By Rock Westfall
During the first half of Saturday’s Nebraska vs. Purdue game, there were plenty of comments on social media about how it was the worst exhibition of football and officiating that anyone had ever seen. And nobody was in the mood to debate the point.
In the Scott Frost era , botched field goals, penalties that nullified Nebraska touchdowns, and red zone failures would have ended in defeat. At halftime, Husker Nation had that old feeling again, and it wasn’t good. The Big Red put fans and gamblers on upset alert with inept offense, clown show kicking, needless mistakes and blown opportunities.
With no score heading into the third quarter, Nebraska managed to take a precarious 7-3 lead into the final frame. But then the karaoke session of Scott Frost’s greatest hits abruptly ended. The Big Red exploded for three touchdowns and a commanding 28-3 lead that ended with a 28-10 victory .
While there is plenty to fix, criticize, and complain about, the end result is an encouraging sign. Unlike past editions of the Cornhuskers, this team found an extra gear when it mattered most.
Of course, Nebraska has plenty to clean up for next Saturday’s 4 p.m. ET kickoff at Memorial Stadium against the undefeated rock-ribbed Rutgers Scarlet Knights.
Blackshirts Return to Save Disjointed Offense
Following a poor performance in last week’s home loss to Illinois , the Nebraska defense returned with a vengeance. Purdue was outgained 405-224 and was unable to mount drives consistently. The Boilermakers averaged 1.6 yards per rush and committed 13 penalties for a staggering 165 yards. Nebraska had five sacks, and John Bullock scored on a 29-yard pick-six to apply the coup de grace. Indeed, the Blackshirts redeemed themselves and gave the offense enough time to work out of its funk.
Among the top concerns for Nebraska is a rushing attack that had better numbers (161 yards on 32 carries) than what the eye test revealed. The offensive line was unable to produce power-rushing gains for most of the day, forcing Nebraska to use its receivers on sweeps. Consider that wideout Jacory Barney Jr., led the Big Red with 66 rushing yards on four carries, which included a long of 31 yards and a 25-yard TD run in the 4 th quarter.
Emmett Johnson was the top producer in the backfield, with 50 yards on eight carries. Dante Dowdell had only 21 yards on nine carries but scored on a 4 th down 1-yard rush off the right side of the line to give Nebraska a critical 14-3 lead. The play was one of the few moments where the line facilitated a power run.
Of major concern is that offense coordinator Marcus Satterfield 's disjointed play-calling is becoming a source of frustration and undermining Dylan Raiola. The 5-star freshman phenom was a perfunctory 16-26 for 244 yards and a touchdown while underthrowing multiple deep passes and often looking lethargic and out of sync.
The most bizarre play was a third-down call on Purdue’s one-yard line, where Satterfield called for Carter Nelson to try to leap the line for a score. It was an abysmal failure that never had a chance. Fortunately, Dowdell and the offensive line bailed everyone out with the aforementioned TD on the next play.
Penalties and Field Goal Team Failures Continue
Nebraska committed 11 penalties for 94 yards, a bad trend that is continuing with no relief in sight. By the end of the game, Matt Rhule blew his stack, spiked his headset, and drew an unsportsmanlike penalty. Earlier in the game, Nebraska had a TD pass called back on a terrible phantom pick call that is emblematic of the amateur-hour Big Ten officiating which should be a source of humiliation to the league.
Meanwhile, Nebraska still can’t get its kicks.
After pulling his first field goal attempt of the day for a miss, John Hohl had his next two field goals blocked in part because of poor center-holder exchanges.
As I mentioned last week, Nebraska’s kicking team’s issues are not due to a lack of attention or priorities. Hohl and the injured number one kicker Tristan Alvano were celebrated signees. Alvano continues to battle a groin issue, while Hohl has not lived up to his press clippings yet. As Rhule mentioned last week, the field goal team as comprised now was not together during the spring.
Still, the unit's performance has become a dangerous liability to immediately solve for special teams coordinator Ed Foley and former Husker kicking great Brett Maher , who was hired primarily to oversee the field goals.
Additionally against Purdue, Nebraska only managed 8 yards on one kickoff return and nine yards on three punt returns. It was an inexcusably poor performance.
The game was an abysmal special team embarrassment that must be turned around by next Saturday if the Huskers are serious about making a run as a contender.
No doubt, Saturday won’t make Husker nation confident about the Big Ten gauntlet ahead. Most of the day looked like a probable catastrophe, yet it was not. The importance of that cannot be undersold.
A sign of a good football team is to play a terrible game only to win going away, especially on the road against a Big Ten opponent. Now, Nebraska heads home with a win, a 4-1 record, and the knowledge that they can overcome adversity and deliver in clutch moments.
Saturday’s game was an eyesore but a triumphant one. And let’s not forget Nebraska used to regularly lose these types of games.
Before Husker Nation gets too down about today, they should consider the alternative.
Just imagine going through all that and losing. Remember those days?
Progress continues.
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