I'm old enough to have seen this live the first time, so I tried to watch with more unbiased eyes.
*PSU dominated the entire first half except the last 3 minutes. We trailed 14-7 but could have easily been down 27-0. PSU missed 3 FGs and had 2 TDs called back by penalty (both on same drive).
*Our run game was not overly effective all day and we had far and away the most success in hurry-up passing situations.
*Was Kevin Siebel was our last straight-on placekicker?
*It was amazing how Rimington could be 2 yards off the ball before any other O or D lineman would move.
*Targeting was alive and well back in those days.
*At one point there were 3 turnovers in the space of 4 plays.
*There were a crazy number of close sideline catches from both teams that were much harder to call than McCloskey's.
*Husker fans dwell on McCloskey's phantom catch at the end, and rightly so, but we benefitted from two very questionable fumble recovery call/no calls that unfortunately we didn't turn into points.
*I had forgotten the McCloskey "catch" was on 1st down, not 4th. So even if the refs called that play right, PSU would have still had 9-10 seconds from our 16 yard line. The way Blackledge was dealing that game, I would not have been surprised if they still scored.
In summary, the loss still sucks and still hurts and will forever live in Nebraska lore, but any Husker fan that thinks we were the better team for any more than one-third of that game is just not being honest.
*PSU dominated the entire first half except the last 3 minutes. We trailed 14-7 but could have easily been down 27-0. PSU missed 3 FGs and had 2 TDs called back by penalty (both on same drive).
*Our run game was not overly effective all day and we had far and away the most success in hurry-up passing situations.
*Was Kevin Siebel was our last straight-on placekicker?
*It was amazing how Rimington could be 2 yards off the ball before any other O or D lineman would move.
*Targeting was alive and well back in those days.
*At one point there were 3 turnovers in the space of 4 plays.
*There were a crazy number of close sideline catches from both teams that were much harder to call than McCloskey's.
*Husker fans dwell on McCloskey's phantom catch at the end, and rightly so, but we benefitted from two very questionable fumble recovery call/no calls that unfortunately we didn't turn into points.
*I had forgotten the McCloskey "catch" was on 1st down, not 4th. So even if the refs called that play right, PSU would have still had 9-10 seconds from our 16 yard line. The way Blackledge was dealing that game, I would not have been surprised if they still scored.
In summary, the loss still sucks and still hurts and will forever live in Nebraska lore, but any Husker fan that thinks we were the better team for any more than one-third of that game is just not being honest.
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