Nebraska’s offense hit the first of two bye weeks this fall in a lull the likes of which head coach Scott Frost has not experienced since he first started coaching at the Football Bowl Subdivision level 11 years ago.
The Huskers have scored just one offensive touchdown in each of the past three games and needed a last-second field goal against Northwestern on Oct. 5 to notch a win in that stretch. Remarkably, NU hasn’t turned the ball over either of the past two weeks and still totaled just 13 and seven points, due mostly to the fact that it is averaging just 4.4 yards per play and 283 per game over the past three.
Asked Tuesday what he considers his biggest current challenge as the Husker play-caller, Frost pointed to a combination akin to sludge buildup in a normally clean-running engine: a notable lack in both explosiveness and consistency.
“We don’t generate enough big plays to make mistakes and (still) be able to sustain drives,” Frost said. “We need to keep doing the things we need to do so that we can create more big plays, and, in the meantime, we’ve got to limit the mistakes so we don’t stop drives ourselves.”
Frost again lamented a first half of a 34-7 loss at Minnesota in which the Nebraska offense threatened to score on its first three drives but came away with no points.
“Our first drive, we busted on a couple of plays. We should have scored on that drive,” Frost said. “Second drive, we had it down there again and took a sack. Wish I would have had us on a different play on first down there, but we can’t take a sack down there. That cost us points. Third drive we had it down to the 4 and had a penalty.
“You can’t do those things in any game, and you definitely can’t do them on the road against a good team.”
So if you’re drawing up a to-do list for the offense, it’s create more big plays, finish more drives, find more playmakers, play more consistently and don’t beat yourself.
That’s plenty to work on during a bye week. Frost said the key is to start simple.
“We talked this morning about getting better at the fundamentals and basic things,” he said. “I think we were all extremely disappointed after the last game. I’ve probably watched both sides of the ball six times. Offensively and defensively, we were close. I don’t think we played poorly; we just made little mistakes here and there that you can’t make.”
In 2018, Nebraska’s offense began to hit its stride before the team’s six-game losing streak ended, and it put together a prolific stretch through much of Big Ten play. This fall, consistent production has not developed as quickly.
“We’re still coming with chemistry,” Frost said. “We’re still playing a lot of young guys, a lot of guys that haven’t started a lot, particularly on the offensive line. And getting that all dialed in together is an important improvement that we need to make. Obviously, we’re still young at a couple of other places, too. We still need some weapons to continue to develop so we have more options.
“But again, when you watch the tape, we had opportunities to score and make that a different game, and we didn’t do it. And that comes down to consistency. I think consistency will come with more experience.”
Defensively, Frost said upon review he didn’t think Nebraska got pushed around up front as much as he thought as he watched the game from the sideline. The problem? Details again, particularly the way linebackers and defensive backs fit in run schemes.
More from this section If Bears OG Rashaad Coward makes first NFL start vs. Saints, expect him to bring an edge Husker recruit watch: Smothers continues to impress as dual threat quarterback Jerry Jones shows confidence in Jason Garrett “I had the impression watching the game from the sideline that we got pushed around up front on both sides. I don’t think that happened, but particularly I thought our (defensive) line held up pretty well,” Frost said. “We got reached on a few wide zones, stretches, and shouldn’t have, but the majority of the big runs and busted runs were guys from the second level and the third level not fitting in gaps or being late to gaps. That’s just detail.
“I told the guys, if the team expects you to be somewhere, you have to be there. A couple of busted coverages and three or four of those led to a lot of yards in the game and definitely led to the points in the first half.”
Frost says Robinson will return: The exact severity of Nebraska freshman wide receiver Wan’Dale Robinson’s left foot/ankle injury isn’t known, but Frost confirmed Tuesday that the team expects him back at some point this season.
“Wan’Dale will be fine,” said Frost, who has a policy of not discussing injury specifics publicly.
Robinson went down at the end of a catch-and-run in the second quarter of Saturday night’s loss to Minnesota and appeared to take a hard shot from a Gopher tackler near the outside of his left ankle. He stayed down on the turf and eventually was helped off to Nebraska’s sideline and into a medical tent.
When he emerged, he was put onto a cart that took him to the visiting locker room. In the second half, Robinson returned to the Husker sideline in street clothes and sporting a walking boot, but no crutches.
The talented receiver already owns NU’s freshman record for catches with 27 (a team best) and has 550 total yards of offense to go along with four touchdowns.
