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Nebraska Football: Nate Gerry’s unsportsmanlike penalty part of a bigger problem

By Oliver Vandervoort

Sep 12, 2015; Lincoln, NE, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers safety Nate Gerry (25) celebrates his pass interception with tackle Chase Urbach (92) during the game against the South Alabama Jaguars in the fist half at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Thorson-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 12, 2015; Lincoln, NE, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers safety Nate Gerry (25) celebrates his pass interception with tackle Chase Urbach (92) during the game against the South Alabama Jaguars in the fist half at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Thorson-USA TODAY Sports /
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Nate Gerry’s unsportsmanlike penalty was one in another string of troubling mistakes and penalties the Huskers made and committed on Saturday against Wyoming.

So why does the safety’s unsportsmanlike penalty stand out to me so much? Part of the issue is that his penalty, more than the others has been largely laughed off large portions of the media and fanbase.

I didn’t find it funny. I didn’t find it funny when he did it, and I sure didn’t find it funny when he told a tale few believed about why he did it after the game. After two games, there are a couple of takeaways from the early part of the season.

The first is that we don’t really know what kind of offense we have. We ran almost exclusively in the first game and passed almost exclusively in the second. Part of me thinks Riley and company did that specifically so Oregon wouldn’t know what kind of team to prepare for when it came to getting ready for Saturday.

I like Nate Gerry, I want Nate Gerry to succeed and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed watching him play football for Nebraska. I hope he can keep his nose clean the rest of the season and be the leader on the field the coaches expect.

The problem is, so far he’s found himself in trouble on a weekly basis. Despite being named a team captain, he managed to do something (it still hasn’t and likely won’t ever be divulged what) that had him suspended for the Huskers’ season opener.

In his first game back on the field, he got himself an unsportsmanlike penalty. Team captains are supposed to lead by example. Nate Gerry has had himself a heck of a career at Nebraska and he played a solid game against the Cowboys.

At the same time, if the coaches are searching for answers as to why so many players continue to make silly mistakes over and over, perhaps they don’t need to look further than a team captain who has problems following staying on the field.

It’s a safe bet than when the coaches review game film of the contest against Wyoming, they’ll point out to Gerry that his penalty was of the most avoidable kind. Here’s hoping that’s the last time he or anyone else on this team does something like that.

Next: Four Key Cornhuskers Listed As Doubtful Against Oregon

The unsportsmanlike penalties long ago stopped being a laughing matter. That includes Nate Gerry’s latest antics.

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