For the second weekend in a row, the Nebraska Cornhuskers failed in an attempt to earn Mike Riley‘s first Big Ten win. Once again, the Huskers 23-21 loss came on the final play of the game, leaving Nebraska with a (2-4) record.
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Despite the defense giving up another game winning in the final seconds, the Huskers’ offense was on the field with a chance to end the game. However, like the three prior losses, Nebraska was unable to make a final play needed to win.
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Since conference play started, quarterback Tommy Armstrong has taken a huge step backward in his play. Against the Badgers, Armstrong only completed 11/28 passes for 129 yards, and one touchdown. He didn’t throw an interception, but the Huskers couldn’t move the ball consistently. They gained 325 total yards against the tough Wisconsin defense.
For the most part, the running game produced well, but they still didn’t use enough of it early on. The Huskers gained 196 yards on 37 carries, but they had 34 rushing attempts going into the final drive. Instead of consistently testing the Badgers front seven, the Huskers relied on the pass too much. Yet, based on the final minutes of the game, they didn’t pass enough.
Remember, the Huskers decided to call a pass play against Illinois, when the Fighting Illini didn’t have a timeout left. Whether Armstrong was supposed to run with it or not doesn’t matter. A week later, the Huskers had the ball with a 1:20 left in the game, holding a 21-20 lead. However, the Badgers had all three timeouts left.
If there was ever a time the Cornhuskers needed to throw a pass, it was in this situation. Instead, Nebraska was content with using up the Badgers’ timeouts, and punting the ball. However, there was way too much time on the clock. Getting a first down was way more important than forcing Wisconsin to drive down field for another game winning field goal attempt.
Knowing how bad the Huskers’ defense is against the pass, the Badgers had to feel confident about their chances. Therefore, when the Badgers stacked the defensive front, the Nebraska Cornhuskers had to find a way to get a first down. At that point, Wisconsin wasn’t worried about the pass at all. Quite frankly, they shouldn’t have been either.
Individual Performances:
Terrell Newby led the Huskers with 15 carries for 59 yards. While Newby had some nice runs early, the Huskers were completely shut down in a pivotal third quarter of play.
Andy Janovich had the biggest play of the second half, and a potential game winner when he scored on a 55 yard touchdown run, late in the fourth quarter. He only had three rushing attempts on Saturday for 59 yards, but Janovich continues to show his ability to break tackles, and make big plays for the Huskers’ offense.
Alonzo Moore‘s 41-yard reception gave Nebraska a 14-7 lead with 31 seconds left in the first half. It was his only catch of the day.
In the last two games, Armstrong has completed 21/59 passes. If things don’t get better soon, it will be interesting to see if Nebraska goes to another quarterback this season.