NU comes up short in big situations

[ColoradoHusk]

I got the idea for this thread from Sam McKewon's and Jon Nyatawa's podcast from this week. I thought it was a pretty good listen, and it's only 40 minutes long, so it moves quickly.

 

Anyway, they commented how for the past 10+ years (through Callahan, Bo, and now Riley) that Nebraska has seemed to come up short in big situations and not handle prosperity well. Yes, there were times under Bo where the team responded with their backs against the wall to win the division, but when there were games to show the nation that NU is trending upward, NU has fallen flat on it's face.

 

Here are some of the examples that they pointed out in the past decade plus (along with some of my own):

 

2005 Texas Tech -- NU starts the season 4-0 under Callahan, and can beat a #15 ranked Texas Tech at home with a 4th quarter stop. LeKevin Smith makes an INT to seal the game, only to fumble it and give the ball back to TTU. Texas Tech scores a winning TD a play or two later. NU then ends up losing 3 of the next 4, before winning the last 3 games to finish 8-4.

 

2006 Texas -- #17 NU vs. #5 Texas. NU comes roaring back in the 4th quarter, only to lose after Terrance Nunn fumbles after gaining the clinching 1st down in the 4th quarter.

2006 Oklahoma State - NU jumps ahead of Okie State 16-0, only to allow the Cowboys to go on a 41-7 run (21-0 to start the 4th quarter) to win easily.

2006 Oklahoma Big 12 Championship - NU wins the North and faces OU for the conference title. It is a super cold night in KC. NU fumbles the opening kickoff and falls down 7-0 less than a minute into the game. Then NU gives up a long TD pass a couple series later, and never gets closer than 7 points the rest of the way. It was an awful start to a big game.

 

2007 USC --NU was actually up 10-7 in the 2nd quarter over the #1 Trojans. SC then scores 5 TD's in a 20 minute span in the 2nd and 3rd quarters.

2007 Missouri -- NU manages to win the 2 games after USC, and is still ranked #25 when facing Missouri. NU gets blown out of the water, and this game starts the end for the Callahan era.

 

2008 Texas Tech--NU gets #7 TTU into OT. The Red Raiders score but NU blocks the extra point. Of course, Ganz gets picked off right away and NU loses.

 

2009 Virginia Tech--NU has the Hokies are 90 yards away from a big NU victory on the road, early in Bo's tenure. Ricketts lets a WR get behind him, but still manages to bring him down before the end zone. Then on 4th down, Tyrod Taylor hits a TD pass, after shaking loose from Suh and the other pass rushers. NU laments the fact they had to settle for 5 FG's inside the red zone.

2009 Texas Tech--NU is ranked #15 after winning a division battle against Missouri in the rain the week before. NU falls down 21-0 and never challenges the Red Raiders, losing 31-10.

2009 Iowa State--10 turnovers at home. UGH.

2009 Texas Big 12 Championship game--this is the ONE BIG GAME where NU actually plays well, but NU still loses in controversial fashion

 

2010 Texas--NU is undefeated and #5 entering this game, and is supposed to get revenge on Texas for the year before. Garrett Gilbert (yes, Garret Gilbert!!!) leads UT to a 17-3 lead, and again NU falls flat on its face in a big game.

2010 Oklahoma Big 12 Championship--NU jumps ahead 17-0 early in the 2nd quarter, but lets OU come back. NU doesn't score in the 2nd half, and loses another chance at a conference championship.

 

2011 Wisconsin--#7 vs. #8 in NU's first game in the Big Ten. NU starts out well, but Russell Wilson goes nuts, and Martinez turnovers doom NU. NU gets waxed.

2011 Northwestern--NU had just beaten #9 Michigan State with a dominating defense performance, and is still in good shape for the division title. Northwestern takes it to NU from the opening snap and wins.

 

2012 UCLA--NU goes out west ranked #16 after an opening season butt-whipping of SoMiss. Game is tied 24 at half, but NU manages only 2 FG's in the 2nd half. NU loses 36-30.

2012 Ohio State--A week after NU has an amazing comeback to beat Wisconsin, NU gets absolutely owned by Ohio State in Urban Meyer's first year there. Mistakes at the end of the 2nd quarter allows Ohio State to go from a 24-21 deficit to 35-24 lead in less than 2 minutes. The Blackshirts give up 63 points.

2012 Wisconsin Big Ten Title game--70-31. That's all that needs to be said.

 

2013 UCLA--NU is up 21-3, but one broken play by Brett Hundley flips the momentum at the end of the 2nd quarter. UCLA romps in the 2nd half.

2013 Michigan State--even with a bad loss to Minnesota, NU still only has 1 loss in the division when it faces Michigan State. This is the de facto division title game. Michigan State capitalizes on 5 NU to win by 2 TD's.

 

2014 Michigan State--NU is 5-0 against a weak early schedule. NU falls behind 27-3 as the Sparty D dominates. NU does have a nice comeback in the 4th after Michigan State mistakes, but it's too little too late.

2014 Wisconsin--NU can still win the West Division with a win. 408 yards to Melvin Gordon. UGH!!

 

2015 BYU--A nice 2nd half comeback overcomes a very bad first half by the Blackshirts. But, NU isn't able to finish the game. NU loses the turnover battle, misses 3rd down conversions, and has bad clock management, and NU leaves the door open a crack for the Cougars. BYU slams open that door with a Hail Mary.

 

I didn't put this list together so people could bitch about Callahan or Bo. This list wasn't put together to show why Bo should have been fired. I think the biggest thing that Riley has to change is this culture of falling flat in key games. How do we know that Riley is the type of guy to do that? Yes, Riley did a good job of keeping Oregon State fairly competitive over the past decade, but many of those years still ended up being average to poor. That is why I think many people questioned the hire.

 

I want Riley to succeed, and the one game isn't enough to judge Riley. However, it only took one game under Riley for NU to lose in a big game which could establish positive momentum for the program. Also, I don't think it's enough to play these games "close". NU needs to start WINNING these games under Riley.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[StPaulHusker]

This isn't new to Nebraska. Up until 1994, Nebraska came up short on a lot of big situations under Osborne. Solich and Callahan had their fair share as well.

[Saunders]

The term that they used (and I've heard others say) is that Nebraska is snakebitten.

 

Seriously, Colorado stole our mojo in 2001, and we've been trying to get it back for a decade and a half. It is time...

[zoogs]

If you don't win a championship, you've come short somewhere along the way in a big situation.

 

On the other hand, we kind of take things for granted sometimes. Ameer's play against McNeese State, or the OT comeback against Iowa. Alex Henery's 57-yard field goal. Westerkamp with the Hail Mary. The highly improbable comeback against Missouri, in the rain. Finishing off Ohio State in the largest comeback in school history. Etc, etc, etc. All things without which we would be pretty far from the "comfort" of those borderline-or-less Top 25 4-loss Nebraska teams of the past several years.

 

Even before that; how about Zac Taylor's A&M drive, or the furious finish in a highly enjoyable 2005 Alamo Bowl?

 

You win some, you lose some.

[ColoradoHusk]

The term that they used (and I've heard others say) is that Nebraska is snakebitten.

 

Seriously, Colorado stole our mojo in 2001, and we've been trying to get it back for a decade and a half. It is time...

But when do we find the right coach to find our mojo?

[StPaulHusker]

If you don't win a championship, you've come short somewhere along the way in a big situation.

Ohio State lost to Virginia Tech last year

 

Alabama lost to LSU a couple of years ago

[StPaulHusker]

 

The term that they used (and I've heard others say) is that Nebraska is snakebitten.

 

Seriously, Colorado stole our mojo in 2001, and we've been trying to get it back for a decade and a half. It is time...

But when do we find the right coach to find our mojo?

 

7 years

[BigRedBuster]

 

The term that they used (and I've heard others say) is that Nebraska is snakebitten.

 

Seriously, Colorado stole our mojo in 2001, and we've been trying to get it back for a decade and a half. It is time...

But when do we find the right coach to find our mojo?

 

Good Lord....give a guy a more of a chance than one game.

[ColoradoHusk]

 

 

The term that they used (and I've heard others say) is that Nebraska is snakebitten.

 

Seriously, Colorado stole our mojo in 2001, and we've been trying to get it back for a decade and a half. It is time...

But when do we find the right coach to find our mojo?

 

Good Lord....give a guy a more of a chance than one game.

 

I will give him time. However, this first game puts plenty of doubt in my head.

[True2tRA]

We've come up short, except in the times where we didn't.

 

We won all the games, except for the ones we lost.

 

It's football.

[True2tRA]

 

 

 

The term that they used (and I've heard others say) is that Nebraska is snakebitten.

 

Seriously, Colorado stole our mojo in 2001, and we've been trying to get it back for a decade and a half. It is time...

But when do we find the right coach to find our mojo?

 

Good Lord....give a guy a more of a chance than one game.

 

I will give him time. However, this first game puts plenty of doubt in my head.

 

It shouldn't. You've chosen to look at all the negatives. There were lots of really good things.

[ColoradoHusk]

This isn't new to Nebraska. Up until 1994, Nebraska came up short on a lot of big situations under Osborne. Solich and Callahan had their fair share as well.

Osborne won plenty of "big games" along the way too. I didn't go to include the Solich years, but the Callahan years are shown too.

[ColoradoHusk]

 

 

 

 

The term that they used (and I've heard others say) is that Nebraska is snakebitten.

 

Seriously, Colorado stole our mojo in 2001, and we've been trying to get it back for a decade and a half. It is time...

But when do we find the right coach to find our mojo?

 

Good Lord....give a guy a more of a chance than one game.

 

I will give him time. However, this first game puts plenty of doubt in my head.

 

It shouldn't. You've chosen to look at all the negatives. There were lots of really good things.

 

To me, that first game left me with more questions than answers.

[NoLongerN]

It's gonna be hard to please you when you say, "NU needs to start WINNING these games under Riley" and "But when do we find the right coach to find our mojo?"

Both of your statements are unfair. We only played one game and your view is we need to start winning. Well, unfortunately, with only one game being played ... we just can't meet your expectation. Second, it appears you had concluded before or after this one game that we have not found the right coach.

You might actually be "spot on" on your view. I hope not. We have fallen so far I don't know with Nebraska's geography and our attachment to the B1G if we will ever find our way to the promise land. However, I think Coach Riley will put a product on the field that I can be happy with. I just don't think we are gonna see near the glory we once enjoyed.

[zoogs]

 

If you don't win a championship, you've come short somewhere along the way in a big situation.

Ohio State lost to Virginia Tech last year

 

Alabama lost to LSU a couple of years ago

 

Haha! Yes. Sometimes you can lose and still win a championship. This will become more true if they expand the playoff field.

 

However, if you don't win a championship, then you've definitely come up short.

 

Unless you finished undefeated.