After wins and losses, there are three simple questions Nebraska coach Matt Rhule asks of his team.
What are we doing well?
What are we not doing well?
With whatever isn’t going well, what’s the plan to fix it?
With the Huskers sitting at 3-1 and a week removed from their loss to the then-No. 21 Michigan Wolverines, the answers to the first two questions are apparent.
What are they doing well? There’s plenty.
For starters, Nebraska’s passing game, both offensively and defensively, is one of the best in the nation at No. 2 and No. 1, respectively. The offense is ranked in the top 25 nationally in eight different metrics, such as completion percentage (No. 2, 77.6%), scoring offense (No. 12, 43.5 points per game), total offense (No. 13, 496.5 yards per game) and third-down conversions (No. 24, 50%).
Defensively, the Blackshirts rank in the top 25 nationally in seven different statistical categories, like fumbles recovered (No. 6 with five recoveries), third down conversion defense (24% allowed), total defense (No. 14, 249.2 yards per game allowed) and scoring defense (No. 15, 13.5 points per game allowed). Special teams, too, has had some bright spots with their No. 5 punt return defensive unit and the two blocked kicks.
What are the Huskers not doing well? Well…
The run game, on both sides of the ball, is a glaring issue — on film and on paper.
We all saw the Michigan game. We all saw those three touchdown runs from Michigan that went 37 yards, 75 yards and 52 yards, respectively. We all saw how Nebraska, sacks excluded, had Emmett Johnson run the ball 19 times out of 24 total carries. We all saw the Cincinnati game. We all saw Bearcats quarterback Brendan Sorsby gash Nebraska’s defense for nearly 100 yards on the ground and how the collective rushing offense averaged 6.7 yards per carry.
What do the numbers say? Looking at all the things Nebraska’s offense and defense do well compared to this? It’s a steep drop off. Nebraska’s passing offense is No. 2. Nebraska’s rushing offense? No. 86. This isn’t a critique of Johnson, who is No. 17 nationally after averaging 97.8 yards per game. He’s doing what’s asked of him. It’s a critique of the depth behind him and how Nebraska is using — or rather not using — them.
As far as the defense goes, Nebraska’s pass defense is rated No. 1 nationally. But the rushing defense? That average of 173.5 rushing yards per game allowed comes in at No. 108 out of the 134 FBS teams. That’s statistically abysmal. Only six major conference teams are below that — Syracuse, Baylor, Kansas State, Colorado, Oklahoma State and UCLA. Considering two of those programs have fired their coaches and are a collective 10-17 this season, that’s not the company you want to keep.
As Rhule said Monday, “We’re one of the top teams in the country throwing the ball. We’re one of the top teams in the country at pass defense. We are not there running the football. We are not there stopping the run. There’s areas that we need to get significantly better at.”
OK. So, what’s the plan to fix the run game? On both offense and defense?
During the idle week, Nebraska looked to establish a No. 2 running back. Rhule says the Huskers have done that, but didn’t name names between redshirt freshman Mekhi Nelson, true freshman Isaiah Mozee or sophomore Kwinten Ives. The recently released depth chart has the running backs in that order with no “ORs” — Johnson, Nelson, Mozee, Ives — but I wouldn’t read too much into that. That’s the order they’ve been listed in all season.
“I think we have a really good plan,” Rhule said of the No. 2 running back. “We won’t say anything until Saturday. You guys will see it, but I think we came out of the bye week feeling really good about a lot of guys in terms of where they’re at. I thought the team got a lot better last week. So, I think we have some clarity.”
With Raiola taking seven sacks against Michigan, what about the tackle spots? Rhule, last week, didn’t shy away from the fact that he and the offensive staff were going to re-evaluate what the operation looked like and watch how the offensive linemen responded during the idle week.
How did they respond? What’s the plan there moving forward? Once again, mum’s the word.
“You’ll see it on Saturday — and I mean that respectfully. I just don’t want to start saying a lot of things about what’s going to happen,” Rhule said. “I thought last week guys clarified a little bit on what we’re gonna do. I think after a game like that, you know exactly what you need to work on. I think each guy improved last week, but I think we feel good about ‘Hey, here’s what we’re going to go with.’”
Once again, don’t read into the depth chart. That was released on Monday after Rhule spoke. The two/three-deep of Gunnar Gottula, Turner Corcoran and then Elijah Pritchett at left tackle with Teddy Prochazka then Tyler Knaak at right tackle hasn’t been tweaked since the Houston Christian game. (The Akron game notes had two ORs for the left tackle spot with those three guys.)
And, last but not least, how does Nebraska shore up the run defense?
Here, it’s a lot of the little things. It’s everything from tackling fundamentals to approach angles to getting the right people in the right spots for various packages.
“It’s all correctable,” Rhule said. “I think we’ve been just looking at, ‘Hey, are we doing the right things? Are we doing the right things with the right people? And who do we have that we can use?’”
Rhule isn’t saying that they’re going to change people out, necessarily — except for Malcolm Hartzog Jr. He is doubtful for Saturday’s game — but maybe increase the rotation to include different defenders if they’re ready for the challenge.
And Michigan State will be a challenge — especially in the quarterback run game with Aidan Chiles. Chiles has added at least 30 yards rushing in Michigan State’s last three games — which has complemented what Spartan running back Makhi Frazier has done in the run game.
“Just look at Michigan State, they’re a running football team,” Rhule said. “They’re an outside zone football team. All the things that have been giving us trouble, they do. It’s a quarterback who can run, who can move, so it’s not like it’s any different. We had to work on that a lot this week.”
Will there be tangible improvement?
It’s hard to know without seeing behind the curtain. But, to paraphrase Rhule, I suppose we’ll see on Saturday.
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Amie Just
Husker sports reporter/columnist
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