Nebraska offensive coordinator Marcus Satterfield drew extensive scrutiny after the Huskers’ Week 9 loss to Ohio State, in which his unit managed just 17 points and came up short on key opportunities to potentially upset one of the top teams in college football. Standout freshman quarterback Dylan Raiola, however, came to his coordinator’s defense after the defeat and instead took responsibility for the offense’s lack of explosiveness.
Satterfield called numerous screen passes and short routes in the passing game last week, sparking criticism over his apparent unwillingness to unleash Raiola’s arm and take deep shots to Nebraska’s rising receiving corps. The Huskers averaged just 5.5 yards per play on the year entering that showdown with Ohio State, good for just 14th in the Big Ten and ranking as the program’s third-lowest mark in 10 years. The lowest output came last year, also under Satterfield’s watch.
“I feel confident,” Raiola said of Nebraska’s explosive play ability, via Husker247. “I think it’s just a matter of execution now. Coach Satt gives us the plays to go do it, and as players, we have to go out there and execute it.
“I know Coach Satt is getting a lot of heat right now on his plays that he’s calling, and I think that’s unfair to him. He can’t go out there and make plays and do everything that he’s coaching us to do. As players and as the quarterback of this offense, I take the responsibility for that and for us to go out there and execute. That’s not his fault. I think we can push the ball down the field, and I think we will.”
Nebraska posted five three-and-outs against the Buckeyes and mustered 273 total yards but still put itself in a position to pull off what would have been a stunning upset. The Huskers took a 17-14 lead early in the fourth quarter on a touchdown run from Dante Dowdell, but that ended the scoring for the visiting squad, which ultimately lost in a 21-17 heartbreaker.
Satterfield was also at the center of criticism towards the end of his South Carolina tenure, and his appointment as the Nebraska offensive coordinator raised questions as a result.
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“We’re going to be a pro-style offense,” Satterfield said upon his hiring at Nebraska. “We actually get in a huddle, which is kind of taboo these days. We’re going to get in a huddle and call football plays. We’re going to use tight ends. We’re going to use a fullback. We’re going to run the football. The biggest success in the Big Ten is you’ve got the ability to run the football because you’re going to play some interesting weather games. You can’t just throw the football all over the field.”
Brad Crawford contributed to this report.
