Huskers doomed by Hail Mary, inconsistency in loss to BYU
If Mike Riley’s first game as coach of the Nebraska Cornhuskers is a precursor of what’s to come, the Husker faithful are in for quite a ride during his tenure. The BYU Cougars snatched a 33-28 victory from the Huskers with an infamous “Hail Mary” pass from backup quarterback Tanner Mangum to 6’6″ Mitch Matthews, after time expired on the clock. The play also gave the Huskers their first season opening loss since 1985.
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Nebraska hardly did everything right in the game, but as the fourth quarter progressed, it seemed like they had the game in a good spot. However, the Cornhuskers’ offense was unable to put the game away in the final minute. Soon after, Drew Brown missed his second field goal of the day, setting the stage for the BYU’s final drive.
Coming into the season, a big key for the Cornhuskers success was offensive consistency. For the most part, Nebraska was one of the most inconsistent teams of the weekend. They must rectify their uneven play immediately.
The Huskers scored 14 points in the first quarter, and held a seven point lead at the start of the second quarter. The ball was moving freely, and coach Riley’s offense seemed to be in a good rhythm. Unfortunately, BYU’s defensive pressure revved up, and the Huskers’ offense shut down completely. In turn, the Cougars turned a seven point deficit into a 24-14 lead.
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In the third quarter, Nebraska started fast again, turning Nate Gerry’s interception into a quick seven points. Terrell Newby scored on a 10-yard run, and it was part of the Huskers’ best rushing attack of the day. However, Nebraska only averaged 3.4 yards per carry on 37 attempts. For any type of success this season, the Huskers have to do better along the line of scrimmage. Facing teams like Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan State in conference play, there’s no question that the Huskers have a lot of work to do.
Sep 5, 2015; Lincoln, NE, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers quarterback Tommy Armstrong Jr. (4) throws the ball against the Brigham Young Cougars in the first half at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Thorson-USA TODAY Sports
Nebraska followed another strong defensive stand with Tommy Armstrong’s third touchdown pass of the day. The touchdown catch by Trey Foster gave the Huskers the lead for the final 20:31 of the game. Unfortunately, Nebraska’s offense was unable to create separation by getting a two score lead.
On the surface, the Huskers seemed to have more focus at the start of each half. Scoring 14 points apiece in the first and third quarters supports the game plan’s effectiveness as well as the halftime adjustments. However, they must get better as each half progresses.
Overall, BYU outscored Nebraska 26-0 in the second and fourth quarters. If the Huskers were able to produce one touchdown over the final 15 minutes of each half, they would have been victorious in Mike Riley’s debut.
Despite being under constant pressure, Tommy Armstrong had a nice first game at quarterback. He completed 27/41 passes for 319 yards, and three touchdowns. He also added one interception by Micah Hannemann. There were a couple of plays Armstrong would like to have back as well. He was forced into two intentional grounding penalties, but the first one should have been an easy run for Armstrong. Instead of taking off, he was searching for an open receiver. BYU’s pressure quickly swarmed leaving Armstrong no choice but to get rid of the ball.
Nebraska has a lot of positives to build on, but they don’t have a coveted victory entering Week 2 against South Alabama.