Nebraska Football: Good, Bad and Other of Huskers' 48-17 Loss to Wisconsin

Nebraska received quite a welcome to the B1G Conference, traveling to Madison and getting embarrassed by Wisconsin, 48-17. Throughout the night, Nebraska displayed an inability to contain Badger quarterback Russell Wilson, who torched NU on the ground and in the air

What happened? Why did Nebraska unravel so badly in Madison? Let’s take a look at the good and the bad of the game and see if we can get a better understanding of NU’s nightmare introduction to the B1G.

The Good: It All Started so Well

While the defense struggled, it looked like the Nebraska offense had the chops to keep pace. NU put up two impressive scoring drives, first to take an early lead, and second to answer after Wisconsin tied the score. The quick-paced read offense looked to be in rhythm, and the Wisconsin defense looked back on its heels.

Then, the interception. Then the next one. Then the next one. We know the story from there.

But there were some glimmers of life shown in the NU offense under Taylor Martinez. The trick is how to sustain those glimmers.

The Good: The Big Three Did Their Job

It’s hard to fault Jared Crick, Lavonte David, or Alfonzo Dennard for their performances against Wisconsin.

Crick was penetrating and creating havoc in the Wisconsin backfield.

David was at last demonstrating the kind of tackling prowess that brought him all of the accolades last year.

And Dennard was functionally taking away half the field from Wisconsin’s passing attack.

There were plenty of issues defensively, of course, but at least NU had some standout performances.

The Good: Other Than That, Mrs. Lincoln...

Lost in the shuffle was an impressive performance by the NU defense, while the game was in doubt, against Wisconsin’s dangerous running back tandem of Montee Ball and James White.

Nebraska’s defense did yeoman’s work shutting down the two-headed monster in Wisconsin’s backfield in the first half. Unfortunately, that didn’t amount for much given the defense’s complete inability to stop Russell Wilson running or throwing.

But Wilson looks to be a special talent, perhaps the most complete quarterback Nebraska will face all year (and yes, that includes Denard Robinson). The success in shutting down the rushing attack from the other backs provides some sparks of hope moving forward.

The Bad: The Rest of the Defense Is What We Thought They Were

Most Nebraska fans, myself included, found it hard to really comprehend the issues with the NU defense.

Inability to tackle? Inability to take away a passing attack? Cluelessness against a mobile quarterback? Ineptness on third down defense?

Surely the Brothers Pelini can’t allow this to continue. A little tweak here, a little nudge there and the Blackshirts will be back. Right?

Well, maybe not. Wisconsin torched Nebraska in the same way that Washington, Fresno State and Wyoming torched Nebraska. At this point, the fear is that Nebraska’s 2011 defense is what it is, and to expect significant improvement is a pipe dream.

The Bad: Tim Beck Shows His Inexperience

Go ahead and fill up the talk shows and message boards with venom about what a disaster Taylor Martinez is. There’s plenty of criticism to be directed his way, to be certain. But Martinez’s performance wasn’t about him so much as it was about rookie offensive coordinator Tim Beck.

When the game was on the line, and Wisconsin was looking to run away and hide, Beck went away from his strengths and asked Martinez to have success throwing the ball.

I don’t care how much sunshine the coaching staff pumps, Martinez is not good at being a primary thrower. He is good at directing a rushing attack and throwing the ball once the run is established and the defense isn’t ready.

Beck failed to recognize that again (he did the same thing against Wyoming), and this time it allowed Wisconsin to pull away quickly and bury Nebraska in a hole.

The Bad: A Limp Response

Once Nebraska got into a three-interception-size hole, the most disturbing thing of all was NU’s response. It appeared that, after Taylor Martinez’s third interception, the team collectively decided that the game was over. It wasn’t until late in the fourth quarter, after there was no shot of a victory, when Nebraska appeared to have any kind of urgency in its attack.

A loss, even a bad loss, is certainly a cause for concern. But to see Nebraska curl up and die in response to a challenge is a cause for panic.

And the Unexpected Deja Vu

At the start of the season, most Nebraska fans were worried about a repeat of 2010: a solid defensive performance being undermined by an anemic offensive effort that cost Nebraska victories in close games.

No one expected a repeat of 2007, where a hapless defensive output was coupled with spotty offensive performance in embarrassing losses.

But 2007 was the order of the day in Madison. Watching the Wisconsin game felt very much like watching Bill Callahan’s last game against Kansas, where the Jayhawks won 76-39. By the end of the game, the Children of the Corn were just hoping the clock melted away so the score wouldn’t be even more embarrassing.

If at any point, a fan base is thinking “please, just don’t let it get to 50,” you know there are serious problems.

The Big Picture

Nebraska is now 0-1 in conference play, with Ohio State coming to town next week. Oh, by the way, the Buckeyes get Boom Herron, Devier Posey and their other suspended players back for that game.

Their freshman quarterback, Braxton Miller, is a mobile threat as well. He’s not as polished or accurate as Wilson, but it’s not like NU had great success containing average quarterbacks like Derek Carr from Fresno State or Brett Smith from Wyoming. An 0-2 start to B1G play, all of a sudden, isn’t an unthinkable result.

Nebraska’s saving grace might be the rest of the conference. Yes, Ohio State is talented and matches up well with NU, but they also looked pretty anemic in a home loss to Michigan State.

The Spartans don’t look like world-beaters, nor does Penn State, Michigan, Iowa or anyone else left on the schedule.

So if NU can rally the troops against the rest of the Legends Division, a trip to Indianapolis isn’t out of the question. Although after Saturday’s display in Madison, that might not be something Nebraska fans are in a hurry to see.

Like what you read? Follow me on Twitter @patrickrunge to track my thoughts and observations about college football—and one or two other topics—throughout the year!

 And if you would like to contact me directly to schedule an interview, ask a question or to get my recipe for a killer peach cobbler, you can send an e-mail to [e-mail]. (DISCLAIMER: Peach cobbler recipe might not be all that killer.)