Rapid Recap: Nebraska football offseason priorities after ANOTHER brutal one-score loss to Iowa

hey everybody welcome back to another edition of Rapid recap here inside Nebraska with me as always is Greg Smith I'm Zach Carpenter and another loss to Iowa for Nebraska today another 13 to 10 loss for Nebraska this season Greg which which one is your favorite 13 of 10 loss favorite if by favorite you mean least favorite um then I would most painful gut-wrenching one honestly it this is not recency bias I think it is this one I think it's the one to Iowa um I think our last winner the last time we talked about this cuz it comes up so often unfortunately Minnesota uh was the pick there because the way it's it kicked off the season and Nebraska played so well in a lot of spots for that one and just had those unfortunate errors and then the the great catch in the end zone I don't want to relitigate the whole thing this one though to go from the moment where Tommy Hill picks off that pass like that exact moment where you think he's got a chance to go back and do a pick six to then when it where it ended up is G it's a real gut punch and having it be the last game of the season having it be against Iowa having to keep you from going to a bowl game and I might add to like and I noticed this after the game like I kind of went to the middle of the field just to kind of take in the scene and to see like kind of what the vibe was there's an Iowa player kind of chirping at Nebraska's bench and then there's this very loud let's go Hawks chant if I'm a Nebraska player that's the last time I ever want to hear that chant especially in my home stadium um it's a tough one all around that's just a really tough one it's going to be like Stefan Diggs looking at the chief celebration on at Arrowhead Stadium AFC title game a few years ago just soaking it in soaking it in to give you more motivation when you don't really need it you don't need extra motivation I don't think if you're a if you're a Nebraska player who's coming back next season I mean like you said uh I obviously I say it in somewhat J like what's your favorite 13 of 10 loss I mean all three of them are just gut-wrenching for not even different reasons for the exact same reason because they all three followed the exact same script tied 10 to 10 mhm driving with a chance to win interception and then the opponent comes down and easily almost immediately goes on a game-winning drive for a 13-1 win field goal is time expires Iowa 2018 and 2019 field goals time expires for a three-point win 2023 again the same and Nebraska has now lost six in a row to Iowa home uh they ended the seven game losing streak last year but that I mean that's clearly an anomaly in this rivalry Nebraska's 2-9 in the last 11 0 and six in the last six at home and five the 0 six home losses the average margin of defeat has been 5.2 points yeah 5.2 points I I just you know you just take it from here I mean where where does this team go from here how does it reconcile after the loss because to me I mean you hear after every gut wretching loss that rule talks about like you hear the positivity stemming from rules voice even though the Minnesota one that was crushing in a like this team clearly needs to know like needs to feel success if they get off to this off to this start one and0 start you feel like this entire season is different Maryland you get the monkey off your back and it was so avoidable with the ball at the 5 yd line and this one everything you said with Tommy Hill after the interception it's just so like looking at the game summary is almost pisses you off morees Weir every time you yeah every time you think about it and kind of list out what happened but it's interesting you mentioned mat Rule and the positivity that he had after this game and he and he's talked you know this is not the first time this week actually that he's talking about kind of the health of the program and like if if you did an autopsy and you're look inside of guts to the program um that it' be very healthy and they've got Buy in from everybody you know parents everyone on Down the Line really bought it I would 100% believe that I also believe though that you know we heard from players after this game and they were more upbeat about the future of the program than I thought that they would be and even Alex Bullock and I'm poting because he was actually right over there Alex Bullock talked about today after the game about how he didn't always feel that people actually believe that positivity in years past here at Nebraska and that things would get turned around he said that that is a real feeling right now inside of the building and that they're excited to kind of get to work after you kind of take a little bit of a break lick your chops lick your wounds all of that but he thinks that it'll be a lot better going into year two knowing all the expectations knowing what the staff um how they kind of operate and want to work behind the scenes as well will really help everybody and so I actually kind of was struck by the positivity not just from rule because we kind of do always hear that and I think that that's the the voice that he wants to project to his team but then to hear the players really be positive about the Outlook of the future was really striking to me but yeah there's the butt it's still I think right now for most fans that falls on deaf ears only because you've heard that so much even if this is actually different and this feels different to the players that are inside the building it's hard for fans to fully Embrace that because to them what do they see five- seven miss a bowl game three-point loss again same result that's what it feels like to them even if that's not actually the truth once you kind of cut beneath that first layer if I'm a Husker fan listening to rule after this after this game and especially though after the players and being so upbeat and positive in the moment like I mean over the next however many hours 24 I don't know in the immediate aftermath I'm I'm angry at the at the fact that there is so much positivity and I get it I I get the anger and the frustration I mean all over our message boards all over Twitter Youtube comments like all of it I understand it because is it's frustrating it it's maddening and inexplicable that it keeps happening and I equate it to something like a husband or a wife is just continually disloyal disloyal disloyal disloyal and after each time you're still taking back think it's going to be the same thing things going to be or think it's going to be different things going to be different things going to be different and it's the same every time or a family member who continues to disappoint you continues to disappoint you but they're family so you love them even though you don't trust them you can't help but try to believe in them even though you deep down don't that's how I think Nebraska fans are going to be feeling that have been feeling I mean 3 and 18 and one score games over the last three seasons now now led the nation in turnovers second worst turnover margin in the uh in program history there were just so many issues those are just a few of them I mean talk me off the ledge here with the positivity why should Nebraska fans feel optimistic because I again I think there is hope for the future I think the future is bright but losses like the Maryland won losses like today are going to sit in ru's head and uh and haunt him all off seon I think it first of all I think it should I think it should sit in his head it should haunt him it should haunt The Players it should haunt everyone on staff everyone in the building should be haunted by these close losses even if you project positivity I still think that there's room for like strong reflection on what's happening because you Nebraska needs to figure out what like deep down what's keeping them from being able to get over the hump in these close games now we could there's a lot of different ways I honestly think that you could go for that you talk about positivity if you the The Growing Pains of this year with all of the young players that had to play especially on offense with all of the injuries all the guys you didn't expect to count on this year that did play and get real live game experience those guys will be a year better next year going through this just thearrow it down on those freshman receivers going through this year will help them tremendously going forward right so that will help them the turnover situation though is something that I I don't know how you just flip the switch on that I I have my own thoughts about whether where they need to go with quarterback and my tweet is like randomly going not randomly going viral but it is going viral right now you're popular guy of course yeah it is what it is um and that I popular guy with takes yeah with my takes I think that the two things that Nebraska needs to do right now is to the top two priorities keep Tony white pay that man mm pay yeah say and that's you know in parentheses bump isay pay his money and they need to pay whatever it takes and I put in the Tweet up to a million dollars for a transfer portal quarterback somebody that they feel like they can go out and can win football games for them not just is a caretaker not someone that it's a hope and a wish that that guy is going to be good they need to go and get the best of the best that they can get I understand it at the 28 Street um but they have to do that in this off season because the biggest reason for positivity is that defense we found out this week Ty Robinson coming back they played another great game today I should say that you know they gave up that run at the end they were deflated I feel like every game we feel like we're saying that where they were deflated at one point after a horrible turnover just at some point the dam is going to break real quick real quick because I was saying this to Steve uh Steve Mark in um Mid game it feels like every time that the offense has some sort of positivity not every time I'm being hyperbolic but there's some sort of big play by the offense the defense almost inexplicably immediately gives up a big play that's the time they give up their play Louisiana or Colorado after the Sims run uh Louisiana Tech it happened for two drives straight until uh Nash hut hut maker um came the fourth and one uh stand I mean Maryland uh it happened I mean it's just it feels like in the big moments that's when it happens but I digress I'm sorry and I no you're good but the thing is is so Ty Robinson coming back Nash Hut marcker coming back um you're going to have I think it's everyone at least on the two deep on the defensive line is scheduled to return several starters are guys that have played significant reps on the back end of the defense they've got to figure out maybe inside linebacker but you got some guys kind of marinating behind the scenes that I think can step into those roles plus Javin Wright another one of those young guys that played a lot will be very good I think next year so the positivity comes from the fact that you know you can count on that defense which is why once again the circle back to my original point it is vitally important that they figure out what they're doing with quarterback next season I know that Matt Ru and Marcus atfield get up there every week and say we believe in these quarterbacks the proof is in the pudding Nebraska did not have a thousand yard passer this season it was the first time in Pro that the program had that happen since 2014 when Tommy Armstrong Taylor inz and Ron Kellogg all I think threw over 100 passes a couple of those guys actually turned out to be pretty good but you don't want to have that you do not want to have a year in which you don't have a thousand yard passer that means you need to go and get yourself a quarterback High 1890 yeah and I mean maybe Nebraska fancy to start GoFundMe NE Nebraska quarterback they actually technically have that yeah guess technically that is fancy gofund me I mean you're right and I just I wonder um if if they need to bring in an outside evaluation for a quarterback but like an outside eye outside um uh point of view Scout of here's a quarterback you can go get but they did that this year with Jeff Collins recommended Jeff there was there was trust in the wrong hands I think and I mean like we've said before it's so impossible to not impossible but it's the hardest part of quack evaluation is uh is evaluating the mentals and um can they handle the fish can they do this or that like it's going to be a priority it's priority number one a or 1B whatever you want to rank it are those two but I mean not not to go extreme example here but I'm Kansas City Chiefs fan like it was embarrassing playoff heartbreak embarrassing playoff loss or heartbreaking playoff loss every single year no matter who is our quarterback until we got Patrick we drafted Patrick Mahomes and then his second year in the league League after sitting for a year everything changed I mean everything changed from the bottom up to the top it's that important even in college football oh yeah I mean quarter college football NFL is that important to get the right guy at quarterback and I'm curious to see the quarterback transfer market because I heard that project it's projected out to not be that strong of a quarterback Market in the transfer portal this offseason but I mean we're sitting here November 24th we don't know that yeah you never know things get weird in college football these days I think when the portal opens on December 4th officially I think it's going to be there'll be a lot of guys that go in we'll see what happens particularly at quarterback what whoever goes in there Nebraska needs to evaluate whoever the top handful of guys are and make strong plays for them uh because I just don't I don't know that you can return next year with the same group um I I feel like chubba py has played his way into at least being in the conversation next year backup yes but as a backup I like and I'm not trying to be har but they've got to get this figured out there has to be urgency around that based on what you're seeing from that defense and where if it was just up to the defense this program would be very very good right but they play offense too and you need to go ahead and get the quarterback figured out Ross Tucker the CBS color analyst for the game today um Iowa kicked their first it was they went up 7 nothing right 7 nothing and then 10- nothing with that field goal and it was third down from third and goal from the five yd line I think I believe it was and they or no it was I think it was the eight yd line 8 to 10 similar situation as Nebraska Maryland just as far as set up third and goal from I think it was the 10 sorry if I'm wrong and he said third and goal from the 10 yard line and you're running the ball most teams would throw the ball but Iowa knows what it is Iowa Iowa know is completely okay now I'm paraphrasing is completely okay with running the ball from third down at 10 ydd line third and goal just kicking a field goal right it's like I think Nebraska if they do that this year they're going bowling but there's there's not a maybe there's a find your identity in this offseason or at least figure out what it wants to do at the end of games figure out how to cut the turnovers like you cannot be you can't be what you just described Iowa um and turn the ball over what 31 times or whatever it was 12 times in this month they turn the ball over you can't that doesn't work it doesn't compute right um and so I think that you know figuring out what they want to be on off yes but first and foremost they've got to stop giving the ball away if you do that that or at least and I don't know you're not going to go from 31 to none but you're going to you got to at least cut that in half and it'll be magical about how many more opportunities they have to score points in a game yeah I mean it's it gets it gets redundant to talk about the turnovers after every game except for the Wisconsin because they found a way to lose that one as well even though they only turned it over once in that in that game so I don't know any any final parting shots I mean this won't be the last podcast we do this season will W be the last rapid recap cuz I'm sure we'll have press conferences coming up soon but um any any last words for uh 20 2023 season Matt rule year one that looked so promising looked on the precipice of something special only to end in a dud it is an interesting season a very interesting season because the expectations I thought were low and at the right point to start the season somewhere along the way they got outsized we started talking about Indie and all of this and then now it feels like it was a disappointing season right Detroit being the the disappoint yeah now it feels like a disappointing season and so it's just a weird one I think when we step back from the anger of what happened today I think people will realize that that there has been progress I do think that the vast majority of fans believe that but I it's a tough pill to swallow but there are a lot of serious questions that Matt Rule and the staff have to address in this offseason it's it's going to as always going to be a fascinating off season you been too many to dive into and too many to dive deeply into throughout the offseason over this next week we'll have uh we'll have write ups and videos on that um all next week all next month as the uh the questions of the offseason linger and the wh ifs and what could be wh ifs of this last season what could be of next season sort of open up uh so I encourage you guys to go inside nebraska.com we actually have a Black Friday sale where you can get 75% off your first year for new subscribers that's $100 value at just $25 for the year so that uh that runs through Monday if you go to our uh website and you use promo code in all caps Rivals 2023 get 75% off it's our best deal of the year most successful deal deal of the year and uh even though it's a bad time it's it's a bad ending to the season it is a good time to to sign up because it's going to be an offseason that's maybe not quite as busy but almost as busy as last year with the transfer portal um and recruiting stuff coming up and maybe some who knows maybe coaching shuffling because the the coaching Carousel always goes crazy in the offseason so again encourage you guys to head to inside nebraska.com encourage you guys to like this video subscribe to the inside Nebraska YouTube channel get all of our videos dropped directly into your feed so for Greg Smith I'm Zack Carpenter and we'll catch you guys again next time