What’s the stretch run going to bring?
We already know that a coaching search is already over one month in and still has a month to go. That alone has been a crazy ride. Rumor and innuendo radiate all over Husker Nation, be it on the radio airwaves, message boards or newspaper articles. I can barely talk to anyone that doesn’t ask me who the frontrunner might be, who is a dark horse candidate, will Mickey Joseph get the job or is it going to be Lane Kiffin?
On the inside of the University, the players and coaches are still trying to put together a season to qualify for a bowl game. While it’s not likely, the fact is, winning three more games is within reach, but Nebraska will need to pull an upset somewhere along the way. It’s also doubtful that they will be favored in more than one game going forward. That would mean they will have to win at least two games they aren’t expected to win.
After the Purdue game, it became apparent that Nebraska simply doesn’t have the horses on defense to keep up with many good offenses. I’m not talking about great offenses, I’m talking about good ones. The only team left with a poor offense is Iowa, but they would be just as happy winning 5-3 as they would be scoring 24 points in a game and winning, so that’s far from an easy victory.
Nebraska has proven to have likely the best wide receiver in the conference outside of Columbus, Ohio. Unfortunately, they can’t seem to put together a running game to compliment him. If you throw in a defense that can’t seem to stop the run, then you start to wonder if Nebraska will win any of their remaining five games.
Each team left on the schedule is a power team. Each one will make Nebraska pay for not fighting to own the line of scrimmage, both offensively and defensively.
So far Mickey Joseph has surprised us by making Nebraska more competitive and a little tougher than they thought they were a month ago. If he truly wants to be the head coach at Nebraska, finishing with three more wins, with this team and this schedule, might be enough to get it done.
(Predictions are at the end if you don’t want to read the rest!)
ON WITH THE REWIND…
Last game prediction was Purdue 31 Nebraska 23. The actual score was Purdue 43, Nebraska 37. Nebraska’s defense didn’t bother to show up and Nebraska still had its chances to take this game. If the defense had made two more stops in the game, it’s likely the offense would have done enough to win. With the sieve for an offensive line, the offense itself was a minor miracle. Trey Palmer made Purdue’s defense look like they were in high school. Unfortunately, the former Blackshirts made Aiden O’Connell look like an NFL All Pro.
Quick Notes:
Trey Palmer…What else can you say about Palmer after a game like that? He was unstoppable. He dropped a pass that was costly during the game, but he more than made up for it by beating his coverage so often that I was beginning to wonder if anyone was even covering him. For good measure he added a 60-yard run to tack onto his career night. If Palmer has anywhere near as good of a game the rest of the season, it’s likely that he will be in the NFL next year. Not bad for a transfer.
Sacks…Nebraska was unable to touch O’Connell for most of the night. I was surprised that he had 19 incompletions because it felt like he was throwing against the air most of the night. If Nebraska is going to have any chance the remainder of the season, Garrett Nelson, Caleb Tannor and Ochaun Mathis are going to have to deliver at least two combined sacks a game. Not getting to the quarterback is simply unacceptable.
Casey Thompson…If you remember one thing about this season, remember Thompson’s toughness. Thompson has been hit so many times, I’m starting to wonder if he can feel his arms. To his credit, he has hung in their and provide Nebraska with only offense that they have in the majority of their games. If Anthony Grant doesn’t get it back together, it’s doubtful Thompson will play more than three more games this season.
Milk Carton…I feel like there are too many faces on the Husker bench that need to contribute as the season goes on. First is Rahmir Johnson. Nebraska is at its best when Johnson was able to stretch the field horizontally and vertically last season. Hopefully he is healthy now. Tack on Alante Brown and Omar Manning. Those two guys have virtually disappeared from the game plan. Nebraska needs at least two of those three to come back and provide some help. If Tommi Hill can somehow get worked into the offensive game plan, maybe Grant and Palmer will have their load lessened to keep them fresh for the rest of the season. And why can’t there be a Logan Smothers package? Why keep your fastest quarterback out of the action each week? Bring him in for some surprise plays once in a while.
Score Prediction: Illinois 34, Nebraska 28
I so badly want to pick the Huskers this weekend. Coming off from a bye week, getting a chance to heal up a bit, should be great for Nebraska. The fact that the game is at home, and the crowd can help them when momentum seems to be shifting should be worth at least 10 points in this game. My biggest concern is the Illini’s ability to create turnovers. Nebraska won’t play a more aggressive defense until they play Iowa when it comes to trying to create big plays on defense. How the Huskers offensive line handles the Illinois front, along with the turnover differential will be the reason the Huskers win or lose this game. I hope I’m wrong, I’d love to see this score flipped. Cheer loud Husker Fans and GBR!!
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