It’s just past 7:00 on Tuesday evening and The Mirror has tried to figure out what we may be writing a few times over the past four or five days. It keeps changing. So, who knows if this will even be true by the time you get to it. We hope it will be anyway.

So, what the heck should we talk about on this final “regular season” version. A few things, apparently. And, maybe, what the future holds or may hold and how can Nebraska take the next step. Know this, we don’t think it will be easy. But, it will make it a little better with 15 extra practices.

As always, you get The Mirror because our friends at South Central Chiropractic in Sutton said you should. Time for some bowling. A new coordinator. And, a winning season. Is that too much to ask?

The Season

Sometimes — most of the time??? — the snarky attitude of The Mirror and average football can shine through. Even below average. So, let’s get this off to a surprising start.

Nebraska most definitely improved at football this year. Yes, the 6-6 is not much different than 5-7. Yes, the close game losses again (five more of them!!) were mind blowing.

Here are two main reasons Nebraska made a step in the right direction. Colorado and Wisconsin. We are not sure those are games Nebraska can win last year. And, that’s the biggest step.

So, we could look at stats. We could look at all-conference selections (not many). We can analyze coordinators. Or getting better players. You name it, we could look at it. But, it breaks down as follows:

• 2023: six one possession games with a 1-5 record. That leaves six others with a 4-2 record; two non-conference and two in the league (Illinois and Purdue).

• 2024: six more one possession games with another 1-5 record. So where is the improvement? Nebraska separated itself from a few more equal teams (the two above) and was 5-1 in games that didn’t come down to the wire. As always, the best way to stop losing one score games is to stop playing them.

As rosters become limited in the future, more parity will creep into college football. You’ll start to see more wild one off results like you see in the NFL. Like you see when Oklahoma beats Alabama among others. But, the one thing Nebraska has to fix is these one score games.

On the treadmill on Monday morning, we learned that Anthony Richardson’s touchdown pass and ensuing two-point conversion run was the first time the Colts had a game-winning drive in the final two minutes since 2017!!

We learned that Sam Darnold’s late touchdown pass for the go-ahead score against the Cardinals was the first of his career. We see that the 2-10 Jaguars are 1-7 in one score games but the 11-1 Chiefs are 8-0 in the same type.

Nebraska must, MUST get used to these games and get rid of the losing. They just have to, there is little else to analyze. Right?

Fast and Furious

So, about this whole coaching staff and transfer portal stuff. The Mirror has an interesting approach. We are just going to watch the FCS playoffs and enjoy football this weekend. Then we can enjoy the new playoff and bowl games. Maybe even some volleyball and basketball.

It’s probably not worth fretting over if we are being honest. Let those kids do what they want. Let Tony White do what he wants. It’s a brave new world. You just need to see if the roster got better in mid-July and hope those coaches build up the new roster. Then, see if they can gain some more momentum.

As a fan base, there is not much we can do if we are being honest. Cheer hard and try not to be snarky (we make no guarantees).

Is it ideal? Absolutely not. But until Nebraska gets some sound footing it’s likely to happen each year. So, that’s the bad.

The good? Matt Rhule was aggressive with Dana Holgorsen. We have a new wide receivers coach that looks pretty good on the surface. Can’t be too unhappy about that. And, our kids GET MORE PRACTICES over the next few weeks to prepare for the bowl. That is the most important thing that has happened to Nebraska football in almost a decade.

Get ready. Kool-Aid season started a few minutes ago.

Bowling. Practice. And losing our minds to each tweet. There is nothing like December. Remember The Mirror, always free thanks to our sponsor. But, be careful. You might get what you pay for.