Steven M. Sipple: Husker fans face key question: Do they trust Frost to fix cataclysmic errors? | Football

But maybe this time would be different. After all, Nebraska’s defense played at an exceptionally high level most of the night. Get this: With 6:13 remaining in the game, Michigan State had zero first downs in the second half, and 5 total yards in that span. Even the Huskers’ offensive line, a trouble spot this season, found some footing in the second half. 

In the third quarter, Nebraska gained 122 yards to Michigan State’s 13 and held the ball for 11 minutes, 52 seconds to MSU’s 3:08. The Huskers ran 27 plays in the period to Sparty’s six.

Then, in the fourth quarter, Nebraska reeled off an 11-play, 80-yard drive that ended with that Martinez waltz into the end zone.

What could possibly go wrong now?

Oh, you know the answer. Because it had been abysmal much of the night. 

There was one colossal mistake left to come, and it came, all right. Freshman punter Daniel Cerni booted a low liner 34 yards to speedster Jayden Reed, who caught the ball and turned on the jets. At the moment he caught the ball, I felt my heart sink because of a keen awareness of what devoted Nebraska fans must have been feeling at that moment. 

You know the rest. Reed sprinted to paydirt, forging a 20-20 tie. Nebraska had all the momentum, then it didn’t. It lost basically all the momentum because special teams let down the entire operation again. At this point, you wonder how it keeps happening. If it’s not repeated errors fielding punts (no issues there on this night), it’s a place-kicker losing his way (Connor Culp found it in this game).