Week 11 - Michigan

 Week 11 - Michigan

Entering the season, we figured two games were going to be a true challenge; Michigan and Oklahoma. Yet, here we are post-Michigan facing another 3-9 season reminiscing on what this season could have been had we not kicked the onside kick and not lost to Northwestern. Regardless, it’s all in the past and it’s clear just how far we are from the future we all desire. 

First and foremost I feel bad for Mickey Joseph. Mickey came in expecting to be a part of a competitive Nebraska team with Scott Frost, and following his Titanic ship finally sinking, now it was up to Mickey to survive the last 9 games of the season and it was just an unfair ask of him. While Mickey brought life to this team, life to this fanbase, and hope for a brighter future, the good majority of Nebraska faithful have sunk the head coach Mickey Joseph talks in hopes for another splash hire to win more than 3 games next year. Mickey has all the right words to say, all the right approaches to bettering this team, there just isn’t much belief he will remain the Nebraska head football coach. 

While the Michigan game went about as expected, it’s clear Nebraska needs 2 things; Casey to be healthy and Mark Whipple to step away. I’ll be honest, once Mark Whipple went down during that kick return, I thought this was the chance Mickey would have to prove his offensive mindset and call some nifty plays to get us on the board. However, that did not happen as Mark continued to call plays in the second half and we continued to struggle to move the ball. While last year we were in this same position of a 3-7 record, we all believed in the future, now we are staring another 3-7 record in the eyes hoping to blink and have the season be over.

Though it is easy to recognize how awful our lines are and how unmatched our talent levels were this week, Mickey Joseph may very well be that guy to pull players to Nebraska and develop them into a competitive football team, just maybe under the guidance or help of Lane Kiffin or Dave Aranda. (I know I’m too hopeful) Mickey made it clear after the game how Nebraska can close the gap on the juggernauts of the Big Ten being, “Recruiting.” He understands the talent gap and he understands the development gap and with Mickey’s recruiting history, one can only hope that at the very least he is retained as Nebraska’s wide-receiver coach. 

The Blackshirt defense played fairly well, all things considered, however, our only true hope for these next two games is for the offense to move the ball. Since the Purdue game, Trey Palmer has been fairly non-existent, Nebraska hasn’t scored 2 touchdowns in a game, and the quarterback play has been abysmal. We don’t have an offensive mindset outside of Casey Thompson, which is concerning since he’s been out 3 weeks, and our play calls don’t utilize the skill sets of Logan Smothers and Chubba Purdy all too well. While this game was hard to watch and there weren’t many Husker-favored highlights, the Huskers did have a few bright spots players. 

Brian Buschini continued to be Nebraska’s star, continuing to flip the field against the opposition and true freshman Ernest Hausmann looked ready to play, having a nice stat line of his own. Watching Ernest drive back Michigan quarterback JJ McCarthy and sack him on a rollout run-pass option, gave Husker fans something to be hopeful for the future of. While that was something to be hopeful for with those two and their player development, none of it matters until we can officially announce our new head coach. 

As we count down until the Black Friday Iowa showdown, the more exciting part of that day is the hope that we will then know the Husker head coach. With the rumor mill grinding out new radical ideas and now having the new verification system on Twitter, it is hard to know what is true and what is beyond fake. Regardless, the rumors of Deion Sanders being Nebraska’s head coach have been just about as exciting as bringing in Urban Meyer during the Oklahoma blowout. Regardless, we will have no idea but the rumors are becoming more entertaining than watching the football team play. 

While we're extremely hopeful for what the future holds for the Cornhuskers, we must first be humbled by Wisconsin and Iowa to finish off our season. While we are 3-7 this year, remember that we will always be the best-worst team in the nation. 

Go Big Red.