Tad Stryker: The Shame of it All

Breakdowns and clock mismanagement snatch away chance for Husker win in Madison

Tad Stryker | Nov 19, 2023

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Matt Rhule had a fleeting opportunity to score a dramatic come-from-behind win in Madison. He settled for less, and it was a shame.

What a pity it happened on a night when Nebraska finally got some quality play from its quarterback. A night when staked to a two-touchdown lead and an opportunity to go out and win a game on their own, the Husker defense and kicking game faltered.

What a shame.

Matt Rhule has said those words so often lately that I lost track of whether he actually uttered them again Saturday night in Madison, after Nebraska football suffered another gut-wrenching loss in a another game that was there for the taking in the final minutes.

For Tony White’s Blackshirts, it was pretty much a replay of last year’s failure in a 15-14 loss in Lincoln, when Bill Busch’s Blackshirts busted a coverage on a wheel route and slowly, agonizingly gave up a two-score lead.

It was a dismal repetition of recent Husker overtime offensive meltdowns. Marcus Satterfield’s Husker offense looked totally disorganized throughout its overtime series, and did exactly what Mike Riley’s and Scott Frost’s offenses did in overtime — rolled over without scoring a single point. The Huskers haven’t scored a single touchdown or field goal in overtime in seven opportunities since Bo Pelini was coach, when Tommy Armstrong hit Kenny Bell in the front corner of the end zone to beat Iowa in 2014, just hours before Shawn Eichorst fired Pelini.

Overtime possibly could have been avoided, had Rhule used every precious second to his team’s advantage.

A late touchdown by the Huskers would have redeemed a season that is slowly ebbing away. The Blackshirts are losing momentum against the run, and could not get a single takeaway Saturday night. Wisconsin’s offense took advantage of several poor punts by Brian Buschini and controlled the ball for nine minutes in the fourth quarter. After a tremendous start to the season, Buschini has become so ineffective that it raises concerns that he’s trying to play through an injury. Against Wisconsin, he had less than 30 net yards per punt.

And Rhule — who a month ago, coming off the field after a win over Purdue gave NU a 5-3 record, chided a Husker fan for shouting, “Let’s win one more, coach!” — is down to his final chance to get that elusive sixth win and extend the season.

Rhule could have settled that matter last week against Maryland, but decided against an almost sure go-ahead field goal late in the fourth quarter. This time, in his first matchup with Luke Fickell, Rhule did his Wisconsin counterpart a tremendous favor by giving up too quickly on the idea of winning the game in regulation time.

Nebraska running back Emmett Johnson rushes with the football during the first quarter of the game.

Nebraska quarterback Chubba Purdy throws a pass during the first quarter.

© Mark Hoffman/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK

Nebraska quarterback Chubba Purdy evades a tackle by Wisconsin linebacker Jake Chaney during the first quarter.

Nebraska quarterback Chubba Purdy rushes with the football before scoring a touchdown during the first quarter.

Nebraska quarterback Chubba Purdy celebrates after scoring a touchdown during the first quarter.

Nebraska running back Anthony Grant rushes with the football during the first quarter.

Wisconsin quarterback Tanner Mordecai is tackled by Nebraska linebacker Luke Reimer during the first quarter.

Wisconsin quarterback Tanner Mordecai throws a pass during the first quarter against the Nebraska Cornhuskers.

Nebraska quarterback Chubba Purdy throws a pass during the first quarter.

Nebraska quarterback Chubba Purdy looks to throw a pass during the first quarter.

Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule talks with officials during the second quarter.

Nebraska quarterback Chubba Purdy rushes with the football during the second quarter.

Wisconsin running back Jackson Acker rushes for a touchdown during the second quarter.

Wisconsin tight end Tucker Ashcraft catches a pass in front of Nebraska defensive back Isaac Gifford during the second quarter.

Wisconsin cheerleaders perform during the second quarter.

Nebraska quarterback Chubba Purdy pitches the football towards running back Anthony Grant during the second quarter.

Wisconsin head coach Luke Fickell looks on during the second quarter.

Wisconsin quarterback Tanner Mordecai rushes with the football during the second quarter.

Mark Hoffman/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel via USA TODAY NETWORK

Chubba Purdy runs for a first down before being tackled by Wisconsin linebacker Jake Chaney during the second quarter.

Wisconsin wide receiver Will Pauling picks up 12 yards on a reception during the second quarter.

Wisconsin's Jackson Acker scores a touchdown on a 26-yard reception during the second quarter.

Wisconsin safety Preston Zachman tackles Nebraska wide receiver Billy Kemp IV after a short reception during the first quarter.

Nebraska tight end Thomas Fidone is tackled by Wisconsin cornerback Jason Maitre during the third quarter.

Wisconsin's Vinny Anthony returns a third-quarter punt as Nebraska punter Brian Buschini closes in.

Nebraska quarterback Chubba Purdy prepares to throw a pass during the third quarter.

Wisconsin wide receiver Will Pauling is tackled by Marques Buford Jr. after a third-quarter reception.

Nebraska quarterback Chubba Purdy tries to elude linebacker Jordan Turner during the fourth quarter.

Wisconsin quarterback Tanner Mordecai looks to throw a pass during the fourth quarter.

Nebraska defensive lineman Ty Robinson stops Wisconsin running back Braelon Allen for a five-yard loss during the fourth quarter.

Wisconsin running back Braelon Allen runs with the football between Nebraska's Isaac Gifford (left) and Malcolm Hartzog during the fourth quarter.

Wisconsin's Jackson Acker carries the ball during the fourth quarter.

Nebraska coach Matt Rhule walks the sideline during the fourth quarter.

Braelon Allen (0) celebrates his go-ahead touchdown in overtime.

Wisconsin players hoist the Freedom Trophy as they celebrate their overtime win.

Starting from their 20, Purdy and the Huskers moved the ball to the Badger 26 with about 1:30 remaining, largely on the strength of their running game. Two plays later, the Huskers were at the 18 with just under a minute remaining. Rhule had two timeouts in his pocket, with sufficient time to keep running the ball. Facing a third-and-2 from the 18, Rhule inexplicably allowed almost half a minute to bleed off the clock before calling his second time out with 20 seconds remaining. Until that moment, Nebraska seemed to have a decent chance to punch it in and win the game in regulation. After Rhule needlessly burned the clock, that opportunity was gone. Two plays later, Rhule sent in Tristan Alvano to kick a game-tying 30-yard field goal with four seconds remaining.

There were plenty of other critical errors to go around, and equally distributed among offense, defense and special teams. The offensive line reverted to the pre-snap penalties of earlier this season, and there were some backbreakers. Leading 14-10 in the third quarter, The Blackshirts allowed Mordecai to escape on second-and-8 when linebacker Javin Wright seemingly had him dead to rights on a blitz. But Wright whiffed on the tackle, Mordecai ran for a first down and their running game came alive from that point. The Badgers converted four of seven third-down situations after the end of the third quarter.

Third-string quarterback Chubba Purdy seized the opportunity afforded him by Jeff Sims’ erratic play and an ankle injury to Heinrich Haarberg. Purdy ignored his nagging groin injury and gave the Huskers a fighting chance to win the game. He sprinted 55 yards for a touchdown on Nebraska’s opening drive, then threw a 58-yard touchdown pass to freshman Jalen Lloyd on its second drive before the offensive well started to run dry. It should not be forgotten that Purdy completed 15 of 20 passes for 169 yards and a touchdown in regulation, before the Husker offense melted down in overtime. It certainly pumps more drama and uncertainty into the Nebraska quarterback room.

Purdy and the offense missed a perfect opportunity for an early knockout of a Badger team coming off three consecutive losses and whose players were openly fighting among themselves during the week. But the Huskers were stuffed on a fourth-and-1 conversion on their next drive. It was the right call by Rhule, but the Blackshirts didn’t follow up. They allowed Wisconsin right back into the game, failing their opportunity to squash the life out of a team that got just enough production from two players who recently returned from injuries: quarterback Tanner Mordecai and running back Braelon Allen.

Mordecai continually extended drives with third-and-long conversions, sometimes on passes down the middle to senior wide receiver Will Pauling or on scrambles he ad-libbed himself. Mordecai passed for 160 yards on an 18-for-28 performance with one touchdown and no interceptions. Allen ran 22 times for 62 yards and two touchdowns, including the game-winner in overtime.

Meanwhile, Rhule and his team were left to ponder the big plays they almost made, and the missing half-minute that could have made a huge difference. Doggoned shame.

Published Nov 19, 2023

TAD STRYKER

Tad Stryker, whose earliest memories of Nebraska football take in the last years of the Bob Devaney era, has covered Nebraska collegiate and prep sports for 40 years. Before moving to Lincoln, he was a sports writer, columnist and editor for two newspapers in North Platte. He can identify with fans who listen to Husker sports from a tractor cab and those who watch from a sports bar. A history buff, Stryker has written for HuskerMax since 2008. You can reach Tad at tad.stryker@gmail.com.