Tommy Armstrong still the man for the Huskers’ offense
Once again, the Nebraska offense came up a little bit short in the 36-33 overtime loss to the Miami Hurricanes. Despite throwing three interceptions in the loss, Tommy Armstrong is still the man for the Huskers’ offense. He also threw four touchdown passes. However, Nebraska’s ability to win games depends on Armstrong’s consistency. He’s a couple of plays from being great, but those plays are critical to the success of Nebraska football.
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According to Huskers.com, Mike Riley stated Armstrong made some big-time reads and big-time throws during a miraculous comeback. It was one of the best performances he’s had, given the circumstances. Armstrong had every reason to go into the tank, but he remained steady throughout the entire game. Remember, the Huskers were down 33-10 early in the fourth quarter. His resolve should be commended.
Despite the deficit, wide receiver Alonzo Moore was inspired by Armstrong’s sideline demeanor. “I remember him telling me we were going to come back and win the game,” Moore said Monday at Nebraska’s weekly press conference. “We went out and started making big plays. I was walking back to the sideline after we scored, and I was sitting there thinking. Then I looked at him and he just nodded like we are about to do this. We just took off from there. The leadership…we trust him. I see a lot of leadership. It’s a big difference. He led us great.”
We were more confident,” Riley said. “I thought Tommy, for the majority of it, was outstanding. He made some big-time reads and throws. Guys were making plays. All that’s good. We all know the bad parts. We had to do that because of the situation we put ourselves in. That’s the hard part, and then not finishing it. We had them on the ropes, and didn’t finish.”
Jordan Westerkamp
No matter what you think about Armstrong’s ability, he has become a confident leader for the Huskers’ offense. Maybe he ran out of gas on the first play of overtime. Maybe he didn’t see Corn Elder, leading to the final interception. With the Huskers’ scoring 23 unanswered points in eight minutes, it wasn’t a surprise Armstrong took a shot to the end zone on first down. Unfortunately, the ball was underthrown.
Armstrong finished the game 21/45 for 309 passing yards. He also added 49 yards on 11 carries. It seems like Nebraska called too many pass plays, but it was not the case on Saturday. They were forced into the no-huddle aerial attack late in the game.
Overall, the Huskers had 32 rushing attempts for 153 yards. If they were able to dominate up front, there would have been more rushing attempts. In addition, a couple of dropped passes led to fewer chances to run the ball early in the game. Nebraska missed chances to move the ball, and it resulted in a terrible first quarter.
Eight different players caught passes for the Nebraska offense. Jordan Westerkamp led the way with 5 catches for 95 yards, and one touchdown. Brandon Reilly caught his first touchdown of the year, and Stanley Morgan caught his first career touchdown pass. Alonzo Moore’s lone reception was for a touchdown as well. It proves Nebraska’s receiving threats are diverse enough to dismantle a defense. Still, they could have been better against the Hurricanes’ defense.
Instead of heading home with a winning record, Nebraska is now (1-2), with one non conference game left. The Huskers can still have a promising season, but these losses will be remembered for the wrong reasons.