Not a Moral Victory, but a Morale Victory for Nebraska Football

In 2018, Nebraska visited #8 Ohio State and left with a five-point loss.  After that game, I stopped short of declaring it a “moral victory”, but I definitely left the door open for anybody who chose to do so. 

Six years later, I have zero interest in declaring Nebraska’s loss to #4 Ohio State a “moral victory”.   

Instead, this game was a decisive “morale victory”. 

After the Indiana embarrassment, morale was alarming low.  Clouds of doubt rolled in, darkening everything.  People who have been all-in on Matt Rhule were looking for the closest exit.  The fan base was in a full-on panic with people convinced that Nebraska was going to lose the rest of their games, starting with another blowout at Ohio State. 

I’ll be honest:  Going into this game, I did not believe Nebraska would win. 

I’m guessing you felt the same. 

Based on the columns, sports talk shows, Twitter, and everything else from last week, I’m not sure you could have found more than a dozen people outside of the program who felt Nebraska could cover the 25.5 point spread, let alone win the game. 

And yet… It was right there for them.  Two minutes to go.  Ball in their hands.  Score a touchdown and win the game.   

The Huskers put themselves in that position to win because of their resilience, toughness, and effort.   

Even though Nebraska fell, the sky is no longer falling.  Morale is mostly restored to where it was a few weeks ago.   

And while we really should have a deeper discussion on why that morale is so fickle week to week, I’m just relieved to see it come back up.  The constant doom and gloom from all corners was exhausting. 

Things I believe 

Nebraska did not lose because of the officials.  But that was ridiculous.  Nebraska lost because the offense sputtered in the red zone (only one touchdown in four trips), the defense couldn’t get a stop after NU took the lead, and the offense couldn’t muster a scoring drive when they needed it the most.  You can’t do that against a top 5 team and expect to win. 

But did you watch that game?  I mean… c’mon.  There were some egregiously bad calls in that game. 

As Husker Radio Network analyst Damon Benning said at halftime:  “There’s a difference between telling the truth and complaining.”  In that spirit, we will only tell the truth. 

I believe there is no conspiracy against Nebraska, and/or no conspiracy for Ohio State (otherwise, they would have won at Oregon).  But I do believe that officiating – both in the Big Ten and throughout college football – has never been worse. 

I really liked Nebraska’s game plan.  Coming into the game, I didn’t know what approach Nebraska would take on the road against the #4 Buckeyes.  Would NU do what they’ve done all year?  Go ultra conservative in an attempt to not get blown out?  Maybe go completely off-script and feature Heinrich Haarberg? 

Instead, Rhule went with a modified Iowa approach:  ball control drives to shorten the game.  Don’t go completely into an offensive shell but pick your spots.  Kick field goals and count on your defense to keep you in the game. 

It almost worked. 

The Huskers had almost a 10-minute edge in time of possession, dominated third down, and had almost twice as many rushing yards as the Buckeyes.   

There are several notable freshmen with use-it-or-lose-it games left.  Nebraska has four regular-season games left.  For true freshmen – and others looking at a potential redshirt season – this means we’re now in the zone where it is use up however many of the four free games they have left, or lose them.  

By my unofficial count, seven true freshmen have burned their redshirt this year (Vincent Shavers, Dylan Raiola, Jacory Barney, Willis McGahee, Carter Nelson, Mario Buford, and Keona Davis). 

Of the notable true freshmen (and 2023 contributors potentially headed towards a redshirt), here are the number of games they can appear in, and maintain their redshirt, based on a quick scan of participation reports: 

Anybody I didn’t mention likely has three or four games left, depending on if they played in the opener against UTEP. 

How might some of these players be used?  Depending on where Kaelin is at, it could allow Haarberg to be more active in the offense.  Coleman showed a willingness to be a physical blocker in 2023.  Benning was an excellent kick returner in high school.  Hill was a projected starter before getting hurt in the spring game.  Van Poppel has been an impact player on the defense.  

It will be interesting to see if/when/how the coaches utilize the remaining redshirt games. 

Things I don’t know 

Now what?  In the 2012 season, Nebraska won all four of their November games.  Since then, the Huskers are 14-29 (.326) in November.  Over the last five seasons, NU is 3-16 (.188) after Halloween.  Scary stuff indeed. 

From a name brand perspective, the 2024 November slate could follow that same trend.  UCLA, USC, Wisconsin, and Iowa, with only one of those at home.  But those teams are currently a combined 16-15, and 9-12 in league play.  On paper, there looks like a lot of even matchups if Nebraska can play to the standard they showed in Columbus. 

I’m not interested in making a “they win X of out these four games, which will make this is a good season” prediction.  1) As I hope we have all learned by now, Nebraska could win all four and they could lose all four, so NU’s record is not a shooting fish in a barrel lock.  2) We often set ourselves up for disappointment when we attach our expectations to arbitrary numbers.   

But Nebraska really needs to win at least one game in November. 

I believe they can. 

How did Nebraska pull out of its early “here we go again” spiral?  The start of the game was an absolute train wreck.  Instead of fair catching the opening kickoff, it was bobbled, forcing Nebraska to start at their 9.  Raiola fumbled on the first play, losing two yards.  Raiola was sacked on 3rd down.  Brian Buschini shanked a 31-yard punt, giving Ohio State the ball at the NU 36. 

Husker fans everywhere (and in my house) were saying “here we go again”.  Based on what Rhule has said previously, I would not be shocked if more than a few Huskers were thinking it too.  Again. 

But here’s the twist:  Nebraska paused their pity party and started playing football.  The Blackshirts bowed up, stuffing the Buckeyes for a loss on 4th & 1.  Even though the second offensive drive didn’t go anywhere (a 30-yard pass to Isaiah Neyor was overturned by video review), Nebraska was able to settle in and start executing their game plan. 

What pulled Nebraska out of its early tailspin?  Was it Rhule?  Tony White’s defense deciding to put the team on their back?  A collective “enough is enough” from the team or their senior leaders?  Whatever it was, I hope they can do it again the next time something goes wrong.  I’d love to be done with the “here we go again” mentality – from the team and fans. 

Were Dylan Raiola’s runs a necessity, or a sign of things to come?  Not counting his sacks, Raiola ran the ball a career high six times for 54 yards.  Most of those yards came on a nifty 38-yard keeper in the second quarter.  By the way, that run is tied with Dante Dowdell (against Northern Iowa) for the second longest run by a Nebraska player. 

A few of his runs were definitely in the “nobody’s open and I need to get going or get sacked” category.  But others were not.  Considering that there were concerns about Raiola’s ankle (he came up limping after a throw in the Indiana game without being touched), I was surprised to see him so mobile. 

But I don’t know if that was what needed to be done to move the sticks, or if Raiola is going to be more active in the running game.  Personally, I do not want him to run any more than necessary.  The potential reward isn’t worth the risk. 

Huskerigami Update 

A “Huskerigami” is a final score combination (win or lose) that has never happened in the 130+ year history of Nebraska football. 

Final score:  21-17 

Is that a Huskerigami?  No.  It has happened seven times before.  The first time was a 1946 loss to Iowa in Iowa City.  The most recent was a home loss to Northern Illinois in 2017. 

5 Things I loved 

1. John Hohl.  Admit it: you rolled your eyes last week when Rhule said he was confident in John Hohl’s ability to hit from long range.  Three fields – including a 54-yard bomb – backed up his coach’s faith and provided a rare special teams spark.  
2. Jimari Butler.  His sack on Ohio State’s first possession was a gigantic jolt of adrenaline to a team that looked as serene as somebody in a lavender bubble bath.  Butler has always played with a high motor, and it’s great to see him rewarded for that effort. 
3. Ty Robinson.  It is no coincidence that Nebraska plays well when Robinson has a good game.  The big senior was a dominating force on the interior of the line. 
4. Jacory Barney Jr.  A team-high seven receptions.  With a little better blocking, he would have led the team in yards as well.  That little push pass as Barney comes speeding around the edge is arguably Nebraska’s most consistent play.  
5. Thomas Fidone II.  Four catches for a team-high 55 yards, including a 33-yard rumble on the touchdown drive.  Fidone has been one of the brightest spots of back-to-back losses.

Honorable mention:  Aidan Flege, Brian Buschini, Malcom Hartzog Jr., DeShon Singleton, Emmett Johnson, Isaiah Neyor, MJ Sherman, Willis McGahee IV, Mason Goldman, listening to Greg & Damon instead of Gus Johnson. 

5 Areas for improvement 

1. Red zone offense.  One touchdown on four trips into the red zone.  Score one more and NU ties – or wins – the game.  Nebraska’s play calls inside the 20 were either predictable, lacked execution, or both.  I’m still shaking my head at Dante Dowdell trying to dive over the pile on 4th & goal and jumping from just inside the four yard line. Unless he brings out a trampoline, that’s not going to work. 
2. Screen passes.  In theory, a well-executed screen pass is a great way to burn an overly aggressive defense like Ohio State.  But a poorly executed screen pass (or passes, in this case), is a great way to turn the heat on the O.C.’s seat up to boil.  If multiple players cannot execute the play (as was demonstrated several times), you gotta go with Plan C. 
3. Jahmal Banks.  The senior wide receiver will not enjoy watching the tape of his perimeter blocking.  Aside from his misses on several of NU’s infamous screen passes, Raiola likely scores on his long run if Banks can seal his guy inside the 10.  The last drive is the only thing keeping him out of the top spot. 
4. Dylan Raiola.  I know he would love to have another shot at a wide-open Banks in the third quarter.  And I’m still not sure who his game-ending interception was intended for. 
5. Ohio State fans.  You don’t have to like the targeting rules.  You don’t have to like it when the refs throw a flag on your team (clearly, something of a rarity).  But throwing crap on the field is not cool.  In this video, you can see a cheerleader get hit and helped off the field.  I hope she’s okay.