After Anthony Colandrea’s 39-yard run for a touchdown and putting Nebraska up 17 to 6 with 12 minutes left in the game, I found myself working towards a potential dilemma. With a win over the national champion Hoosiers, would I finally be fully bought in on this Nebraska team? Had Nebraska finally made the turn?
My problem was short lived as less than 20 seconds later Indiana wide receiver Nick Marsh took a short pass over the middle and turned it into a 75-yard touchdown with Indiana closing the gap to 17-13. It was a very familiar feeling.
After Nebraska got the ball back, they ran 4 plays, got sacked, had a 1-yard run, completed a pass for 0 yards, and threw an incompletion. Indiana DC Brian Haines had figured Colandrea out.
After the ensuing punt, Indiana ran 5 plays of their own, first picking up 15 yards on a pass interference penalty, a 6-yard run, an incompletion, and a 3-yard pass. Then on fourth and one Nebraska sold out on stopping the run and Hoover hit Nick Marsh on a short pass to the left. Marsh took it 44 yards to the house. In coverage, Nebraska defensive end Cam Lenhardt. Talk about a mismatch. Poor Lenhardt didn’t have a snowballs chance.
For many Husker fans, with 7:13 remaining in the game, there was still hope that this Husker team was different and that they could mount a comeback to win. But deep down we all knew what we’d just witnessed. Another collapse.
Indiana’s defense took over in the second half, but losing the lead changed everything for Nebraska’s offense. Holgorsen, already struggling after Indiana defensive coordinator Brian Haine’s second half adjustments, had no answers. And Colandrea, feeling the pressure of needing to find a way to win, started to press.
A Team Loss
I said in my reaction video right after the game that I was putting this one on the Blackshirts. I’ve rethought that, because in every game you can go back and find 10 to 20 plays that cost you the game. That’s easy to do in this one.
The offense failed to score points when they needed to. Settling for a field goal to start the game and later with first and goal two different times they came away with no points and a missed field goal.
For as good as they were in the first half, they became one dimensional before games end. With the Hoosiers taking Colandrea’s running ability away they also shut down the wide receiver sweeps from Hunter and Barney. And somehow, it seemed fitting that Nebraska’s offensive day ended with a missed block by right tackle Tree Babalade that produced a sack on Colandrea. I’m not singling out Babalade, but an offensive line that has been suspect all season showed it still needs to get better.
On defense, the Blackshirts played lights out but got burned on three plays that were difference makers. Indiana had 263 yards receiving for the game. But they picked up 166 yards on just three plays. The first led to the opening drive field goal, the next two went to Marsh for Indiana’s TDs. Those two plays were backbreakers.
And finally, Nebraska was out coached. Holgorsen had no answers by the time the last two offensive drives came around, and Aurich, who had an excellent game plan for the run struggled coming up with a coverage to stop Marsh. The fourth and one touchdown could be seen coming by almost anyone who can identify a soccer ball from a football. Why on earth you wouldn’t have Marshall and Evans playing man and totally ignoring the run is beyond me. A first down doesn’t kill you, but a bust in coverage does.
First Half Stats vs Final Stats
This was absolutely a game of two halves. Nebraska dominated almost every category in the first half of play. But Indiana’s second half adjustments both on offense and defense changed the narrative FIRST HALF SECOND HALF
Nebraska Indiana Nebraska Indiana
Total Yards 216 138 167 190
Pass Yards 138 103 117 160
Rush Yards 78 12 50 53
Penalties 2-14 0-0 5-45 3-35
1st Downs 15 3 10 10
3rd Downs 8-11 1-4 2-8 0-6
Total Plays 43 16 40 28
Time of Poss 22:19 7:41 17:01 12:59
Sacks (Yds) 0(0) 1(3) 2(7) 4(23)
TFL (Yds) 1(1) 1(3) 4(12) 7(29)
Score 10 3 7 17
The only categories Nebraska won in the second half were plays ran, time of possession, and third downs. For as dominant as Nebraska was in the first half, you must give Indiana credit for second half adjustments. It won the game.
“I’m not sure it’s completely sunk in – it’s starting to – that we won because it took everything the players and coaches had in that one to find a way to overcome,” Indiana coach Curt Cignetti said after the game. “Give Nebraska a lot of credit. We did a nice job of regrouping at halftime. Great win on the road, hard fought. A win like that has lots of value.”
Positives Going into Oregon
There are no moral victories. But this game validates this Nebraska team. They have the potential to be really good, and they can beat anyone on their schedule. They just need to learn how.
It was good to see Jahmal Rule back in the lineup. I like Mekhi Nelson, but Rule brings something different and seeing him lower his shoulder and run a defender over was something we haven’t seen from a Nebraska running back this season. Rule had 15 carries with a 3.5 yard per carry average.
While not a positive in my book, for the third straight game Colandrea was Nebraska’s leading rusher. The stat sheet says otherwise as they show Colandrea with 47 yards and Jahmal Rule with 53 yards. But Colandrea’s yardage would have been 74 yards in 12 carries if not for Indiana’s 5 sacks (negative rushing yards for a quarterback).
Colandrea finished 25/43 passing for 263 yards,0 TDs, and 1 interception. He threw well, but his interception and a couple of other balls were under thrown. I was glad to see the return of Nyziah Hunter and Jacory Barney in the passing game. It was the first game we’ve truly seen all three wideouts that involved. Barney finished with 9 receptions for 108 yards. Hunter had 5 receptions for 43 yards, and Gilmer 3 receptions for 31 yards. The difference, no touchdowns by Nebraska’s wide receivers, 2 from Indiana’s.
Tight end Luke Lindenmeyer had his best day with 7 receptions and 45 yards.
Nebraska finished with 381 total yards offensively and held Indiana to a season low of 328 total yards.
Other than the busted coverage, the Blackshirts played their best game of the season.
And truthfully, this is the best four quarters of football I’ve seen from Nebraska since Matt Rhule’s arrival. There is work to do but if this team can continue to be consistent it’ll be a big plus. With Oregon losing to UCLA at Autzen today it gives me hope that this Nebraska team can go on the road and beat the Ducks.
GO BIG RED!! SIMPLE, FAST, VIOLENT!!
Photos courtesy of the Falls City Journal Home - Falls City Journal - Falls City, NE
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