Buckle Up!
For most people in the world, this week is just another date in time on this spinning blue rock. For those of us in Husker land though….it’s a rebirth of all that is right in the world!
Nebraska is on the upswing and after a sometimes disaster fueled season in 2015, 2016 is filled with promise of a fresh start. Last season was Coach Mike Riley’s first in Lincoln and while I think he was excited about it, he probably underestimated the task in front of him. That task along with some questionable play calling led to just the third losing season in most Husker fan’s life times.
Onward and upward!
First, let’s address the naming of captains, or more specifically, the one person not named captain. Some people were a little alarmed that Tommy Armstrong wasn’t named one of the captains for the 2016 Husker football season. Some newspapers have blown the situation up, explaining that it could be another negative on a season that has not had much good news lately. Let’s review why it’s no big deal.
First, captains are voted on by the players. Most of the kids on this year’s team are young. Look at the roster that came out, not many seniors and even fewer juniors. Part of that stems from back to back recruiting classes that were lackluster and short on numbers. Whatever you think about Bo Pelini, he did not do a good job with roster management, and honestly, it will probably be another 2 years before all the kinks and depth upgrades are worked out. Why do I bring this up? Tommy is not overly close to a lot of the young players on the team. He is the quarterback, the leader on the field. Tommy is not an outgoing personality that is out to make friends. It’s hard to be voted captain when you aren’t close to a lot of players on the team. It’s a bit of a popularity contest and Tommy simply isn’t the type of kid that would pander for votes.
Second, kids know who the leaders on the field are, and let’s be clear, Tommy is a leader on the field. He came into Nebraska as a kid who takes over the huddle, even as a freshman. Nothing has changed in that respect and Tommy is as tough as any QB we have had. He has played through numerous bumps and bruises and kids respect that.
Finally, Tommie Frazier and Scott Frost. It’s not a forgone conclusion that a starting senior quarterback will be captain. Frazier and Frost weren’t voted captains. That didn’t seem to stop Nebraska from being successful. I don’t think we are a National Champion contender this season, but I also don’t think it will make a bit of difference that Dylan Utter is a captain and Tommy Armstrong is not. Tommy is the kind of kid that let’s stuff like this slide off his back. I don’t see it being any different this time around. A few notes as the season kicks off this week…
1. Overall, when looking at Nebraska’s schedule, it has some easy stretches and one stretch (Wisconsin, Ohio State) that is simply brutal. If Nebraska gets out of the gate 3-1 or better, they should be able to cruise through the next three games and should get to Wisconsin 6-1. Anything could happen, after that, but it’s safe to say Nebraska would probably end up with three losses after that start, which would make them 9-3 and probably fall just short of the Big Ten title game. After last season, beggars can’t be choosers, I think most would take that. Nebraska is building depth, but any major injury to Armstrong and this season will be a roller coaster to stay above .500. Let’s hope for a healthy season and a competitive bowl game in Florida in January.
2. This freshman class is going to be good. Tre Bryant is going to play a major roll this year, but outside of him, Lamar Jackson at cornerback should be the only other freshman gaining significant minutes outside of special teams. Its possible Boe Wilson could play at guard as well, but I’m sure the staff would like to redshirt him. Don’t be alarmed by this though, this class of freshman has had a great fall camp and the future looks bright
3. Tanner Lee will be on scout team, but you will hear about him as the season goes on. It’s not often a scout team QB will be the talk of the team, but much like Taylor Martinez tearing up the scout teams as a redshirt, Lee will be doing the same as he sits as a transfer. The kid looks to be good and the staff is thrilled that he just earned an extra year of eligibility.
4. Nebraska’s defense should be much better. Based on familiarity with this coaching staff alone, the defense should be good enough to win at least 2 games that Nebraska didn’t win last season. From most indications, John Parella has been a great hire, Trent Bray has been a bright young star coaching linebackers and Coach Banker feels much better about where the defense is compared to last season when they couldn’t even line up correctly for certain calls.
5. This wide receiver group is fantastic. And it shouldn’t matter, Nebraska will need to run the ball to be effective in the conference, for a variety of reasons, not the least is Tommy Armstrong’s sometimes erratic throws. Throw in the occasional horrible weather like they faced in Illinois last season and if Nebraska wants to be successful, even with this great talent at receiver, Nebraska will go as far as the running game can take them. They don’t have to run it 60 times a game, they just need to be efficient when the do run, to take pressure off the passing game.
6. Buckle up and enjoy the ride! After all that has happened this off season, including the loss of a very popular and beloved teammate, it will be good to get some games started. This team cares a lot and wants to play well for themselves, Sam Foltz and not least of all the fans. This team wants to win, so let’s go support them as much as we can and enjoy the season! GBR!!!
No comments:
Post a Comment