Obviously there are a ton of ifs and buts that can be analyzed on both sides, but one I was curious about was the final punt to Pierson El. It looked as though he had some field in front of him. Anybody else notice this?
Pierson El final fair catch
- Thread starter chicolby
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He said it was probably his biggest regret of the game. I need to rewatch that kick.
Yes I thought he had room down the right side. I believe he has said he shouldn't have taken a fair catch there.
He had some room, not clear how quickly it might have closed though. Maybe he could have gotten something big, maybe only 10. He did say he wished he had tried it. Nothing real wrong with conservative there I'd say.
I agree nothing wrong with it, but that's a play he made in 2014 against MSU when needed, and again in 2015 against Miami.
You could tell by the way he was tapping his chest right afterwards as if to say "My fault" that he instantly regretted it. Certainly not the reason we lost, and I don't blame him for playing it safe there either, that game was just so frustrating. So close, yet so far away...
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That's a tough call for him to make. You're trying to watch the ball and still be aware of the coverage and it all happens so quickly. It takes a ton of courage just to stand back there looking into the sky with half a dozen guys bearing down on you with bad intent.
I was more pissed about his brain fart illegal procedure penalty on fourth down. Geez. It is a freaking QB sneak and your wideout moves before the snap? Why so twitchy? He doesn't even have to block on the play. In a critical, critical moment like that a properly coached kid with football sense and discipline forces himself to just watch for the snap and to pay god darn attention. That was a really, really stupid penalty. And you could tell in his press conference that Riley was plenty pissed about it too
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anon_umk0ifu6vj6zi
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Buddy in the stadium texted me after the game "he would have ran for a long time". That and the illegal procedure penalty were 2 HUGE "Ifs" in the game.
What I saw wasn't a twitch but just not being on the line... when he looked down the LOS he realized he wasn't on the line and quick took a step forward, just as the ball was snapped.
Either way, why he wasn't lined up properly from the start is on him.
I also noticed one other procedure penalty against the huskers when a shifting player wasn't set for at least a second... Tanner has to let him get set before calling for the ball. 2 simple errors that shouldn't be happening.
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anon_umk0ifu6vj6zi
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Ok. Great explanation. Now I know what Riley meant in his press conference where he referred to the "illegal formation" penalty on 4th down. That puzzled me until you just explained it. That makes it a little more excusable.
with his wiggle he might have housed that one. The sideline was definitely there. Man it's just tough to read that though and keep your eye on the ball. At first it looked like they had good coverage coming but it I think it opened up more after he last peeked. I don't think there's any question that he's much more cautious now after the injury. If he's like me, he'll remember that catch and non-return his whole life thinking he might have cost his team a game.
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His press? Guy returned four punts for TDs his freshman year and got us back into the Oregon game last year with a massive return before halftime. I'd say after two major injuries we can cut him some slack. He could have had two TDs Saturday if Tanner delivered a good ball. Hardly fault him for the false start on a play where the QB can take a look down the line and make sure everyone is lined up right before snapping the ball.
Pre-injury he was Pelini's greatest success story. Bo was specific in saying he would repair the less than average special teams, recruited this 3-star from the east coast, and Demornay started winning games for Nebraska right away. And what he did on the road at MSU was amazing, even in a loss.