Blackshirts Bring the Heat Today!

HOT!  That’s what Saturday will be.  It’s expected to be over 90 degrees in Lincoln as the Michigan Wolverines bring their number two ranking into Memorial Stadium.  Can the Huskers bring their own heat to the game and upset the Wolverines?

It was hot in the east side of the stadium for Louisiana Tech when the sun came out.  I had to go find some shade.  What couldn’t be shaded was Nebraska’s inability to pass the ball.

This weekend is going to be a test for the Huskers and their young quarterback, Heinrich Haarberg.

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Michigan doesn’t mess around on defense; they are stacked with veteran players at all three levels.  Nebraska, if they are going to have any chance to win, need to find their passing game.  Haarberg has been a running beast in his first two starts, but those long runs will be a lot shorter against a team that has future NFL players.

So how will Nebraska get the passing game going?  Something tells me that Nebraska has been very quiet this week about their plan, but I would bet that they will use the passing game as more of an extension of the run game this week.  Shorter, quicker reads and throws should be on the menu to get Haarberg into a rhythm.  It would help if Nebraska could run their play action and their read option plays consistently enough that they could make something out of them.  

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Louisiana Tech was able to mix up defenses, confusing Haarberg in the passing game.  Delayed blitzes, overload with numbers on the weak side and different stunts made it hard on the offensive line and Haarberg.

Michigan will have watched film, and I can guarantee they will do a lot of that and more defensively.

The Nebraska offensive line has improved a lot since last season.  They are allowing the Huskers to run the football at a high level.  The key to this week will be how they handle the best competition they have faced yet this season.  If they are able to help Haarberg have time to throw and allow him to get to the edge on running downs, Nebraska should be able to keep the game close.  If not, the score might not be a blow out, but Nebraska will struggle to score.

ON WITH THE REWIND…

Last game prediction was Nebraska 33, Louisiana Tech 13.  The actual score was Nebraska 28, Louisiana Tech 14.  The Huskers offense didn’t get much going in the first half of the game, but they were able to hammer home a three-touchdown lead before the sky opened and let loose with the storms.  Nebraska gave up a late touchdown, but the defense overall continues to be the backbone of this 2023 Husker team.

Quick Notes:

Heinrich Haarberg…It’s go time for the Kearney quarterback.  He was able to get his “preseason” games in for his first two starts.  If Haarberg wants to take the job by the reigns, playing well against a potential playoff team like Michigan is the place to start.  Haarberg needs to protect the ball, make smart quick reads, and not put the defense in bad positions.

Deshon Singleton…Back and forth each week, I can’t decide if he or Omar Brown is the bigger presence in the defensive backfield.  Singleton seems to run downhill on running plays and plays lights out in coverage on passing downs.  Nebraska has the best safeties they have had since 2021 and maybe longer than that.  The Blackshirts have been incredible in stopping the run so far.  With Blake Corum coming into Lincoln, Singleton and Brown need to make sure they tackle to the ground.

Anthony Grant…Grant has been down this road before.  He has been the Husker’s starting running back in the Big Ten before.  He should be relatively fresh for Michigan.  If Nebraska is going to have any chance this weekend to pull the upset, Grant will need to keep the Huskers out of long third down and distance situations.  Pushing the run game up the field and not sideways will be the most important thing he can do.

Bryce Benhart…Benhart has been a whipping boy for the offensive line the last couple of seasons.  In the past he struggled in the run block game and simply looked like he couldn’t adjust to speed rushers.  Not this season.  Benhart was never given the chance to learn before he played and that was unfortunate, but he is healthy and playing at a level that allows Nebraska to leave him isolated on the right side.  That’s a big lift because Turner Corcoran has needed some help on the left side.  Benhart has played at an All-Big Ten level so far this season.  He has anchored the line and has been an offensive MVP.

Score Prediction:  Michigan 24, Nebraska 17

My heart says that the Blackshirts will show up and show out against Michigan.  When Matt Rhule was hired, I circled this game as a game that you can probably judge where the overall operation for the Huskers is headed.  Michigan plays like Nebraska wants to play, and the Blackshirts so far have delivered.  The offense hasn’t been pretty, but if they can sustain some drives, push the football downfield just enough to keep Michigan from teeing off on the run game, the Huskers can make this a game.  I think this will be Matt Rhule’s opportunity to show Husker Nation what we can look for in the future and hopefully it isn’t too distant! GBR!

Let's Double That Win Total Today!

That was fun!  No matter the game, anytime you can get a Husker win, it’s a great day.  That last win against Northern Illinois provided us with a new quarterback, an old running back and terrible news for the ball carriers moving forward. (Predictions are at the end if you don’t want to read the rest!)

Let’s start with Henrich Haarberg.  Haarberg was probably fifth string last year and before Logan Smothers and Casey Thompson headed elsewhere, was considered by many Husker fans to be playing the wrong position.  Even I thought that he might help Nebraska more at tight end.  He certainly is a great athlete.

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He showed that he can play quarterback.  He is a great runner, which was no surprise, but he came out and pushed the ball down the field and forced Northern Illinois to at least respect the pass.  To top it all off, he only accounted for one turnover.  The Blackshirts held serve for him after the fumble, and he came back and responded by putting up 35 total points, the most by the Huskers this season.

Where does that leave Jeff Sims?  Well, if Sims is healthy, I think you need to go back to him.  If he continues to falter, you at least have something you can build on with Haarberg, but Sims shouldn’t lose his job to injury.  What I do think is that Sims leash is much shorter than it was before.  Sims needs to cut the turnovers out, but he also needs a game at Memorial Stadium, and be allowed to get his feet under him at Nebraska.

I say all of this, knowing that Nebraska suffered devastating news on Monday, when Rahmir Johnson and Gabe Ervin Jr. were both announced to have season ending injuries.  For a team that wants to stop the run and run the football, it was about as bad of news that you could get.  

Nebraska has yet to really put it together on offense, but the one thing you had was experienced running backs to lean on through the season.  Now you are asking a redshirt freshman and true freshman to back up Anthony Grant.  The good news?  Grant has been the man before and he is a veteran runner that has proven it at the Big Ten level.  The bad news, Grant wore down last season.  Emmett Johnson and Kwinten Ives will need to spell Grant and they need to keep the snowball rolling downhill.  That means, no fumbles, few negative carries and helping to protect the quarterback in the passing game.

It's a long season.  Nebraska has found depth at quarterback, only to have it yanked from them at running back.  How Matt Rhule handles that, will be the difference between going to a bowl game and sitting at home again in December.

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ON WITH THE REWIND…

Last game prediction was Nebraska 23, Northern Illinois 17.  The actual score was Nebraska 35, Northern Illinois 11.  Heinrich Haarberg was the story of this game, but the defense again played with their pants on fire.  The Blackshirts have become impossible to move the ball against on the ground.  While the sacks weren’t as plenty as they were in Boulder, they made Husky quarterback Rocky Lombardi look like an eighth year wasn’t going to help him.  If Nebraska can continue to shut down the run game, they are going to pull some upsets this season.

Quick Notes:

Heinrich Haarberg…For a first start, regardless of the opponent, you couldn’t ask for much more from Haarberg.  As a passer, he has a way to go, but at a runner, he is as physical as any quarterback in the run game since Jamal Lord.  Jeff Sims will be back for Michigan and may even play this week.  I know that I feel confident that if Haarberg has to play due to injury or poor play from Sims, that he will allow Nebraska to compete.  That is a big relief going forward.

Rahmir Johnson…Johnson has been one of my favorite players in his time at Nebraska.  It has always felt like he has never really caught a break in Lincoln.  Probably his most memorable season, Nebraska went 3-9, but Johnson ran hard and made big plays throughout the season.  He was great in pass protection and underutilized in the running game.  Gabe Ervin Jr. is a big loss as well, but I will miss Johnson if that was his last game in Lincoln.

Nash Hutmacher…As good as the Blackshirts have played, the player that has consistently stood out to me the most is the man in the middle.  Hutmacher is causing huge issues for offensive lines, often requiring double teams, and also collapsing the pocket on each play.  Nebraska hasn’t had someone take over at the nose this much since they went back to an odd man front.  I give Terrance Knighton a lot of credit, Hutmacher has been the leader on a strong defensive line that has surprised most with their depth and their impact for the Huskers.

Javin Wright…Wright has been bedeviled by injuries during his time in Lincoln, but he is making plays now.  Wright had his first pick last weekend, and continues to be a flex player, in coverage and stopping the run.  Wright has a high ceiling, everyone has always known that, but now he is starting to make plays that change the game.  He has been a great surprise moving from safety to linebacker.

Cornhusker Volleyball…As much fun as the Husker football win was last week, Husker volleyball deserves a shoutout.  Head Coach John Cook must be loving this team.  They are 10-0, went out to Palo Alto and dominated Stanford.  All of this without a senior, while playing four freshmen, that may be as good as anyone else they have played, at their respective positions.  If you aren’t a volleyball fan, or haven’t checked them out, please do.  They are super exciting to watch and cheer for!  

Score Prediction:  Nebraska 33, Louisiana Tech 13

This will be an interesting game for Nebraska.  I have a feeling Jeff Sims will sit out one more week and they will ride with Haarberg.  If that happens and Haarberg plays well again and Nebraska dominates this game, the water cooler talk will be high pitched going into the Michigan game.  If Sims plays and plays well, things should return to normal a bit.  Either way, I expect the Blackshirts to keep Tech off the board for the most part, but they may slip and give up a long pass for a touchdown.  Nebraska closes out their non-conference with their second win and move into the meat of the schedule in style, and GBR!

Finally Coming Home

Nebraska needs a break.  Not time away from football, but to catch a break in general.  They finally get that this week with their first home game of 2023.  Northern Illinois rolls into Lincoln for a night game, and Matt Rhule’s debut in Lincoln.  (Predictions are at the end if you don’t want to read the rest!)

Let’s face it, the first two weeks seemed like a forever grind on the road.  Dropping a game at Minnesota when victory was in hand and then coming apart at the seams in Boulder in the second half, the Huskers feel like they are a beat down franchise.

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As new coaches go at Nebraska, Matt Rhule has been more Scott Frost and Mike Riley, rather than Bo Pelini and Frank Solich.

I’m not saying Rhule is like Frost and Riley in any other aspect, other than the cycle of losses to start his career.  In fact, Rhule has been anything but like Frost and Riley in a couple of aspects.  Riley lost on a Hail Mary to BYU in his home opener in Lincoln.   Scott Frost came out of the gates in Lincoln with a cancelled game due to lighting (ominous) and then rolled off six straight losses in his first season.  Rhule didn’t get to start his career in Lincoln, and I don’t foresee losing his first half dozen games (although if that were to happen, I think the state of Nebraska might implode).

Another reason Rhule has not been like his previous two predecessors, is that he has assembled a defense worthy of the Blackshirts.  Whatever the shortcoming of the offense has been, and there have been many, the defense has come to play.  Tied for the lead nationally with 11 sacks after two games and having shut down two Power Five conference offenses in each game’s first half, the Blackshirts have given Nebraska every opportunity to win both games.

Special teams looked great against Minnesota but regressed against Colorado.  Something tells me that will be better at home this week.

That leads us to the problem.  Offensively, the Cornhuskers have been a mess.  Turnovers from quarterback Jeff Sims and the inability to sustain a consistent passing game have spelled disaster.  Matt Rhule is on the hook to figure out how not to waste a possible top 5 Big Ten defense in his first year.  Right now, we don’t have the answers, but Coach Rhule is paid 5.5 million dollars this season to figure it out.  

I think the biggest thing that needs to happen is Nebraska needs something to break wide open.  They need a confidence builder, be it a blocked kick, a long touchdown pass, or big touchdown runs from the running back position and a sustained lead.  Anything to take pressure off the quarterback.  

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If Nebraska can get that, and start building momentum, this team could be back in bowl contention by November.  If not, this season will be the seventh straight, were the Huskers seemed talented enough, but couldn’t catch the break that snowballs into a winning season.

ON WITH THE REWIND…

Last game prediction was Nebraska 31, Colorado 23.  The actual score was Colorado 36, Nebraska 14. This game was a second half disaster that had a late kick start to disaster status right before the half.  The Blackshirts were pitching a shutout, and they had the Buffs on the run in the first half.  And just like that, Nebraska turns the ball over.  And over.  And over and then the route was on.  A game that was closer than anyone had any idea in the first 20 minutes, quickly gave way to one that wasn’t close at all.  It was like half the team showed up to play for Colorado.  Nebraska won’t win many games with that strategy.

Quick Notes:

Heinrich Haarberg…Jeff Sims left Boulder with a high ankle sprain.  In the process Haarberg got his first taste of NCAA football at quarterback.  This week Haarberg took most of the snaps in practice and is likely going to start against Northern Illinois.  It may be a blessing for Sims to get a break and not play his first game in Lincoln this week.  Sims has been downright awful in the passing game and the turnovers have cost Nebraska at least one win and made any chance of another a moot point.  If Nebraska can use Haarberg’s athleticism in the running game and try to make easy throws for him in the passing game and lean on Huskies with the running backs, Haarberg should be successful.  In fact, if HH doesn’t turn the ball over, it will be a vast improvement from the prior two weeks.

Gabe Ervin Jr..…Ervin Jr. looked like he was starting to get the feel of the running game in Boulder before the turnovers started flooding the Huskers out of the game.  The problem is, we still have not seen Ervin Jr. break a big, long touchdown run.  As teams start to key on the running game, it will be imperative for Ervin Jr., Rahmir Johnson, and Anthony Grant to provide some explosive plays.  That needs to start now, because the Big Ten West is not a world beater division this year and it’s the only way Nebraska will reach a bowl game.

Billy Kemp…Kemp finally got on the receiving stats page in Boulder.  He showed that he has great hands and nifty explosion when he caught the ball.  Kemp is a big-time play maker, but Nebraska needs to find more ways to get him the ball.  It didn’t work well last week because of mishandling of snaps, but the Huskers putting a player in motion pre snap seemed to allow Kemp the opportunity to work the underneath area of the field.  Nebraska needs to continue to do that and let Kemp cook.  He provides a needed spark every time he catches a pass.

Cam Lenhardt…Lenhardt has been everything you could have asked for so far from a freshman.  He started at Minnesota and had two sacks against Colorado.  For a freshman, against two teams that should be bowl eligible by years end, he has been a breath of fresh air, injecting more life into a defense that suddenly can get to the quarterback.

Mikai Gbayor…Gbayor (pronounced Bayor) made a great special teams tackle at Minnesota and then played outstanding against Colorado.  Gbayor was injured when he arrived at Nebraska and didn’t play his first two seasons in Lincoln.  He has found his stride under this new coaching staff and new linebacker coach Rob Dvoracek.  Adding Gbayor to a veteran linebacker room leads me to believe that this defensive staff is going to develop talent at an outstanding rate.

Score Prediction:  Nebraska 23, Northern Illinois 17

No matter what happens this week, Nebraska likely is starting a quarterback with little experience playing an entire game of college football.  On top of that, Heinrich Haarberg is a much better runner than passer at this point in his career.  I still think Nebraska will win, but I have a feeling we will be seeing a lot of freshman kicker Tristan Alvano this weekend.   I think Nebraska will limit the turnovers to a couple, and this week will cause three of their own.  The game won’t be in doubt but will likely be closer than we all want.  The Huskies score a late touchdown to cover, but Lincoln still celebrates Matt Rhule’s first win in Lincoln.  Cheers to Husker Nation and GBR!!

Just Beat Prime!

It was just like Nebraska football to do this to all the Husker fans.  Bring in a new coach, bust out a new, competent special teams, play outstanding Blackshirt defense, and then in stunning fashion, turn the ball over twice in the last 7 minutes of the game and blow what looked like a stellar opening performance from new head coach Matt Rhule. (Predictions are at the end if you don’t want to read the rest!)

Can you say you were surprised?  Let’s face it, Nebraska has been snake bit to the point that any lead is likely to be given up at any given moment.  Rewatching the game, how many things had to go wrong for Minnesota to win in that last half of the fourth quarter?  It was like a slow-motion bus crash.  

You have a fumble by Anthony Grant on a run that looked like it might help salt the game away.  The defense seems to match every effort on the drive that they give up the tying touchdown, even after an ill-time faced mask and even then, only giving up a circus catch touchdown on fourth down when the offensive tackle clearly jumped offside and there was no call.  Then Jeff Sims throws a ball off his back foot into triple coverage that gives the Gophers a shot to win in regulation when you just had to burn clock to go to overtime at the worst.

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It was like watching a three-year-old trying to ride a ten speed, after they master the big wheel.  It made no sense.

At least now we know what the key to the rest of the season is.  Nebraska must make the games shorter, keep the defense fresh and run the football as often as possible.  If Nebraska can continue to play at this pace on special teams and they can play defense like this against every opponent, they will have a chance to win all but maybe a couple games this season.  I have no reason to think that they won’t play special teams at a high level.  Defensively, the Blackshirts aren’t deep on the defensive line, at least with veterans, but they are at almost every other position, so it should be a strength the entire season.

Can the offense muster enough to make this team competitive?  I think they can.  They are drastically short on experience at the wide receiver position and the loss of Isaiah Garcia-Castaneda right after losing Zavier Betts is just devastating.  However, you can see that they have solid running backs and Jeff Sims is an outstanding runner at the quarterback position.  The tight end position will get better, and you may have to play the freshman wide receivers and let them earn it in the fire.  Nebraska simply must control turnovers in order to be successful.  They need to help Sims enough that he has one or two options on throwing downs and if they aren’t there, take off and try to avoid getting hit, or use the short passing game to the running backs and tight ends.  Whatever they did in the first game, don’t do that.

I saw a different team and a different approach than we have seen in the last seven years.  It was refreshing and it looked like it would be a winner.  And then the same thing happened as it had under the previous staffs and it brought us all back to reality.  It may take some time to get this bus rolling, but it seems like it is closer to the top of the hill than the bottom. 

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ON WITH THE REWIND…

Last game prediction was Nebraska 24, Minnesota 21.  The actual score was Minnesota 13, Nebraska 10. For two days this game sat like a lump in my stomach.  Nebraska, especially the Blackshirts, played well enough to win that game and probably should have score 17 or 21 points depending on how you look at the terrible false starts inside the opponents 10-yard line. Nebraska is good enough to win these types of games.  Matt Rhule was hired to turn that around.  I give him more than one game to do it in.

Quick Notes:

Jeff Sims…Lets start with the bad.  Three interceptions, two of which were about as badly timed as you could imagine, make Sims look like he is a total transfer bust.  The good?  He is a running machine.  He had over 100 yards rushing in the game before the sack yardage was taken out.  He also was given three first half possessions and inside two minutes drove the Huskers down the field looking to take the lead into halftime.  Sims is a work in progress for sure.  The question is, was his bad play due to a good Gopher defense, or just Sims overall abilities in general?  He has a big stage this weekend to show it’s not the latter.

Rahmir Johnson.…Johnson continues to be a playmaker for Nebraska.  His return of the second half kickoff led to Nebraska marching right out and scoring on a trick play.  Johnson needs to have the ball in his hands more.  If that is at running back or wide receiver, so be it, but Nebraska needs to use him more like Colorado used Dylan Edwards.  Get him one on one with someone on the perimeter and let him cook.

Ty Robinson and Nash Hutmacher…Did these two deliver against Minnesota or what?  They most certainly did, and until Robinson’s poorly timed late hit on the quarterback, they were wreaking havoc on the Gopher offensive line.  If these two continue to play at that level all season, Nebraska will have its best interior defensive line since Maliek Collins and Vincent Valentine manned the middle.  It will be difficult to run on the Huskers if they can stay healthy.

Omar Brown…When Brown transferred in from Northern Iowa, everyone just assumed he would fit right in on the defense and be a starter or a big-time player right away.  Life doesn’t always happen that way, but now Brown is making his time at Nebraska count.  Brown played great against Minnesota, with seven tackles and his first interception for the Huskers.  If he and DeShon Singleton continue to play at a high level, the Blackshirts should have one of the stronger back ends on defense that they’ve had in a long time.

Score Prediction:  Nebraska 31, Colorado 23

If you followed the national media after Colorado’s upset over Texas Christian, you would think Nebraska is about to get a thrashing of epic proportion.  Having watched their game and Nebraska’s game, I’m a little more biased that Nebraska will make a big jump between week one and week two.  I also am giving Colorado more credit than I think they deserve because I think the Blackshirts are WAY better than TCU’s defense and I think the Huskers could cause their offense a lot of issues.  If Nebraska runs the football with any kind of success, they should control the clock and keep the CU offense off the field.  And if Nebraska limits their turnovers, I can see the Huskers winning this game by more than just a touchdown.  I may be one of the few that thinks this, but I think the Huskers are better than their week one showing and that the Buffaloes are about to find out that the Big Ten is a little harsher league than the Big Twelve.  No matter what, I’m pumped for the Huskers in Boulder this weekend and GBR!!

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