It took Shawn Watson only 54 minutes and 36 seconds of futility to figure out how to beat Missouri.

The Huskers had just stymied Mizzou on fourth down with 5:24 left. They led 20-12. Watson's offense took the field.

Missouri knew Nebraska wanted to pound the ball and milk clock. But the Tigers, desperate to get Blaine Gabbert the ball again, couldn't stop Big Red.

Why?

Watson ran the football over and over and over. Eight times in a row.

With 4:15 to go, Nebraska sent three tight ends and a fullback to its huddle.

“Big third-and-2 here for Missouri's D,” ESPN analyst Jesse Palmer said.

“Ya think?” his partner, Craig James, replied.

Ten defenders crowded the box, but Roy Helu moved the chains.

Next play, with nine in the box, Rex Burkhead followed four blocking tight ends and gained 8 yards. Then Zac Lee picked up 3 on a quarterback sneak.

Another four-tight end formation invited Missouri's defensive backs to the line of scrimmage. This time, Helu pierced the line, made one tackler look silly and gained 41.

Was it really that hard to string together three first downs? Why did it take 3½ quarters? Did Watson not receive a weather report when he formulated the most important game plan of the season?

Ndamukong Suh, with a little help from his defensive cronies, toppled an old nemesis and bolstered Nebraska's chances for a Big 12 North title. But don't let a memorable fourth quarter cloud your perspective on one of NU's worst offensive performances in years.

At Virginia Tech, the problem was red-zone efficiency. At Missouri, it was simply efficiency.

Blame it on the rain if you wish, but Nebraska's offensive habits and philosophies demand attention, even in the wake of Bo Pelini's biggest W.

If you want to win a Big 12 championship in Middle America, where October and November throw every meteorological curveball in the book, it might be a good idea to build an offense capable of running the ball on Missouri, the nation's 61st-best rush defense.

Watson didn't try, at least not until the final drive, when burning clock became a priority.

In the first 55 minutes, just once did Nebraska give the ball to its I-backs on consecutive plays. When? The first two snaps of the game.

In the second quarter, during some of the hardest downpours of the night, Nebraska ran 22 plays; 17 were planned passes; 11 were incompletions.

Maybe the sling-it strategy works if water isn't falling in sheets.

Maybe it works if Zac Lee isn't throwing behind receivers, if Niles Paul isn't dropping balls, if offensive linemen aren't failing to block Sean Weatherspoon.

Power football won't always be the answer with this personnel. But circumstances Thursday necessitated dedication to the ground.

And Watson resisted. He has a tendency to fall in love with balance, even at the expense of success.

Case in point: Second quarter. Third-and-1 at the Missouri 44. Nebraska goes with three tight ends. Missouri loads the box with 10 defenders.

Burkhead, who ran hard all night behind an ailing Helu, bursts through a hole and nearly breaks free for a touchdown.

The play showed grit. The call from the press box showed determination.

What followed? Three pass plays. Three Lee incompletions. Another punt. Nebraska's first 10 drives consisted of nine punts and a fumble.

By half, Lee had thrown 22 passes, an appalling number on a night like Thursday.

Things got worse in the third quarter, as Watson stuck with finesse: shotgun formations with three and four wide receivers. From that look, NU couldn't throw or run.

Too many short passes to the sideline, where receivers have nowhere to turn but out of bounds — Curenski Gilleylen actually caught an out route and ran into the Missouri sideline for a 2-yard loss.

Too many quarterback keepers from a quarterback who hasn't proven himself a threat to run — Lee carried seven times for 14 yards, not counting a first-quarter sack.

Too few routes deep and over the middle — where were the tight ends?

Through three quarters, Nebraska took 51 offensive snaps.

Twenty-nine plays either lost yards or gained zero. The grand total for 51 snaps, including penalties, was 90 yards.

In those 51 snaps, Nebraska called pass 31 times, which netted 52 yards. That's 1.7 yards per pass play. Running plays averaged 2.4.

Did Mizzou occasionally bring an extra defender into the tackle box to pressure the Husker run game? Yes, but the Tigers were not cheating safeties all night. Their linebackers just made plays, so it seemed that way.

Lee eventually made a play, too, hooking up with Paul on a 56-yard score.

But Nebraska's offense didn't find a groove until it returned to power football on the final drive. (Remember, the defense set up the second and third touchdowns.)

It wasn't all Watson's fault, those three miserable quarters. And it wasn't all Lee's fault, either.

Nebraska's line played poorly. Helu wasn't full speed. And the starting wideouts, who just don't possess the explosiveness you expect from receivers on a Top 25 team, struggled so badly that Ted Gilmore temporarily benched them.

But how does this offense beat Oklahoma and Kansas without serious strides in the next month?

Lee hasn't demonstrated accuracy in big games. Penalties persistently interrupt drives. And Watson seems intent to lean on a passing game that doesn't pass very well.

Try to make sense of that.

Contact the writer:

679-9899, dirk.chatelain@owh.com

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