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Nebraska Football: Dedrick Mills rumbles for big day in loss

By Danny Jaillet

LINCOLN, NE - NOVEMBER 16: Running back Dedrick Mills #26 of the Nebraska Cornhuskers runs against the Wisconsin Badgers at Memorial Stadium on November 16, 2019 in Lincoln, Nebraska. (Photo by Steven Branscombe/Getty Images)
LINCOLN, NE - NOVEMBER 16: Running back Dedrick Mills #26 of the Nebraska Cornhuskers runs against the Wisconsin Badgers at Memorial Stadium on November 16, 2019 in Lincoln, Nebraska. (Photo by Steven Branscombe/Getty Images) /
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Mills was a bright spot for Nebraska Football.

it’s hard to find a silver lining in any loss. For Nebraska Football on Saturday against Wisconsin, that certainly was the case. I didn’t expect Nebraska to win this game to be completely honest. Wisconsin just had more talent both on the offensive and defensive side of the football. Admittedly, in a season that has been as frustrating as this one, it is hard to find any silver linings. However, there were some intriguing developments that made the loss sting a little less.

The offense as a whole played well on Saturday. In particular, I like to give a shout out to the running game. For the first time this season, Scott Frost and company called plays that worked to the strength of the running backs. Instead of sending Dedrick Mills up the gut every single run play, they mixed it up. Mills got to the edge, and that allowed him to take advantage of the big holes in the Wisconsin defense. The holes were there, and  Mills was able to find them and scamper for big gains. As a result, he had his best game in a Nebraska uniform to date.

Mills rushed for 188 yards on 17 attempts. Averaging 11.1 yards per carry, a 43-yard scamper was his longest of the afternoon. He ran probably the best I’ve seen him run. He had speed and he made quick decisions in regards to hitting the holes. He looked like he knew what he wanted to do with the football, and he took advantage of the outside.

I would be remised if I did not give a shout out to the run blocking both on the outside and by the offensive line. They did a nice job of creating holes for him to run through and staying with their blocks. That’s also something I have not seen much of this season. Consistently blocking throughout the course of the game makes a huge difference. Nebraska Football was able to find that out firsthand on Saturday.

This is something they can build off heading into next week’s game against Maryland. If Mills can put together a solid two games to finish the season, I will be happy. He definitely has a ton of talent. Although it may be a bit late in the season, something definitely clicked. It was great to see, and I hope that he continues to find his groove for the final two games.

I’m not really a big fan of silver linings. However, there is no denying that the running game certainly was one on Saturday. Hopefully, the running backs can continue to be a source of strength. Having balance over the course of the final games of the season will be important. Especially with a difficult slate coming up, Nebraska Football will need to be on the top of their game.

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