Nebraska came into Friday's game saying all the right things. Whether it was that they took the next step and were ready for more, or whether it was that they were ignoring the rumors of Matt Rhule leaving for Penn State. Then the game kicked off, and there wasn't much they did right. Here are the five biggest takeaways moving forward.
Nebraska's redzone issues are officially a problem
When the Huskers were still scoring 20+ points a game, it was easier to shrug off the redzone execution as a blip that sooner or later sorted itself out. But the game against Minnesota showed just how big a problem it really is, and that it's not getting better as the season goes on. NU is coming away with field goals when they should be scoring TDs. Oddly, one of the most significant issues is that QB Dylan Raiola has had all kinds of problems hitting a fade route in the end zone. He missed one on Friday that would have given NU a 7-0 lead when WR Dane Key clearly had a step on his man. The ball was overthrown by 5 yards.
Absymal pass blocking is a team effort
Dylan Raiola currently leads the nation in times sacked with 25 on the season. While not all of that is on the offensive line, PFF did credit tackle Gunnar Gottula with 4 sacks allowed, and he could have at least gotten credit for 2 more. But beyond the offensive line missing assignments, the tight ends and running backs aren't really doing their job either. RB Emmett Johnson was credited with a 0.0 pass block rating and was charged with one sack. Far too often, it seems like guys don't know their assignments on passing downs.
Tackling is a real problem, especially for the secondary
While PFF only credits Nebraska with 12 missed tackles against Minnesota, that's far too generous. The long and short of it is that the Huskers are often in the right spot to make a stop, and they either bounce off the runner or completely whiff on the tackle. Minnesota's first touchdown, a 71-yard scamper, could have been botted up at the line; however, two linemen couldn't get more than a hand on him, and then Marques Buford took a bad angle and missed Darius Taylor entirely.
It was very similar to the long runs that Michigan broke. One guy was in position; he missed. Several other missed tackles followed suit, or came before him, and it was off to the races. Even in wins, the tackling hasn't looked very sound.
Run the damn ball
Offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen has, at different times this season, admitted he went away from the run game when he shouldn't have. He, in fact, admitted that in the week leading up to Minnesota. And yet, the Huskers called 38 passing plays and 16 running plays on Friday night. It wasn't as if they were battling back all night and needed to pass either. They trailed by one score for only 3 possessions.
It also wasn't as though Emmett Johnson was being bottled up. He averaged 4.5 yards per carry on his paltry 14 rushes. Holgorsen wants this to be an explosive offense that utilizes Raiola's big arm and a good receiver corps. But the offensive line at the moment won't allow that. And yet, Holgorsen keeps trying to fit a square peg into a round hole. It's even more galling how little he used Johnson, considering he's coming off a game where he carried 21 times for 176 yards.
The Five Win curse is worse than the surrender whites for Nebraska
There was quite a bit of talk going into Friday about the all-white uniforms the team wears that are often referred to as "surrender whites," considering how many times they've lost in them. But what overshadows their uniforms is just how poorly Matt Rhule's teams play once they get to 5 wins.
In his first year in Lincoln, the Huskers started the year 5-3. They went 0-4 to finish 5-7. Last season, they started 5-1 and went 2-5, including the bowl game. This year, they're 0-1 after starting 5-1. In all, the Nebraska football team is 2-10 and 1-10 in the regular season after getting to 5 wins. Is it a mental block? Is it a team wearing down too early? They need to solve it because a fade where they only win 6 or 7 games this season won't sit well with Husker fans.