It would be easy to see that there are many issues that Nebraska will have to overcome to be a bowl eligible team. You could argue that they may look like a three-win team again.
I’m going to wait a couple weeks to go down that road. One thing that we have learned since Bo Pelini left Lincoln is that the non-conference games are not always a cake walk, but they can be a harbinger of things to come.
I did see something in the second half that gives Nebraska fans some hope. Anthony Grant and to a lesser extent, Ajay Allen. Nebraska has suffered at running back since Devin Ozigbo went to the NFL. They haven’t had a 1,000 rusher since 2018, which happened to be Ozigbo. When Scott Frost came to Nebraska, I was fairly certain that Nebraska would run the football at an epic clip. Unfortunately, most of that came from Adrian Martinez and it was far from epic.
I know the defense has a long way to go, and I understand that the offensive line must compete better than they have the first two games, but for the first time in a long time, the best player on a Husker offense might be a running back. We haven’t seen that since Ameer Abdullah left Lincoln.
Last game prediction was Nebraska 38, North Dakota 28. The actual score was Nebraska 38, North Dakota 17. I wasn’t surprised about the first half of the game to be honest. It was a short week for Nebraska, and it looked like they weren’t ready to go in the first half. The great part of last week’s game was that Nebraska put it together in the second half and ran away with the game. I expect more fire from a Nebraska night crowd this week. Although the opponent may be a bit better, Nebraska should rebound from last weeks game much quicker as well.
#CarrikerLive on Facebook, Sunday at 8pm CSTQuick Notes:
Anthony Grant…Grant is the one. The one that we have waited for. I know, people keep saying it was against Northwestern and North Dakota. The thing about that is, those types of runs are runs you can earn against better teams as well, if you have blocking. If the offensive line can improve enough to be above average, Grant will be in the mix for an All Big Ten pick. The best part is, Ajay Allen looks like he is going to be a player as well. The entire season likely rests on Nebraska’s ability to run the football. This was a huge lift of hope for the Huskers.
Omar Manning…As much as Omar was hyped coming out of Junior College and as much as he teased fans last year with some great looking catches, it was a relief just to see him last week. Manning has the build of an NFL wideout right now. Very few players on the team walk off the bus looking like a star. If Manning can give Nebraska 30-40 snaps each week, that would be a tremendous boost for the team. Manning can block as well as anyone and he is a bear to cover in the open field. I hope for his sake he is able to take over more as he gets more comfortable in the Mark Whipple/Scott Frost offense.
Garrett Nelson…Nelson is the fire in the Husker belly. I see people bashing him for celebrating early game tackles and just making regular plays, but be honest with yourself, should he not try to get them to play with that type of energy for the entire game? Nelson is the best player on the defense, he is their leader. Let the kid play with his heart on his sleeve. I can guarantee the Blackshirts from the 90s love his enthusiasm. They probably wish more players would step up like that.
Timmy Bleekrode…There was a moment that I choked a little hard during the game and that was when Bleekrode missed his first field goal in Memorial Stadium. Nebraska has struggled so bad in the field goal kicking game the last half decade, I thought maybe Bleekrode had earned part of the curse himself. He certainly redeemed himself with a 46-yard field goal in the second half. If Bleekrode can give Nebraska enough of a threat of points every time they cross the 35-yard line, it gives Nebraska confidence to try bolder plays, knowing that Bleekrode is a safety blanket.
Score Prediction: Nebraska 38, Georgia Southern 28
I know, same score as last week’s prediction. I think Nebraska’s offense has figured out their strengths enough that they will put much more than a touchdown on the board in the first half. I also think that they will have this game in hand much sooner. Georgia Southern will throw the ball all night and the Husker secondary is still trying to find their sea legs. I expect a few fireworks from Georgia Southern. I also expect Nebraska to have a lot of yards in this game and could possibly score into the 50s. All I care about is a clean win. As always, GBR!!
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