Many men have tried and failed.
Countless troops in white helmets with the red "N." Three – perhaps soon to be four – captains of that Big Red ship have found it to be quite elusive. Riley. Frost. Joseph. Now Rhule.
It’s a search seven long years in the making. A search for what is essentially the bare minimum standard for any self-respecting college football program.
Mercifully, that search may come to an end on Friday.
The search for a sixth win, for a bowl game.
The hunt for Red December.
Husker football has spent years down in the depths, desperate to find glory. The people within the program sacrificing years of their lives for the cause of living up to heroes past, but with little to show for it. Some battles have been won, but never the larger war.
When Iowa comes calling, NU can wash away all the chances not taken, all the squandered opportunities, every single misstep. The bad and the ugly can be wiped away with 60 minutes of good enough.
Everyone will soon find out if they have it in them. New starting quarterback Chubba Purdy seemed strong enough to lead early on against Wisconsin. But outside of the early explosive play TD drives, Nebraska managed only 213 yards and three points.
Purdy’s accuracy in the pass game is a welcome sight. While Heinrich Haarberg and Jeff Sims have been lost at sea when it comes to completion percentage, interceptions or both, Purdy started strong against the Badgers. He began 10-for-11 passing and was still 15-for-19 after a completion on the final drive of regulation. But the finishes have doomed the Huskers, with Purdy tossing interceptions on his final pass attempts in each of NU’s last two losses.
If head coach Matt Rhule and offensive coordinator Marcus Satterfield maintain the right balance, Purdy can move the ball through the air well enough. The 40 rushes versus 23 passes against the Badgers was and is a solid ratio considering the relative strength of the offensive line and run game compared to the state of Nebraska’s pass catchers.
Losing the special teams matchup each time out has taken its toll as well. Five straight Husker opponents hit more 50-plus yard punts, pinned more inside the 20, and five out of six had a higher average than NU punter Brian Buschini. Nebraska has lost the average starting field position fight in five consecutive games as well. Iowa has an elite punter and coverage unit, so even keeping it close would be acceptable.
At least the defensive countermeasures are fully operational. Getting safety Marques Buford back healthy has been a major weapon. Defensive lineman Ty Robinson continues to flourish on the front line, and his announced return for another tour of duty next season may help buoy the defensive front that much more for this 2023 regular season finale.
Even with the Blackshirts’ success, some attacks have penetrated through. Without more support from the offense, the margin for error on D is razor thin. Maybe it’s unfair to continue to ask so much of defensive coordinator Tony White’s charges, but they keep stepping up to meet the challenge. It’s only at the very end of the fight that they’ve succumbed to defeat.
That is exactly the issue – they need to be stronger at the end. Purdy and the offense have sputtered or turned it over just when victory came within sight. The defense has tripped up as they approached the finish line, too.
Nebraska has held a lead in all three November losses. In fact, they’ve been tied or in front in the second half of all three before failing to finish. Whether it’s clock management, questionable play calling, or penalties piling up, we’ve all seen how difficult it is navigating those late game situations.
The players will have their orders. They can see their target on radar, torpedoes armed and ready. There’s no way around it, they must find a way to beat Iowa and secure bowl eligibility. They had this chance in 2015 and again in 2019, sitting on five wins before hosting the Hawkeyes on Black Friday. Iowa sank them both times.
Now, the 2023 season comes down to this. After three straight wins they were on the brink, but then came three straight losses. One more chance. Win with field goals and phenomenal defense, or with explosive plays and created takeaways. On the ground or through the air, nobody will care.
The Huskers, in Rhule's first year, have won five games. But it damn near won’t matter if they can’t win six.
