Then last week he held up well against Ohio State’s star-studded cast of wide receivers.
In the process, he’s re-cemented himself as a surefire NFL Draft pick and a potential Day 2 option (Rounds 2 and 3) depending on the impression he leaves NFL teams with, how he tests out and how opportunities like the Senior Bowl go.
When asked in the leadup to the game against OSU whether he had decided to enter the NFL Draft or potentially come back for a fifth season, Taylor-Britt said he hadn’t fully made up his mind.
“Whatever happens, happens, honestly,” Taylor-Britt said Nov. 1. “I just want to finish the season out with Nebraska, be the top of the top that we can be, finish these games out with wins and do what’s best for this university first.”
Domann, meanwhile, put together a versatile, dynamic sixth collegiate year before injury cut his season short. The Colorado native played in 10 games and finished with 72 tackles (nine for loss) a pair of sacks and a pair of interceptions.
He, too, could put himself in position to be a Day 2 selection if he tests well, but Domann is sure to hear his name called at some point this spring.
The turning point in each Nebraska football game so far in 2021
𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙙𝙤𝙪𝙗𝙡𝙚 𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙤𝙣𝙖𝙡 𝙛𝙤𝙪𝙡
Aug. 28 | Illinois 30, Nebraska 22
Parker Gabriel’s turning point: This one is clear as day. The double personal foul on Caleb Tannor that turned a Cam Taylor-Britt interception into 30 yards and a first down in the red zone for Illinois breathed new life into the Illini. They reeled off 28 straight points from there — 14 to close the first half and the first two scores of the third quarter — and took control of the game.
𝙏𝙪𝙧𝙣𝙚𝙙 𝙖𝙬𝙖𝙮 𝙗𝙮 𝘿𝙞𝙨𝙢𝙪𝙠𝙚
Sept. 4 | Nebraska 52, Fordham 7
Turning point: Fordham had a chance to tie the game at 10 early in the second quarter, but senior safety Marquel Dismuke blocked a field goal and set Nebraska up with good field position. The defense and offense both had shaky moments early on, but Nebraska settled in nicely from there and asserted its dominance.
𝙈𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙯 𝙗𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙠𝙨 𝙛𝙧𝙚𝙚
Sept. 11 | Nebraska 28, Buffalo 3
Turning point: Nebraska had moved the ball but had not converted in the first quarter. On a third-down play deep in its own territory in the second, junior quarterback Adrian Martinez shrugged off a free blitzer and raced 71 yards to set up NU’s first score. It wasn’t always pretty for the offense from there, but it provided the Huskers a jolt and the home team never trailed against the Bulls.
𝘾𝙪𝙡𝙥’𝙨 𝙢𝙞𝙨𝙨 𝙛𝙡𝙞𝙥𝙨 𝙜𝙖𝙢𝙚
Sept. 18 | Oklahoma 23, Nebraska 16
Turning point: Nebraska got the ball to start the second half and drove it right down the field, threatening to turn a 7-3 deficit into its first lead of the day. Instead, the Huskers stalled out and senior kicker Connor Culp missed a 35-yard field goal. Ten plays and 58 yards for naught. Then, Oklahoma went 80 in 10 plays the other way. Instead of maybe being 10-7 NU or at least 7-6, the Sooners extended their lead to 14-3.
𝙊𝙣𝙚 𝙙𝙞𝙨𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙨 𝙥𝙪𝙣𝙩
Sept. 25 | Michigan State 23, Nebraska 20, OT
Turning point: Easy. Jayden Reed hauled in a wayward Daniel Cerni punt with nobody around him late in the fourth quarter and he raced 62 yards for a game-tying touchdown with 3:47 to go.
Nebraska dominated the second half defensively and offensively. Both sides will say they could have done more — the defense wanted a takeaway, even though 14 yards on 15 snaps is more than good enough, and the offense wanted to avoid going three-and-out before the punt — but simply put, that play changed the outcome of the game.
𝘿𝙤𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙣, 𝙏𝙝𝙤𝙢𝙖𝙨 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙗𝙞𝙣𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙧
Oct. 2 | Nebraska 56, Northwestern 7
Turning point: A shoutout to the defense. The Blackshirts had given up a touchdown drive and Northwestern had the ball at the 1-yard line with a chance to get within 28-14 in the second quarter when JoJo Domann and Deontre Thomas ripped through the line and hit Evan Hull. Domann forced a fumble and Thomas recovered it. Northwestern didn’t sniff the end zone the rest of the night.
𝙈𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙯’𝙨 𝙡𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝙛𝙪𝙢𝙗𝙡𝙚 𝙨𝙥𝙤𝙞𝙡𝙨 𝙪𝙥𝙨𝙚𝙩 𝙗𝙞𝙙
Oct. 9 | Michigan 32, Nebraska 29
Turning point: Martinez’s fumble with 1 minute, 45 seconds remaining put the Wolverines in position to take the lead in the waning moments. The Huskers had the ball with three minutes left in a tie game and a chance to win, but the fumble set Michigan up in field-goal range. Jake Moody calmly put a 39-yard field goal through the uprights 21 seconds later on the game clock.
𝘼𝙣 𝙪𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚𝙡𝙮 𝙨𝙩𝙪𝙢𝙗𝙡𝙚
Oct. 16 | Minnesota 30, Nebraska 23
Turning point: On third-and-goal, junior quarterback Adrian Martinez was ruled down inches short of the goal line. The initial ruling withstood review. Then, freshman running back Jaquez Yant took a fourth-and-inches handoff, tripped on his own and barrel-rolled down short of the goal line. There would have been a collision had he kept his feet, but you would have liked the 232-pounder’s chances with a head of steam.
𝙅𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙖 𝙗𝙞𝙩 𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙘𝙝
Oct. 30 | Purdue 28, Nebraska 23
Turning point: Nebraska caught a break late in the second half and not only kicked a field goal to go up 17-14 with 1:20 to go, but then got the ball back in great field position with 20 seconds on the clock. Coach Scott Frost and offensive coordinator Matt Lubick dialed up a great play call and Samori Toure ran free on a deep post, but Adrian Martinez’s pass grazed off of Toure’s fingertips. It would have been a walk-in touchdown and a 24-14 halftime lead. Instead, NU led by three and then opened the half with four punts and three interceptions on its first seven possessions.
𝙁𝙧𝙤𝙨𝙩’𝙨 𝙛𝙞𝙚𝙡𝙙 𝙜𝙤𝙖𝙡 𝙜𝙖𝙢𝙗𝙡𝙚 𝙙𝙤𝙚𝙨𝙣’𝙩 𝙥𝙖𝙮
Nov. 6 | Ohio State 26, Nebraska 17
Turning point: Nebraska head coach Scott Frost decided to attempt a field goal rather than go for it on fourth-and-4 from the OSU 13 with just under 10 minutes left in the regulation. The Huskers trailed by six at that moment, but instead of halving the lead to three, Chase Contreraz missed and the Buckeyes took over. The Huskers had marched 73 yards in 11 plays with eyes on taking the lead. Instead, OSU took over and went to work on the clock and on field position. NU got it back at the same score, but with 90 yards to go. The Huskers couldn’t mount another scoring threat.
Contact the writer at pgabriel@journalstar.com or 402-473-7439. On Twitter @HuskerExtraPG.
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