Nebraska's terrible sendoff against Ohio State: Huskers still have their chance

Nebraska led No. 10 Ohio State at halftime on Saturday, 21-16. The 2-6 Huskers threatened to face their second consecutive loss to the Buckeyes and ask new questions about Urban Meyer's future. This was despite a wild The first 30 minutes were marred by some epic mistakes on the part of the Huskers. We will update this post at the end of the game and you can watch it on FOX. Here is what happens:

Caleb Lightbourn of Nebraska kicked off, literally turning back, before rolling 1 meter in front of the line of scrimmage and being shot down.

I do not say that to exaggerate or be mean: it's the worst kickoff I've ever seen, and I'm pretty confident it will be the worst look you've ever seen. Look at this:

If I could pause it and improve it for you, here's a breakdown of the movie;

Here is another angle to help you better appreciate the show:

It seems to have been an attempt to kick upside down. These can sometimes go horribly wrong. Chris Boswell, Steelers, had the same thing a few years ago:

Reasonable people might think that this time and this time are linked.

The Huskers have endured other shenanigans on their own, including a punt blocked for safety reasons and a terrible turnover.

Surprisingly, the state of Ohio did not immediately take advantage of the fact that the Huskers gave the kickoff to their 31st goal. immediate advantage.

The Buckeyes returned the ball in four games and returned the ball directly to the visitors. But the state of Ohio blocked a Nebraska straight game four times later and took the opportunity to protect themselves, as the Huskers' special teams ended up catching them.

Later, they made a turnaround in this unfortunate exchange between Adrian Martinez and JD Spielman, who was his target on a side:

Half also had two controversies targeting going to Nebraska. State of Ohio security Jordan Fuller made to be thrown for this blow:

The rule is a bit more complicated than that, but two types of results are targeted:

• The force strikes with the crown of the helmet
• The force hits the area of ​​the head / neck of a "defenseless" opponent

The latter is the reason why Fuller was excluded from the game on this piece. A player who tries to catch a pass (like Nebraska's Kurt Rafdal on this game) is, by definition, helpless. And Fuller hit him on the head and neck, although it was with his shoulder and not with his helmet.

There is no reason to think of Fuller wanted to hit Rafdal in the head here. He was trying to hit a guy who was trying to catch a pass. If you do not think players have to be ejected for hits that do not seem to be ill-willed, that's a pretty good idea of ​​the targeting rule.

But Jahsen Wint from Nebraska did do not to be thrown for this blow on Johnnie Dixon.

Wint hit Dixon hard and close to the head, but does not lead with the crown of the helmet. So, if this target is covered by the rule is to know if Dixon is "helpless".

The officiating crew decided that Dixon was "a runner" and therefore not defenseless. The receivers are, again, considered helpless when they try to catch a pass, but they are do not considered helpless when they adopted a ball-carrying posture.

It's cool if you do not think this rule is right or if you think it should be improved. But that's why both calls were made under the rule as it is.