I attended the game yesterday and wanted to refrain from making any comments or posting any observations until I came home and reviewed the tape. After watching the DVR and replaying a few key moments in the game several times here our my observations:
GENERAL NOTES
· We lost on a 50/50 play. No shame there…congratulations to BYU.
· The hands to the face penalty at the 13:13 mark in the 2nd quarter is one of the factors that had a significant impact on the outcome of the game. It kept a touchdown on the board by calling Nebraska’s backup Defensive Tackle #55 Kevin Maurice with a hands to the face, when in reality it should have been an offsetting penalty for both teams as the Right Guard #78 for BYU also had hands to the face against Maurice.
· The hit by BYU’s #20 Preator to the back of the knees on Nebraska’s David Sutton was absolutely a cheap shot, and should have been flagged.
· Even though the ball was on Nebraska’s own 40-yard line, and we had the wind at our backs, we should have gone for it on 4th & 1 with 13:06 left in the 4th quarter. We had the momentum, and BYU’s defense was on their heels at that point in the game. Hindsight is always 20/20, but the momentum of the game changed after this series. BYU on the very next series had a same 4th & 1 decision from their own 41-yard line with 10:10 left in the 4th quarter…they choose to go for it rather than punt. They converted, thus keeping momentum on their side.
· If Tommy Armstrong leads Brandon Reilly just a little more on the fake bubble screen fade pass it would have easily been a touchdown, and ballgame because BYU was selling out on the run. The play call design and timing were brilliant, just needed a little bit better execution.
· Don’t underestimate the positive impact of having the offense use the huddle.
OFFENSE NOTES
· We need to develop a more dynamic running game.
· Offensive line looked decent in pass blocking. Run blocking, both zone schemes and power schemes need major work. There was hardly any push from that group most of the day.
· With that said, the offensive line is very young, so we’ll give them some more time and game experience before we begin to draw any more concrete conclusions. Just look at how young this line is: Career Starts: LT Alexis Lewis (14), LG Dylan Utter (2), C Ryan Reeves (2), RG Chongo Kondolo (1), RT Nick Gates (1)
· This team must find a way to average 125-150 yards rushing per half. Last season we averaged 240.2 rushing yards per game. Having 37 rushing yards in the first half just will not cut it. Tommy Armstrong had -9 rushing yards in the first half…ouch!
· Game management. Clock management. Too often when we had the ball with 3 minutes left we were snapping the ball with at least 10 seconds left on the game clock.
· Tommy Armstrong’s mechanics are greatly improved over last season. He does have to learn when to tuck the ball and run when his 1st or 2nd options are not available. However, I think by the end of the year he will be a very solid game manager for Nebraska.
· Coach Riley and Coach Langsdorf must tweek how they use Tommy in the quarterback running game. He doesn’t have the best speed for QB draws. He is a power runner. Would love to see some speed options, quarterback power, and counter-read options.
· Westerkamp is special. Only going to get better.
· Mikale Wilbon seems more adept for the type of offense Mike Riley wants to run. He’s patient. Has soft hands catching the ball out of the backfield.
· Small (5’8”) - hard for defense to find him behind the line
· But he’s got good football weight for his size. (190lbs)
· Newby struggled when we were under center. I think his skill set would excel much more in our spread sets.
· This offense will become explosive with Alonzo Moore when Pierson-El returns.
DEFENSE NOTES
· Hank Hughes has the D-Line playing with solid technique. Valentine & Colins are absolute monsters in the middle, but we need a more consistent pass rush from our defensive ends to take the pressure off of our secondary.
· Secondary must play with more aggression. Whether we were in man or zone, our corners specifically played much too passively. They were reacting instead of dictating.
· Dedrick Young II & Luke Gifford may be freshman, but they more than held their own. They will be solid players.
· Josh Banderas and Nate Gerry are going to be really good in this new defensive system. They just need a few more games under their belt to get really comfortable.
· Tackling technique is VASTLY improved over the last 7 years.
SPECIAL TEAMS NOTES
· Drew Brown must become more consistent. Last season he was 2/6 beyond 40 yards, and 0/1 beyond 50. We must be able to secure 3 points after solid offensive drives that stall within field goal range. This will give confidence to the entire offense, but most importantly, it will help reduce Tommy’s tendency for trying to force the big play when it’s not there.
MOVING FORWARD
Nebraska is going to be ok folks. The huge turnaround in fundamental tackling alone should be a sign to have some optimism. However, we will not compete for championships with the type of running game we produced against BYU.
Our rushing offense not only needs to become more dynamic, it also has to become the focus. The coaching philosophy must flip from a pass first offense to a run first offense. With the types of winds we experienced yesterday that was one of the reasons Tom Osborne used the option. The option WAS our pass play. (And when I say option I mean when the ball is pitched. Yes, the zone-read is an option too, but it is more like a glorified handoff)
Two position groups to keep an eye on:
· Tight-ends and our place kicker. Riley & Langsdorf have some very smart schemes for how they utilize the tight-ends, we just have to get them healthy.
· And sadly as much as I am rooting for the young man, I think Drew Brown is about 2 more shanked field goals away from losing his job.
Overall, it was a gut-punch of a loss, but there were also some positives to take away from the BYU game as well. Bottom line…learn from it, make adjustments, move forward.
