Another week, another Husker heartbreaking loss. I will give Coach Frost credit he knows how to keep the games close. On the other hand, he has yet to get over the hump with most of these close ones.
As last season started, playing in Boulder, Nebraska’s first half really looked like we had turned the corner. Nebraska has a large half time lead and Martinez looked like he was going to have a great season. We all know how that game turned out. So far Martinez, like the Huskers haven’t seemed to recover.
After two game this year, it is apparent that a change is coming, and likely this weekend. Luke McCaffrey will probably start the first game of his Husker career against Penn State, with minimal number of fans in the stands. Not exactly how we all drew it up last spring.
Luke has earned the shot, as much as Martinez has lost it, but it does make this fan feel melancholy. Martinez has put a lot of his life into the Husker program. So many of us have cheered him on, celebrated his achievements and genuinely hoped he would be the leader we all want our Husker quarterbacks to be.
Maybe it won’t be permanent, maybe McCaffrey falters and Adrian must come back and save the day. It wouldn’t be the first time a starting quarterback was benched and came back better than he was before. More likely though, without injury, the future of Nebraska and Scott Frost rides with McCaffrey.
We all feel the struggle of this season. I’m sure Martinez feels is as much if not more than many of us. It is a situation where a lack of early nonconference games has limited several players of showing their potential. Unfortunately, with Nebraska’s schedule, time is of the essence to win and win now.
Will McCaffrey be the answer we all have hoped for this last half decade? Maybe. McCaffrey has shown that he is an incredible athlete. He gets the ball out of his hands in a hurry and makes quick decisions. He seems to be the “fast blinker” that the staff raves about. He has answered the bell when he has been on the field so far in minimal duty. This time, he will likely get an entire game to show us what he is all about. Husker Nation will get a chance to find out if this is a new era of Husker football.
ON WITH THE REWIND…
Last game prediction was Nebraska 28, Northwestern 17. The actual score was Northwestern 21, Nebraska 13. Nebraska will regret that game all season. They had ample opportunities in the red zone and came away with just one touchdown. If the Huskers can’t right the offense, this season has the potential to be disastrous. They are lucky the defense is playing above expectations, if they weren’t, I think we all would be in a panic.
Quick Notes:
Running Backs…You might say what happened to Nebraska’s running game? However, the quarterbacks have ran the ball effectively. On the flip side, the Husker running backs have been a shell of what they were the previous year. Dedrick Mills hasn’t gotten going and outside of a few plays by Marvin Scott III and Ronald Thompkins, nothing has jumped out about any running back. Part of it is play calling, and whether Mills can get to the perimeter like they need. Another part is the offensive line. As good as they looked against Ohio State by times, they have yet to just dominate a game. The running backs need some holes, but they also need to attack their opportunities better.
Quarterbacks…As I talked about above, McCaffrey will likely get his first shot to run the Husker show. He deserves a shot. Martinez has been just above horrendous in the passing game and most of the time, can’t even play above that. This offense requires accuracy. We know from watching players like Marcus Mariota and McKenzie Milton that an accurate quarterback is a nightmare for defensive coordinators in this offense. Coach Frost needs someone that can make the easy passes, to lessen the pressure on the offensive line, which in turn should open the running game up and hopefully allow Nebraska to play downfield more in the passing game. Martinez wasn’t getting it done, so we will find out if it was just him, or a larger concern of the team altogether.
Defensive Line…Man, I don’t want to talk about these guys again, but seriously, Ty Robinson and Casey Rogers are going to be good for a long time in Lincoln. Throw in Ben Stille and Damion Daniels, along with up and comers Jordon Riley and Keem Green and this group looks to be possibly the best position group for the Huskers. Nebraska is giving up about 4.2 yards per carry, which isn’t great, but they have been much better against the run that last season. They also have played two of the better running offenses in the Big Ten. Penn State doesn’t have a great running attack. If Nebraska can make them one dimensional, they should have success this weekend.
Special Teams…The Huskers continue to be snake bit on special teams. A missed field goal, poor punting, awful punt returns, and average kickoff game has limited Nebraska in several ways. We all know the Huskers were at their best the last decade when they had strong kicking game and made something out of their returns. Nebraska is still not good enough to be able to play week to week with subpar special teams play. If they want to win any games going forward, they must clean that up. We shall see…
Score Prediction: Penn State 24 Nebraska 21
After last week, I just don’t know how Nebraska is going to beat a wounded Penn State team. Nebraska offensively has been as bad as I can remember them, at least since the awful Bo Pelini group that still almost rode Ndamukong Suh to a Big XII title. If a change at quarterback is all that separates Nebraska from revving it up this weekend, I think it’s fair to ask Coach Frost what took so long. On the other side, Penn State is 0-3 and needs a win just as bad as Nebraska. I expect them to hit Nebraska in the mouth early and often. If the Huskers play like they did last weekend, I just don’t see it ending well for the Huskers. I will still be on my couch screaming away, let us all hope that my prediction is the worst thing that happens this weekend. Here's to hoping I am wrong! GBR!!
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