Another year, another disappointing college football season for Scott Frost and the Nebraska Cornhuskers.
That's certainly how things look after Saturday's embarrassment. Nebraska jumped out to a 28-17 lead against lowly Northwestern, who voters placed last in the Big Ten West in the preseason poll, in Dublin. Then, the Cornhuskers inexplicably collapsed and allowed the Wildcats to come back for a 31-28 upset win.
Following Saturday's disaster, Nebraska fans turned their ire toward Frost, the fifth-year head coach. The former UCF coach has been a massive disappointment with the Cornhuskers, with just a 15-30 record in Lincoln. To the dismay of fans, Frost is under contract through the 2027 season thanks to his updated deal.
However, with the continued failure to reach expectations, whether or not Frost survives this season remains a question. Saturday's debacle certainly didn't sway opinions in a positive direction, and the ice Frost stands on continues to get thinner. After yet another disappointing result, here is why Nebraska football must fire Frost soon.
Why Nebraska football must fire Scott Frost
2. Overworking players
Frost made an appearance on Huskers Radio Network on Aug. 18. He announced that Texas transfer Casey Thompson would be the starting quarterback for the season opener, but that's not what raised questions. What really got people's attention were his comments on his offensive line coach, Donovan Raiola.
Frost said that Raiola was coaching his group so intensely that players vomit 15-20 times each practice, per Evan Bland of the Omaha World-Herald. Frost acted like this overworking of players was a good thing. It isn't.
“It’s not because they’re not in shape – he’s just working them hard,” Frost said. “I think they love it. He’s kind of freed them up to go be aggressive and I love the way they’re coming off the ball.”
Overworking players in practice comes with great risk, and some players have died due to exhaustion. One of the most infamous examples is Northwestern safety Rashidi Wheeler, who passed away from an asthma attack in August 2001. Wheeler's mother even blasted Frost for his comments.
Working players to such an extreme degree is bad enough. To brag about it as if it's something to be proud of only makes it even more heinous.
1. Poor game management
One consistent problem with Scott Frost during his Nebraska football tenure is his inability to win close games. Since his first season in 2018, the Huskers are 5-21 in one-score games, the worst record of any FBS team. Last season was especially bad, as all but one of the Huskers' nine losses were in one-score games, and the one exception was a nine-point defeat to Ohio State.
“We've just lost too many close games,” Frost told reporters after Saturday's game. “These guys need something to believe in. We need to believe in ourselves in a team. I think they do.”
Nebraska's performance on Saturday didn't provide much optimism for improvement. The Cornhuskers not only lost another close game, but Frost also made one of the most baffling coaching decisions in recent memory.
After taking an 11-point lead in the third quarter, Nebraska perplexingly attempted an onside kick. Unsurprisingly, Northwestern recovered and found the end zone later that drive. Frost himself even admitted after the game that he made the wrong call.
“I made that call, so it's on me,” Frost told reporters. “At that point in the game, I felt all the momentum was on our side. I thought if we [recovered] it, we could win the game. … I felt like maybe we were the better team. You can't really foresee them scoring 14 straight and us sputtering after we played well to start the second half on offense.”
Sure, teams lose close games all the time, but a record this bad in close games is no coincidence. Frost's inability to win one-score games has cost Nebraska dearly over the last few seasons and is unacceptable at such a storied college football program. Simply put, the time has come for the Cornhuskers to make a change.
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