Husk that Wolverine!

(Predictions are at the end if you don’t want to read the rest!)

Can you feel it?  I don’t know about you, but I’ve been pumped all week to watch Nebraska play Michigan!

I think the state feels it too.  It’s not that we are guaranteed to win, far from it, but for the first time in a long time, it feels like Nebraska has the tools to play a top 25 team and beat them.  Now, I thought Nebraska would beat Iowa the last two seasons and I think they were ranked once, but that’s Iowa.  This is Michigan!  Winged helmets, the most all-time football victories in college football, the National Champions two seasons removed.  It’s a class Nebraska hasn’t played in for a while.

So here we go, presented after a close win and two blowouts, a Husker team that we all think can be really good, but maybe they don’t know it yet?  Or maybe that is Husker fans that don’t know?  It’s hard to say. Is it hard to say that this is a monkey to get off the proverbial back either?

If Nebraska wins this game, it will be another milestone for Matt Rhule and another box to check that Nebraska is on the way back to national prominence.  If Nebraska loses, hey, it was Michigan.  I haven’t thought about a game from this perspective in a long time.  The consequences are big, but winning the game makes those consequences seem gigantic to Nebraska.

The thing is, Nebraska has lost 27 games in a row to ranked teams.  It’s a crazy streak, going back to 2016, almost a decade.  There was a time when Nebraska didn’t lose 27 games in a decade.  Of course that is long time ago now, but for Nebraska to start sniffing around that territory again, there is an attractiveness to this game that as a fan, you want to be a part of.

Nebraska has everything to gain.  Dylan Raiola has an opportunity to present himself on the biggest stage, and I guarantee he is hungry and ready.  He came to Nebraska to try and win these types of games.  And recruits see it as well.  Nebraska will have the top ranked player in the 2027 high school class at the game, along with all sorts of other highly rated four-star players from 2027 and 2028. Those highly ranked recruits wouldn’t be coming here if Nebraska didn’t look like they are starting to rise.  

So, as I get ready to watch this weekend, I think back to the times that Nebraska played Washington, Texas, Oklahoma, and Notre Dame, before the 2002 swoon into mediocrity.  Those games were games against highly rated schools, with great tradition and Nebraska was a top-notch program at the time as well.  I was as excited to watch Nebraska play those games as I could be.  It’s nice to return to that feeling.  It’s been a long time.

ON WITH THE REWIND…

Last game prediction was Nebraska 59, Houston Christian 6. The actual score was Nebraska 59, Houston Christian 7….so close!  Nebraska is done with the nonconference schedule and overall, they did what they needed to get done.  It was great to see the kids that aren’t starters play a lot and have success.  That will trickle down as they get older and are needed later this season or next.  It was also good for Nebraska to play Cincinnati, who may be much better than I anticipated.  All these experiences were good and should help propel Nebraska into a successful conference season.

Quick Notes:

Dane Key…The Senior transfer from Kentucky has scored a touchdown in each of the first three games and had a bit of a breakout against Houston Christian.  Despite all of this, Key was brought in to help Nebraska beat the likes of Michigan.  Key has been a big part of the receiving trio including Jacory Barney and Nyziah Hunter so far.  If those three continue to play at this level, Nebraska will have a top three receiving corps in the Big Ten.  That’s heady praise, but clearly a goal that is attainable.

TJ Lateef....If you are thinking that Lateef should start over Dylan Raiola, then you probably should see a therapist.  Not that Lateef hasn’t been outstanding, but it was against two junior varsity teams.  That being said, Lateef has shown far brighter as a true freshman that many of us could have imagined.  It’s not often a freshman quarterback comes in and plays at high level immediately.  It’s crazy to think that Lateef and Raiola have come in back-to-back seasons.  If Nebraska can hang on to them both next year, that is one position Nebraska will have an advantage over every team they play.

Andrew Marshall...…I’m not going to single out Ceyair Wright because teams refuse to throw at him, so I have no idea if he is even playing in the games so far!  I kid, Wright has been fantastic.  On the flip side, Andrew Marshall has been amazing opposite of Wright.  Marshall is big, physical, and makes plays.  He really gives Nebraska another lock down corner, and you can’t say enough about the pass defense so far from Nebraska.  They will be severely tested this week against Michigan, but Nebraska is bringing their “A” game against the Wolverines in the defensive backfield.

Marques Watson-Trent…It has been questionable if Watson-Trent has been a good pickup through the portal for Nebraska.  He is clearly undersized for the Big Ten.  Despite that, against Houston Christian, I started to see the explosiveness and the violence that Watson-Trent provides.  Nebraska is starting to develop a good linebacking group, with Vincent Shavers Jr. and Dawson Merritt.  If Javin Wright can continue to play at a high level when he returns this week, Nebraska should have a nice group to rotate and keep fresh to take on Michigan’s ground and pound rushing attack.

Score Prediction: Nebraska 24, Michigan 23

I imagine this will be a close game, and probably very nerve wracking for Husker fans.  Michigan is clearly not as good as they were two seasons ago when they won a National Title, but they still have highly ranked players all over the field.  They are very athletic and their true freshman quarterback, Bryce Underwood, is as talented as anyone in the country at the quarterback position.  Nebraska needs to take advantage of the fans, hopefully using the crowd and the environment to shake his confidence early.  And if Nebraska gets down, say 14-3, they need to not panic.  Michigan is not Ohio State, Nebraska can take advantage of their secondary, and they should have an advantage in Special Teams.  I expect the game to go back and forth, but for some reason, I think that Nebraska will make the plays down the stretch and win with a Kyle Cunanan field goal late.  Nebraska needs to be pumped and ready to roll, it’s a big-time game in the Old Grey Lady and we need all hands-on deck! GBR!!!

Houston, We Have a Problem!

 

(Predictions are at the end if you don’t want to read the rest!)

You like touchdowns?  How about them touchdowns!

Nebraska did something they haven’t done in a long-time last week, exercising some demons along the way.  They pitched a shutout for the first time since 2009.  They scored the most points in a game since 2012.  They also had 728 yards of offense, the most since 2014.

It was cathartic to Husker fans as much as anything.  In the second half we were able to see players that many of us have heard of, but they simply haven’t played many snaps.  Against Akron, many of them played prominent roles.  Rex Guthrie, Kade Pietrzak, Gabe Moore, Caleb Benning and Sua Lefotu were all players on defense that shined at one point or another.  On offense, TJ Lateef, Isaiah Mozee, and Mekhi Nelson all made significant contributions during the game. 

Part of the reason it was so relieving was because Nebraska has not really put a team far enough away that the backup players are able to get so much playing time.  Even bigger though, the non-starters kept the pedal to the metal when they got in the game, scoring three touchdowns of their own.

It was a throwback, to a time when Nebraska fans knew each player at each position, sometimes eight deep on the running back chart, because they were able to play in games before they ever became starters.  They were rewarded for their work in practice and when they were able to show off, they made the most of their opportunities.

It’s the best way to show depth, but it also gives players that aren’t starters an incentive to get on the field.  It makes you work harder in practice and it makes it apparent to the coaching staff that if you are forced into a game, you will provide the same amount of effort and skill as a starter if you are given the opportunity.

It is a bit wild in this day and age of Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) that you are forced to worry to a certain extent that teams will see that depth and try to poach it off your roster with promises of more money and playing time.  However, I believe that it’s the price you must pay to have a deep and talented roster to survive and give yourself a chance to make the playoffs.  It may cost Nebraska some down the road, but it’s a tradeoff that Husker fans are happy to see, with some blowout games, reminding them of the past Husker glory.

ON WITH THE REWIND…

Last game prediction was Nebraska 42, Akron 10. The actual score was Nebraska 68, Akron 0.  Ok, this is when I love to be really, really wrong.  Nebraska struggled to finish at the goal line in the first quarter, and they gave up a drive right before halftime, blocking a field goal to keep Akron off the board.  Other than that, the offense and the defense had little to no trouble with the Zips.  Nebraska may still have a long way to go for improvement in this season, but you saw the potential against a lessor opponent that we haven’t seen for a long time.  I expect this week to be another showcase.  I’ll be curious to see if Nebraska calls off the dogs a bit earlier this game.

Quick Notes:

Emmett Johnson…Ok, I see you, Emmett.  I don’t know if EJ can carry the ball as often as he has against the Big Ten, but so far, he has been dynamic and is coming into his own.  He has always been a good receiving back, but he has started to break longer runs and his toughness does not need to be questioned.  Back-to-back career highs in rushing bode well for him as he develops.  He is playing at a high level, ready to lead the rushing attack.

Jacory Barney....If Barney is playing hurt, I’d watch out for him when he gets healthy.  He posted over a hundred yards receiving and another 87 yards in punt returns.  He has blossomed into a go-to player for Dylan Raiola and his special teams play has sparked him and the team this year.  He has more punt return yards already than the whole team has had per season in at least the last four seasons.  As weapons go, Barney combined with Dane Key and Nyziah Hunter gives the Huskers the best receiving trio in at least a decade.

DeShon Singleton...…Singleton so far has been as the Swiss army knife that Nebraska needs to make the 3-3-5 defense hum.  He has made purposeful tackles at or behind the line of scrimmage and he has been very good in coverage.  With his size and athleticism, he acts like a linebacker, but he plays a combo corner/safety type role as well.  He has been very successful so far and provides a hammer from the back end of the defense.

Kade Pietrzak…The true freshman from Fargo, North Dakota blasted onto the scene making a tackle for a safety in the first quarter.  Pietrzak is explosive off the line of scrimmage and you can see why Nebraska had to fight off Oklahoma and Kansas State to get him to come to Nebraska.  He weighs in at 260 pounds according to the roster, but he plays bigger than that.  I don’t believe that he will redshirt this year, and he looks like he will be a big piece of the defensive line.  This kid is the type of top recruit that Matt Rhule needs to continue to land if Nebraska wants to get to the playoffs.

Score Prediction: Nebraska 59, Houston Christian 6

If this game goes half as well as last week, I suspect Nebraska won’t play their starters as long in this game.  Not that Houston Christian is as bad as Akron, they seem to be a heavy run team, which will be good for the defense to see and play.  On the flip side, they are an FCS team, and their talent level is at least two rungs below Nebraska.  I expect Nebraska to come out and score as much as they can in the first half so they can rest their starters for the start of Big Ten play.  Early morning games are always a bit sleepy, so if you are going to the game, be loud, be proud and GBR!!!

Akron Game Preview

Ok, so I went to Kansas City to watch Nebraska play Cincinnati.  Outside of the game a couple of items.

First, Arrowhead Stadium is old, someone told me it is the third oldest in the NFL, and since I know that Soldier Field and Lambeau Field are the oldest, I would guess that is accurate.  The stadium itself is built to hold in crowd noise, and I must admit, it was really…..really loud.  Probably as loud as I can remember hearing a sporting event.

Second, the scoreboards are awful.  The ribbon board never showed any statistics and it was nearly impossible to find the two places where they kept the game clock and play clock from where I sat in the lower bowl.  To top it off, the video boards are smaller than the ones at Nebraska high schools.  

On the flip side, it really felt like an old school game.  There weren’t 25 ads playing during commercial breaks for Aker Farm Equipment, Bryan Health or any other Nebraska commercialized and monetized item the University can throw on the video board.  I know it takes a lot of money to run the University and the athletic department, so I’m not upset, but the in-game experience with just a college band and few other distractions was a welcome break from the normal home Husker games.

Finally, I cannot stress this enough, it is hard to digest what is going on in a game when you are at the lower level of the stadium and you can’t get a bird’s eye view, like on TV, of what is really going on.  I thought Nebraska’s defensive line was bad, and for the most part they were, but not bad for the reasons I thought.  In watching the game, I thought they were getting manhandled, but rewatching on TV, they were getting up field, and they seemed to be winning their battles way more against the O-line, they just were not assignment sound.  After the review I felt much better about the future of the defensive line than I did leaving the stadium.

It also looked like Nebraska should be able to throw deep and I couldn’t figure out why we didn’t try to go over the top against the Bearcat defense.  What I couldn’t see is that they were playing mostly with a three-safety high cover that kept our offensive players in front of them and that they weren’t letting us go past without making sure Nebraska’s wide receivers were covered in full.  After the rewatch, it made me appreciate Dylan Raiola’s efficiency in the passing game.  He continuously hit open receivers, didn’t force much and played well.  It was difficult to see all that in person.

I say all of this as a reminder, not just to anyone reading this, but to myself as well that it was game one.  The biggest improvements should come between week 1 and week 2.  If that happens, and the team continues to improve week to week, it should be a very fun season.

ON WITH THE REWIND…

Last game prediction was Nebraska 34, Cincinnati 17. The actual score was Nebraska 20, Cincinnati 17.  Nebraska dominated the middle two quarters of the game, and it was enough to come home with a victory.  The reality is, they should have probably scored at least one more touchdown, but they just as easily could have given up a free touchdown on an almost interception by Raiola on a swing pass on fourth down.  I felt like the offense could have played better, there were multiple times when beating one more defender would have been the route to a long touchdown.  Nebraska needs to make more big plays on offense.

Quick Notes:

Emmett Johnson…If you were looking for a player of the game, Johnson was it.  He carried the ball a career high 25 times and was targeted 10 times in the passing game.  It was an unusually large load for a running back but considering the youth and the minimal experience behind him, it was probably necessary.  Johnson is the bell cow at running back for sure, but he will need to be efficient and have about a third of the carries this week and next, so he has a chance to survive the Big Ten gauntlet.  If you were to tell me that there was a top three players Nebraska would struggle without, Johnson would be in the top three, easily.

Nyziah Hunter....Of the transfer receivers, Hunter really impressed me.  He made an acrobatic catch early in the game that if he had stayed on his feet, was an easy touchdown.  He then made a spectacular contested catch in the end zone for a touchdown right before halftime.  Dane Key is clearly a veteran that is going to be a big part of the offense, but having Hunter as the opposite outside receiver along with Jacory Barney in the slot gives Nebraska as good of a set of wide receivers as they have had in at least a decade.  This group should be enough for Dylan Raiola to have a big year in the passing game.  Hunter is really fun to watch, and he will score some big touchdowns this season.  

Ceyar Wright..…As I listened to Husker talk radio this week, it was great hearing everyone talk about how people weren’t sure that Wright even played.  That’s how great he was in coverage against the Cincinnati wide receivers.  Wright and Andrew Marshall shut down the passing game for the Blackshirts on the back end.  Throw in the great play of Donavan Jones and the pick by Malcom Hartzog and the defensive cover backs had what I would consider an excellent game.  Nebraska has some issues up front, but they certainly have the guys in the back end of the defense to keep them in any game.

Vincent Shavers Jr…Shavers wasn’t always where he should have been, but he made the play of the game by forcing a fumble in Cincinnatti territory right before half, recovered by Williams Nwaneri, that turned into a touchdown to give the Huskers a 10-point lead at halftime.  Shavers is the best linebacker on the team.  The thing that holds him back the most is experience.  The more he plays, the better he is going to get.  He plays fast and when he makes mistakes, he makes those fast as well which allows him to recover.  The Blackshirts inexperience showed up in Kansas City, but the potential is high with many of them.

Score Prediction: Nebraska 42, Akron 10

As an opening home game goes, you couldn’t ask for a better opponent to get healthy with.  I don’t mean to bag on the Zips, but Akron lost 10-0 to Wyoming last week and it wasn’t pretty.  Nebraska needs to put up some points in this game so their back up players can get valuable experience before conference play.  Nebraska’s youth clearly showed in the opening game.  It’s true, the starters are veterans in a lot of places, but there are so many young players in new roles and new situations, the repetitions are the biggest benefit of playing a team that isn’t that great.  Nebraska should dominate from the get-go, and I hope the offense opens it up and goes for the throat early so they can work on their game going forward.  As always, be loud, be proud and GBR!!!