New Interim Coach, Players Share Blame For Nebraska Loss To OU

University of Nebraska athletic director Trev Alberts used his words carefully earlier this week when the firing of head coach Scott Frost went from probable to unavoidable.

Alberts didn’t use the word “fired.” It was a “change in the leadership … effective immediately,” but a firing is indeed what it was.

According to Frost’s coaching contract, the university would have been on the hook for $7.5 million if it waited until Oct. 1 to cut ties.

Instead, university leadership decided to move quickly. Now, Frost will walk away with a 5-22 record in one-score losses but also the biggest financial win possible: A cool $15 million to no longer work at his alma mater.

The burden of leading the program has fallen on the shoulders of Mickey Joseph, the Huskers’ well-liked and well-connected associate head coach.

Aside from a false start penalty, their opening six-play, 77-yard scoring drive sent a clear message to anyone within an earshot.

Nebraska isn’t going anywhere. Nebraska is right here.

The good times didn’t roll on for long, though. Oklahoma found its footing, and it quickly took the Husker crowd out of the game. The Sooners improved to 3-0 in their 49-14 win.

Related: 3 Sooner Takeaways: Sooners Go Into Overdrive In Dominant Win Over Nebraska

After the game, Joseph wanted to be held accountable.

“This is on me,” Joseph told reporters as he placed his right hand across his chest. “Not my players, not my assistant coaches. I gotta (sic) do a better job, and I will. I gotta (sic) do a better job.”

Taking the blame was a noble effort on Joseph’s part, but some of his Husker players disagreed.

“It’s not him (Joseph). We’re the players,” Nebraska senior tight end Travis Vokolek said after the game. “That’s kind of how we look at it. We don’t point fingers in the locker room or on the field. He can say that. He’s the coach. He’s supposed to say that, but we all know we’re the players. We’re the ones out there making plays. We’re the ones out there playing each down, so it’s on us. We’ll take responsibility for that.”

Sometimes, there is a morale bump for a team playing its first game after a coaching change. However, at least initially, it is never clear how long the bump lasts.

Saturday’s bump lasted for a few minutes in the first quarter before it wore off.

With eight games left in the season, the Nebraska (1-3) players and coaches will be tasked to find a bump that lasts long enough to save it from becoming one of the worst in the history of Husker football.