In hindsight, Nebraska football fans should have seen this game coming. It's not as though the Huskers played anywhere near perfect football against either Michigan State or Maryland. Maybe all the talk about how "this team is different" should have waited until NU displayed 60 minutes of good execution. Or the Huskers just laid a massive egg. Whatever signs someone wants to say they saw or didn't see, Matt Rhule's squad played poorly for large portions of Friday night's game against Minnesota and could turn it back on when they needed.
Indeed, the most significant problems the Cornhuskers had on Friday night were problems that had surfaced before this season. Poor defensive line play. Incredibly poor offensive line play. Missed tackles, blown assignments. None of that was new. Which is definitely a problem.
Nebraska’s loss to Minnesota reveals familiar flaws that still haunt the Huskers
Before anyone claims the game had anything to do with Nebraska's coach being a candidate for Penn State, keep in mind he was not a candidate for the job when Michigan was running all over the Huskers' defense. He wasn't a candidate when a weak Michigan State defensive line was wreaking havoc in the backfield.
He wasn't a candidate the last couple of weeks when Nebraska's safeties were taking bad angles and missing tackles in open space. And he wasn't a candidate in games where offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen has admitted that he prematurely abandoned the run.
If Husker fans want to have an issue with what's going on behind the scenes and this coaching staff, have a problem with how this group doesn't seem to know how to fix any of it. Minnesota head coach PJ Fleck figured out a way to exploit it. Mainly by not allowing the Golden Gophers to make the kind of mistakes that Maryland and Michigan State did.
So now, the Nebraska football team is 5-2 after the 24-6 loss. It was not a remotely acceptable performance in a game where the Huskers could have made a statement about the rest of the season.
Instead, this weekend will be filled with whispers about a lack of motivation. About a coaching staff still struggling to find answers to questions that shouldn't be this big a puzzle. And concerns over another second-half swoon are in full effect. And unfortunately, there's an extra day to wonder and worry about how Friday night happened and if this coaching staff can stop it from happening again.