Happy Thanksgiving Husker Nation!!!

Since we have hammered the Scott Frost angle all season, trying to figure out why close games continue to go against Nebraska, this week we will start by giving “Thanks” to some people that deserve it.

Adrian Martinez will likely end up having the worst winning percentage of any Nebraska quarterback of all time.  I’d say you can blame about 5% of that record on him.  He has never had the type of players around him that Tommy Armstrong had, let alone Tommie Frazier.  He has made plays that are reminiscent of Taylor Martinez.  He will wind up with more total yards than Eric Crouch.

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Unfortunately, he will likely go into the Joe Dailey category on one end, but he was simply as electric as any player we have had this decade on the other.  I will miss watching him and wish he had better results because the effort was always there.

I watched Austin Allen at state basketball his senior year.  I had a hard time envisioning him being a tight end, but I know that high school ability doesn’t project so easily.  Since that time Allen has developed into arguably the best receiving tight end in Husker history.  He has been fun to watch and should be a good NFL prospect.  I’ve enjoyed his growth as much as any player in recent memory.

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When Cam Taylor-Britt arrived at Nebraska, I thought that he was the type of player that Frost would bring in over and over.  He played quarterback in high school and was the best athlete on the field no matter where he played.  He was the type of hard-working kid that Nebraska was known for.  Taylor-Britt has not disappointed in his Husker career.  Cornerbacks are always noticed when they screw up, but Taylor-Britt goes long stretches without even a mention.  He has been the best player of the Scott Frost era in many ways and will be one of the hardest players to replace next season.

 There will be a lot of other players moving on after this game, some more of my favorites include Marquel Dismuke (one of the original California kids that Mike Riley brought in, one of the only ones that panned out), Deontai Williams, Ben Stille and Samari Toure.  It’s ok not to name them all, but all Huskers will hold a special place for many of us as they move on.   Instead of worrying about the fate of Scott Frost and the replacement staff, I’ll choose to remember this group that played the game as hard as they could.  They continue to represent the best of what Nebraska is about.

ON WITH THE REWIND…

Last game prediction was Wisconsin 30 Nebraska 21.  The actual score was Wisconsin 35, Nebraska 28.  Typical of Nebraska versus Wisconsin, Nebraska moves the ball up and down the field, but can’t stop the Badgers big bad running back.  So many questionable calls make this one frustrating.  Don’t get me wrong, Nebraska continues to step on their own foot on special teams and questionable red zone strategy.  That makes the blown calls all the more glaring, but if Nebraska would clean up their own mess, those bad calls would matter way less.

Quick Notes:

Logan Smothers…When Nebraska recruited Smothers, it was another lifetime ago.  He was a Rivals top 250 player and a top ranked dual threat quarterback coming out of high school.  He has two full years learning the offense and is a coach’s son.  I can’t tell you he will beat Iowa, but I can tell you, I have more confidence in him that I’ve had in a back-up quarterback starting his first game in a long time.  He is super athletic.  Hopefully Coach Frost can find ways to get him in the open field, it could go a long way toward winning on Friday. 

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Brody Belt…Belt didn’t start against Wisconsin, but he made the most of his opportunities.  He exploded into holes and was patient and didn’t run into the offensive lineman without a plan.  It sounds like Jaquez Yant will be starting against Iowa, but I look for Belt to take a dozen touches in the game.  If he plays like he did last week, that will be a good sign.

Samari Toure…Toure has been the best treat for Nebraska fans.  I’ve mentioned him in this blog more times than I can remember.  He has been the explosive playmaker that Nebraska has looked for since Stanley Morgan was here.  Every week teams have looked silly trying to find him down the field and every week it seems like he delivers a huge play when Nebraska needs it the most.  It was a short time in Lincoln for Toure, but he will be missed by Husker fans for a long time.

Garrett Nelson…I’ve argued since he got here that Nelson is the kind of kid that was hurt by a lack of depth his freshman year.  He played and played so hard, but he had no idea what he was doing and would have benefited from a redshirt.  Now, he is playing like and old All Big Eight type of hard-nosed linebacker that many of us remember from the old days.  It’s likely he will lead the team in sacks and tackles for loss.  A lot of people have complained early that he wasn’t that good, but if there were a dozen more players like him on the roster, it’s doubtful Nebraska would suffer on the scoreboard like they have. 

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Score Prediction:  Iowa 23, Nebraska 21 

It pains me to say this, but after watching this team all year, I can’t help but acknowledge that they will have a lead in this game with under a minute to play and lose it by a field goal.  Don’t ask me how I know, I just know.  If by some miracle, Nebraska doesn’t give up two touchdowns by turnover or special teams, they will win this game.  Iowa just makes plays based on the other team’s mistakes.  This Nebraska team just can’t help themselves.  Sounds like a warm day is in store, so I still look forward to spending my last fall day in Memorial Stadium.  Here is to better days ahead, and GBR!!

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So Now What? And Who?

What a bye week right?  We went from having a full staff and wondering if Frost would be kept after the Iowa game, to knowing he is coming back, but the offensive staff will be completely new in 2022.

There are a lot of reasons that Scott Frost probably should not have been brought back after this season.   After having a season with the best Blackshirts defense in a decade, a fourth year starting quarterback and what we thought would be a rebuilt special teams unit, Nebraska has underachieved this season.  This is the fourth season in a row that Nebraska will have failed to finish above .500 under Frost and failed to make bowl game.  It’s the worst start to a career at Nebraska in the last 50 years for a head football coach.  That’s really difficult to stomach.

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So why would Athletic Director Trev Alberts keep Scott Frost after all of that?  

I think a lot of it has to do with how Nebraska has played this year.  They are 1-6 overall in conference play, but they have still outscored their opponents in those 7 games.  That’s remarkable.  They have played every ranked team outside of Ohio State within a touchdown.  Even that game was close throughout.  Special teams have likely cost Nebraska at a minimum two more wins and probably more than that.  

Adrian Martinez has had to do too much on his own.  And while the Blackshirts have played lights out a lot of the season, they haven’t been able to get to the quarterback enough against lesser teams to create the turnovers needed to cruise in games they should have won.

You can argue that there are still holes in the overall roster that need to be addressed and maybe they can with more time.

In the end, I think that Trev Alberts sees the landscape of college football and how much it is changing.  With the new transfer rules, recruiting will become a different beast than it has been in our lifetime.  Name and Image Likeness (NIL) rules have changed what Universities can offer outside of full scholarships.  Large buyouts and recycling a new coach every three to four years has proven to be a futile exercise in most cases.  Many schools considered Blue Blood football powerhouses are out wandering the wilderness.  Florida State, Florida and Miami are in the hotbed of football prospects, yet they have failed to maintain top 20 teams this last decade.  Rebuilding a program may simply require small changes over big shakeups in this new world.

And that is why Alberts has zigged when others have zagged.  This is going to be a crazy offseason to hire a new coach.  I get the argument that it probably will be like that forever moving forward.  Frost is the hometown hero and maybe it’s wise to not throw the baby out with the bath water.  Eventually Alberts may be forced to decide to relieve Frost, but at this point, it was a calculated gamble to continue on this path, no matter how painful it might be to get to where Nebraska wants to go.  I don’t know that I agree with it, but I support Alberts for realizing the old way may not be the best way when it comes to moving forward.

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ON WITH THE REWIND…

Last game prediction was Ohio State 44 Nebraska 24.  The actual score was Ohio State 26, Nebraska 17.  It was the second time in the Frost tenure that he has held tight with the Buckeyes.  For whatever reason, Nebraska has played ranked teams better this season than unranked teams.  How does that help Nebraska to finish out this season?  Who knows, but this week may not be as kind as the others.

Quick Notes:

JoJo Domann…I hit on Domann in my last blog, but since he isn’t playing another game this season, I wanted to at least pay a tribute to him for his career.  He went out with a bang, playing arguably his best game ever against Ohio State.  Domann has been one of the few bright spots on the defense during his career and he will leave a big gap in the Blackshirts the rest of they season.  Not many players can play so many roles for a team, but Domann has been able to play defensive back, linebacker and edge rusher at a high level.  If Nebraska is ever going to get back to the top of the Big Ten, they need a dozen players like Domann.  

Rahmir Johnson…Johnson has proven out to be the most consistent runner in the backfield this year.  He hasn’t blown up for big gains in the running game, but he has been the best at moving the offense forward behind an average run blocking line.  Johnson has three more years of eligibility left.  It will be interesting to see if he can continue to improve at a high level moving forward

Samari Toure…He has been a lightning bolt for Nebraska this season.  He is what everyone hoped that Kanawai Noa and Wan’Dale Robinson would have been for the Huskers.  Toure will likely get a look in the NFL draft this spring.  His numbers would likely be even better if Nebraska was a little more accurate in the quarterback department.

Offensive Assistant Coaches…For three years, Nebraska’s offense has continued to perform well below expectations.  It was just a matter of time for most of the staff to be turned over.  It has cost Nebraska dearly to be inconsistent when they have played lesser opponents.  Also, their inability to run the football against the titans of the Big Ten outside of the quarterback position almost cost Coach Frost his job.  Whatever Frost decides moving forward, he must establish a better game at the line of scrimmage.  It has been this teams Achilles heel for almost a decade.        

Score Prediction:  Wisconsin 30, Nebraska 21 

I probably have this prediction too close.  Nebraska has every reason to mail it in this weekend if they get off to a slow start.  Wisconsin is playing about as well as Ohio State right now and may have the better defense.  Nebraska matches up well with their offense, but on the defensive side, Nebraska likely won’t make it to three touchdowns.  I’m going to say they make it, but it is probably because of a late touchdown when the game is already in hand.  I will be staying warm this week watching the game.  Better than freezing in Wisconsin! GBR!!

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The End Is Near...

As a fan, you can’t do much to affect the outcome of a game.  If you could, Nebraska’s fans would have pushed multiple teams to winning records and Scott Frost would be a hero in his home state.  

Instead, we are where we are as a Husker football program, in the doldrums of another losing season.  I know that JoJo Domann gave the impression that they (the players) know who the real fans are and that they don’t leave before a game is over, but Husker fans are hardly fair weather.  One could argue that this last five years have shown that Nebraska fans truly are the best fans in the country, and possibly all time.  With the expectations for Nebraska as a football program, they certainly have continued to show up despite terrifying results the last half decade.

That’s what most people outside of the state don’t really understand.  Nebraska football, outside of religion (and maybe inside of it) is the one thing that defines the people of this state through and through.  Football is a hard game, for hard players and Nebraska people, and their roots are as hardy as they come.  Nebraska people come from a mindset that you work as hard as you can, and you deal with the consequences of that.  They expect that same result from their football teams.

That’s what makes this so frustrating.  As fans, we can’t impact much on the field, but most Husker fans understand that this team is working hard.  We obviously can’t see practice and we only get a certain amount of coverage of how things are going until Saturdays, but the product has been better this year.  The results have not.

This doesn’t mean that Scott Frost needs to be fired at this point in the season.  

It does mean that you can see that outcome from here.  Ohio State comes to Lincoln this Saturday and they will be looking to cut the Husker’s heart out and serve it to them on a platter.  They are playing for the types of rewards that 40 plus years of Husker fans witnessed every year.  Great teams step on bad teams and don’t let them breath.  Right now, Nebraska is playing for air every week.

So, Husker fans will continue to come to the last two games of the season.  That’s what we do.  When it’s all said and done, Husker fans will continue to show up.  That’s where the program is.  The fans are the only thing that’s a guarantee.  That’s where we are.

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ON WITH THE REWIND…

Last game prediction was Nebraska 27, Purdue 24.  The actual score was Purdue 28, Nebraska 23.  Adrian Martinez continues to be the difference in games.  His injuries and inability to be a threat in the running game makes this Husker team inefficient.  Martinez has to be able force teams to spy him in the run game, or they just drop back into coverage.  Martinez isn’t accurate enough to throw receivers open and it makes Nebraska too one dimensional.  It is back-to-back games where average defensive teams have shut Nebraska down for long stretches of the game.

Quick Notes:

JoJo Domann…I don’t want to harp on Domann’s comments about the fans too much because he is a young kid and probably just as frustrated as most of the fans.  He also is playing at an All-Conference level.  He has basically taken out the tight end position this year from being a factor against the defense.  He is probably Nebraska’s best pass rusher as well.  If you had eleven Domanns this defense would be an all timer Blackshirt unit.  

Nick Henrich and Luke Reimer…Whatever happens, Nebraska will have these two studs back next season.  They have been super consistent this season.  They are in the top four in tackles in the Big Ten.  Top it off, technically they have three seasons left.  You wonder if other players at inside linebacker can move around to the outside because if you must beat these two out, you are going to have play at a level we haven’t seen since the Lavonte David days.  The future at inside linebacker is so bright.

Jaquez Yant…Yant continues to be the best big play running back on the team.  He has the size and the speed that you need to be an all-conference back in the Big Ten.  The problem is, he is raw, doesn’t know the plays as well as he should, and he hasn’t figure out how to run hard on each play.  That’s likely because he isn’t sure what he should do.  If Yant comes back next season with a strong off season, Nebraska could have their running back of the next three years figured out.

Omar Manning…Whatever you want to think about the coaching staff and how they have handled Manning, you must admit, when healthy he is the best-looking receiver on the team.  He is so big and fast, if Nebraska has any chance of winning these final games, Manning will need to be a big part of it.  If Samori Toure can get his touches and Zavier Betts continues to blossom along with Manning’s surge, Nebraska should be able to put some points on the board.

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Score Prediction:  Ohio State 44, Nebraska 24 

A month ago, I would have figured Nebraska would have four or five wins and be knocking on being bowl eligible and knowing that they had a chance to put a big pelt on the wall, they would play Ohio State close.  I’m afraid the last three weeks have taken the wind out of those sails.  Nebraska’s defense is hanging on by a thread each week and the offense continues to be their own worst enemy.  That’s the wrong combination to be a top five level team in the country.  Nebraska will need the Adrian Martinez that played against Michigan to show up if they have any hope at all.  Have a beer and GBR!!

Everything On The Line!

As if the bye week couldn’t have come at a worse time for Nebraska, just like clockwork a worn down and battered Husker team traveled to Minneapolis and lost another game in which they were favored.  It was inopportune because the Huskers clearly were flat, and their injury status was too much to overcome.   The needed that bye week the week before.  Just another bad timing issue that hit the Huskers this season.

So, when does the bright spot of the season occur?

I’ve been more convinced this season that Frost was getting the team into a place that they were ready to go on a run.  Playing top ten teams within one score and blowing out Northwestern made me think this team was on the cusp of something great.   The question now becomes, how wrong am I?

Nebraska clearly has a lot to play for the next four weeks.  They need three more wins to reach a bowl game.  At this point, that doesn’t seem likely.  In his career, Scott Frost hasn’t beat three of the teams that he is playing.  It would be a bit of a fluke to think he is going to beat even two of three.

That leaves us with another losing season.  I said at the beginning of the season that the ceiling was likely eight wins, but the floor could be three or four.  If Nebraska fails to win this week, the task to get to even four wins becomes so mountainous based on history, you have to wonder if Scott Frost will survive.  If Nebraska only wins three games with arguably Scott Frost’s most talented team, you wouldn’t be crazy to think he should be let go.

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So just like every week, this is Scott Frost’s biggest game.  I don’t know that this narrative will stop the rest of the season.  That’s a precarious spot to be in when you have already had three losing seasons to start your career.

ON WITH THE REWIND…

Last game prediction was Nebraska 38, Minnesota 17.  The actual score was Minnesota 30, Nebraska 23.  It was a prediction based on a healthy Adrian Martinez.  He clearly wasn’t healthy and Nebraska removed the quarterback running game from their plan.  Inability to strike from the goal line and missed field goals again cost Nebraska.  The Huskers are their own worst enemy, and continue to shoot themselves in the foot more often than not.

Carriker Chronicles Purdue Prediction

Quick Notes:

Austin Allen…Allen has been the best tight end at Nebraska for at least a decade, if not more.  He has improved to the point that he is like all the other Big Ten tight ends that have haunted Nebraska this last ten years.  You could argue that Allen has been the biggest receiving threat on the team, even though he isn’t always the main target.  If Nebraska continues to get the ball to Allen, it should open the field for other receivers.  

Adrian Martinez…I don’t always like that Nebraska doesn’t talk about injuries, because Martinez has been playing hurt most of the year.  His jaw was clearly injured against Michigan State.  He had a leg injury against Michigan.  Nebraska can only be as good as Martinez plays.  Martinez has been a horse trying to play through all of these injuries.  I suspect a week off will do him well, but the offensive line needs to keep him clean.  It’s the only way he will make it through the year.

Running Game…When Rahmir Johnson went out against Minnesota, the wind went out of Nebraska’s running game.  To be honest, if Johnson hadn’t claimed the top spot at running back this year, Nebraska may be in worse shape than they are.  The inability of Nebraska to establish more than one running back each season is baffling.  It would be different if we did not recruit the spot well, but there are a lot of running backs on the roster that were highly recruited.  Nebraska needs to figure this out during the offseason or the assistant coaches may need to be changed.

Pass Rush…You can argue that Nebraska’s defense has been a bright spot this season and that they are the main reason Nebraska has been competitive week in and week out.  They do have a weakness and it is the ability to put pressure on the quarterback.  This has been an issue since Randy Gregory and Maliek Collins left town.  Teams have figured this out and used it against Nebraska all year.  Quick drops and pop passes have left Nebraska vulnerable and forced the Huskers out of their normal base all season.  In my opinion it has cost Nebraska at a minimum three games this season.  To me, as much as the offensive red zone issues have held Nebraska back, the failure to get a consistent pass rush has been just as damaging.     

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Score Prediction:  Nebraska 27, Purdue 24 

It’s hard to guess what offense Nebraska will have game to game.  Defensively they have been consistent, and the bye should help as it seemed like the Huskers were gassed against Minnesota.  If Nebraska can use Martinez in the running game and everyone has healed up during the bye week, you would think that Nebraska should have an easy win at home.  I’m guessing it will be close unfortunately.  I think this week Nebraska only misses one field goal and one extra point to hold on. I’m off to tailgate and yell loud and GBR!!

Gopher It!

It is as if we live in this slow turning time machine.  Nebraska fans keep coming to games, we turn on the TV, we buy tickets, we travel to far off places to support the Big Red and we can’t stop following every move the team makes.  The seasons flash by, but the losing seems to take forever.

You can’t move away from it.  You want to.  As a fan, you hurt when your team hurts.  You feel the pain of leads blown, fumbles lost, and missed opportunities that seem so close and yet so far away.

If you are over the age of 40 and have been a Husker fan most of your life, you remember the days when more than one loss in a season was a killer and losing just one in the season meant that the season likely wasn’t a success.  I remember thinking back in Tommie Frazier’s freshman season, after a tough loss at Iowa State, that the year seemed lost.

I still feel that way each week Nebraska loses.  What is different is that I keep coming back, expecting a different result.  I get that we are all conditioned to think that Nebraska will get it figured out and this is all a blimp on the radar, but it really does seem like it’s a never-ending loop.  Frost said that it seemed like we are watching the same movie over and over again and that was a great analogy.

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I have to say though, this last month has seemed like the worm may have turned.  It hasn’t shown up in the Huskers record, we all know that.  Think about this though, when Scott Frost returned to Nebraska in 2018 and the Huskers played in Ann Arbor, they took a loss on the chin that was as bad as I have seen at Nebraska.  When you are down 39-0 at halftime, it likely doesn’t get much worse.  Now it’s three seasons later and Nebraska had every opportunity to beat a top ten Michigan team.  

It doesn’t seem like the losing will ever end, but for the first time in half a decade, I think it will.  You can worry about 2022 if you like and you can worry if Frost is the long-term answer, but at this point and time, I’ve never been more confident that it is all going to work out for Frost and Nebraska.  We just need to find the remote to fast forward to the winning part.

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ON WITH THE REWIND…

Last game prediction was Nebraska 26, Michigan 22.  The actual score was Michigan 32, Nebraska 29.  I have to admit, when I sat in Memorial Stadium and Adrian Martinez fumbled in the fourth quarter trying to go for every inch to keep a drive going, I just slapped my forehead.  I was so close to believing that this time would be different.  You have to wonder how many ways a group of players can find a way to give away a game?  Nebraska is a very good team.  They just aren’t a winning team.  Yet.

Quick Notes:

Bryce Benhart…Teddy Prochaska went down with a knee injury, forcing Turner Corcoran back to the left tackle side and Benhart came into the game back to his right tackle position after being benched just one week before.  Benhart played his tail off.  Michigan has as good a defensive line as Nebraska will see outside of Ohio State and I didn’t notice a drop off.  Kudo’s to Benhart for being prepared and kudos to Greg Austin for continuing to help make him better.

Cam Taylor-Britt…Played like everyone expected this All Big Ten player to play against Michigan.  Taylor-Britt has made some great plays this season but had yet to have a game where he was dominant.  He was dominant against the Wolverines.  As well as he played, Quinton Newsome has also stepped up as a starter.  If Taylor-Britt goes pro, it’s good to know that the drop-off might not be as bad as we once feared.

Rahmir Johnson…Johnson is technically a redshirt freshman.  It’s crazy to think about, because he is in his third year in the program.  Johnson could play three more seasons.  He has become a great threat receiving the ball as well as becoming the bell cow for the Husker rushing attack.  Michigan has a great defense and Johnson still had over 170 total yards.  He blocks so well for his size, it has just been a great lift for this team to have his consistency.  

Coach Chinander…A lot has been said about Coach Chins and how he really wasn’t prepared for this role at a place like Nebraska.  What I’ve seen is a Coach that has his defense improved so significantly that he likely will have his pick of jobs in the near future if he wants.  What makes this so difficult to type is that Coach has suffered a big loss this week.  There is no way to comprehend losing a parent to an accident until it happens to you.  To Coach Chinander, his family and his Husker family, just know that all of us in the Husker Nation are thinking and praying for you and your family.    

Score Prediction:  Nebraska 38, Minnesota 17 

I didn’t go out on a limb for a prediction against Northwestern and I kicked myself about it.  This time, I’m predicting Nebraska will have their first road win and that it will be a walk away in the second half.  There will be a lot of emotion on Saturday with the Huskers.  How they respond to the last weeks physical game will be a predictor for how the rest of the season plays out.  I feel like Nebraska will continue to make big plays and the defense will play with fire for Coach Chinander.  It’s an early game, so make sure and get the coffee brewing and GBR!!

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All Gas No Brakes!

Full Steam Ahead!

If Nebraska ever gets back to the point that it is blowing out Big Ten teams with regularity, you will know the program has arrived.  Until last Saturday, the Huskers have only had one Big Ten blowout in the last five years.  That game was against Maryland in 2019.  They handled Minnesota pretty well in Coach Scott Frost’s first season but haven’t beaten them since.  In fact, since Nebraska came into the Big Ten, blowouts have been few and far between.  

So why does last weeks game against Northwestern look any different than any other game going forward.  Nebraska has failed to capitalize on momentum in any of the last half decade’s games.  The longest winning streak in the last four losing seasons is two games.  

I think the biggest thing is that Nebraska has played above par the last three weeks.  As painful as losing two games to ranked teams on the road was, it was two ranked teams on the road.  Going into the season, you would have thought that Nebraska was doing something right if they played those games with a chance to win it in the last minute of each game.  

Now, the dark side of the coin is that you can’t just wish the Illinois game away.  Nebraska played in that game and the taste it left in our mouths was as sour as a glass of milk left in the sun for three days.  You can’t just wash that away.  Nebraska has been their own worst enemy, as we all know, even in those close losses.

This time, things just feel different.  Even if Nebraska doesn’t beat Michigan, I don’t expect them to be blown out.  Nebraska should have a chance to win five of their last six games, because the Blackshirts are playing at a level that Nebraska fans haven’t seen in a decade.  If Nebraska wins three of those games, I think you would say that it has been a successful rebound from an awful start.  

That all starts this Saturday.  If Nebraska is really “back” (I use that term loosely, we’ve been saying it since Bo Pelini took over) they should be able to go toe to toe with a top ten Michigan team at home.  Nebraska in their heyday would never look at an opportunity like this and think they weren’t going to win at home.  It’s been a long time since Husker fans could be confident that they would have a chance to knock off a top ten team.  Last week was the first time in this Frost era that I think most of us have felt that feeling.  Nebraska looked like they were “back”.  Now we get to find out if they really are back!

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ON WITH THE REWIND…

Last game prediction was Nebraska 24, Northwestern 17.  The actual score was Nebraska 56, Northwestern 7.  I mean we all watched the game and we all saw what happened.  Hardly any mistakes by Nebraska, all the playmakers made plays and Northwestern looked like they were lost in a Big Red hurricane.  Nebraska did nearly everything right.  We’ve been waiting for it, the hammer finally fell.

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Quick Notes:

Teddy Prochaska…When you are a true freshman, generally playing time is hard to come by in college.  If you do get to play, you are probably pretty friggin’ awesome.  To play at left tackle, you have to be in the top 5% of incoming players.  Prochaska seemed to fit all those descriptions in his first collegiate start.  Prochaska has all the tools that you look for in an offensive lineman.  He really looks like he is ready to rock in the Big Ten.  He will have a big challenge this week against Aidan Hutchinson.  I have to admit, I think he is up for the challenge. 

JoJo Domann…I always feel like JoJo just gets better as the season wears on.  No different in 2021.  Domann plays a position that requires a broad set of skills and he still stands out.  That’s difficult to do.  The Co-Big Ten player of the week on defense has made life miserable for offenses this year.  His ability to cover wide receivers and make plays in the backfield make him a unicorn for the Huskers.  He has been the most dynamic player on a defense packed with really solid players.

Garrett Nelson…I try not to get too excited about Nelson, but I can’t help it.  I grew up 25 miles from Scottsbluff, so when someone from out west stands out, it’s hard not to get fired up.  Nelson has been a favorite of mine as soon as he announced he was going to play for the Blackshirts.  He has been outstanding on the outside and is starting to put his knowledge together with his outstanding stamina and energy.  Again, another standout in a group with a lot of them.  

Jaquez Yant…I think it’s safe to say that Nebraska wasn’t really expecting a game like that from Yant.  They weren’t really expecting an offensive line to blow holes in the defense like they did against Northwestern either, but Yant certainly took advantage of it.  I know, you all wonder why Frost waited half a year to play the kid, but the fact is, Frost said he couldn’t play more than two plays without being winded.  If Yant is truly in shape and ready to run the rest of the season, it could give Nebraska another weapon that could push them into contention to try and win the Western Division.  

Score Prediction:  Nebraska 26, Michigan 22 

I’m not convinced Nebraska will win this weekend like a lot of Husker fans.  I still wonder if we have a bit of fool’s gold in last week’s game, in that the errors that have plagued them all year, simply won’t disappear every game moving forward.  I will say that I’m encouraged that the offensive line played better than they have all year.  I’m also encouraged that the defense is the strength of the team and should keep the Huskers in every game they play moving forward.  Screw it, I’m picking the Huskers!  Let’s go roll a Wolverine!  GBR!!

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Wildcat Highway

I’m sure I wasn’t the only person that watched last weeks overtime loss to Michigan State and wondered, what the hell did I just witness?  Nebraska had a touchdown lead and the Blackshirts were pitching a perfect game in the second half.  What could go wrong?  

Special teams found yet another way to completely wipe away a historic performance.

It wasn’t just the punt return for a touchdown that was maddening.  It is the week after week ineptitude of one disaster after another that kills most fans.  One week it’s missed field goals, the next week it’s the inability to run the football, the week after it is failing to even field punt returns.  False starts, personal fouls, pick plays by the wide receivers, you name it.  

Scott Frost has had one of the most star crossed coaching records at Nebraska that you can have.  From lightning to Covid to special teams that may as well not exist, it’s been one thing after another to keep Nebraska from winning consistently.

So, what’s it going to be?  Frost has dug himself a pretty big hole to climb out of.  Forget his record this year, which is still hopefully salvageable.  In four years, he has managed to win just fourteen games.  At a certain point you have to wonder, can he plug all the leaks that have plagued him since he got here? 

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If you were a betting man, you might have to say he will get it done eventually.  There is little doubt this is the best team he has coached since his return to Nebraska.  He has the best defense he has had by a mile.  His quarterback is on pace to be All Big Ten.  He has tight ends and wide receivers that he could only dream about his first three years in Lincoln.  Recruiting has looked sour this year, but due to Covid that may be a blip on the radar in the long run.  It’s clear that he has stacked talent on defense.

The question is, if he can’t get it done with this team, why should Trev Alberts give him a shot to coach the next team?  

I still have faith that Scott Frost is the right man to lead Nebraska back to being a Big Ten title contender.  At this point though, he is going to have to show it, not just to us the fans, but to administration in the athletic department.  I’d set the demarcation at four wins.  Anything at that mark or lower, it should be time to move on in Lincoln.

ON WITH THE REWIND…

Last game prediction was Nebraska 30, Michigan State 28.  The actual score was Michigan State 23, Nebraska 20.  When will I learn?  Nebraska likely has an elite defense, but poor special teams basically wipe out the defensive greatness.  So, the offense has to compensate.  Nebraska’s inability to take advantage of red zone opportunities and score touchdowns continue to keep them from winning games against better teams.

  Carriker Chronicles Northwestern Prediction

Quick Notes:

Adrian Martinez…It can be frustrating sometimes when Martinez turns the ball over.  The problem is, he must be almost perfect for Nebraska to win each game.  That’s unfortunate because he has been the best player on this Husker team.  Without Martinez, Nebraska likely has no chance in any of their three losses.  On the flip side, they have three losses because Martinez has not made enough plays to win those games.  That kind of pressure is difficult to manage, and quite honestly, it shouldn’t be all on him.  He needs other players to make plays.   When he came back after that vicious hit last weekend, he showed me all I need to know about his toughness.  I just wish the players around him could lighten his load. 

Damion Daniels…During one play against Michigan State on a third down, Daniels basically grabbed his counterpart on the offensive line, set him aside and made the tackle on the running back.  Daniels has improved as much as any player on the Blackshirts since he set foot on campus.  He allows the other defensive lineman to make plays and he has kept the linebackers free to pursue.  If he plays this way all season, he will be All Big Ten.

Offensive Line…When you can’t just pick one player on the line to replace and say, “well that should clean things up,” you know it is bad.  Outside of Cam Jurgens, I can’t recall a single player on the line that has ben above average.  And yet Adrian Martinez is leading the Big Ten in total offense.  If the line was even close to average, how high of a level could this offense operate?  We may never know, but changes need to be made.  You can’t consistently do the same things repeatedly and expect a different result.  

Blackshirts…What can you say about this group?  So far this is arguably the best unit at Nebraska since Ndamukong Suh wore the Husker uniform.  From the defensive line, through the linebackers into the secondary, all the pieces are greater than the sum of their parts.  Nebraska still doesn’t turn the other team over as much as you would like and they still need to find a pass rush that gets to the quarterback quicker on third and long, but that is being nitpicky.  This is a Big Ten West championship defense so far this year.  If they continue to play at this level, I think Nebraska will get into a bowl game.  

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Score Prediction:  Nebraska 24, Northwestern 17 

I don’t know if Nebraska will play another team this year with less talent.  In fact, I will go as far as to say if Nebraska doesn’t win this game, they likely won’t make a bowl game.  That’s the grim reality of this Homecoming game.  On the flip side, if Nebraska even plays average special teams and the offensive line is at par, Nebraska could win this game by three touchdowns.  That’s how close it is to greatness, while still courting failure.  I’m going conservative on this score.  Nebraska should crush Northwestern.  I guess I’m back in the “see it to believe it” camp.  I’m still cheering and GBR!!

Spartan Hangover?

Nebraska comes into the Big Ten season, battered and bruised a little bit, but also a little tougher.  This certainly isn’t their first Big Ten game of the year, but that Illinois loss feels like it happened in a different time and to a different team.

Going on the road and outplaying a top team in the country will do that to a person’s memory.  The question becomes, can Nebraska come back without a hangover?

Anytime you play well on the road, you hope that it filters into the next week, but often that isn’t the case.  It is not easy to put all the work into a game plan, come up short, then do it all again.  Really good teams struggle with back-to-back road games against top 25 teams.

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So, is Nebraska a good team?  On the surface it is starting to look like they are.  They are consistent on defense, and they are becoming very efficient on offense.  Special teams?  Well, let us just say that they exist and that’s about the best way to put it.  Nebraska really could be a good team, but they have continued to hammer their own foot at the worst possible time with special teams’ gaffes.  

It’s like a consistent beating metronome that the Huskers special teams produces errors.  And it has been shared by multiple people, so it’s not just one piece.  You could argue that both of Nebraska’s losses were cemented with awful special teams plays that undermined otherwise solid efforts.

Now this isn’t to say all else is perfect.  Nebraska still misses tackles that really good teams make.  They have yet to consistently sack the quarterback.  Forcing fumbles is so foreign that I couldn’t tell you the last time we recovered one.

Offensively, the inability to run the ball for any significant yards is a problem.  In fact, the entire offensive line is like having a sharp blade and a dull blade on the same sword.  They continue to pass block well enough that Adrian Martinez has played like an All Big Ten quarterback, but they also let players come through so often that you wonder if they are taking tolls on the turnstile.  

It’s not hard to imagine why the Huskers are sitting at .500 at this point in the season, but it’s not difficult to see that they are closer to turning the corner than they have been in five seasons.  The blade of a sword is narrow.  It isn’t hard to think Nebraska could fall to either side of it moving forward.

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ON WITH THE REWIND…

Last game prediction was Oklahoma 38, Nebraska 28.  The actual score was OU 23, Nebraska 16.  In a game that most thought would be a blowout, Nebraska had plenty of chances to take down a top five team on the road.  I was at the game and OU fans were sweating it pretty hard.  The blocked extra point was such a lift for Oklahoma because it honestly felt like Nebraska was the better team until that happened.  I’m not sure that they weren’t the better team.

Quick Notes:

Omar Manning…I know a lot of people keep saying that Manning hasn’t really shown them enough to know what all the fuss was about when Nebraska earned his commitment.  After last weekend I think you can start to put those thoughts in your back pocket.  Manning is an athlete that Nebraska fans haven’t seen in red for a long time.  He is everything you want when you look at a wide receiver.  Nebraska needs to continue to look for him downfield.  He will make the game a lot easier for everyone if teams have to game plan for him.

Travis Vokolek…You don’t have to look far to see the benefit of have Vokolek back last week.  He provides a big lift on the edge to help out in blocking, but he also takes pressure off from Austin Allen in the passing game.  Vokolek is a big reason why Nebraska had more success running the football last week with the running backs.  It should help Nebraska’s run game this weekend against Michigan State, which they will need to keep the Spartans off balance.

Rahmir Johnson…Just when you think you have the running back rotation figured out, Ryan Held and Scott Frost give you another change.  Johnson started his first game ever for the Huskers and he played the best game of his career.  He didn’t necessarily blow up the stat sheet, but he pushed the ground game enough to make Oklahoma respect it.  I don’t know if he will be the guy moving forward, but he certainly earned another shot at it.  

Cam Taylor-Britt…I feel like he is one of my kids that is really good at something but is trying so hard that they are making themselves worse.  Calm down Cam.  He keeps trying to reach for interceptions when the easy play would do.  He is positioning himself trying to bait quarterbacks and he just isn’t consistently in the flow of the game yet.  I think Taylor-Britt will get it going this week.  If he does, this will catapult him into the discussion of All Conference.  

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Score Prediction:  Nebraska 30, Michigan State 28 

Who knows what we will see this weekend?  On one hand, it’s is a rough environment in East Lansing, especially at night.  Michigan State coach Mel Tucker has already handed Coach Frost one road defeat in their last encounter.  Michigan State has blown out the first three teams they have played.  Everything points to a Spartan win and Frost still searching how to get above .500.  So why am I picking the Huskers?  For one, Adrian Martinez.  He is playing at a level he has never played at in college.  Second, the Blackshirts.  They went into Norman and held the Sooners to their lowest point total in five seasons.  Last, I think this team is starting to finally believe they are good.  Sometimes, getting a team to believe in itself is as difficult as anything a coach has to deal with.  I think Frost has finally channeled this program into what he wanted it to be when he got here.  Now is the time, or it probably never will be.  GBR!!

Stormin’ Norman!

If all the bastions of college football were considered royal marks upon the United States, the Gaylord Family – Oklahoma Memorial would be thought of as a King piece upon the chess board of America.

Ok, so that might be overstating a bit, but you get the idea.  Nebraska has had plenty of heartbreak in Soonertown in their own storied history.  It’s also the site of possibly Nebraska’s greatest triumph, the Game of the Century.  

Nebraska moves into this week with some question marks on the offensive side of the football.  The injury bug has depleted the tight end room and the wide receiver room.  The loss to open the season in Illinois feels like it was a year ago, but it still feels like a fresh wound that likely won’t heal this season.

The Huskers run to the quarter pole of the season with a chance to make a statement.  Of course, we have been saying that for 5 years now and Nebraska has yet to beat any ranked teams in that time frame.  I read yesterday that Nebraska hasn’t beat a top 5 team on the road since 1997…. read that again!  Man, how long have we been wandering in this wilderness?

It’s not that the Huskers have been horrible that entire time frame, but even teams like Kansas, Oregon State and Duke have more exciting wins the last 10 years than Nebraska probably does.

It doesn’t make sense how a college team with the resources that Nebraska has could go this long without just falling into an upset.  A day when everything clicks and nothing goes right for an opponent.  I don’t know that Nebraska will get that this weekend in Norman, but man, if Nebraska didn’t truly sell their souls to the devil in the 90’s, you would think we are due for a pallet cleanser at some point.

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ON WITH THE REWIND…

Last game prediction was Nebraska 28, Buffalo 24.  The actual score was Nebraska 28, Buffalo 3.  At the end, it wasn’t even that close.  Nebraska had two touchdowns called off due to poor penalty calls and another one that possibly should have been called but has often been missed by referees.  Had Nebraska won 45 to 3, I wonder if the narrative would have been different this week at all.  The days of blowing teams away in the first quarter may be gone for Nebraska, but in my mind, even with the continued mistakes on special teams, that may have been one of the top 3 most complete Husker games of the Scott Frost era.  That was encouraging.

Quick Notes:

Luke Reimer…What else can you say about the Big Ten Defensive Player of the week?  Reimer played at a level that we haven’t seen a Nebraska linebacker play at for a long time.  He seemed to be everywhere against Buffalo.  His interception was so close to a pick six, I honestly thought he was a fullback on that play the way he was running the football.  Reimer has been someone the coaches keep pointing to as a Sunday type of player.  If he continues to play like that, he could be on the path to some All-conference honors.

Samori Toure…So far, Toure looks like the missing piece for Adrian Martinez to play at an all-conference level.  Toure is consistently so wide open that Martinez has to look at him on every play.  We knew that Toure was a likely NFL draft pick had he went into the draft last spring, but he has so far been a spring board for the entire Husker offense.  It remains to be seen if he will continue to play at this high level when the conference season starts, but you have to admit he has at least made it look like Nebraska will have big play potential every week.

Chris Hickman…The tight end position has been snake bit this year for Nebraska.  All Chris Hickman has done is taken that opportunity to make his mark.  I’ve been impressed with Hickman’s blocking, even if he is relatively skinny for that spot.  That isn’t what has made him special the last couple of weeks.  He has been a security blanket for Martinez the last two weeks, when he was needed the most.  Hickman looks like he will be a part of the offense moving forward, even after the other players get healthy.  That’s a big plus for Nebraska down the road.

Offensive Line…This grade isn’t good so far.  Nebraska has continued to struggle with pass rush against lesser teams and the holes for the running backs have all but vanished so far this year.  The offensive line, in my opinion, is what is keeping Nebraska from being a borderline top 25 team.  If the Huskers could block even at a mid-tier level, the offense finally has the weapons to make teams pay for overplaying the run.  However, when teams can pin their ears back and do whatever they want, it makes any offense shaky.  Credit to Adrian Martinez for being elusive enough to not make it a disaster every week.  This group has to improve for Nebraska to have any chance at making a bowl game.  

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Score Prediction:  Oklahoma 38, Nebraska 28 

I’ve been all over the place on predicting this game.  Nebraska could implode and give up 63 points, or they Blackshirts could prove that the first 3 weeks weren’t a fluke and hold Oklahoma to 30 points or less.  I lean more toward the latter actually.  I think Oklahoma is underestimating the Huskers.  I also think if Nebraska had their full complement of tight ends and receivers, they could make this a game.  I’m expecting OU to get out to an early lead and kind of coast, but I don’t think Nebraska just sits back and takes it and I think they will come away from this game with some confidence that they can play with better teams.  I’m leaving for Norman as soon as I finish this so GBR!!

Hot One Today!

I thought this week, after a resounding win, fans would back down on their criticism of the Huskers and Scott Frost, even if it was just for a few days.  Boy, was I wrong.  I don’t normally listen to Husker talk radio, but it was a pretty large consensus that Nebraska’s win did nothing to sooth the masses.

You also have to wonder, if Nebraska doesn’t turn this thing around, how will recruiting pan out?  Right now, Nebraska is sitting at the bottom of the Big Ten in recruiting standings.  They only have a handful of commitments and it is widely known that they only plan on taking a small class, but even so, to be last is a hard pill to swallow.  

This weekend provides another opportunity for Nebraska to put some of this horrid losing behind them.  Going to Norman next week at 2-1 will be a lot easier than the other scenario, because if Nebraska loses, the heat will be overwhelming. 

The good part of all of this?  Nebraska has it all in their own hands.  They can be the team that bounces back from losing to Illinois, to beating Buffalo and then giving the Sooners all they can handle.  They (OU) sure didn’t look invincible this last weekend.  If Frost is going to have any chance of showing that he deserves more time in Lincoln, it has to start this weekend. 

ON WITH THE REWIND…

Last game prediction was Nebraska 30, Fordham 10.  The actual score was Nebraska 52, Fordham 7.  For the first time in what seems like forever, Nebraska did what they were supposed to do.  They created turnovers, they buckled down at the end of long drives and the offense wore down and opponent and was able to play backups in the fourth quarter.  Not much to critique wrong with the score, even if it took a quarter for the Huskers to get going.

Quick Notes:

Adrian Martinez…Three weeks in a row that I have him on here, but as he goes, so go the Huskers.  He followed a below par performance with another exceptional one.  That’s good, he needs to outplay the Forham’s of the world.  Now the pressure intensifies.  Buffalo’s defense is probably as good at Illinois.  Martinez needs to start making the the throws that differentiate bad quarterbacks for the good ones.  This week is when it needs to happen.

Markese Stepp…Finally, Nebraska was able to get a running game going.  Stepp was a big part of that.  It’s not that Gabe Ervin isn’t talented, he is, but sometimes you need a veteran presence to get the team on a roll.  Stepp was able to do that and looks like he could separate himself a little in the running back room.  My hot pick, Sevion Morrison scored two touch downs and he also looks like he will start getting more carries. 

Deontai Williams…He was the best player on the field against Fordham.  He had to picks and another tackle for loss that impacted the game.  He is one of the best players on the field.  He s one of the only difference makers on the blitz that Nebraska has.  They need him to play at an All Big Ten level.

Blackshirts…A solid performance last week, but they need to hold the line this weekend.  It’s not that they aren’t capable, they really are the strength of the team so far.  This game is an opportunity to show that they really are going to be the backbone of the team.  With Oklahoma and their air display coming up, Nebraska has to continue to figure out how to pressure the quarterback while thwarting the running game.  I feel like the defense will the difference in whether the team goes bowling or not.  

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Score Prediction:  Nebraska 28, Buffalo 24 

I hope I’m way off and Nebraska covers going away by more than two touchdowns this Saturday.  Nebraska has the talent that they should be able to run away with this game at the end.  The big “however” is Buffalo is really solid, well coached and will be wanting to make a statement.  Will Nebraska be in the same boat?  They need to make the statement more than the Bulls.  Until we see it with our own eyes, consider us skeptical.  Either way, as always, GBR!!

Let's Try This Again...

If you could have drawn up a worse opening game outcome for Nebraska, I’d love to hear how it would turn out.  Nebraska simply repeated the same bone headed mistakes that they have churned out for the last four year, even if this time they found new ways to do it.

I can probably count on both hands, specific plays that have cost Nebraska victories in the Scott Frost era.  Almost all of them have been blunders that were simply inexplainable and had to be watched with your own eyes.

Players like Cam Taylor-Britt, Adrian Martinez and Connor Culp need to lead by example.  Nebraska won’t have success until the players that the team counts on for that success, learn to play clean and play within themselves.  Going into season four of the Scott Frost era, it looks like Nebraska is still a long way from that.

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Don’t get me wrong, Nebraska will have some ups this season.  Nebraska looked like the better team most of the first half of the game in Champaign.  The defense played exceptionally well in the first half.  On Nebraska’s lone first half touchdown drive, the offensive line looked like they were going to be solid this year, even if it was only one drive of the game, you could see the potential.

That is really what is so frustrating with this team.  They will probably win five games this year, but it will be the four close losses that will stick with you when Nebraska likely misses another bowl season.  Scott Frost can’t seem to get them over the hump, and to be honest, I don’t know if anyone outside of seasoned football people know what he needs to do different.

We don’t go to practice.  We don’t see why certain players play one week, then don’t play another.  We have no idea what special teams practice looks like.  How on earth do you explain two missed extra points by an All Big Ten kicker?  It’s bizarre.

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We all wondered how this team would come out and play in week zero, and most of us were skeptical, but hopeful.  Now that we have seen the same outcome that has been the story of the Scott Frost era, it’s right to question whether he will ever figure out the way to maximize his team.  Unfortunately, none of us know the answer, but we all feel like we know where the road leads. 

ON WITH THE REWIND…

Last game prediction was Nebraska 31, Illinois 24.  The actual score was Illinois 30, Nebraska 22.  Same old story.  A horrible decision on a punt return gives away a possession and points.  Nebraska has an interception and a chance to take over the ballgame, overturned by an unnecessary penalty.  A late first half fumble gives the opponent what would be a devastating touchdown that clearly influenced the defense to start the second half.  It’s hard to be a solid team when your supposed playmakers kill you with the worst possible decisions.  Nebraska continues to shoot themselves in the foot.

Quick Notes:

Adrian Martinez…I don’t know if he has ever fully overcome his shoulder issues that plagued him the last couple of seasons.  His inconsistency throwing the football is maddening and it really has put Nebraska in precarious positions.  There is no question he can be a dynamic playmaker when he is playing well, but at this point, you have to squint really hard to figure out if he is helping or hurting the team.  People bag on the Nebraska offense and the effectiveness of it, but rewatching the game, open receivers are continually missed and simply have to make too many plays on the ball when they do get it.  It’s likely never going to change.

Running game…I guessed on Sevion Morrison starting, but he didn’t even see the field last week.  He couldn’t have done much less than the players that were out there.  It’s not all on the running backs, the offensive line couldn’t get out of their own way on the run scheme.  Gabe Ervin looked like a freshman.  Markese Stepp looked like he will be solid, but you will have to commit to running the ball.  When Nebraska had the lead, they simply didn’t try to impose their will.  Once they were behind, they simply couldn’t afford to try and develop a running game and that was that.  

Oliver Martin…Probably the player of the game on offense.  Martin made some big catches and looked like he will be really good for Nebraska this year.  Omar Manning and Samori Toure had some nice catches as well.  It looked like Nebraska wide receivers were having some trouble getting open, but going back, they were open quite often.  Either Martinez didn’t see them, or he was under too much pressure.  Nebraska has good options at wideout.  They need to take advantage of that. 

Cam Taylor-Britt…The punt return was bad, but a reversed interception was even worse, and it wasn’t Taylor-Britt’s fault.  The defense played well for 3/4s of the game.  They did give up a couple of long, time consuming drives, but they forced the starting quarterback out of the game and made enough plays to win.    The defense will need to lead this team if they have any hope of going to a bowl game.  I expect Taylor-Britt to be one of the main guys doing that as the season moves forward.

Score Prediction:  Nebraska 30, Fordham 10 

This game should be a blowout.  If it is not, Nebraska has worse problems than they showed in week one and that was bad enough.  One thing I thought about after last week’s loss is that kids are resilient.  They want to play, and a loss probably doesn’t carryover for the players quite like it does for the fans.  Once practice starts after a loss, they have to let go and move on.  You don’t go play football at a major university if you can’t get over a loss.  I expect the team to do that.  Nebraska needs to get an easy victory this week.  Hopefully they can take advantage of a lower division opponent and get some of the young guys some plays.  It’s the first time in two years Nebraska will have played an out of conference opponent.  That’s crazy to think about.     GBR!!

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