Kenny Larabee, NRG Media
Rohr’s Four: Four reactions, impressions, reflections, concerns and questions after Nebraska’s 56-7 win over Bowling Green.
1-How it ought to be
Save the very first possession, which ended with a disputed interception that looked like simultaneous possession between Jacory Barney, Jr., and Bowling Green defensive back JoJo Johnson, the Cornhuskers rolled through the first half. Nebraska scored touchdowns on five straight possessions, while the Falcons mustered just one first down and had four straight three-and-outs. The Huskers showed dominance on both sides of the ball, played fairly cleanly, and didn’t seem to need to strain to control the game.
In other words, Nebraska did exactly what you’re supposed to do with a team out of the MAC that lost to Tarleton State last week. Is it groundbreaking? No. But a big part of being a successful team is simply winning the games you’re supposed to win, and not have to work terribly hard to do it. Especially in a season with a daunting second-half of the schedule, any reps that can be saved from games like these for later in the year are a good thing. Nebraska was able to essentially clear the bench by the end of the game, getting precious reps for those young players that this program needs to develop if it will be successful.
2-Colandrea on display
If game one was Jamal Rule’s coming-out party, game two belonged to Anthony Colandrea at quarterback. Not that he left much to be desired in the opener against Ohio, but he continued to solidify how his skills will translate to Nebraska’s offense. His elusiveness was on display both in the pocket and running the ball. His four touchdown passes were beautifully placed darts, displaying both his knowledge of the offense and his ability to work in the pocket to allow his receivers time to get open.
Colandrea was very efficient, 20-for-24 with 222 passing yards and four touchdowns, and it seemed like the chances he took were high-percentage ones. When he’s strained the bounds of the offense to make plays, he’s done so without putting the ball at risk, as was the worry coming into the year. He wasn’t perfect-he was sacked once and intercepted once, but even the INT has an asterisk on it, as noted above. So far, so good with the new guy at quarterback.
Yes, any optimism about what we’ve seen from him should be tempered by the weakness of the opposition, but there’s a lot to like about what Colandrea has displayed through two games.
3-Are we worried yet?
If the offense has answered every question, the defense has left more than a few. The defensive line didn’t tear up Ohio and was even susceptible to the quarterback run game against the Bobcats. The Falcons determined fairly early that they didn’t want to throw it much, so only two sacks is at least understandable. But only six tackles for loss? Especially with Owen Chambliss back to help run the defense, it was disappointing that there wasn’t a little more havoc from Nebraska’s front seven. It’s worrisome (at least to me) that we’ve not seen more splash plays from the Blackshirts in two games in which they have a decided physical advantage.
You feel good about the ability of Nebraska’s defensive backs to cover, even in man coverage, so maybe as Rob Aurich is compelled by conference play to open up his scheme and use more of his blitzes and pressure packages, they’ll be able to make life tougher on opposing quarterbacks. But Nebraska’s defensive line has been able to generate only a minimal amount of discomfort on opposing quarterbacks through two games. Considering they’re going to face much better offensive lines starting in two weeks, that’s concerning.
4-Not so big, are we?
After years of having to endure southern bragging about the quality of their teams, the Big Ten spent most of this summer patting itself on the back for a third straight national championship by a third different school. For those of us who have tired of the drumbeat of Paul Finebaum and his ilk bragging at the Big Ten’s expense, it was a welcome change to crow about our conference. Coming into this year, the question was: has the Big Ten taken over as college football’s best conference?
If Saturday is any indication, the South has risen again. Ohio State spit up a big lead at Texas. Oregon tumbled against an Oklahoma State team whose coach was only in his second game at the school. Even down ballot, the conference struggled. Mississippi State stormed into Dinkytown and annihilated Minnesota. Illinois dropped a home game against Duke. Washington, a popular darkhorse pick toward the middle of the conference, struggled to beat Utah State at home. Even the conference’s one triumph–Michigan over Oklahoma–carries the stain of Michigan’s disputed win over Western Michigan.
In short, it was a rough day for the Big Ten. The only team that has seemingly exceeded expectations to this point has been–gulp–Iowa, and even they needed a walkoff field goal to beat in-state rival Iowa State. Of course, Indiana’s cupcake non-conference schedule has seen the Hoosiers roll to two blowout, but unimpressive wins.
Saturday puts a black mark on the entire conference that will be very tough to erase. The conference schools won’t have a chance to clear their names until the College Football Playoff, and by then, maybe a marginal Big Ten team gets left out of the field. That’s not ideal for Nebraska, but probably not terribly germane to the discussion of their season to this point.
We can read way too much into the first two weeks of the season, but for those worried about the strength of Nebraska’s schedule being overwhelming, especially in the second half of the season, those worries have been calmed, at least a bit. That doesn’t mean I’m picking the Huskers to hand Indiana their first loss in nearly two years, or taking Nebraska to storm into Autzen to down Oregon again or seeing a Husker upset over the Buckeyes in Lincoln in November.
But coming into the year, I split the conference games into three broad categories (assuming, of course, Nebraska would start 3-0 in the non-conference). I put the three games against CFP teams into one folder, maybe not impossible dreams, but definitely unlikely Husker wins. I put three games into another folder, likely Nebraska victories: Michigan State, Maryland and Rutgers. To that end, the Spartans are 2-0, but haven’t set the world on fire in the first fortnight of the Pat Fitzgerald era. The Terrapins have handled a pair of easy non-conference foes. And the Scarlet Knights look flat out terrible through two weeks, with plenty of people wondering if current Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano will be on the sidelines when the Huskers come east in November. Those three matchups, penciled in as wins in the summer, don’t look any more difficult today than they did in July, and, in the case of the Rutgers game, maybe a little easier.
This season would be made on what happened in the middle column, the games against Washington, Illinois and Iowa. Coming into the year, I thought the Halloween matchup with the Huskies would be a coinflip game the Huskers would somehow win (call it a mix of vibes, rest, and being due). But I thought the hill would be too high to climb six days later at Illinois, despite Nebraska having as much, if not maybe more talent. And then the Hawkeyes are the Hawkeyes.
It’s dangerous to call anything after two weeks, but Washington’s standing is even flimsier today than it was coming into the year. The Fighting Illini have split their first two games, and didn’t look great in the win. And Iowa is Iowa. I’ve tried to hold fast to the expectation of seven wins for this season and this team, but the early results have me dreaming of eight, which would be indisputable progress for the Matt Rhule regime at Nebraska.