What did we learn? Wiscy Edition

The last drive of reg was a disaster?  Really??

I know we both know football and clock management very well.  And with a normal cohesive offense we would have done it differently.  But I have to disagree with you on this and say that clock management was probably used the best in this situation.  

You have to look at your personnel on the field (3rd string QB starting his first game on the road, at night in Wisconsin, game on the line), your situation (you started around your own 20 yard line and you have to get a FG or the game is over) and your history of bad things happening in the red zone throughout the year.  

Look back at what's happened this year.  Within the redzone, multiple Husker QB's have thrown interceptions in the endzone and cost us games.  HH threw a pick against MSU that was called back a few weeks ago.  Or how about a bad snap?  We've seen plenty of those this year.  How about a bad exchange in the RZ that we saw between HH and EJ? We fumbled.  And we even tried running out the clock with the lead (run the damn ball!) and Grant fumbled against Minnesota.  We have had plenty of past failures and turnovers for whatever reasons with different QB's and RBs throughout the year, that running the clock down in this case wasn't the worse thing in the world.  

And, after being stuffed on drives all throughout the second half, we get the ball with our 4-minute drill using sparing reps from Chubba, and impressively move the ball 60 yards with the game on the line.  That was amazing.  But at the same time, you don't want to be too aggressive and shoot yourself in the foot with a fumble or interception.  We needed to be in range for a FG and by golly, we got there.  

While I agree with your POV of using the clock more efficiently and getting in a few more plays, I also didn't trust a running play or passing play because of this team, this year, their history and in this situation. 
I have to disagree with you here for a couple reasons.   
 

1) in general, you play for the win on road and the tie at home…in general.

2) In my view, after the previous losses, this team was no longer in contention for a West championship so there is nothing to lose.  Go out and win a ballgame.  
3) Ball at the 20 yrd line with just over a minute left and three timeouts is an eternity in football terms.  The entire playbook is available to go get a win.  Much different than playing conservative and letting time win down to kick the “winning” field goal last week.  
4) The reason you keep timeouts is to have them for these types of situations at the end of game. 
5) the field goal kicker already missed a 42 yarder that game by a big margin

6) Purdy had been making good decisions all game.  Let’s see if he can win a ballgame.   
7). I’ll say it again. This week is totally different than last week.  Wasting lots of time for a  field goal for a tie on the road is much different than wasting time for a field goal for the win at home.  

 
I learned from the national broadcasters that Chubba Purdy had a great fall camp, and the only reason he hadn't been in the QB mix was a lingering groin injury. 

Does anyone here remember Chubba Purdy's lingering groin injury? And being told that was the reason he was an active but unused third stringer? 


It came to light either after the CU game or NIU game.  Rhule was asked about HH over Chubba after Sims ankle injury and said HH was QB2 "right now" because of other injuries (meaning Chubba).  It sounded to me like Chubba won the 2nd string job in fall camp but got injured towards to end that elevated HH.

Also, Sean Callahan has reported (not sure if others said the same) for the past 6 weeks or so that Chubba really wasn't healthy enough to be an option at QB.  Supposedly offseason groin surgery is in the cards.

 
The last drive of regulation was an absolute disaster.


Given this offense, playing at Camp Randall, having to go the length of the field, and scoring a field goal to force overtime, I'd call that quite a bit less than a disaster.

A disaster would have been a meek three and out, a string of drive killing penalties, a keystone cops trick play gone awry, or, God forbid, going for the touchdown instead of the sure-thing field goal and throwing an interception --- the very thing the coaches were supposed to learn from last week.

Overtime was an absolute disaster.  

 
It's not even debatable...we are 100% better


Eh, it's highly debatable. This game felt a lot like 2021 Frost, when the Huskers were in position to beat several teams with considerably more talent (including Michigan, Ohio State and Oklahoma) before last-second mistakes and letdowns. 

I'm thinking this Nebraska team has considerably less developed and uninjured talent than that 2021 team did, so I'm good with giving Rhule years 2 and 3 to see what he can do as a turnaround artist. But this team is looking maybe one or two wins better against the weakest schedule I've ever scene, so 100% better is a helluva stretch. 

 
It came to light either after the CU game or NIU game.  Rhule was asked about HH over Chubba after Sims ankle injury and said HH was QB2 "right now" because of other injuries (meaning Chubba).  It sounded to me like Chubba won the 2nd string job in fall camp but got injured towards to end that elevated HH.

Also, Sean Callahan has reported (not sure if others said the same) for the past 6 weeks or so that Chubba really wasn't healthy enough to be an option at QB.  Supposedly offseason groin surgery is in the cards.


I guess. Just seems we've had multiple threads talking about how bad Purdy must be to not be playing, and I don't remember injuries coming up. He was always practicing and in uniform and stepped in for a couple plays IIRC. So it must have been a "full strength" issue and/or lingering faith HH or Sims would turn themselves around. 

 
This game showed me that in the end it isn’t qb play that has been hampering us. Obviously Sims and HH have not helped the situation but Purdy played a clean game with really pretty good stats and we still lost, like terribly. Go up 14 then lay an egg the rest of the game?? Like come on man!

100 percent in play calling, clock management, special teams (anyone else blocks that punt and our guy totally holds up and bails??) and of course crappy Oline play. 
 

unfortunately a portal qb is not going to save this abortion of a program

 
I learned that, even though most Husker fans were expecting a 5-7 or 7-5 season, they still get really pissed off when that happens.
It's more how the 7 losses (let's be real about what Iowa will do) came about than the fact there are 7 losses. The only loss where I can just simply say "Yep we got our asses beat" was Michigan, I don't hold that one against the team at all. The rest?

 
Given this offense, playing at Camp Randall, having to go the length of the field, and scoring a field goal to force overtime, I'd call that quite a bit less than a disaster.

A disaster would have been a meek three and out, a string of drive killing penalties, a keystone cops trick play gone awry, or, God forbid, going for the touchdown instead of the sure-thing field goal and throwing an interception --- the very thing the coaches were supposed to learn from last week.

Overtime was an absolute disaster.  


I mean from a time-management standpoint, which is most of what I talked in my post.  Obviously we still scored, so that was good.  But we had a chance to win and basically passed.

 
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