We were moving down the field in giant chunks with 6 minutes left in the game. All we had to do was run the middle and at the very least kick a ~35 yd field goal and we're kicking off with 5 minutes left, a 40-21 lead and mop-up squads in. WYO finishes with a game effort and ~400 yards. Instead, that ridiculous pass play is called and Taylor gives up a horrible interception, returned to midfield. WYO is given hope, comes out fired up and the husker D just wants to be done with this furking game and jogs around looking gassed.
On the whole, I think the D executed the game plan of keeping Smith contained, making him throw the ball and not letting him scramble down the field. I think they expected to give up some yards, maybe not quite that many, but this game would not have been nearly as close had we just stuck with the ground game.
I have hope that the offensive rhythm will improve and that the defense will get better with some reps and some film room time. Missed tackles are going to be a problem once again, but I definitely saw better speed and athleticism. The confusion is still there as well.
I am cautiously optimistic we can outscore UCLA. Cross is the real deal.