Husker Dan: Flats and Blowouts

We gotta get better.

Kenny Larabee, KLIN

Game day

I got to Lincoln about 11 a.m. Saturday morning, enough time to have a leisurely lunch in downtown Lincoln. When we were done eating, my group and I made our way north toward Memorial Stadium. Going in the same direction were the usual hordes of red-clad Husker fans also making their way to the game. It was a crisp day with lots of sun beneath a beautiful October sky.

By game time, temps had soared into the 70s - maybe the last nice weather day of the year. Life was good.

Including Saturday's home game with Purdue, the four remaining games with Ohio State, at Wisconsin and at home with Iowa, Purdue was probably the most winnable game of the lot. The game day table was set for a great afternoon of Husker football. Nebraska was even favored by 7½ points! It was going to be a great day, right?

What possibly could go wrong?

Moody Blues

Having been to so many Husker home games through the years, one thing I've learned is to be able to determine the level of fan energy, or lack thereof. Before Saturday's game there was a noticeable lack of energy. There was no snap. No juice.

Just before kickoff, my suspicions were confirmed. The HUSKER! POWER! chant that was so deafening before the Michigan game (and every other big Husker game) was lukewarm Saturday. The chant was tepid. No energy. No spark.

Uh oh.

It's one thing for the fans to be flat, but what worried me was whether the team would also come out flat. Nebraska was going to be in for a bad day.

Sadly, my fears were confirmed. For the second Husker game in a row, the team didn't seem to be focused. Yes, I know Nebraska scored on its opening possession and led at the half 17-14, but there still was no energy. Especially in the second half.

I have no clue why in a game with so much on the line for Nebraska as this one, the Cornhuskers were uninspired. To help seal their own fate, Husker QB Adrian Martinez, a four-year starter, threw four interceptions, one of them a pick six.

The Huskers lost by 5, 28-23. That one play helped Nebraska lose the game Saturday.

My game prediction prior to the Purdue game was the same it's been for most of this year's Husker games: NU will be in each of the games and will have a chance to win it late, but will find a way to lose it in the end. I wish weren't right, but history has not been kind to the Husker faithful this year.

To give themselves one last shot at a win late in the game Saturday, Nebraska attempted an onside kick. For a moment, it looked like the Huskers recovered the ball and had put themselves in position to win the dang game. But a Husker player didn't secure the ball. Game over. Another agonizing loss.

My predictions for the remaining Husker games will probably be the same. The only exception might be this Saturday's game with Ohio State in Lincoln. The Huskers may suffer their first blowout loss of the season. I hope I'm wrong. OSU is favored by 14 points for the 11 a.m. kickoff.

I've run out of what Nebraska can do to turn things around this fall. It's still mathematically possible for the Huskers to reach the six-win total to qualify for a bowl game. But the Bowl Train has left the station and only a miracle can put Nebraska back on track.

If you are one of those people who believe Nebraska will win the next three games, go for it. But I'm not one of those.

What's ahead?

The way I see things there are only three options for the Husker football program going into next season:

1. Retain Scott Frost and his current assistants for at least another year.
2. Keep Frost, but he'll need to make changes in his staff.
3. Replace Frost with a new head coach and a brand new staff.

I don't think we'll see Option Three. Why? The Huskers have raised their talent level and have made some improvment in the offense and defense. About two-thirds of the roster is filled with freshmen or redshirt freshmen. Trev Alberts is a football guy with strong roots to Husker football. (He was a star player at NU back in the '90s.) He's aware of the damage coaching changes have made to the Husker football program over the years.

Alberts also knows that if the university fires Frost, it's going to be about $20 million poorer. That's a lot of cash.

I also think Adrian Martinez will be back next year for his fifth (COVID) year of eligibility. Why? His NFL chances aren't good and the money he can make next year via the NIL (Name, Image and Likeness) ruling should be enough to keep him in Lincoln. I just don't know if his staying at Nebraska is what's best for the Husker football program.

The Husker 2022 schedule appears to be less daunting than this year's. With a lot of young players getting better, the Huskers might be looking at a seven- or eight-win season for 2022. And a bowl invitation. The above reasons may contribute to keeping Frost & Company for at least another year.

I have no idea what will happen. But this I do know: Whatever Husker AD Trev Alberts, UNL Chancellor Ronnie Green and University President Ted Carter decide will be fine with me.

At this point after 15 wins and 24 losses in the Scott Frost era, I'm tired. Just do something and do it quickly.