Tough decisions inching closer for Austin Allen

Native son Austin Allen has a huge decision to ponder over Nebraska’s second bye week, one that he doesn’t take lightly. 
Will the final two games against Wisconsin and Iowa be his last as a Husker? Is there a path for Oz into the NFL?
He was grilled again about that topic following another close letdown against Ohio State Saturday afternoon. 
If he was to put a percentage on it, Oz called it 50/50 whether he’d return or not. 
“I sat down with (Sean) Beckton last week and he was getting a feel for what I was thinking,” Allen said. “I told him the bye week I’d sit down and talk with my family, talk with some scouts and see what grade I’m looking at right now. I’m probably 50/50.”
It’s just another example of the open and honest nature with which Austin approaches the media. I’ve never felt like Oz has given me the run-around on anything. 
Authentic. Passionate. Real. 
With two games left, Oz has 29 catches for 404 yards and two touchdowns. His receptions and yardage are each second on the team right now behind Samori Toure. 
No matter what happens in the final two games, Oz’s year will be one of Nebraska’s best tight end numbers in recent memory. 
Fans hear each week about the 6’9” 260 pound frame Oz carries on the field -- the perfect frame for any NFL team. 
If Oz likes what he hears on his draft grade, the Iowa game on Black Friday may be the last time we see the former Husky in a Nebraska jersey. 
But, there’s also the task at hand of desperately trying to turn this program around. 
You could see it on his face at the podium a few weeks ago after the Purdue loss. He feels he let everyone down. 
If anyone is taking these losses harder than coach Scott Frost, it’s Oz. He wants, arguably more than anyone else, to fix this. 
Is that a reason to stay for one more year?
“To not be able to get it done for people who live in this state, that is a factor, aside from not necessarily wanting to leave my guys after this year,” he said. “I could come back and lead them to a winning season, take them to a postseason. That’s a big part of my decision that I have to make over the next few weeks.”
One thing is certain. Whether or not Oz is wearing a Husker jersey come next fall, Frost will be back as Nebraska coach. 
Nebraska Athletic Director Trev Alberts announced Monday afternoon that Frost will return in 2022, and announcing that now was imperative. 
Look, everyone is frustrated. A four-game losing skid with two tough games to end the year isn’t what anyone anticipated in August. 
But, back when Frost was hired in December of 2017, everyone agreed to give him “time” to figure it out. 
Frost was given a seven-year contract and I wrote in an open letter to Frost at the time that “I’ll be blunt with you. Our guys are soft. We don’t tackle well. We cannot get a push with our offensive line. We need an overhaul.”
Are we still soft?
I don’t know if you watched the Ohio State game, but the Blackshirts made the No. 5 team in the nation panic. 
The Buckeyes had 14 possessions and scored 26 points. Just six after halftime. 
Anyone else in the nation do that?
At the end of 2020, fans called for defensive coordinator Erik Chinander to be fired. Probably a bad take, no?
Please don’t just write off what the Blackshirts accomplished Saturday against Ohio State. 
Back in 2016 and ’17, Nebraska’s defense allowed 16 consecutive scoring drives against Ohio State, including 14 touchdowns. Ohio State is the gold standard. 
In 2016, Mike Riley’s second season, Ohio State took Nebraska behind the woodshed, 62-3. That was the game Tommy Armstrong was hurt, taken to a hospital, and re-emerged before game’s end. 
It wasn’t much better in 2017 when the Buckeyes came to Lincoln and whooped the Big Red, 56-14. 
The only memorable highlight for me when Nebraska lost 56-31 to Ohio State was Oz’s 41-yard reception that gave former coach Urban Meyer a headache. Heck, we didn’t even score on that drive. 
Then there’s the nightmare of 2019. 
College GameDay came to Lincoln and the bright lights were on the Big Red. 
Well, a 48-7 score later behind Chase Young dominating Nebraska’s offensive line left another embarrassment. 
If there’s a pass for any game, it’s Nebraska’s 52-17 loss to Ohio State a year ago. That game ended up being the season opener in late October with COVID and everything else going on. 
Given all that, Nebraska’s 26-17 loss Saturday seems like a step in the right direction. 
We’re on the right path here. The record doesn’t indicate it, but look at the opponents. 
Nebraska has four losses to top 10 teams by an average of 5-1/2 points. A 9-point loss to Ohio State is the largest deficit of all Nebraska’s seven losses. 
My wife knows I’m the most impatient person on the planet. I get anxious waiting for popcorn. 
But let’s not blow this up yet. The turnaround is coming. 
RICHARD RHODEN can be reached at sports@hamilton.net