Huskers appeared ready for the moment.

Things I don't know

What can the offense do to move the ball? Above, we acknowledged some of the offense's most glaring issues. Now, what can be done about it before travelling to Colorado?

I don't expect the Buffs to be spectacular (or deep) on the defensive line, so I'd like to see Nebraska line up in power, let the fullback lead, and see what Gabe Ervin and friends can do. Mix in some play action looks to the tight ends, a quick pass to Billy Kemp, or give it to one of the speedy freshmen on an end around or jet sweep.

Basically, I'd like to see Nebraska run plays that are lower risk (even if it means lower rewards) until Sims and his receivers prove a downfield passing game is a viable part of the game plan.

It's not very exciting, but if the defense plays at the same standard, the offense won't need to score a ton of points.

Is the usage of timeouts something to be concerned about? Early in the second quarter, Sims completed a pass to Haarberg for a first down. But Nebraska had to burn a timeout before running the next play.

On the final drive of the half, Nebraska spent another timeout (after an incomplete pass) because the play clock was about to run out.

In a vacuum, these aren't big deals - especially if the timeouts saved a 5-yard delay of game penalty.

But, later in that drive, Ervin is ruled down inside the 1. Nebraska, presumably wanting to save their final timeout in case they had to settle for a field goal, ran up to the line to try a quick QB sneak. Sims made it into the end zone, but the play was negated due to a false start. NU had to burn its final timeout to avoid a 10-second runoff. Without a timeout in their pocket, the Huskers had to throw for the end zone on second and goal. Sims made a bad throw and was intercepted.

Long story short, I think Nebraska burning those two early timeouts cost them points. Points that could have changed the outcome of the game.

It's way too soon to tell if that was first game confusion and miscommunication, or if it is a problem. Keep an eye on this.

If he were still here, would Casey Thompson have come out for the final drive? For the sake of this question, let's step into a parallel universe where 1) Casey Thompson did not transfer to FIU and 2) Jeff Sims won the QB1 job over a fully healthy Thompson. Everything else is the same as Thursday night.

Minnesota has just scored a game-tying touchdown on an amazing catch. There's 2:32 left in the game and NU has one timeout left. Nebraska gets the ball on the 25, needing to gain approximately 50 yards to get in field goal range for their true freshman kicker.

If you're Rhule and Satterfield, do you bring out Sims, who to that point was 10-17 passing with two interceptions, along with 80 yards rushing? Or do you bring in Casey Thompson, who completed 63% of his passes for over 2,400 yards and 17 TDs in 2022?

Personally, I think Rhule and Satt would stick with their hand-picked quarterback (and watch him throw a bad interception to set up the game-winning field goal). On Thursday, that was the obvious choice over bringing Chubba Purdy (career completion percentage of 50.9% with 4 TDs and 4 INTs) or Haarberg (zero career passes, 1 reception for 10 yards).

I'm not suggesting that the staff somehow failed in not keeping Thompson. I get it. Guys - especially in their final year - want to start. Barring injury (or Sims throwing 3 INTs in every scrimmage) Thompson was unlikely to start at Nebraska this year.

But when QB1 is struggling with accuracy and reading defenses, wouldn't it be nice to have a QB1b?

5 things I loved

1. Defensive backs. On this list, the secondary is primary. NU's DBs played a heck of a game. An interception, three pass breakups, and tight coverage that left Athan Kaliakmanis scrambling. Tip your cap to Minnesota's Daniel Jackson for making an amazing catch, because that was one of the few plays a Gopher WR made.
2. Special teams. Remember in recent years when positive yardage on a punt return was a legitimate cause for celebration? Billy Kemp returned two punts for a total of 8 yards! Hooray! But wait…there's more! Nebraska had a 63-yard kickoff return - easily the longest since 2017, averaged 47.7 yards on Brian Buschini's three punts, all kicks by true freshman Tristan Alvano were good, and the kickoff coverage was elite: each of Minnesota's three kick returns were stopped at the 19-yard line. All in all, an impressive debut for Ed Foley's units.
3. Bullock Brothers. The Bullocks - linebacker John and wide receiver Alex - had great starts to their seasons. John - a special teams standout who earned a scholarship, single digit, and Blackshirt - was third on the team with 6 tackles and a pass breakup. Little brother Alex, newly on scholarship, had his first career catch and touchdown (more on that in a second). The only thing better than an in-state walk-on success story is two from the same family.
4. The "Osborne." Nebraska's lone touchdown was scored on a trick play that the staff named "Osborne." Sims tossed to Anthony Grant who followed his blocks to the short side of the field before throwing back to Sims. Sims couldn't catch the ball and had to pick it on after two bounces. Sims maintained his composure and lobbed a pass to a ridiculously wide-open Alex Bullock. Touchdown. While I'm guessing the version they ran in practice did not include the ball skipping across the turf, it was a very nice (and legal) homage to the "Bouncerooski" play that Nebraska ran against Oklahoma in 1982.
5. Jeff Sims' legs. I love a quarterback who can make things happen carrying the ball. While I think Sims carried the ball way too much (19, many of those designed runs), he often looked like the best offensive threat, and he kept several drives alive. Just mix in a slide every so often to stay healthy.

Honorable mention: Omar Brown, Nash Hutmacher, Isaac Gifford, Luke Reimer, Rahmir Johnson, all of the true freshmen who played, Husker fans who pulled off Volleyball Day in Nebraska and the Minnesota game on back-to-back days, and (of course) the return of the fullback.

5 areas for improvement

1. Turnovers. I'm no rocket surgeon, but I'm smart enough to know that giving a mediocre offense three extra opportunities to score is begging to lose.
2. Offensive Line. In keeping with my "don't overreact to the first game" policy, I'm not going to backtrack from my preseason optimism about the line. But three sacks, five quarterback hurries, and inconsistent rush production was not what I was expecting. Also, I did see a play where the ball was snapped, but one of the veteran linemen did not move for a full second. That's not great.
3. Wide Receivers. Let's recap the night for the wide receivers: Alex Bullock had three catches for a team-high 56 yards and his first touchdown. Marcus Washington was suspended for the first half but had three catches for 31 yards in the second. True freshman Jaylen Lloyd picked up 9 yards on an end around. Billy Kemp had zero catches on just two targets. Tommi Hill popped over from the defense to put a deep post route. Isaiah Garcia-Castaneda caught one, dropped one and suffered an injury that Rhule thought might be serious.
4. Gus Johnson. I've never been a fan of Gus Johnson's “voice crescendo into SHOUTING!!!!” schtick. But his preparation felt lazy. When Haarberg caught a third-down pass, Gus had no idea who he was. He butchered the names of at least two other Husker players and a few Gophers. I can appreciate that "Boerkircher" is not an easy name to pronounce. But the Huskers.com roster has embedded audio files of players pronouncing their name. This is the first game of the season, not the end of a marathon season. Take 15 minutes and figure it out.
5. FOX’s Coach Sanders Promotions. Since he was hired, I have refused to refer to the Colorado head coach by anything other than "Coach Sanders.” FOX clearly does not share that policy, as they tried to make a game in their primetime game all about Pri…. Coach Sanders, even though his team wasn't playing. But be sure to catch the interview where he gives Erin Andrews a pair of ugly sunglasses while he's dressed in overalls and a cowboy hat like a wannabe Herbie Husker.