Nebraska suffered its first loss of the season in heartbreaking fashion, falling in overtime 23-17 to Wisconsin in Madison. After being behind 17-7 going into the fourth quarter, Nebraska scored twice to tie the game, but ultimately was not able to answer Wisconsin’s overtime touchdown. So, for Nebraska fans looking back on the game against Wisconsin …
The Good
Breaking the Wall. Nebraska had no business being successful running the ball at one of the best rushing defenses in the country. Injuries to the offensive line coming into the game made Nebraska’s ability to create space a huge question mark. And when guard Tanner Farmer was carted off the field in the first half, it became difficult to see how Nebraska was going to do much of anything on offense.
But Nebraska still ended the game with 152 yards rushing on 44 attempts. Yeah, it was only 3.5 yards per carry. Terrell Newby led the way with 78 yards on 17 rushes. And while Nebraska’s running attack certainly won’t win any awards, it helped to keep the offense on the field and keep Wisconsin’s defense honest.
Even with a hurting offensive line, Nebraska had 44 rushes to 31 pass attempts, demonstrating a commitment to the run and an offensive game plan. And that plan was oh-so-nearly good enough to get the job done.
Front Four. Nebraska’s defensive front had been a question coming into the season, especially with the departures of Maliek Collins and Vincent Valentine. But against Wisconsin, the front four played one of its best games of the season. Nebraska’s two sacks came from the interior of the line, one from Mick Stoltenberg and one from Carlos Davis.
And Wisconsin, while ultimately doing well against Nebraska on the ground, had to move to the edges to find success. Against an imposing Wisconsin offensive line, Nebraska’s defensive front was more than able to hold its own.
Fourth Quarter Fortitude. Well, here we go again. Nebraska entered the fourth quarter down ten, and in danger of seeing the game slip away. But rather than crumble, Nebraska dug in, scoring early to get the game closer, then getting two Nate Gerry interceptions to allow NU’s offense to tie the score.
Last year, a combination of a new coaching staff and a string of heartbreaking losses tore at the fragility of Nebraska’s psyche. This year, this group of Cornhuskers has definitely achieved a level of confidence to keep swinging late into a contest.
The Bad
Tommy’s Troubles. It is really, really hard to write negative things about Tommy Armstrong. He is such a tough competitor, and such an inspirational character and leader for the team. Going through what he has, with a coaching change and an entire shift in offensive philosophy, is one of the most difficult thing for a quarterback to handle.
The numbers, though, speak for themselves. Armstrong was 12 of 31 for 153 yards, and two interceptions. He had 13 carries for 47 yards. Yes, he made some clutch plays – that’s what Armstrong does, to be certain.
But as compelling as Nebraska’s comeback was – indeed, its play throughout the game – Armstrong’s contribution to that comeback was limited at best. A sharper performance from the quarterback position may very well have been the difference in Nebraska finally putting its Camp Randall ghosts to rest.
Getting Stretched. At the start of the game, Nebraska was having a great deal of success against Wisconsin’s running game. Corey Clement, the Badgers’ starting tailback, was limited to 82 yards on 19 carries. The interior of Nebraska’s defensive line was handling Wisconsin’s attack.
But Wisconsin brought in Dare Ogunbowale, and began to attack Nebraska with stretch concepts, meaning a running play where the offensive line and running back go at an angle to one side with the hope of “stretching” the defense out until a running back can get through a crease in the stretch.
That’s just what Ogunbowale did to great effect, rushing for 120 yards on 11 carries. The big hits that Wisconsin created off of those stretch plays were ultimately the difference that allowed the Badgers to win an incredibly tight contest.
Those No-Calls. On Wisconsin’s first touchdown, defensive end Ross Dzuris was pretty clearly held going after Wisconsin quarterback Alex Hornibrook. Nebraska receiver Stanley Morgan was arguably interfered with on a critical pass attempt. And on third down in overtime, Jordan Westerkamp was body-checked by Wisconsin linebacker Ryan Connelly, with no pass interference called. The Badgers were not flagged once for holding.
Stop it. Just stop it, Husker Fan. Yes, there’s an argument that there were some missed calls in the game. Much like you, my arms were raised in righteous indignation when the flags remain in officials’ pockets.
But you just can’t go there. It’s loser talk, as I remind my kids when they want to bellyache about an umpire’s calls. Nebraska has gotten, and will get, its share of calls, and you won’t remember those for more than five seconds when they go your way. Letting yourself fall into a “we wuz robbed” mentality won’t do anything more than raise your blood pressure even more than being on this roller-coaster of sports fandom already does.
Besides, Nebraska had plenty of opportunities to win this game. There’s plenty of questions to raise about what could have been different to escape Madison with a record unblemished.
Wisconsin won because Wisconsin played a hell of a game. Nebraska lost because Nebraska played a hell of a game, but came up a few plays short. Leave it there – both because it’s right and because it’s far better for your mental health.
And The Moral Victory
OK, I’ll admit it. In the throes of the overtime, I wasn’t terribly interested in hearing the “win or lose, Nebraska has proved itself” narrative. I might have gotten a little shouty about it on Twitter.
But Sherman, set the WayBack Machine for November 15, 2014. With 14:12 to go in the second quarter, Nebraska led Wisconsin 17-3 and had the ball. It looked like – after so long – Nebraska was finally going to play well on a national stage and take a step back towards national recognition.
After that, well, let’s just say that the Huskers.com recap tells the story of Wisconsin’s 59-24 win:
Melvin Gordon ran for an NCAA FBS record 408 yards and four TDs on 25 carries, as Wisconsin rushed for 581 yards and reeled off 56 unanswered points. Gordon set the record despite sitting out the fourth quarter. (Emphasis added)
Nebraska fans had been accustomed to seeing those embarrassing losses on national television. Indeed, one smart and particularly handsome analyst pointed out that epic collapses like that were the defining characteristic of the Bo Pelini era.
You remember that, don’t you Husker Fan? Spending a week or so getting excited for a game, settling in with your diet soda and taco-flavored Doritos to watch a prime-time Nebraska showdown for big stakes? Luxuriating in the national attention brought to you by college football’s pundits discussing the scarlet and cream alongside all the other national powerhouses? Seeing “Nebraska” flash amongst all the other teams in the mix for those coveted four spots in the College Football Playoff commercials?
For years – probably since the 2010 Big XII Championship Game against Oklahoma – Nebraska was buried in those games quickly. Here’s what the halftime scores were for Nebraska against top-15 teams (and Wisconsin):
Wisconsin 2011 | UW 27, NU 14 (NU lost 48-17) |
Michigan State 2011 | NU 10, MSU 3 (NU won 24-3) |
South Carolina 2012 | USC 16, NU 13 (NU lost 30-13) |
Ohio State 2012 | OSU 35, NU 24 (NU lost 63-38) |
Wisconsin 2012 | UW 42, NU 10 (NU lost 70-31) |
Georgia 2013 | NU 24, UGA 23 (NU lost 45-31) |
Michigan State 2013 | MSU 20, NU 3 (NU lost 41-28) |
Michigan State 2014 | MSU 17, NU 0 (NU lost 27-22) |
Wisconsin 2014 | NU 27, UW 24 (NU lost 59-24) |
Under two seasons with Riley, Nebraska has played two teams ranked in the top ten, and four ranked teams in total. Nebraska beat no. 6 Michigan State 39-38 and lost to no. 3 Iowa 28-20 in 2015, and beat no. 22 Oregon 35-32 and lost to no. 11 Wisconsin 23-17 in overtime this year.
Notice something? One point win. Eight point loss. Three point win. Six point loss.
Yes, Nebraska is 2-2 in those games. But that’s the point. Nebraska is in those games. Husker Fan has something to do in the fourth quarter of those big games other than turn of Twitter and see what’s on sale at Restoration Hardware.
That’s reason to hope. Reason to think that Nebraska just might be on the verge of winning more of these games, and of bringing in the quality and quantity of players necessary to win those games on a consistent basis.
Now, let’s be clear. Coming close and losing isn’t good enough, certainly in the long run. Putting up a fight as a plucky underdog and gaining respect in the loss is still a loss, and moral victories won’t get Nebraska where it wants to go, where the program and the fanbase envision it and expect it to be on the national stage.
In the long run, it’s not good enough. But as a salve for the wounds of blowouts past, for the exhausting energy to keep the faith with the scarlet and cream year after year, through all kinds of weather, it’s a start. Not the finish, to be sure, but just maybe this is the tangible evidence that Nebraska is finding a way to come in from the long winter’s night of irrelevance.
Bring on the Buckeyes.
Glad to see this series return! After there was no post for the Purdue game, I was worried maybe you’d given up blogging and decided to ride into the sunset. Kidding, of course, I understand that when real life gets busy things like this need to take a backseat.
Really good points, all. I especially appreciated squelching any complaints about the refs, because you’re absolutely right, that is loser talk. It was really interesting to me last year that Nebraska got that huge call against Michigan State, and then a week later Pelini’s Penguins had a huge pass interference call go against the when they faced North Dakota State. I would argue both calls were correct, but that doesn’t make them any less controversial, and comparing the two coaches’ press conferences was a study in contrast. Dantonio took full responsibility for the loss, refused to engage any question about whether it was the correct call, and recognized that his team would never have been in the situation for the refs to play a part in the outcome if they hadn’t left it to the final minute to decide the game. Pelini, on the other hand, all but said the refs screwed him, at one point saying something like “It’s just too bad the game couldn’t have been decided on the field.” Ignoring, of course, that even after the call in question, his team had multiple opportunities to still win the game and couldn’t do it. Watching those two videos in such quick succession, I remember thinking ‘I now completely understand why Michigan State gets a little bit better every year, while the last 5 years under Pelini Nebraska never built any positive momentum.’
There are a lot of positives to take from this game, despite everything. As much as it hurts to lose, even that’s a positive in its own way. After our last trip to Wisconsin in 2014, I didn’t hurt at all. I just felt numb. But it’s now impossible to deny Nebraska’s improvement over last year, or even over the last few years in Pelini’s tenure. I just hope that Riley and co. continue to build off of this game. Pelini and even Bill Callahan showed improvement in their second year. But that’s not what anyone remembers them for.
Sorry for the super long comment–there’s just so much to discuss from the game and this post.
Thanks for the thoughtful response! Yeah, reality intruded, I actually had the Purdue piece about half-finished but couldn’t push myself over the finish line. Kind feedback like yours does help provide a little additional motivational juice to keep plugging away, so I appreciate you reading and commenting.
That’s an interesting point about Pelini and his response to referees, not just against NDSU but in his time in Lincoln. I hadn’t really crystallized my thoughts in that regard, I was more just reacting with my own coaching style (at whatever level that may be) and how important it is to NOT let the decisions of officials affect you. Drives me insane when fans do it. But your observation really does put that question into sharper focus. Of COURSE a team isn’t going to get better after a loss if the coach says “we wuz robbed” rather than “we need to get better.”
We’ll see, of course. Nebraska could get run off the field by a hyper-talented Ohio State team this weekend, especially with a patchwork offensive line (although getting Cethan Carter back is a BFD). And next year could be pretty iffy given that NU will be breaking in an entirely new offense with a lot of new skill guys.
But, yeah, there’s more reason to be optimistic than any time at least since post-2009 Big XII title game. If nothing else, it’s a lot more fun to watch on Saturday.