There's a lot of room for performance between not all conference and being bad. Adrian isn't a bad quarterback. Zac Lee and Cody Green in 2009 were bad. Adrian in the 2019 Ohio State game was bad. Bad would not be an accurate descriptor of his play over the course of the season, despite him regressing. Good would actually be a very appropriate descriptor. Short of great, but still better than average.
BTW, there's no such thing as "objectively" seeing. To see is to subjectively interpret something with your eyes and your brain. You're not an omniscient armchair Husker fan, you're just a messageboard bro letting out a lot of hot air.