The most damning thing about Nebraska football seems to be that even with near 5 YPC it lacks the confidence to just line up and run for a yard.
— Mike Schaefer (@mikejschaefer) October 25, 2025
The Huskers just letting Northwestern hang around as it can't finish drives on either side of the ball.
Dana Holgorsen's 4th down play-calling was flat bad for Nebraska
When Dana Holgorsen was hired as the full-time offensive coordinator after last season's tryout, Nebraska fans were thrilled to have such a well regarded offensive mind at the helm. However, Holgorsen's play calling, especially the last two weeks, has been frustrating.
Following a loss to Minnesota, Nebraska coaches said they needed to find a way to mitigate the pass rush. In that regard, they did the job. However, new problems popped up, especially on 4th and short.
The Huskers went for it on 4th and short three times. All three play calls were bizarre, and NU was lucky to get a first down on their first two attempts. His third and final play call on 4th and short was bizarre.
On a day when Nebraska was running over, around, and through Northwestern, on a day when Emmett Johnson averaged 4.6 yards per carry, Holgorsen decided to try a rollout pass to the short side of the field that was covered well, causing quarterback Dylan Raiola to try and make a play out of nothing and fumble. Why not run the ball?
Why was one of the other 4th and short play calls a weird trick play using Haarberg as the QB to hand the ball off?
Some of this is Nebraska coaches not trusting the offensive line altogether, but they should be able to get 1 yard, especially with a back as good as EJ running behind it.