The Big Ten officially kicked off its season in week zero in Ireland (any teams from there looking to join?) with an absolute barnburner. Northwestern pulled off the “upset” over Nebraska, Scott Frost’s men shockingly losing yet another close contest.
This game was everything great about Big Ten football. It had everything: surprisingly good quarterback play, Northwestern pounding the rock to the win, and Scott Frost losing another close game due to coaching ineptitude. What else could you want?
Despite being a week zero play between two teams that Iowa will see much later in the season, it did have intrigue for Hawkeye fans. Of course, Nebraska is a team many, for some reason, predicted to be a breakout contender in 2022.
If so, their season-ending clash could have massive playoff implications. Northwestern was projected to have another bad season this year, but showed some things that could possibly give Iowa some trouble coming off of a massive matchup with Ohio State. With the curtain closed in Ireland, here are the key points to take away from Northwestern’s victory.
Same ol’ Scott Frost
Brendan Moran-USA TODAY Sports
Nebraska received a lot of hype heading into the year because of how many close games they were in last season. They were the biggest what-if team for a lot of fans, many going as far as to call them the greatest 3-9 team in college football history. If a few things go differently, they were a winning team. The problem is, it always seems like the little things go against Nebraska. They aren’t capable of getting it done when it matters, and this has been a problem throughout Scott Frost’s entire tenure.
At some point, it is more than just bad luck for the Cornhuskers. When a program constantly fails to get it done when it matters late in games, it has to fall on the head coach. Today, it was the same. Yes, Casey Thompson forgot how to throw a football in the fourth quarter, and the defense couldn’t keep up late in the game, but that onside kick attempt is a fireable offense. You’re up by 11 in the third quarter, rolling with two straight scores… and you decide to go for an onside kick? This is why Frost is now 3-22 when trailing at halftime and 5-21 in one-score games.
So yeah… Nebraska’s defense kind of stinks
Brendan Moran-USA TODAY Sports
That might have been the most demoralizing way for a defense to lose a game. You see your offense struggling to do anything, either turning the ball over in the form of…