Ground Game Grit for Nebraska Football

Midway through the third quarter of the ugliest Big Ten football game of the season, the Nebraska football team was exactly where it didn’t want to be.

The Cornhuskers had no problem with the fact that they were in West Lafayette, Indiana, almost within shouting distance of the devastation in East Tennessee caused by the remnants of Hurricane Helene. They were much more concerned about their own self-destructive behavior, the reemergence of a lingering hangover from the Scott Frost years.

In a first half that screamed of inconsistency, untimely penalties ruined three Cornhusker drives, including a controversial offensive pass interference call that ripped a Rahmir Johnson touchdown off the scoreboard. The Huskers’ running game was flat, their third-period performance was abysmal, their kicking game was suicidal, and the entire football program was riddled with self-doubt.

After suffering a bitter overtime loss in its Big Ten opener, the last thing Nebraska wanted to do was go slow against Purdue, one of the most beatable teams in the conference, but that’s exactly what happened, and the Boilermakers were happy to take advantage. When Purdue began the second half with an eight-minute field goal to take a 3-0 lead, Nebraska’s season seemed to be unraveling.

The Huskers were the opposite of relaxed and confident. Their inability to run the ball (NU had 49 yards on 13 carries at halftime against one of the worst rushing defenses in the conference) was insane and inexcusable. Only a solid rebound effort by the Blackshirts and Purdue’s own excessive sloppiness (the Boilers finished the game with 165 yards in penalties) kept Nebraska in the game.

Then something remarkable happened. The Big Red doubled down, leaned more heavily on his running game and started finishing drives. And the game just turned like that. The Huskers defeated Purdue 28-10, maintaining their momentum for a winning season largely because they refused to let old habits define them and, just as importantly, they finally started some decent, penalty-free run blocking to achieve.

Freshman quarterback Dylan Raiola is indeed a formidable weapon when he has at least the threat of a running game backing him up. To his credit, Raiola remained positive in the early stages even though everything was going downhill. He moved the team well between the 20s throughout the game, but failed to finish drives on his own. When his teammates on the offensive side of the ball decided they could play loose and free like their leader, things started to look up.

Aided by a pair of Boilermaker penalties, Raiola capped off a nine-play, 70-yard drive with a 6-yard touchdown pass to Jahmal Banks in the back of the end zone to finally get NU on the field. And then the running game brought the Huskers home. For the first time this season, the Huskers finished strong, largely because they ran the ball well. In the fourth quarter, Nebraska threw the ball 11 times for 77 yards and two touchdowns. Raiola, for his part, distributed the ball well as usual and completed 16 of 26 passes for 244 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions.

A mix of Dante Dowdell and Emmett Johnson at running back and a few big plays from freshman wide receiver Jacory Barney provided the offensive spark the Huskers needed in the second half as they capitalized on the momentum and scored 21 points in the fourth quarter. Meanwhile, an excited Greg Sharpe, who is battling pancreatic cancer, was funny and lively in the Husker Sports Network radio booth and happy Husker fans took over Ross-Ade Stadium.

Matt Rhule may have helped his team relax by letting go himself. On his halftime radio show, he bluntly criticized the call that robbed Rahmir Johnson of a touchdown and was cited nearly an hour later for arguing with an official. The yellow flag seemed like a good investment. It inspired his team, which overcame the 15-yard penalty, scored on the drive and extended its lead from 14-3 to 21-3.

After a disappointing effort against Illinois, the Blackshirts steadied themselves and allowed a decent Purdue offense with just 224 total yards and a late touchdown. They held Purdue to 50 rushing yards, had five sacks (two by sophomore James Williams) and nine tackles for a loss. Thanks to a good performance from Southern Cal transfer Ceyair Wright (five solo tackles and two pass breakups), they got through the game without even testing Tommi Hill’s sore foot. Linebacker Javin Wright returned from a health issue in fall camp and made three tackles. Linebacker John Bullock had four tackles and a pick-six. The defense salvaged a miserable effort through the kicking game, which included two bad snaps on two blocked field goals and a third miss from 42 yards by backup kicker John Hohl.

Such more defensive performances combined with a mid-level running game (the Huskers finished the game with 161 rushing yards) will at least lead to a respectable season in Lincoln if the kicking game can at least reach the mid-level level. The tests get tougher, starting next week against Rutgers, 4-0, and then following an open date on Oct. 12, another road trip to Indiana to play the Hoosiers, who are also undefeated at this point.

Did the Huskers (4-1 overall, 1-1 Big Ten) make up ground on Saturday in West Lafayette? I think so, especially because they finished strong in the hard-fought Big Ten battle that has plagued them for so many years and ran the ball well in the fourth quarter to remove any doubts about what they had major problems with the last seven years. The importance of avoiding two consecutive defeats in the first half of the season cannot be overstated.

Can the Huskers pick up some wins in the midseason?

Even with an increasingly notable Raiola at quarterback, Nebraska will struggle to qualify for a bowl with the running game it ran in the first half in West Lafayette. But if the Huskers let a pedestrian average 150 to 175 yards per game, they could end the season at 9-3. It’s as simple as that. Given an offensive line that has made more than 100 starts in past seasons, that’s not an unreasonable expectation. Even without Teddy Prochazka. Even without Micah Mazzccua. The Huskers scored nine rushing touchdowns and nine through the air. A more ground-heavy attack would be healthier for both the team and their young quarterback, but if they can at least stay balanced, they have a chance.

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