Nebraska Football: The defense has undoubtedly regressed
Nebraska Football took a few steps back on Saturday.
There is no nice way to put it. The Nebraska Football defense was poor on Saturday. After what seemed like a strong couple of weeks initially, they have definitely regressed.
Just look at the statistics for Indiana quarterback Peyton Ramsey. He went 27 of-40 on the afternoon, throwing for 351 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception. Whip Phylior had the game of his life, catching 14 passes for 178 yards. All told, the Nebraska defense did not play up to standard.
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What was most jarring to me was the play of the Nebraska secondary. It seemed like they had trouble catching up to Indiana’s receivers. With that being said, they exhibited some issues that they have been having throughout the entirety of the season. For one, they did not turn to play the ball. They played the man instead and that led to penalties.
In addition, I noticed that they gave up a lot of yards underneath. Often times, it seemed like Nebraska was playing a little conservative in terms of pass defense. As a result, the underneath stuff was available to Indiana all afternoon. Aside from those two things, there were other issues such as blown coverages. One play in which Peyton Hendershot recorded a 40-yard reception sticks out. He was wide open, and there was no excuse for that coverage.
Overall, this game definitely exposed to the fact that the defense is trending backwards. Whether it be a lack of toughness, lack of pass rush, or basic fundamental problems, this defense is not what it used to be. Indiana was able to do whatever they wanted on the field, and as a result Nebraska was gassed by the second half. That was certainly not a good sign.
To me, it seemed like there was problems with play recognition. Many times, I noticed Nebraska would have to switch the way they lined up in the middle of the play. That is not something that I want to see. They had the bye week to prepare, and they should have done so.
In any event, they have to be better. Purdue will provide a nice challenge for this group, and I could see it being a competitive game. However, they certainly have to clean up some things first before next Saturday. A bowl game is still in reach, but there is no doubt that their chances took a hit with the loss Saturday.