The Nebraska football team entered their game against Ohio State as massive underdogs. However, rather than simply getting whupped, whimpering and skittering away, the Huskers played their hearts out.
Even if they didn't always play that well, they played well enough to win the game. However, they didn't win for a number of reasons. Chief among them seemed to be some rather conservative playcalling from offensive coordinator Marcus Satterfield.
That playcalling especially hampered the Nebraska football team after Malcolm Hertzog intercepted OSU QB Will Howard and returned it all way deep into the red zone. However, Satterfield caled two plays that ran into the middle of the line and then on fourth down tried to go big and have Dowdell leap over the pile.
Nebraska football playcalling called out by Ohio State defender
The Huskers were stopped on fourth down and while they scored a downtown later to take a 17-14 lead, eventually lost 21-17 after Buckeyes defender Jordan Hancock jumped a route and picked off Dylan Raiola.
After the game, Hancock explained what he saw on that play and it's unlikely going to make fans feel better about the job Satterfield did on Saturday.
“It was a relief for sure. The defense was out there fighting. I saw they were repeating older routes. After watching film, I noticed what they were doing and I didn’t really get depth on the post, so I just stayed there. The ball felt like it took 20 seconds to get to me even though it was only two seconds, but overall, it was awesome.”
The comment about running "old routes" doesn't sound like a great thing for the Nebraska football team. Perhaps Satterfield or Rhule will explain during prep for the UCLA game next Saturday. For now, it sounds like Satterfield's playcalling was so predictable, Hancock was able to see a pattern.