Rohr’s Four: Four reactions, impressions, reflections, concerns and questions after Nebraska’s 21-17 loss to USC
1-Feed EJ
I think it’s safe to say that Dana Holgorsen has gotten the message: Feed Emmett Johnson. The Huskers’ junior running back got 29 carries on the game, including six on the first drive of the game. Johnson has developed into one of the top running backs in the Big Ten. He is the bread and butter of the Nebraska offense. His tough running gives everyone else on the Huskers’ offense confidence that NU will remain on schedule, that the ball will be protected, and that Johnson will find a way to squeeze every drop out of every play.
He cleared the 1,000-yard barrier in the USC game, game nine of the season. He’s the first 1,000-yard rusher for Nebraska since Devine Ozigbo in 2018. Make it another marker of progress for this program, with such a proud history of running the ball, that the seven-yard drought of true bellcow running back production is over.
And still, you feel like there’s more there. The stumble up to the line of scrimmage on Nebraska’s last offensive play of the game was the rare occasion where he has faltered. But why not use him more in short yardage? Why not stick with him inside the red zone? He added bulk in the offseason to gain those tough yards after contact and his vision, a weakness as of last year, has come leaps and bounds this season. It’s tempting, with all the weapons out on the edge, to involve them, too. But especially as we move into the rough-and-tumble November section of the schedule (not withstanding the UCLA game, at least in terms of the weather), Johnson would seem to be the best option, whether deep in the red zone or toward the middle of the field.
2-You asked for it
In this space last week, I noted that more than a few Husker fans took to the airwaves to advocate for TJ Lateef getting a larger role in the offense, if not take over as starting QB. Unfortunate circumstances brought that about. With the momentum of the game starting to inch back to Nebraska after Andrew Marshall’s interception, the Huskers picked up a first down, then had first-and-10 at the USC 23. Raiola dropped back on a play-action pass, not a bad idea after a couple Johnson runs moved the chains before on the drive. But this time, Raiola faked the give, dropped back, and looked down the field for a killshot TD.
The receiver never came open. As the play stretched on, Raiola was nailed by Anthony Lucas. The ball popped out, recovered by Kameryn Crawford. Instead of the field goal that would have put Nebraska up 17-6, USC took over the ball. Raiola was helped off the field with an apparent ankle injury. It was the only time Raiola was sacked in the game.
Enter TJ Lateef. He’s earned raves from the Huskers’ coaching staff for his poise and confidence. But in the end, he’s still just a true freshman. He showed well late against two weak non-conference foes, but that’s just what it was. That’s not repeatable against a Big Ten foe, let alone a good one like USC. He may be good down the road, but he’s not ready yet. And here he was, needing to lead a touchdown drive against a good Trojan defense that had limited Raiola to 97 yards through the air.
Raiola, at the very least, has a deeper knowledge of the offense and does a better job checking Nebraska into the right runs. As Raiola showed last week on the final drive, he can get it done in the clutch when it matters. What’s more, whatever benefit Lateef may have gotten from being a surprise in the game was spent in this one. Whatever the long term prognosis is for Raiola, UCLA will definitely spend some of next week preparing for Lateef. It’s tough to see the Nebraska offense being nearly as effective with Lateef at the controls (even if it’s a supersized does of Emmett Johnson in the gameplan).
3-Progress and problems up front
At this point, it’s safe to say that Nebraska is below average, at best, on both the offensive and defensive lines. And yet, this game felt like a step in the right direction. USC came into the game one of the best pass-protection offensive lines in the country. And yet, Nebraska racked up three sacks and notched three more quarterback hurries. Freshmen Williams Nwaneri and Kade Pietrzak seem to be stars in the making and were plenty active against the Trojans. And the much maligned offensive line gave up just one sack (one exceedingly costly sack, though Raiola probably should’ve gotten rid of the ball quicker too) and was able to generate enough of a push to average 4.7 yards per carry, even leaving the lost yardage of the sack.
But the big men in the trenches had their issues too. USC churned out over six yards per carry when not counting sack yardage against the rushing totals. King Miller, despite his royal nickname, is the Trojans’ third-string running back, yet he gained seven yards a carry. Nebraska put plenty of heat on Maiava, yet he hit the big play when he needed to and was able to scramble successfully. And the Huskers’ offensive line allowed the one sack it couldn’t allow and still was not nearly strong enough in short-yardage situations.
To top it off, the lions’ share of injuries to this team are now on the offensive line, especially at offensive tackle. An already thin and shaky position group got thinner and shakier with the injury to Elijah Pritchett. While his status is unknown, the injuries to Teddy Prochazka and Gunnar Gottula have already dangerously thinned the ranks at arguably the second-most important position on the offense.
4-I’m Mr. Brightside
And yet, if, while you were picking out your best black Nebraska duds this week and contemplating Matt Rhule’s extension, I told you that the Huskers wouldn’t have Raiola for most of the second half and wouldn’t have Pritchett for most of the second half, you’d be pretty worried about Nebraska’s chances, wouldn’t you?
This team has hung in there. I didn’t feel like the Huskers’ odds were great when Lateef jogged out on the field with 10 minutes to go to drive the length of the field and score a touchdown, but it was possible.
This team is still flawed, still imperfect, still not there, especially in the trenches. Yet, the defense was lights out for most of the game, against one of the top passing attacks in the country. Nebraska has a strong and reliable running attack for the first time since Ozigbo’s star-turn season in 2018. The special teams have rapidly progressed from disaster to weapon. The arrow is going in the right direction.
The worry around this game was that USC would storm into Memorial Stadium, hammer the Huskers, and the two-year extension to Rhule would become a punchline before the pixels stopped flickering on DocuSign. Instead, Nebraska was yet again right there, thisclose, down to their second quarterback, missing three different offensive tackles, and still one score away.
Yes, it is frustrating. Yes, the win-over-a-ranked-opponent thing feels like a barrier, and if this program is going to keep progressing, it will have to win this game, sooner rather than later. But this program is indisputably better than it was this time last year. The Rhule extension ensures stability, for the first time since Bo Pelini was dismissed. Nebraska played a sound, tough football game in the Big Ten, and lost to a good opponent. As long as the Huskers go to LA and take care of business against a sputtering UCLA team, I’ll feel like this team is still in a good place.