Tad Stryker: Storybook Ending Goes Bad

Rhule responsible for third-string Nebraska QB’s devastating end zone interception

Kenny Larabee, KLIN

First-year coach Matt Rhule was almost ready to put the finishing touches on a feel-good story line, one that had the third-string quarterback coming in from the bullpen and leading his team on an improbable 90-yard march to set up the go-ahead field goal and put Nebraska in strong position for its first bowl berth in seven seasons.

Instead, Rhule crumpled up that script and tossed it away, almost as erratically as his quarterbacks threw the football all afternoon. Defensive coordinator Tony White and the Blackshirts stepped in to try their hand at it, but their alternative storyline turned into a gut-punch for Husker Nation. It went something like this: the Big Ten’s best rushing defense crumbles in the final minutes, allowing Maryland to run the ball six times for 38 yards and convert two third downs on a 75-yard drive to kick a walk-off chip shot field goal and hand the Big Red (now 5-5) their third one-score loss of the season. A script that had the Huskers’ best defense in a decade playing well most of the afternoon, only to crumble when it mattered most.

With the score tied at 10 in the final minutes, the way things turned decisively against Nebraska was all too familiar to its fans. A devastating end zone interception thrown by a Husker quarterback, followed by a game-winning drive by the opponent. With apologies to Scott Frost, we’ve seen this movie before.

But this one’s not on Frost. It’s on Matt Rhule. How did Rhule flip the script so disastrously? By failing to make an executive decision he is paid millions of dollars a year to make, and putting the burden on Chubba Purdy, his third-string quarterback, to make a key play at the decisive moment of the game.

In his postgame press conference, Rhule did not directly say what happened, or why the offensive coaching staff chose to let the third-string quarterback make a decision that turned the game in Maryland’s favor.

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It’s apparent the decisive third-and-goal play call was a run-pass option. There should have been no option at that point. Under these circumstances, you play it conservative. Run the ball and kick the field goal to go up by three points with a little over three minutes remaining. But that didn’t happen. That’s because Rhule, by default, allowed something else to happen.

Rhule seemed surprised after the game that Purdy had chosen to pull the ball away from the running back and throw it. There should have been no surprises at that point. But there were; the Huskers ran what appeared to be a slant route, but the receiver surprised Purdy by doing something different than expected. A more experienced quarterback would have seen the mistake and thrown the ball into the third row, and the Huskers would have had a chip-shot field goal to take the lead. But so far in his Husker career, Purdy has not often played like an experienced quarterback. He delivered the ball exactly where he hoped his receiver was going to run the route. A surprised but grateful Maryland defender made the easy end zone interception and returned the ball to the 19-yard line.

Did offensive coordinator Marcus Satterfield make the fateful play call? Very likely. Should Rhule instead have insisted that the Huskers run the ball, while calling on his field goal team to get ready? Absolutely.

Rhule's error of omission turned into the Huskers’ fifth turnover of the day, and it cost them the ballgame because, just when they were needed most, the Blackshirts, who have been so good at cleaning up messes made by the conference’s sloppiest offense, failed the test. After forcing three takeaways of their own, they could not get a fourth. And although they’ve now gone five consecutive games without allowing a rushing touchdown, they leaked too many rushing yards to nail down the win.

Maryland quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa, who completed 27 of 40 passes for 283 yards, with one touchdown and an interception, seized his opportunity. An untimely pass interference penalty by cornerback Tommi HIll — ironically Nebraska’s only penalty of the entire game — bailed out Tagovailoa on third and 10 from his own 19. From that point, Maryland’s running game took the Blackshirts by surprise, moving the 6-4 Terps into position for the 24-yard walkoff by Jack Howes, who celebrated madly at midfield as Husker fans silently filed out of the stadium.

For much of the fourth quarter, a winning story line seemed likely for Nebraska. It sure looked like the third-stringer was going to be up to the test. How did we get that far into the bullpen? Early in the first quarter, Heinrich Haarberg chucked a badly overthrown interception before leaving the game with apparent ankle injury. Then Jeff Sims led two short drives for 10 points set up by turnovers, before committing three more turnovers of his own. That prompted Rhule to send out Purdy to take over with the ball at his own 3-yard line and the game tied 10-10 with 9:52 left. And the sophomore transfer from Florida State responded well, moving the team 90 yards in six minutes to the Maryland 7. Purdy ran three times for 33 yards and hit a short pass to Billy Kemp, who broke away for a 24-yard gain. Redshirt freshman Emmett Johnson also had a 29-yard burst to help move the ball into field goal position. Everything was falling the Huskers’ way.

Two plays before his fateful bad decision, Purdy made a brilliant one, avoiding a sack, sprinting outside the tackle box and throwing the ball out of bounds, just beyond the line of scrimmage, to keep the Huskers in good position at second and goal. A run up the middle lost yardage, setting up the third-and goal. If you have a rock-solid offensive line with a dependable quarterback, sure, you let them go out create a storybook ending of their own. But right now, the Huskers don’t have the Jimmies and Joes on offense to lean on at crunch time, and Rhule acted like he did.

“I expect our offense to finish the game. I expect our defense to finish the game,” he said afterward. Rhule’s got a point, of course. The players on the field end up winning and losing the game. You could blame the defense; the Blackshirts allowed Maryland to convert six of 12 third downs. You could blame the offense; the Husker offense had a measly 179 yards of total offense before Purdy took the field.

There’s no denying that some of the blame goes to the players. Of the five turnovers, only Sims’ fumble was forced by aggressive defensive play. The four interceptions happened with the Terps applying less than moderate pressure on the quarterback. Two (Haarberg and the second pick by Sims) were simply poor throws. It appeared that two others could be blamed on route mistakes by inexperienced wide receivers. But at what point does Satterfield, who doubles as the quarterbacks coach, become responsible for consistently poor results throwing the ball? And at what point, with time winding down and his team in position to take the lead in a quest to win its sixth game of the year, does a head coach become responsible for putting too much confidence in a maddeningly erratic quarterback room?

Trev Alberts made the correct choice by hiring Rhule last November. I think Rhule has already done a lot to stabilize the Huskers’ program and believe he will take it in the right direction next fall. But had he stepped in and made the right call in the dying minutes Saturday, he’d quite likely already have a significant milestone — a long-awaited bowl berth — nailed down. That story will have to wait at least another week.

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