Stukenholtz: Some Things Never Change

Huskers come up painfully short in Big Ten opener, crumbling in the fourth quarter and overtime.

Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule points out something on the scoreboard to a referee during the Illinois game. / Kenny Larabee, KLIN

Maybe it’s unfair for me, or you, or anyone for that matter, to lump this year’s batch of Huskers in with Nebraska teams from the last decade. Perhaps we shouldn’t hold the shortcomings of the past against the team of the present, even if those shortcomings are quite similar. This is a completely different group of players and coaches, after all. 

And yet, fans of this program remember the sins of the past all too well, and they certainly cropped up again late in NU’s 31-24 overtime loss to Illinois on Friday night. 

As everyone celebrated a remarkable achievement of 400 consecutive sellouts, prevailing wisdom had the Big Red on track for a 4-0 start. That is until the ghosts of bad football past returned.

Critical penalties. 

Inability to execute in crunch time.

Squandering opportunities to win.

The shame of it all is, based on the way the Huskers played in the first half, anything seemed possible. While Illinois found some success with a pair of scoring drives, it seemed like they needed much more to go right to move the ball downfield. The Blackshirts forced a turnover and a turnover on downs. John Bullock had forced fumble and tackled everything in sight. Meanwhile, star freshman quarterback Dylan Raiola put on a show, finding targets all over the field and making NFL throws. Number 15 in red tossed a touchdown pass in the final minute before halftime for the third time in four career games. 

The complementary formula was working. It seemed easier for Nebraska, and you could feel the trajectory of the program aiming up. With that defense and that quarterback, anything was possible. Even with a questionable review that turned a Husker touchdown into an Illinois interception, NU still led 17-10 at the break. More of the same in the last 30 minutes would result in a hugely satisfying victory.

Alas, it ain’t there yet.

Illini quarterback Luke Altmyer outplayed Raiola in the second half, finishing 21-for-27 for 215 yards and four touchdowns, including the winner in OT. Altmyer had a complementary run game to the tune of 129 yards on the ground in the second half and overtime. It was a different story for the Huskers. Not even Raiola could overcome a one-dimensional offense, as Illinois held NU to just seven rushing yards in the third and fourth quarters. Yes, seven.

The Blackshirts were complicit not only due to their leaky run defense, but they also committed most of NU’s nine penalties. It was an uncharacteristically sloppy performance.

It even infected Dylan Raiola, who flat out dropped the ball in the pocket on a fouth-quarter drive. He was strip-sacked two plays later. Then the real kick in the pants came when he missed a wide-open Luke Lindenmeyer in the end zone with just 3:07 remaining. It could have been the game-winning throw on one of the easiest opportunities of the night. Instead, NU misses the field goal and loses the game in overtime.

Raiola produced some incredible plays. He’s going to have a few each game. But the fact is he came up short when it was time to win a close game. Fair or unfair, it’s the same fate that has befallen Jeff Sims, Heinrich Haarberg, Chubba Purdy, Casey Thompson, Adrian Martinez, Logan Smothers, Luke McCaffrey, Andrew Bunch, Tanner Lee … you get the idea. 

People will make Mahomes comparisons (rightly by the way) for his entire career. But can Raiola win close games? Until he actually does it, the answer will continue to be “no.”

This is the inevitable adversity – Raiola now knows he’s not invincible. If he can’t hit the open man in the end zone in the last four minutes, his team can lose. His fate is in his hands, and he has more control over any other player in the program to guide NU back up. His maturity and leadership will be tested.

That also applies to a veteran defense that fell apart. While they did force another turnover, the Illini offense achieved multiple first downs on their other four second-half possessions. NU lost control of the game because they lost control of both lines of scrimmage. The loss of Turner Corcoran early could explain the offense’s struggles, but why did Ty, Nash, Jimari and company fail? Defenses comprised of Cam Taylor-Britt, Garrett Nelson, JoJo Domann, and others have, too.

Special teams continues to be a costly liability, too. The missed field goal from second-string kicker John Hohl will stick out, but so too should poor punt coverage. 

Matt Rhule may have a more effective public message, but no matter how much you admire the foundation he appears to be building, he is 1-6 in one-score games at NU. That’s not quite as bad as Scott Frost, but it’s close!

Now, with Nebraska sitting at 3-1 and their first road trip coming up, I do believe we will see them turn a corner this season. Don’t feel bad if you remain skeptical. After all, it’s still been eight years since Nebraska has beaten a ranked team. It’s also now eight scoreless overtimes since a 2014 win at Iowa. NU still hasn’t beaten a ranked team while ranked in 13 seasons. 

People dressed in red have filled Memorial Stadium since 1962. Four hundred sellouts in a row is an incredible representation of this fan base’s loyalty. Husker football has been played at Memorial Stadium for over 100 years. The history is undeniable. The past glory is what has led the program to what it is today. 

But someday – and soon – it needs to be about the present, not the past. Wins, not hope. For today, though, hope will have to do.

Some things never change.

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