Monday notebook: Huskers trust O'Brien if called upon

It wasn’t until midway through halftime that Patrick O’Brien was informed he was about to take on the most significant game action of his young career on Saturday afternoon.

When junior starter Tanner Lee was suddenly ruled out for the game due to a concussion, the Huskers turned to O’Brien to take over the offense facing a 30-14 deficit entering the third quarter.

The redshirt freshman obviously wasn’t able to do much to change the outcome of NU’s 54-21 blowout loss, but he still managed to put together a decent stat line of 12-of-18 passing for 137 yards while leading a fourth-quarter touchdown drive.

Considering the circumstances, Riley said he was very pleased with how O’Brien handled himself.

“I was proud of Patrick, actually,” Riley said. “His first significant time, and it’s a horrible time to have to play in the game when you’re just passing almost all the time and they’re teeing off with rushes and blitzes and so we get too much pressure.

“But I thought he hung in there and made some beautiful throws and appeared to have a lot of poise as he played, so I was really impressed with that.”

Riley said there were a few throws in the game where the 6-foot-4, 230-pound native of San Juan Capistrano, Calif., showed the impressive physical tools that made him a four-star prospect and the No. 7 pro-style quarterback recruit in the country.

O’Brien also showed off a little more mobility than many expected, scrambling for 41 yards on five carries (all of which was negated by the six sacks he took in a span of six quarters).

“I thought he actually went in there and made some plays,” offensive coordinator Danny Langsdorf said. “He scrambled around there a few times, sometimes probably a lack of getting to the next guy in the progression than anything, but I thought he took off and made some plays with his feet.

“There was a couple throws he missed, but I thought for the amount of time he has played in his career, going in there for the amount of time in that situation, he did pretty well.”

It remains to be seen what O’Brien’s role will be this week at Penn State, as Lee remains in concussion protocol and is listed as questionable to play on Saturday.

For the time being, the Huskers are entering the week preparing as if O’Brien will be the starter. What does that mean for the overall look of the offense if he ends up under center vs. the Nittany Lions?

“I think it will all come down to the preparation of the quarterback and what he knows well," Riley said. "If that ends up being a little smaller package, that’s probably smart."

“We’re obviously going to be playing against a good defensive front that we’re going to have to block and execute against, so less may be more in a game like this for a new quarterback, if indeed he is our quarterback.”

- Robin Washut

Even 48 hours after the fact, Riley was still scratching his head as to how Nebraska’s defense was absolutely rolled over by a mediocre Minnesota offense to the tune of 54 points, 514 yards, and 409 rushing yards.

The best he could do was blame it primarily on the Huskers failing in two key areas all game: tackling and being in the right positions to make plays.

“I think there were two things in general: one of them for sure was we missed some plays,” Riley said. “I mean, we had opportunities to sometimes make a tackle and we didn’t tackle. Then on some of them we were committed with a lot of people to stop short-yardage for instance. One guy misses a tackle and then there wasn’t much left, as you saw. So you’ve got to make plays…

“The other part of it, we got beat on two speed options, and it was basically about getting breached. When you have a certain responsibility and a guy’s blocking you, you’ve got to stay on the right edge, otherwise there’s going to be a perimeter play that you’re susceptible to.

“Both parts of that are technical. One of them is defeating a blocker, the other is making a play and making a tackle.”

Sophomore linebacker Mohamed Barry had one of the relatively better performances in the loss for the Blackshirts, ranking second on the team with seven tackles and adding a tackle for loss.

While he didn’t want to speak for his teammates, Barry said he could only focus on all of the plays he missed vs. Minnesota when the Huskers watched the game film.

“For me, I know missing a tackle feels worse, because if you’re in that position, they brought you here to make that tackle,” Barry said.

“Things like that, that’s the pressure I put on my tackling. Every tackle should be made if you’re in position. And if not, effort by other players should help bring the ball carrier down.”

- Robin Washut

The rare combination of efficient and explosive describes the Penn State offense, and no signal caller fits that profile like Nittany Lions quarterback Trace McSorley.

The junior from Ashburn, Va., has yet to dip below a 50 percent completion clip in any game this season and presents impressive arm strength, especially for a prospect judged as an athlete by Rivals coming out of high school.

McSorley’s 152.4 passer rating ranks 17th in the nation and second in the Big Ten, and when the Nittany Lions clocked 40-yard dash times last spring, his 4.55-second run was top 10 on the team.

“I think McSorley is really a versatile, competitive guy who makes plays on his feet, on the run and throwing,” Nebraska head coach Mike Riley said. “I think as I have watched him through the years, he’s never out; their comeback in the championship game a year ago was interesting.”

Nebraska’s defensive players will have their work cut out for them in stopping McSorley and running back Saquon Barkley in the read option game after letting Minnesota quarterback Demry Croft run for a career-high 183 yards on just 10 carries. Croft nearly doubled his career rushing total in the game.

At different points this season, the Huskers have had trouble against the run and pass. Against Oregon, NU gave up more than 300 yards passing in the first half.

McSorley and the Penn State offense have exploited those weaknesses in opponents all year. When teams sell out to stop the running game, McSorley can throw it over the top. When pressure breaks down, he can read the defense and scramble, and has done so to the tune of 349 yards on the ground this season.

Nebraska linebacker Mohamed Barry, along with the rest of the NU defense, is aware of and ready for the challenge the Huskers are up against with the athletes Penn State puts on the field.

“Playmakers – I would say fast players, very confident players,” Barry said of the PSU offense. “Not scared to risk it all, because they know nine times out of 10 they will reap the reward of risking it all.”

- Matt Reynoldson

Redshirt freshman offensive guard Boe Wilson wears No. 56 every time he steps out with the special teams protection unit.

But Saturday, the 6-foot-3, 295-pounder threw on the 46 jersey and lined up at fullback to throw the lead block on Nebraska’s first touchdown against Minnesota.

“That was a goal line (play),” Riley said, “that was specific for a goal line defense and it worked well. It worked nicely; he did a nice job.”

In a play that tied the game in the first quarter, Wilson barreled over the left guard gap and handled a Gopher defender as Mikale Wilbon slipped into the end zone.

Even with the early point of success, offensive coordinator Danny Langsdorf lamented after the game on the Huskers' short yardage struggles down the stretch, particularly in run blocking.

Two notable fourth down conversion attempts failed in short yardage situations. The biggest, when Nebraska was inside the Minnesota 10 with a chance to tie the game, saw Wilbon get swallowed up on a run blitz that collapsed the right side of the offensive line.

Head coach Mike Riley said Monday the Huskers could have and perhaps should have looked at using Wilson on two crucial fourth-and-1 attempts, especially on a day when Nebraska went just 2-for-6 on the desperation down.

“If we could pull back in time and think about that on fourth-and-1 on that deal, that might have been a good call,” Riley said. “And I’m saying that just like you are – in hindsight – but that’s definitely possible. But it was set up specifically for a goal line.”

- Matt Reynoldson

*** Offensive line coach Mike Cavanaugh said there's a chance senior David Knevel could start at right guard over redshirt freshman Matt Farniok this week. Knevel has only played tackle in his career at Nebraska.

*** Cavanaugh said sophomore walk-on Andrew Bunch was working as the second-team quarterback in Monday's practice.

*** Both Cavanaugh and offensive coordinator Danny Langsdorf said communication is vital going into an atmosphere like Penn State's Beaver Stadium. Several coaches said the only comparable stadium as far as noise is Oregon's Autzen Stadium.

*** Langsdorf said the experience was great for redshirt freshman quarterback Patrick O'Brien to get in for a full half and get some good snaps. Langsdorf praised O'Brien's ability to scramble, but said they have to be wary of "thinking he's (Texans QB) Deshaun Watson."

*** Langsdorf said O'Brien did especially well considering the difficulty of preparing as a backup. If O'Brien is the starter Saturday, Langsdorf thinks he will be better prepared for the moment.

*** Langsdorf said the offense hasn't had too much trouble in short yardage situations, but that Saturday was a stark contrast to that trend. Small mistakes piled up in missed execution of the plays, especially on fourth downs where the Huskers went 2-of-6.

*** Langsdorf lamented on the final play when it was a seven-man max protection, but O'Brien was still sacked. He said those issues can be fixed with better communication, lower pad level and tighter shoulder-to-shoulder blocking in the middle.

*** Langsdorf said Penn State rotates around 10 guys up front as part of an extremely talented defense. He mentioned safety Marcus Allen as a player that can give the Huskers problems in both the run and pass game.

*** Both Langsdorf and running backs coach Reggie Davis said the running backs were "just shoestrings away" from several touchdown runs in the game. Davis said they need to learn to break those runs to be successful.

*** Davis said running back Jaylin Bradley received a lion's share of reps in Monday's practice. The true freshman is coming off an ankle injury suffered at Purdue.

*** Davis said the coaches like junior Mikale Wilbon in short yardage situations because of his low center of gravity.

*** Wideouts coach Keith Williams said he's been impressed by redshirt freshman J.D. Spielman's production this year and that his success isn't a product of his position. Williams said Spielman would be just as successful at 'X' or 'Z' with the work he's put in.

*** Williams said he's never seen head coach Mike Riley mad or upset in his three years at Nebraska and doesn't expect that to change. He doesn't think Riley will ever "snap" or lose his consistent demeanor.

*** Williams said he was proud of true freshman Tyjon Lindsey for running a great route on an overthrown ball. Williams said Lindsey's first words to him when he came off the field were, "What could I have done better there?" Williams said that attitude has been consistent with Lindsey's work ethic all year.