LINCOLN — New atop the list of signs that Nebraska football is not back or making a fast move to get there two weeks after declarations to the contrary: The Huskers have lost consecutive games in October for the fifth straight year.
Before 2005, NU went 36 straight seasons without such a skid.
Its latest attempt to avoid a pre-Halloween losing streak died Saturday as Iowa State upset Nebraska 9-7 at Memorial Stadium.
The loss reinforced a notion that the Huskers' offense is drifting in the wrong direction. If we didn't know it before Saturday, those eight turnovers against the Cyclones provided more evidence.
So what kind of a challenge does NU face in moving forward as potential issues with confidence threaten to worsen an already bad situation?
“In my eyes, there is no challenge,” offensive line coach Barney Cotton said. “I expect our men to be fighters. Men fight. And I believe that we have some men on this team. What's the alternative? To flee. You fight or you flee.
“I expect everybody to come to work fighting. We will as coaches. I know the players will as well.”
The work continues today as the Huskers (4-3, 1-2 Big 12) begin to prepare for a meeting with Baylor (3-4, 0-3) Saturday at 11:30 a.m. in Waco, Texas.
The Bears are the only Big 12 team without a win against Nebraska in the past six years and have lost nine straight to NU since 1956. But Iowa State hadn't won in Lincoln since 1977 until Saturday.
So don't discount Baylor.
Water-cooler discussion this week again looks to focus on the offense, which has produced 32 points in three losses. And despite Zac Lee's solid work Saturday at helping place the Huskers in position to score, loud debate figures to surround the quarterbacks.
Freshman Cody Green has become a popular choice of fans and critics to replace the junior Lee, who finished 20 of 37 passing with three interceptions against ISU.
Two of Lee's interceptions were tipped by Nebraska receivers. And the last pick came on a desperate, fourth-down throw with 91 seconds to play.
Green did not play against the Cyclones after replacing Lee for three series in the second half on Oct. 17 against Texas Tech. The freshman directed NU to its lone touchdown in that 31-10 loss, leading coach Bo Pelini and offensive coordinator Shawn Watson to re-assess the QB position.
Lee won the job in practice.
“Bottom line, he had a consistent, better week,” Watson said, “but both of them did a really nice job. Cody gets credit. He's really pushing.
“They're pushing each other, which is good. (Lee) has got heat behind him from Cody. Cody's getting better. Zac just was a little bit more consistent, because he'd been there.”
Watson and Lee declined to reveal the timeline of the decision last week to go with Lee.
“I'd rather keep that inside our family,” Watson said, “if that's all right with you.”
Said Lee: “They just let us know.”
When?
“They just let us know,” he said again.
Clearly, though, it wasn't a game-time decision — as Pelini characterized the situation early last week — or even a game-day decision. Lee served Saturday as the offensive captain, a distinction typically announced to the team one day before each game.
The 6-foot-4, 220-pound Green, considered a more dangerous running threat than Lee, lacks superior game-management skills, Watson said.
“He's never had to do it before,” the coach said. “He gets in the two-minute drill and something new happens to him. He gets in the red-zone drill and something new happens to him. So he's got to log some time.”
Green has a solid handle on the NU playbook, Watson said.
Regardless, Watson said, talk about the quarterbacks Saturday was misguided. Lee didn't lose the game for Nebraska. Watson dismissed a suggestion that the NU offense could fix some of its problems with a jolt provided perhaps by a QB switch.
“What we need to do is take care of our business,” he said. “It comes back to taking care of your business. Doing the little things right.”
Lee said he thinks the Huskers are up to the challenge.
“We've got the guys with the character to be able to do it,” the quarterback said.
And there are no worries, Watson said, of the team splintering under the pressure created by back-to-back losses.
“That's not our culture,” he said. “We'll get them right. We're all in this together, so we'll get them right.”
Contact the writer:
402-473-9587, mitch.sherman@owh.com
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