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Rewind: Offensive identity remains a question after NU scraps run game in face of adversity | Football



There’s a difference between hurrying and impatience and, in football, it can be a fine line. Against the Illini in the second half, NU responded to Bret Bielema’s game of keep-away with impatience.

Nebraska’s first drive of the third quarter went like this: Incomplete pass; called pass that ended with junior quarterback Adrian Martinez scrambling; another scramble from Martinez that was negated by a Brant Banks hold; seven-yard sack of Martinez on third-and-13 back to the NU 10. Punt. Three plays, minus-10 yards, 1:41.

Illinois, which ran the ball 10 times on its 14-play march to open the half, smelled blood in the water and got a perfect throw from Artur Sitkowski for 45 yards to Deuce Span to set up a touchdown that put Illinois up 30-9 with now 19:01 remaining in the game.

Illinois certainly did impose its will against Nebraska in the middle of the game, but the Huskers also went 21 offensive snaps from the 10:54 mark of the second quarter to the final minute of the third quarter between carries for a running back.

NU didn’t get the type of movement it expected to early on in the game — Frost said Nebraska “guessed wrong” about what kind of looks they were going to get from the first-year Illinois defensive staff — and junior tight end Austin Allen said, “We prepared for odd, they gave us even. We’ve just got to adjust more and our adjustment period took a little bit longer than we would have liked today.”



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