Four games down, eight to go.
Two wins down, four to go if Nebraska is to make their first bowl game since before my second-grader could even walk.
The Huskers battled Louisiana Tech, many media timeouts, and an almost hour-long lightning delay on the way to their 28-14 victory Saturday afternoon. NU won the turnover battle
Look, the defense is gonna be just fine. For a second straight week, the Blackshirts held their opponent to a single score until the final minutes of the game. They had nine players contribute a tackle for loss, pass breakup, or forced fumble. They even snagged a turnover on their final defensive drive when Isaac Gifford picked off a pass (that deflected off of Decoldest Crawford’s hands).
While the D will keep Nebraska in almost every game from here on out, I’m interested in learning more about how the offense will do their part. If NU is going to find four more wins out there, they’ll need to score at least some points on Big Ten defenses.
Let’s start at QB – I believe Heinrich Haarberg has earned the right to start against Michigan next Saturday. His speed is real and spectacular. His poise and command of the huddle is evident, and his teammates have all echoed that observation.
He has also taken better care of the ball. Zero interceptions, zero dropped snaps, and just one lost fumble that I’ll blame on the offensive line. That’s above average ball security. Considering they turned it over four times in the two losses, it was desperately needed to calm things down.
The run game has continued to churn with Haarberg at the controls, too. Not only did Nebraska bust out the under-center I-formation-with-a-fullback option game, Haarberg is making the right decision more often than not. He turned a keeper early in the 4th quarter into a 72-yard touchdown, the longest play of the season.
The other piece of the Huskers’ ground attack puzzle is Anthony Grant. With the news that both Gabe Ervin and Rahmir Johnson would miss the rest of the season, Grant’s the guy going forward. He played the part pretty well, too, going for 135 yards on 22 carries.
Speaking of doing their part, the offensive line performed well in their run blocking. It was most evident on the first drive of the second half, which became the critical drive of the game. NU began on their own 15 and marched 85 yards without putting the ball in the air once. The drive highlighted the O-Line’s strongest feature: Ethan Piper on the move. Piper pulled on both big plays before the TD. Grant cut to the right on both runs, following Piper from his left guard spot for 34 yards on 3rd & 3, then 19 yards on 4th & 1.
312 yards rushing, with an ever-important 79 in the 4th quarter, is right on schedule.
The pass game, on the other hand, is still developing. Haarberg leaned heavily on Billy Kemp IV & Thomas Fidone II who he targeted on 11 of his 17 pass attempts. He only completed eight of those 17 passes, but that warranted a second look.
Here’s the pass game breakdown: While Haarberg was only 4-for-12 in the first half, each completion gained at least 13 yards and all four resulted in first downs.
On the flip side, Nebraska’s four scoring drives included a grand total of ONE pass completion, which was Thomas Fidone’s 29-yard catch and run TD on the first play of the 4th quarter. The other three drives were 100% run plays, including a pair of 9-play drives that covered 79 and 85 yards.
While it’s good to not need to pass in order to score, I’m skeptical that Nebraska can count on that all season. There are signs of life for the pass game, and that strong run game will help loosen things up as defenses crowd the box. Plus, if Kemp and Fidone can continue to be reliable playmakers, NU can pick their spots with the rest of their pass-catchers as they did against LA Tech. If someone else can emerge with them, all the better.
Complementary football is the name of the game for Matt Rhule. The defense has proven their worth. The offense’s development is the key to earning a postseason berth.