Following the Nebraska football team's first loss of the season, there has been plenty of criticism aimed at both the offensive game plan and the way the defense performed against Michigan.
The Huskers allowed 286 yards to Michigan, including several long touchdown runs that were the difference in the 30-27 score. While some fans are starting to get nervous about new defensive coordinator John Butler and his approach to the Blackshirts, Rivals analyst Tim Verghese thinks any blame for the defensive struggles should lie with the players over Butler's play-calling.
Nebraska football fans question John Butler after Michigan loss
"I thought the game plan from Butler was sound," Verghese said about the Nebraska defense. "Again, he was trusting his guys to make plays. The plays didn't happen enough. But, again, they were not— it wasn't like they were out of position."
"I think the discourse about Butler specifically coming out of this game is a little over the top as well, just because I thought he did a good job of getting Nebraska into the right answers."
Why missed tackles—not the play-calling—cost Nebraska football vs Michigan
"Okay, are there individual plays I think Butler would probably like to have a different call? Certainly, but at the same time, I don't think selling out for... the run against Michigan's, specifically Michigan's play actions and what they would want to do there, I think that's where Nebraska would have gotten off track a little bit or potentially gotten caught. So I was fine with the game plan defensively."
The analyst isn't wrong in that on most of those big runs, there was a defender who, had he made the play, it would have been a much shorter gain. Tackling has been a problem at times all season, and it was again versus the Wolverines.
Considering that the Cornhuskers' next test is against an explosive offense in Michigan State, the Nebraska football team will need to figure out how to better do what John Butler is asking.