Tunnel Walk
- Sean Brennan
- Sep 25
- 7 min read
Updated: Oct 7
After 28 straight losses to ranked opponents, the Memorial Stadium experience is getting tough even for the most seasoned of us – but at least we still have Bud
Last week we referenced the mighty, mighty, almighty Terence “Bud” Crawford as a reference point for Nebraska’s turn to step up in weight class. Crawford, of course, stepped up by three weight classes and proved himself as unequivocally the best boxer of this generation last Saturday. He then led this Huskers onto the field against Michigan this week.
Well, Nebraska wasn’t quite ready to step up in weight class. Michigan is still part of the standard. There were signs of improvement, I guess, if you want to talk about the 45-7 throttling Michigan gave us in 2023 (they could’ve picked their score in that one, honestly). Saturday was a dogfight, at least, frustrating as the final result was.
Of all the things to love about Bud, he is a Nebraskan, through and through. A true ride-or-die. Something that has shown through during all of his fights.
So let’s choose to ride with this week’s edition of “Four Downs” – with a warning sign about the more negative side of the ride-or-die equation on the back end. Hut, hut. Hut. (Can we at least try to draw one of the foaming-at-the-mouth Michigan defensive end offsides?) Hut! Hut!!!! HUTTTT!!!! (No? We can’t) Eh. Hut.
FOUR DOWNS
1. The offensive line play was truly … offensive. Oh, man, did our biggest fears come true – I just thought the fear would come on the other side of the ball (more on that below). It was the offensive line that was truly brutal, giving up seven sacks and 30-something pressures on quarterback Dylan Raiola’s 48 drop-backs. We said it here last week: “show me a bad offensive line, and I’ll show you a bad quarterback.” The thing is, quarterback Dylan was anything but bad, which is one positive sign – despite what the national prognosticators say (even more-more on that below-below). I don’t know what the answer to the offensive line issue is, but my guess is that they will be good against bad teams, average against average teams, and bad against good teams.
The problem is, there are only two bad teams left on the schedule – Northwestern and UCLA. To get to real progress this year – a record of 8-4 or 9-3 – the Huskers offensive line is going to have to give Dylan a chance and rise above average.
2. The defensive line was bad, too, but maybe not the full-on disaster that it seemed. This version of Michigan isn’t what the 2023 team was, but they were still bigger, faster, stronger. Their front seven is loaded with NFL guys … and we just … aren’t … there … yet (I say “yet” with blind faith in Rhule because of course I do). The talent disadvantage was true, but Michigan got three touchdowns on runs of 37, 75 and 54 yards – three plays that accounted for 58-ish percent of their total of 286 yards. So … Deep breath. No, 286 yards is not good. But as we also said here last week: football is a game won from the inside out, and defensive lines need a little help from their friends on the second and third levels. Nebraska defensive coordinator John Butler got caught playing checkers in the midst of a chess match on the first touchdown; and our linebackers and safeties didn’t do their jobs on the second and third.
You could argue that despite the long runs, Michigan would’ve scored on those drives anyway. And you might be right. But what I’m saying is that we knew our defensive line was an issue; so why in the hell is Butler forcing exotic play calls, and why can’t our dudes just break down and tackle? Outside of the long runs, we did force them to settle for three field goals. Calling a basic defense, seeing better tackling and playing the bend-but-don’t-break game possibly results in a different outcome. Possibly.
3. Quick lesson for all of us: be careful when you start feeling yourself a little too much. Let me say it once: wide receiver Jacory Barney and linebacker Dasan McCollough were our two best players on the field Saturday. Let me say it twice: Wide receiver Jacory Barney and linebacker Dasan McCollough were our two best players on the field Saturday.
I could say it a third time to reiterate that what you’re about to read is nothing but constructive criticism. Barney and McCollough are elite, and the type of guys that give us hope going forward. It’s just that … well, they both had big moments early that might’ve cost them later. Call it an exercise in sports and human psychology, if you will.
Barney committed the ultimate punt returner sin in the second quarter, picking up a punt off two bounces, which he somehow turned into a crowd-pleasing 20-yard return. Which is great – I’m just wondering if he was feeling himself a little too much when in the third quarter he committed the real ultimate punt returner sin and fielded a punt return inside his own five, which resulted in Nebraska starting a driving at its own 2-yard-line.
As for McCollough, his “got-that-dawg-in-him” attitude reminds me of great Huskers of the past like Terrell Farley and Jamel Williams, minus the oversized 1990s shoulder pads. Nobody is getting through a doorway in those things. Anyway, Dasan got home on an electric sack and an electric tackle-for-loss in the second and third quarters that set the 90,000 fans in attendance that did remind of us days gone by. He’s a dawg – we know it when we see it. But on the biggest play of the game – a Michigan 3rd-and-9 with Nebraska in desperate need of getting the ball back – McCollough again came in like a heat-seeking missile from before when the time called for settling down, chopping those feet, and just getting the guy out of bounds.
In fact, I will say it a third time: Jacory Barney and Dasan McCollough were our best two players on the field Saturday. They are progress personified. But I believe in the old adage of criticizing your elite. It’s the little things.
4. Why on god’s green earth did Michigan choose the Killers’ “Mr. Brightside” as their go-to pump-up song? The 2023 Michigan team were national champions … but national champions who got caught in the biggest college football cheating scandal of the last two decades. “Mr. Brightside” is a song about cheating. Hmmmm. Am I the only one who’s noticed this? Is it the ultimate troll job? If so, good job guys. Put Connor Stallions in your ring of fame; I read an article one time where Jim Harbaugh said his goal in life is to “fart through silk.” And Desmond Howard’s laugh during “College Gameday” makes my remote control turn the channel for me.
All props to Michigan – obviously a great program who might be better this year than anyone thought. They won, we lost, but it’s all kinda weird. Let’s just say I’m content to be a Nebraskan today.
The thing everybody – at least on a national level – seems to be talking about…
Add Tom Fornelli of CBS Sports’ “Cover 3 Podcast” to the ever-growing list. If your main reason that Nebraska lost to Michigan is because Dylan Raiola acts like Patrick Mahomes, congratulations, you’ve just exposed yourself as a football simpleton. Come on down! Tell him what he’s won, Bob! A big, long look in the mirror, I hope. Dylan was incredible on Saturday considering the pressure he was under. We got issues, but he isn’t one of them.
The thing that nobody seems to be talking about…
All the Wolverine weirdness aside, again, Michigan might just be really good. Nope, it’s not the 2023 team, but they still have the type of manimals in the trenches that few teams do.
The 30-27 loss was tough to swallow. It sucked walking down of Memorial Stadium – once again – disappointed. Nebraska has now lost 28 consecutive games to teams who were ranked and I was up there, this time in Row 65, Section 32 in North Stadium. Twenty-eight straight. The law of averages does not seem to be on our side. The leadership needs to figure something out. And they better do it soon.
Because as fans, you gotta pay a couple hundred for the ticket. You gotta sit in traffic. You gotta park. Then you gotta pay a crazy amount of money to park. You gotta wear your sweet, sweet Jordans because you might end up in a sweet, sweet pic with your boys that’s gonna end up on Facebook. You gotta walk to this tailgate. You gotta walk to that tailgate, too. The tab continues to rise along the way. You eventually stomp up to Row 65. Your Jordans get dirtier. Michigan scores. Michigan scores again. Your Jordans are grey now. You gotta take a leak. The line is looooooong. The line for beer? Don’t even think about it. Old age might get you by the end of the quarter. But while you’re standing in line for the bathroom, Michigan scores again. Finally you go, but so does Michigan. You march back up to Row 65 and wiggle your way back to your seat. The poor people in your section lean back as if in addition to beer Memorial Stadium started selling purple drank, too. “Excuse me. Ummm. Sorry. Excuse me. Thank you. Sorry. Thank you. Excuse me. Sorry.” Our guy inexplicably ventured out of bounds on Dylan’s best pass of the day. Field goal. More Michigan running. More missed tackles. Michigan scores again. Another sack. Dylan pulls a Houdini on 3rd-and-22 (eat it, Fornelli); and man, how the Huskers manage to make it a one-score game and tease us every time. The onside kick doesn’t work out. Game over. A fight breaks out as people head for the exits. It settles down and cooler heads prevail. But someone else spilled something on your Jordans. It’s fine, except it’s gonna take 30 minutes to even get to the exit ramp. Your sweet, sweet Jordans aren’t ruined, but they’ve seen better days. Once you get to the exit, your big thanks-for-coming is a cool pic on Facebook and another depressing 30-minute walk to your car and then a 45-minute wait in traffic and then another hour-long-ride home full of lament. We are over it. But then we turn on “Husker Online” by the time we hit Waverly.
In other words, it’s like this: Like Bud, we are ride-or-die. But everyone has a breaking point. Win.
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