The Nebraska Season has Reached a New Low

For the third time this season, Nebraska found a way to lose a football game in the final seconds. By now you would think that Nebraska fans would be used to this feeling, but Saturday’s game against Illinois left Husker nation even more heartbroken than previous losses to BYU and Miami. The Nebraska season has reached a new low. Against BYU, it was as if an act of God (Or Joseph Smith) ripped victory away from the Huskers. Against Miami, it was a valiant comeback effort that fell just short. Against Illinois though, there was only one thing that the Huskers could blame, and that was themselves. Nebraska sabotaged themselves with poor quarterback play, offensive line breakdowns, questionable play calling, and costly red zone penalties to waste a valiant defensive effort and fall to the Illinois Fighting Illini 14-13. Nebraska held a 13-0 lead heading into the 4th quarter and a 13-7  with less than a minute remaining. Facing a 3rd and 7 at the Illinois with the Illini having zero timeouts remaining, Nebraska called for a quarterback bootleg that DID NOT have a pass option. Armstrong inexplicably tried to dump a pass to freshman running back Devine Ozigbo, resulting in an incompletion that allowed Illinois to take over with 51 seconds remaining and mount the winning drive. Here are my final grades as well as some final thoughts about the Husker’s season going forward.

FINAL GRADES

Quarterback: F-

Tommy Armstrong played like a 4 letter word that I’m not allowed to write. There really isn’t another way to put it. I understand that it was cold and windy and that the Huskers receivers dropped some catchable balls, but Armstrong completed just 32.3% of his passes against the Illini and averaged a horrid 3.4 yards per attempt. Armstrong began reverting back to his 2014 habits, namely throwing off of his back foot, throwing the ball late, forcing it to Jordan Westerkamp when it wasn’t there, and showing terrible body language. Armstrong gave Nebraska okay production as a runner, with 38 yards on 8 carries, but his terrible passing day and inexcusable blunder on a 3rd and 7 with 58 seconds left in the game earn him the lowest grade possible.

Running Backs: B-

The running game was not the problem for the Nebraska Cornhuskers on Saturday, as Terrell Newby, Andy Janovich, and true Freshman Devine Ozigbo combined for 23 carries for 128 yards and Nebraska’s only touchdown. Ozigbo reeled off two impressive runs Saturday and may have overtaken Newby as Nebraska’s number one running back for the remainder of the season. Janovich continued his impressive season, carrying the ball 11 times for 43 yards and grinding out 27 yards on Nebraska’s final drive. The only problem I had with the running backs was their lack of use on a cold, windy day where the passing game was struggling. That is more of an issue with playcalling (we’ll get to that) than their own performance.

Wide Receivers: F

While Tommy Armstrong is probably going to be labeled the goat of this game, his receivers deserve plenty of blame as well. Jordan Westerkamp laid an egg in his return to Memorial Stadium, catching 1 pass for -1 yard despite being targeted over ten times. Brandon Reilly had two drops and finished the game with just one reception for 16 yards. Demornay Pierson-El returned from a foot injury but was barely used, catching just one pass for six yards. Overall the Huskers receivers, who I had touted as possibly the best in the Big 10 with the return of Pierson-El, combined for three catches for 21 yards. Horrible.

Tight Ends: B+

Cethan Carter had his breakout game Saturday, catching 3 passes for 63 yards and being the lone positive of Nebraska’s passing attack. His emergence is big for Nebraska, as they will need him to continue playing well while the Husker receivers get their act together. Sam Cotton continued his solid junior season. He didn’t catch a pass, but he had a good day blocking, as he sprung Ozigbo a couple times with great seal blocks.

Offensive Line: C-

Nebraska’s tackles had a pretty decent game today. Nick Gates continued his impressive freshman season, and Alex Lewis was decent except for some bizarre post game behavior (We’ll get to that later). The problems arose with Nebraska’s interior line, as Chongo Kondolo and Dylan Utter both had rough days for the Scarlet and Cream. Utter in particular was beat in one on one situations by Illinois’ less than stellar defensive line. I’m beginning to wonder if we might see freshmen DJ Foster and Tanner Farmer get more opportunities in practice, because the veterans in front of them aren’t getting it done. Nebraska ran for just under 200 yards, but had some major breakdowns that cost them points.

Defensive Line: B

Oh Maliek Collins, how we have missed you. The junior from Kansas City was dominant on Saturday, picking up 1.5 sacks and completely disrupting Illinois’ run game. Fellow Defensive Tackle Kevin Maurice also had a good game, as Nebraska was fantastic against the run save for two breakdowns. Freshman Freedom Akinmoladun got in on a sack on Saturday and played well. Jack Gangwish and Greg McMullen shared snaps at the other defensive end position and both played solid football. Unfortunately, Nebraska was unable to get pressure when they most needed to, as Illinois Quartterback Wes Lunt was given too much time to throw on the Illini’s final drive.

Linebackers: A-

This was the first time all season that Nebraska used the same linebacker trio in consecutive games, and Nebraska played its best defensive game of the season. That isn’t a coincidence. Sophomore Chris Weber was fantastic, tallying 17 tackles and giving Nebraska a true leader in the middle of its defense for the first time since Will Compton graduated. Dedrick Young got caught out of position early in the game, allowing Josh Ferguson to break out a 47-yard run, but the true freshman played tremendously after that, tallying 11 tackles and being a real presence against the run. Marcus Newby didn’t have as gaudy of statistics as Weber and Young, but the sophomore played a solid game as well. Nebraska may have a pretty promising linebacker corps once injured starters Josh Banderas and Michael Rose-Ivey are finally healthy, but those two may struggle to win their jobs back.

Secondary: C-

Take away one play, and Nebraska’s secondary might have an A for today’s game. The Husker corners were physical and competitive Saturday, bullying the Illini receivers and forcing Wes Lunt to make perfect throws to beat them. As a result Illinois only had 129 yards passing through three quarters. But Nebraska went with quarters coverage on Illinois’ final drive, and still somehow let an Illini receiver get behind them for a 50 yard gain that put Illinois inside of Nebraska’s ten with less than a minute left. Nebraska also committed two pass interference penalties after the 50-yard completion, both of which gave Illinois extra chances to beat Nebraska, which they eventually did.

Special Teams: A-

Demornay Pierson-El fumbled his first punt return of the season, but Nebraska’s defense stuffed the Illini offense and forced a missed field goal, so I wont dock them much for that error. Drew Brown was solid, going two for two on the day. One wonders if Nebraska should have let him attempt the 44-yard field goal with less than a minute remaining that would have put the game out of reach. Junior Sam Foltz had his best game as a Husker, averaging 46.9 yards per punt and downing three off his punts inside the Illini 20.

Playcalling: F

I’m going to give Danny Langsdorf the benefit of the doubt and assume that they really did call a quarterback bootleg without a pass option on that infamous third and seven, but I cannot forgive him for going away from Nebraska’s most reliable source of offense in the fourth quarter in Andy Janovich. The senior fullback had carried the ball on four of Nebraska’s eight plays that drive, gaining 27 yards and keeping the chains and clock moving. But Langsdorf attempted to get cute and it came back and bit him in the rear end. Langsdorf also relied far to heavily on Tommy Armstrong’s arm on Saturday, as the junior clearly didn’t have it against the Illini. Langsdorf still had him chuck the ball 15 times in the second half despite holding a 13 point lead in wet and windy conditions. Just a bad day for Langsdorf.

Overall Grade: D-

I cant give the Huskers an F because I saw some extremely encouraging developments for the Husker running backs, linebackers, and secondary. But I cant give them a grade any higher than a D- because of the baffling, bad performances from the supposed strengths of the 2015 Huskers. Armstrong and his receivers need to get in the film room and get on the same page and do it quickly if they want to get the offense back on track. Langsdorf needs to stop overthinking his third down play calls and simply feed old reliable. The secondary and linebackers need to keep improving and the defensive line needs to find a consistent source of outside pressure to complement their star player in Maliek Collins.

Final Thoughts

• This game in a way reminds of Nebraska’s 2009 loss to the Virginia Tech Hokies, where the Huskers dominated the game but poor quarterback play and breakdowns on the offensive line prevented them from slamming the door. Virginia Tech then completed a long pass play that led to a game winning touchdown with just seconds remaining. The only difference between the 09 loss and this one? In 09 the Huskers outplayed but lost to a team that finished the year ranked tenth. This year we outplayed, but lost to a team that will  probably go 7-6 and play in the Pinstripe Bowl.
• I don’t think that Tommy Armstrong’s starting job is in jeopardy, but I do think the Husker coaching staff needs to send him a strong message to get his act together. Armstrong played terribly on the football field, had terrible body language and communication with his receivers and running backs, and reportedly went against his coaches wishes on that infamous 3rd and 7 play. I think Ryker Fyfe or AJ Bush should start getting some first team reps in practice. If nothing else, to show Armstrong that he isn’t untouchable and he can be replaced if he doesn’t shape up.
• I was very impressed with true freshman Devine Ozigbo at running back. The young man from Sachse, Texas has good burst upon receiving the hand off and reads his blocks well. It was curious to see him get the bulk of the carries in today’s game, as Terrell Newby received just five carries, most of which came in the 1st half. Running back is a position to watch going forward.
• Someone bigger and tougher than me needs to grab Alex Lewis by the ear and knock some sense into him. The senior captain was seen blowing kisses and waving at Husker fans while walking off the field, shouting out “I’m sorry, we suck” in a sarcastic manner. In case Husker fans have forgotten, Lewis was the one who threw a hissy fit on Facebook after receiving backlash for a stupid penalty he committed against the Miami Hurricanes. I have a feeling that Andy Janovich will be Nebraska’s sixth captain against Wisconsin, not the young man who is “Done playing for the State of Nebraska.”
• Sophomore Chris Weber has really impressed me this season, as the Sophomore has tallied 29 tackles in the past two games. Former starter Josh Banderas is bigger, faster, and looks better coming off the bus than Weber, but Weber simply makes more plays. I don’t think Banderas will be able to reclaim his starting job once he returns. I think Weber has dibs on it for the next two-plus seasons.
• Despite this ugly start, I still feel that the window is open for Nebraska to win the Big 10 West. This is mainly due to the Big 10 West being arguably the worst Power 5 division in college football this season. Wisconsin and Iowa just finished off a 10-6 pillow fight in which Iowa won despite Quarterback CJ Beathard throwing for just 77 yards and an interception. Wisconsin’s offense is going into the tank as the Badgers no longer have a stud running back to carry the load; and quarterback Joel “Mr. Yips” Stave has been unable to carry the offense, as he threw two costly picks Saturday against Iowa. Minnesota appears lost on offense without Daniel Cobb and Maxx Williams; and their defense can no longer compensate for them. Illinois and Purdue are going to struggle to score on Big 10 defenses all season. The only team that looks like a good college football team through five games is Northwestern; and they are led by a redshirt freshman at quarterback, which means a midseason lull in offensive production is likely.
• I can see next week’s game against Wisconsin going two ways. The Nebraska defense, bolstered by the return of Vincent Valentine, shuts down the Wisconsin offense and the Huskers and Badgers have an old fashioned 17-14 low scoring slug fest. Or I could see the Badgers getting a couple deep passes early in the game to take an early lead and coast to a two score victory. Either way, I don’t see the Huskers scoring a ton of points against the badger defense.

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