Nebraska Football: Reviewing the Cornhuskers' 9-6 Loss To Texas A&M

THE GOOD ...

- OVERCOMING OBSTACLES: There will be more about the penalties, turnovers, and injuries in a bit. But what shouldn't be lost in the disappointment and frustration of NU's defeat in College Station is how amazing it was that NU was even in the game. With the self-inflicted (and, some may say, zebra-inflicted) wounds NU had, to have even a shot to win the game was an amazing display of grit.

- ALEX MVP: Alex Henery hit two long field goals -- NU's only scoring of the game -- and his punting ability to pin A&M deep kept NU winning the field position game and kept the score close. I don't care that he's a kicker. Henery should have been the MVP last year, and a good case can be made that he should get the award this year.

- A MILK-CARTONING? Remember Jeff Fuller, the Aggies' version of Justin Blackmon, who was supposed to give NU all kinds of trouble? One catch, for 36 yards. In an evening that saw NU put on a stellar defensive performance, Fuller's disappearance from the game is as good a way as any to highlight the Blackshirts' dominance.

THE BAD ...

- DO YOU EVEN HAVE TO ASK? Sixteen penalties. One hundred forty yards. In a game that was decided by a field goal, giving your opponent almost one-and-a-half football fields of yardage is a recipe for disaster. Yes, some of the calls were questionable (more on that later), but some weren't. 

- THE ADULT IN THE ROOM: There's plenty of room for discussing how some of the penalties against Nebraska were questionable, particularly two of them that kept drives alive for the Aggies (including the game-winning drive). Nebraska fans were understandably frustrated with how often they kept seeing yellow. But head coach Bo Pelini got an unsportsmanlike call against himself in the second half. I understand being frustrated, but that's inexcusable. Not only is Pelini's behavior setting the tone for his players, he's earning a reputation with the officials that make it easier for those flags to come out. If you don't think that was an element of the flag on Courtney Osborne's phantom late hit call, and that Pelini's behavior is at least in part to blame for it, you're dreaming. 

- QUARTERBACK DEPTH: No one can ever question Taylor Martinez's toughness, for going out basically on one leg and very nearly willing Nebraska to a win against Texas A&M. But it speaks volumes about the lack of faith the NU staff has in Cody Green and Zac Lee that a one-legged Taylor Martinez is still the preferred option under center. 

... AND THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM

Clearly, Nebraska has every right to feel hard done by some of the penalties, particularly the Osborne late-hit call which kept A&M's drive alive that they ended up getting the winning score. But even with the penalty disparity, and the two turnovers, Nebraska and Texas A&M were very even in total yards and time of possession. Had Martinez not badly overthrown a ball for an interception, NU was in position to put the ball on the foot of the skinny assassin and send the game into overtime or change A&M's play-calling and maybe steal a win. It feels good to blame the officials for NU's loss, but ultimately it was Nebraska's mistakes, coupled by the Aggies' lack thereof, that tilted the balance of a very closely-weighted game.

THE BIG PICTURE

You'll read about it all over message boards, believe me. Many Nebraska fans came into this game believing the Big 12 had an agenda to make sure NU got the wrong end of the officiating to ensure they didn't embarrass the conference by winning it as they walked out the door. Very little about the zebra's poor performance in College Station will disabuse those fans of that conspiracy theory. But I still don't buy it. Pelini and his team have been building an "edgy" reputation since he arrived in Lincoln, and his red-faced, profanity-laced tirades at the officials don't do him or Nebraska any favors. I'm also convinced that it was no accident that the late hit was on Osborne -- the same Osborne that had the helmet-to-helmet hit on Blaine Gabbert of Missouri a couple of weeks ago. There are plenty of explanations for the penalty disparity: NU plays an aggressive style of offense, the Big 12 officials are of marginal competence overall, NU has gained a reputation as a "dirty" team. 

THE NEXT GAME

Colorado @ Nebraska: (November 26, 2:30 p.m. central, Memorial Stadium, Lincoln, NE, ABC). Don't look now, but Ralphie is 2-0 since Dan Hawkins was given his walking papers. The Buffaloes put up 44 points on Kansas State on Saturday -- although they also gave up 36 points to the Purples and needed to hang on for dear life. Still, Colorado comes to Lincoln with a shot at bowl eligibility and to knock NU out of the Big 12 Championship. While NU should be mad as hell and razor sharp after their loss in College Station, Nebraska fans might be well served to hold off on those travel plans to Dallas just yet. After all, I could be wrong about this whole conspiracy theory thing ...

Like what you read? Please LIKE me here and on Facebook, re-tweet this article, and follow me on Twitter @law_talking_guy to follow my thoughts and observations during every Nebraska game and throughout the college football season.