Week 4 Kirby’s: Bullets dodged and another repeat winner

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I started this adventure of awarding coaches for miscues not knowing whether you all would respond. But now I have people tweeting at me every weekend with examples of coaches who they think deserve a Kirby. I even had some people suggest that I should give the award to a couple of NFL coaches this week.

So I really appreciate that you all are presumably enjoying this as much as I am, at least enough to make suggestions. Keep them coming.

This week’s competition came down to three specific situations.

The first was a rather obscure game between Buffalo vs. Old Dominion (h/t Nick Knudsen for turning me on to this one). The Bulls (Buffalo) had a 35-7 lead, but ODU stormed back and tied the score with 19 seconds left. They then subsequently got a 15-yard celebration penalty that moved the extra point back and missed, allowing Buffalo to escape with the win.

But we’ve seen that happen before. Just a few years ago, Old Miss wide receiver Elijah Moore got the same penalty for mimicking a urinating dog (yes, I just wrote those words). And while I try not to be elitest, Buffalo and Old Dominion are not exactly Alabama or Clemson so we move to the next option.

That next option is a weird one. This isn’t a coaching issue other than it does have to do with managing egos and personnel. Ohio State beat Akron 59-7 this week but that wasn’t good enough for linebacker K’Vaughan Pope, who quit on his team mid-game. I hesitate to criticize Pope and these are college-age kids who have a lot of things going on in their minds. And I can’t really criticize Ohio State coach Ryan Day here either because I have no way of knowing what he’s promised Pope or how he’s managed the relationship.

Still, I can’t help but wonder what the story would be had that happened to Florida this weekend. Dan Mullen doesn’t have the same panache as Day, and with the COVID and Darth Vader stuff from last year, it would have been a free-for-all.

But despite either of those options, there’s one coaching job going on right now that just screams for Kirby attention. It just so happens that this particular coach was in the running for the Florida job when the Gators wound up with Dan Mullen and already has one Kirby to his credit. So, consider that bullet dodged.

And congratulations to Nebraska coach Scott Frost, winner of the Week 4 Kirby and our second repeat winner!

Kirby Qualifications

Some stats from Nebraska’s overtime loss to Michigan State to set the stage:

• First downs: Nebraska 26, Michigan State 12
• Third downs: Nebraska 7-20, Michigan State 1-11
• Total Yards: Nebraska 442, Michigan State 254
• Rushing Yards: Nebraska 187, Michigan State 71
• Time of Possession: Nebraska 37:28, Michigan State 22:32

How in the world did Nebraska lose this game? How did it even get into overtime?

Well, first I think you have to look at the pass rush stats for the Spartans, as Michigan State had 7 sacks and 11 tackles for loss. So clearly Michigan State was in the backfield causing havoc, but they promptly took the fourth quarter fumble by the Huskers and went three-and-out and the interception they got was in overtime (Chester Kimbrough, former Gator).

But then you have to look at special teams, specifically at the punter. Yes, the play that will stick in everyone’s minds is this one. After all, how do you punt to the wrong side of the field?

But the signs were there previously. Nebraska employed two punters, William Przystup and Daniel Cerni. Przystup started the game with a 28-yard punt after an initial three-and-out after which Cerni boomed a 44-yarder. Then Przystup had a 41-yarder but then followed that up with a 7-yarder. Next up was Cerni with a 33-yarder and then the fateful 34-yarder returned for a touchdown.

Nebraska did punt one more time, with Przystup hitting a 42-yarder.

The reason I list these is because Frost had an issue even before the punt return for a touchdown. He didn’t trust either guy to go out there and execute. That’s the only explanation you could have for switching between the two after the first punt and then constantly switching them throughout the game.

There doesn’t seem to be a lot of rhyme or reason to the decision of which kicker to use either, which can’t help their ability to execute. Does the kicker need to kick the ball to the correct side? Absolutely. But this seems to be a pattern now at Nebraska.

The Kirby really goes to Frost for his press conference after the game. Say what you will about various coaches, but they almost always take responsibility when their players don’t execute. Frost decidedly did not, calling out his team for the mistakes they were making consistently.

“We have guys at the university specifically for the reason to punt it. And we had a couple of 10-yard punts that almost cost us, and right when we needed it the most we kicked it to the wrong side of the field.” – Scott Frost, Nebraska head coach

He did this across the board. It wasn’t just the punters.

Frost’s frustration is understandable. Nebraska seems to keep finding new ways to lose games, whether it’s the missed/blocked field goals against Oklahoma last week or the punting woes in this one.

But Frost is now 5-15 in one-score games in Lincoln, including 0-3 this season. At what point is this Frost’s responsibility? He recruited this punter and he can’t get him to execute? Sounds like a coaching issue. He is pulling these guys in-and-out of the lineup as soon as they make one mistake? Sounds like a coaching issue.

At some point, you are what your record says you are. Frost is now 14-23 (37.8%) in his four seasons at Nebraska. He’s barely above .500 (9-8) if you remove all of the close games, which is exactly what Nebraska was getting from Mike Riley the three years prior to Frost. And never mind that Bo Pelini was winning 71% of his games while in Lincoln.

But the biggest thing is that Frost seems to think he is the victim. He’s tired of his players not executing correctly. He’s tired of seeing the same mistakes over and over. He’s tired of losing these close games and says specifically that it is up to the players to turn these losses into wins.

If I were a Nebraska fan, I’d be tired too. I’d be tired of a coach who came in promising dynamic offense and has ranked an average of 78th in points per game. I’d be tired of a coach whose best win is against a down (4-5) Penn State team during a pandemic year.

And I’d be tired of a coach who gets up on the podium and blames the players for making mistakes that other programs do not consistently make.

Were the problems against Michigan State all Scott Frost’s fault? No, they weren’t. But he’s clearly fostering an environment where there is no accountability because he isn’t willing to take accountability for the mistakes himself.

And that is why Scott Frost is pulling even with Mike Norvell with his second Kirby of the 2021 season.