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!!!