Gopher Broke

It is clear to me that Nebraska as a program, is finally figuring some things out about how to win close games.  That’s important because Nebraska lost most of those toss-up games last season. Beating Northwestern was not a small feat, considering Nebraska was playing back up players across the board on offense.  Even the defense was without arguably their most productive player, with Khalil Davis suspended last week.

You can look at the win as exciting and a continuation of Frost’s maturity as a coach.  When things aren’t working like you want, as a coach you have to make adjustments. Sometimes, those adjustments are to hang on and ride your defense and don’t turn the ball over.  It worked against a Northwestern team that was probably even more beat up offensively than Nebraska. It doesn’t matter though, survive and advance.

Now, Nebraska has a different kind of quest.  They leave for Minnesota with Adrian Martinez likely to be on the shelf.  Backup quarterback and native son, Noah Vedral came in and played well in limited action against Northwestern.  We don’t know how he will respond when he has an entire game plan to run. For all his faults this season, Martinez still makes some plays that wow you.  He hasn’t been consistent this season, but that largely can be attributed to an offensive line that continues to allow defenders to go unimpeded into the backfield.

Vedral won’t be immune to that pressure either.  If Nebraska, who is technically still very much alive to win the Big Ten West, can figure out a way to improve on the O-Line, they could close out the season on a roll.  Unfortunately, they continued to have issues snapping the football against the Wildcats and it really does hamper the way the offense runs their system. The bigger question this week will be how good the protection is for Vedral and will J.D. Spielman be available to play against his home state?

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Martinez has better days ahead of him.  I feel as if something has been bothering him, other than just high snaps, since the beginning of the season.  You could argue that being a captain and being a leader has taken a toll on the kid. I think it is more likely that Martinez has been playing through some injuries all season and it has forced him to give up on the free wheeling he was able to do as a freshman.  I expect some of that to come back. Luckily Vedral has three years into the Frost system. It should allow Nebraska to survive short term and allow Martinez a chance to sit back and watch the team play for a change. It could be good for Martinez. It also could be a good chance going into the bye, to get healed up for the stretch run.

Of course, all of this could be moot if Martinez somehow finds a way to play this weekend.  I just don’t suspect that he will. Nebraska has a chance to really put a big win on the board in Minnesota this week.  It will be interesting to see if the conservative nature of the game will continue for the Huskers. Or maybe this is the week that the offensive line gels and Nebraska runs all over the field behind a back up quarterback.  Either way, the coaching staff has come a long way from 2018. A big win over the defending West champion Wildcats may be the hump that Nebraska needed to get over.

ON WITH THE REWIND…

Last week’s prediction was Nebraska 28, Northwestern 24.  The final score was Nebraska 13, Northwestern 10. It wasn’t pretty by any means, but Nebraska got it done.  No turnovers made the difference. Nebraska continues to struggle on offense, but they have as many wins as they did all of last season.  Eventually something will click for this team on offense. The defense continues to keep the Huskers in games. How long can Nebraska hold out waiting for the offense to shine?

Quick Notes:

Darrion Daniels… I pick Daniels as the MVP of the team last week. He consistently pushed the interior of the Northwestern offense back into the back field.  He has been a tremendous pick up for Nebraska. He allows Carlos Davis, Khalil Davis, Deontre Thomas and Ben Stille to play their more natural spots on the end.  He also requires double teams and sometimes triple teams, which allows the linebackers to run free and make plays. He has been an All Big Ten caliber player for Nebraska this season.  Just a tremendous player for the Blackshirts in 2019.

Lane McCallum…. Two weeks ago, I said that special teams, more specifically the kicking game, would lose a game for Nebraska.  It almost happened this last weekend, but then the walk on from Norfolk, transfer from Air Force, back up safety walked out and put his name in the record books alongside Alex Henry, Brett Maher, Kris Brown and any other kicker that has played a big role in Nebraska lore.  It wasn’t pretty, but that was a big kick on Saturday in front of a crowd that needed it. Congrats to McCallum, you will remember that day for the rest of your life.

Maurice Washington…You really hope that this kid can get healthy and get his act together.  There is no question in my mind that he is the most talented player on the Husker roster.  You can argue about other player’s production, but Washington can physically do things other people just cannot.  On the flip side, he has issues with attitude and commitment that are keeping him from reaching his potential. If Nebraska has any chance of winning the West Division, Washington will have to turn his season around.  I think all Nebraska fans want the kid to live up to that ability. The question is, will Washington figure it out before he leaves Lincoln?

J.D. Spielman…This week, as much as any other, requires Nebraska’s most production player to play big again.  Spielman has been open and simply missed by Martinez multiple times this season. When Spielman went out in the second half against Northwestern, it wasn’t just Martinez missing him.  Spielman opens up the offense for Nebraska. Without him running around, this team simply has not been able to stretch the field. Spielman has missed time the last three seasons. Every game or quarter he sits out limits Nebraska’s ability to run their offense.  Hopefully he can get healed up this weekend, Nebraska is going to need him. IF he doesn’t play, I just don’t see how Nebraska gets against the Gophers.

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Score Prediction: Minnesota 34, Nebraska 28

Every week I try and give an accurate prediction of how the Huskers game will unfold.  Unfortunately, this week, I think Nebraska will go into their bye week with a loss. Nebraska has been playing on a razor’s edge most of the season when it comes to playing just well enough.  Outside of Ohio State, you could argue Nebraska could have lost or won every other game on their schedule. I hope I’m wrong and that Nebraska is getting better week to week they make a statement on the road.  Unfortunately, with a bad weather forecast, the probability of playing with limited playmakers and the lack of road wins in the Scott Frost era, I see Nebraska playing close this weekend, but not being able to get it done.  It is hard to win on the road with a back-up quarterback. I will be in the stands cheering though, so I hope that helps….as always, GBR!!

Big Week for Nebraska

Welp, that didn’t go well.  Nebraska responded to Ohio State coming to Lincoln, along with ESPN’s GameDay and the announcement of new facilities, with their worst game of the season.  You could argue it was the worst game since Michigan last season. That game was turning point for Nebraska in 2018. Will the Ohio State game be that for Nebraska in 2019?

Honestly, I kind of doubt it.  I think the Huskers are who they are.  They don’t have a strong offensive line.  Quarterback Adrian Martinez has suffered from this.  Martinez looks lost when he is pressured. He clearly is not seeing anyone open down field.  Last week he had trouble making routine throws. Nebraska has failed to find a consistent downfield threat to open the running game.  All the speed that Nebraska has recruited on offense hasn’t made the impact that many fans had hoped. 

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Turnovers are a huge issue so far for Nebraska in 2019.  Nebraska wa yos 3-1 going into Ohio State because their defense had played well enough to overcome the offense.  The Buckeyes blew through the defense on Saturday night like they were swiss cheese. The special teams for the Huskers also played so far below par, they could have competed in the Masters.

The quick fix for Nebraska though is the upcoming schedule.  When many pundits and fans alike pushed the scenario that Nebraska could win the west division, it was based on the fact that, outside of Ohio State, Nebraska has a relatively easy schedule. Most difficult games are at home.  Nebraska needs to make hay over these next 5 weeks if they have any chance of making a bowl game, let alone challenging Iowa or Wisconsin for a division title.

With Northwestern this weekend, the Wildcats are wounded.  Nebraska needs this win. I’d argue that this game is as important as any game remaining on the Husker schedule.  If you win this game, you only need to win two more to make a bowl game. If you lose this game, you are back at .500 and headed on the road to Minnesota.  The Gophers have improved considerably from last season. If you are 3-4 headed into the final five games, it really does not look the Huskers can win the required three games to get into a bowl game.  

When Scott Frost was hired, he told anyone that would listen that this wouldn’t be an overnight success like he had at Central Florida.  I think most fans, including this blogger, thought that with the coaching staff would be able to overcome the recruiting deficiencies of the last 5 seasons.  While I know it sounds like an excuse, I think this staff had a better idea of how far off the team was from being able to compete at a high level. I think fans are starting to understand that now as well.

I’m not getting off my early season prediction of 8-4 just yet.  I figured Nebraska would beat Colorado, so that is one loss that I didn’t predict.  I think Nebraska can win all the next four games. The difference now, after watching them play this season, is I would not be surprised if they only won a couple.  Nebraska still has a long way to go.

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ON WITH THE REWIND…

Last week’s prediction was Ohio State 44, Nebraska 36.  The final score was Ohio State 48, Nebraska 7. The Huskers turnover woes continued with three first half interceptions by Adrian Martinez.  Ohio State came to play and Nebraska could not withstand the onslaught. A terrible performance pretty much in every aspect. Nebraska clearly is a way away from playing well against a top 5 team in the country.  How far? Who knows for sure, but it didn’t look close last Saturday.

Quick Notes:

Adrian Martinez… If you had said at the start of the season that Martinez will struggle this year, I might have agreed with you some, but would have been very doubtful.  Unfortunately, Martinez has played well only in spurts. Against Ohio State, he was really…. well, awful. This team will only go as far as he can take them.  Say what you want, but as he goes, this Husker offense goes. When he is playing well, running the ball hard, Nebraska is difficult to stop. We simply have not seen enough of that consistency this season.  He needs to get healthy this week against Northwestern.

Special Teams…. It’s not just Barrett Pickering being out.  It’s not just the back up punter kicking off.  Outside of J.D. Spielman’s lone punt return touchdown, the special teams continue to be bad across the board for Nebraska.  If this continues to be the case, Nebraska may have to look at making changes to the coaching next season. It may be that they need to shift responsibility around to someone else.  Sometimes a change to shake things up is a good thing. Nebraska has had awful special teams play going back at least four seasons now. It needs to shape up.  

Coaching…I rarely criticize Scott Frost.  I have been around him. I have watched him as a high school athlete, a Husker and now as a coach.  He is as competitive as anyone that I know. One thing that I’m sure of though, he needs to start preparing younger players on offense.  If the offensive line and wide receivers continue to play this bad, it may be time to start playing younger players. They may not have the experience, but they must be better equipped that some of the play we are seeing out of the veterans.  Sometimes you need to get your veteran’s attention. Putting someone on the bench isn’t always a bad thing.

J.D. Spielman…Get this kid the ball.  I don’t care how you do it.  Reverses, screens, downfield throws, lining him up in the backfield, whatever it takes.  He was Wan’dale before Robinson arrived. Get one of your best playmakers the ball more often.  Nebraska has advantages on the offensive side, they need to focus on getting those players the ball more often.  If Maurice Washington doesn’t play this week, Spielman is the difference maker the Huskers need to use.

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Score Prediction: Nebraska 28, Northwestern 24

In a game of who wants it more, I think playing in Lincoln will give the Huskers the push they need to get over the hump against Northwestern.  Nebraska had them on the ropes last season in Evanston, they just couldn’t knock them out. Scott Frost knows this team needs this victory. It will set the tone for the second half of the season.  Northwestern has always played Nebraska super tough. They are well coached and they don’t make mistakes. If Nebraska can overcome turnovers, or keep them to a minimum, they could win big. I suspect they will still struggle with penalties and turn it over a couple of times.  Hopefully they can overcome it to equal the amount of wins they had last season. GBR!!

Husker Gameday Game Day!

Measuring sticks come and go.  Each season gives Nebraska a few and each season, at least recently, Nebraska has responded with a loud thud.  Except in one instance. Last season Nebraska went to Columbus, Ohio expecting the worst. The Huskers responded by playing arguably their best game of the season, losing 36-31.  For a change, it looked like Nebraska was actually moving forward instead of backwards.  

This year, though, it seems as if Nebraska is still in the same place they were last season.  Even though Nebraska started 0-6 in 2018, it feels as if this 3-1 start to 2019 isn’t much better.  I think the loss at Colorado really put things in perspective for most people. Even Coach Frost said it in his press conference on Thursday, he hopes that Nebraska can stay with Ohio State and allow the crowd to carry the team.  This doesn’t feel like a team that is 3-1. Barely beating Illinois on the road will do that to you.

This game may not matter much in the overall scheme of things.  Nebraska certainly won’t be out of winning the West division with a loss. If they keep the game close, it may show everyone again how great a job Scott Frost is doing with this particular group of kids.  If they get blown out it will confirm the status quo that Nebraska is still seasons away from being a playoff contender.

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An upset would really get the ball rolling, however.  If Nebraska puts on a big performance, while ESPN sets up shop in Memorial Stadium, it would signal that the program is headed to better days.  

I don’t expect Nebraska to win.  I don’t think many do. It’s not to say that they can’t, but eye test certainly doesn’t favor the Huskers.  There is an upper echelon in college football that older Nebraska fans know all too well, but many younger fans just haven’t been able to experience yet.  I think in year four of this staff, you would hope that this type of game will be a distant memory. In year two, it just doesn’t seem reasonable. 

This season has already been more of a success than last season.  Nebraska is half way to a bowl game and has better talent than they did last season.  They may even be better coached than last year too. It is hard to keep expectations in check.  It’s harder to know that Nebraska just isn’t quite ready for big boy football just yet. I think it’s one of those stepping stone games.  This weekend, Nebraska will find out just how much farther they have to go. 

ON WITH THE REWIND…

Last week’s prediction was Nebraska 41, Illinois 29.  The final score was Nebraska 42, Illinois 38. The game was much closer than it should have been.  Nebraska fumbled the ball four times and had an overwhelming disadvantage on penalties. The crazy thing is, Nebraska played it’s best game on offense in many ways. Not counting the fumbles of course.  The Blackshirts were put in bad spots all night, but responded when they needed it in the second half. Nebraska proved they could win a game on the road when they don’t play their best. A glass half full person would say that’s a good omen as they move through the season in the Big Ten.

Quick Notes:

Clean Game… I don’t know if it is Big Ten referees or just playing better competition, but Nebraska takes one step forward (Northern Illinois) then three steps back in their first conference game.  Poor officiating not withstanding, Nebraska continues to shoot themselves in the foot. Fumbles are a plague on this team that Nebraska has failed to cure. Add in special teams gaffs and failure to capitalize on the other teams mistakes and you wonder if Nebraska will ever be a consistently clean team?  Northwestern isn’t that great this season, but they are always one of the cleanest teams in the Big Ten. If Nebraska could get themselves 3/4 of the way to that, they could become a dominant team in the West division.

Wan’dale Robinson…. Co-player of the game last week with Adrian Martinez.  Robinson was so ballyhooed out of high school that if he failed to make a difference in a game this season, it would have been a disappointment.  The kid delivered when called upon. That hasn’t been the case often at Nebraska in the past. It’s not clear whether Robinson should play more running back, but I think we found out that he needs to at least be in the conversation.  Robinson carried Nebraska in the fourth quarter last week. If Maurice Washington can stay healthy, he gives Nebraska a one-two punch that only a couple teams in the Big Ten can match. It will be interesting to see how Coach Frost monitors touches going forward.  

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Blackshirts…Say what you want about Illinois, but they have a couple of weapons on offense that are as good as any in the conference.  The fact that the defense played average in the first half, but bulled up in the fourth quarter was a step forward from the Colorado loss.  Nebraska probably won’t be more athletic than most teams on defense, but if they do their job, the schemes seem to give the Huskers a fighting chance in each game.  If the Blackshirts can fill their expected roles this season, the defense can still win games for the Huskers.

Special Teams…Yikes!  I don’t know if it is because of the kicking game being so unbalanced, but Nebraska put out a stink bomb last week.  Kickoffs were short, the punting game looked like they were going for broke when playing it safe was maybe the better call.  Nebraska will be at best a seven to eight win team without getting special teams under control. At worst, they could be lucky to win a couple more games based on the issues that it causes.  The SOS for help needs to be put out in the worst way.

Score Prediction: Ohio State 44 Nebraska 36

This game is funny.  Nebraska went to Columbus and scared the hell out of the Buckeyes last season.  Nebraska is better than last season, so you would think they could replicate their performance.  Unfortunately, Ohio State looks like they are much better too. Nebraska probably caught OSU flat footed last season, because no one outside of Nebraska thought they could win.  I think Ohio State thinks that they could lose this game in Lincoln. That alone will have their attention. I expect Nebraska to play hard, but if they play anything like they did in Illinois, they won’t be able to climb out of a hole against Ohio State.  I think Ohio State gets a great start, with Nebraska closing hard at the end. Either way, I will be screaming like a lunatic inside the Sea of Red, GBR!!!

Scott Frost and the Road Warriors

As Nebraska passed the quarter pole and gets ready to start Big Ten play, I’m reminded that this team is young.  We are talking super young. Look at the offensive starters. Graduate transfer Kanawai Noa is really the only senior that plays significant minutes.  Adrian Martinez is just a true sophomore. J.D. Spielman probably has the most experience of anyone on the offense and he is a junior. Captain Matt Farniok is also a junior as is left tackle Brenden Jaimes.

I bring this up, because when you start to look at the culture that Scott Frost started to instill from the first day that he came back to Lincoln, he didn’t have the offensive leadership to show everyone the way.  Devine Ozigbo and Stanley Morgan helped. Tanner Farmer and Gerald Foster were strong in that regard as well. The thing is, you lose those players from the first season and now, your leadership is replaced by great talent, but not experienced talent.

When the Huskers offense couldn’t put a drive together in Boulder to end any threat of comeback, part of me thought, this group hasn’t done it yet.  Last season during the horrible start, you had to wonder if the small amount of leadership was ever going to be enough to win a game. You know Nebraska has talent.  They came withing a few dropped passes and some defensive busts from pulling an upset last season in Ohio State.

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So last week, when Northern Illinois came to Lincoln, I watched the defense start to show leadership for this team.  The defensive, led by Darrion Daniels and the Davis brothers, along with Mohamed Barry at linebacker, is where the veterans roam.  This is a significant transformation for this team. Last season it was those offensive veterans that had to plug away in order for Nebraska to have a chance to win games.  Now, the defense is in the leadership position. The positives out weight the negatives in that scenario. I never thought this would be an issue this season, but here we are.

You see, as a Nebraska fan, the offense should be the least of our concerns.  We have, in this blogger’s opinion, one of the top offensive minds in college football calling plays.  After last year, I’m convinced that there are great teachers on the staff on offense and while this team is really young on that side of the ball, I can already tell that the offense is working to get better each week and you can see the progress.  

Coach Frost knows that to win consistently, you have to be able to run the ball up the middle at some point during the season.  The first three games, as depressing as it might have looked, Nebraska continued to work on that aspect, even though those plays have been drive killers.  Finally against Northern Illinois, you started to see some of those efforts pay off. Dedrick Mills had his best day as a Husker, breaking off a long 60 yard run and scoring up the middle on a 24 yard run in the second quarter.  These plays might have been there against Colorado, but it is a work in progress for this offense. They didn’t materialize in Boulder, but they did the next week. 

I have to keep reminding myself of that inexperience as this rebuild takes effect.  Unlike at Central Florida, Nebraska’s schedule is not filled with weeks that you can get by with less effort.  The Big Ten is no joke, with the amount of resources, the types of players, both large and veteran, along with really good coaches, the schedule is a slog.  This offense is starting to find it’s footing. It just takes a bit, when you have so little veteran presence. I have started to see it evolve last week. Which is just in time to start playing games in the Big Ten.

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ON WITH THE REWIND…

Last week’s prediction was Nebraska 34, Northern Illinois 21.  The final score was Nebraska 44, Northern Illinois 8. The defense was really good.  I mean, really good. If Nebraska can limit turnovers on offense, you can see the battle plan coming together for this team.  The defense should be able to eliminate the run game early in first half. If the offense can put points on the board and make teams one dimensional on offense in the second half, they should be able to tee off on the quarterback and create their own turnovers.  The blueprint has worked well in places like Oregon and Central Florida. I think it will work well in Nebraska, once the team settles in. Last week was the first time this season that it looked like it should.

Quick Notes:

Kicking Game… Where is Barrett Pickering?  That is the question that might haunt this team all season.  Last year Pickering was almost automatic by the end of the season.  Having that type of special teams play in your back pocket was supposed to be a major benefit this season.  Unfortunately, Pickering has been injured and it has really put Nebraska in some trouble. If Pickering can’t come back, there are going to be games lost by the kicking game.  I hope the kid doesn’t miss the entire season, it could end up costing Nebraska any chance as the West division that we all hope to win.

Maurice Washington…. I said it last week and I will continue to say it again.  This guy is different than any other player Nebraska has on the roster.  He has the ability to get by guys that we just haven’t seen in a while in Lincoln.  Keeping him fresh is going to be a priority all season. Having now seen Rahmir Johnson, I’m hopeful that Washington’s workload will be light at times.  When Nebraska plays Ohio State, Wisconsin and Iowa, they are going to need a healthy Washington to even the odds in those games. Let Mills, Wan’dale and Johnson have some carries and put Washington split out.  He is a mismatch all over the field.  

Secondary…Braxton Clark got his first interception last week.  Let’s hope it is one of many in his career. Lamar Jackson and Dicaprio Bootle continue to be great in coverage.  Eli Sullivan and JoJo Domann have provided a boost to the secondary when they have played. Hopefully Cam Taylor-Britt’s shoulder injury isn’t too severe and he can continue to contribute.  Defensive Back coach Travis Fisher has this group playing at a high level. If that continues to be a strength for Nebraska, Big Ten teams may be in for a bit of a shock at how hard it will be to score consistently against the Blackshirts.

Road Games…So Scott Frost has failed to win on the road as head coach at Nebraska.  If you would have came from the future last year before the Akron game was washed out and told me that Scott Frost was win-less on the road by conference play this year, you probably could have owned my house.  It has been a frustrating start for Scott Frost. I expect by the end of the season, you won’t even remember it was an issue prior to this season.

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Score Prediction: Nebraska 41 – Illinois 29

Rolling into a venue at night on the road is a hard task, I don’t care how you look at it.  Illinois has a lot of individual talent. Reggie Corbin is a beast and will be as tough of any running back Nebraska will face this year.  Quarterback Brandon Peters was highly recruited by Nebraska, along with many other big time schools before he chose Michigan, then transferred to Illinois.  If Nebraska continues their upward trajectory, as I’m betting on, this game shouldn’t be all that close. If Nebraska turns the ball over or has busts in coverage and allows the Illini to stick with them, it will be a close game all the way to the end.  I think Nebraska puts the gas down though and has the game in control by the fourth quarter this week. It is conference football season, GBR!!!

Husker Football Deja Vu All Over Again!

You feel that?  I did, it was the pain of a thousand sharp needles, all over your body.  How did Nebraska play so well in the first half in Boulder? How did they play so bad in the fourth quarter in the same place?  

We have seen it before since Coach Frost has come back to Lincoln.  Nebraska gets up on someone, but they don’t put them away. Nebraska looks like a top 25 team against someone (Northwestern, Ohio State and 2019 Colorado) but they only look that way about 75-85% of the time.  It is super frustrating. After Maurice Washington scored in the fourth quarter on a 75 yard pass to erase the 96 yard flea flicker from the Buffs, it seemed as though whatever evil demon possessed Nebraska, they could overcome it.  Unfortunately, it wasn’t meant to be.

Whatever you think of Scott Frost, we know he suffers with us.  He is one of us. He played here, he bleeds red. His frustration is probably as high as anyone's.  So why do we keep losing close games? A couple of reasons come to mind.

First, the offensive line needs a lot of work.  It’s true if you can’t dominate the line of scrimmage on one side of the ball, you will get wrecked.  If you recall, in a Mike Riley coached game against Wisconsin, they simply decided to run the football in a close game in Lincoln.  They didn’t pass, they simply knew Nebraska couldn’t stop them. That happened a lot to Nebraska, playing against good offensive lines, since Nebraska joined the Big Ten.  Unfortunately, Nebraska’s own offensive line resembles nothing like that. It’s ironic that the first time since Bo Pelini left that Nebraska has a strong defensive line, and the offensive line is below average at best.

Second, this team has to learn how to win.  We talked about it last year when the Huskers had their worst start in our lifetime, this team simply doesn’t know what it takes to bury a team.  Nebraska really dominated Colorado in the first half of their game. When you are up on a team 17-0 on the road, you would say that the odds are in your favor.  The problem is, Nebraska struggled to do anything offensively in the third quarter. You could sense the walls starting to tighten up on Nebraska. When a team doesn’t win a lot, little things can start to make you think the whole thing will collapse.  Until you have those things go your way and you put a team away and get backups in the game late, you just don’t know what else bad can happen, but you are sure that it can.

Last, the expectations on this team were probably way too high.  I read a lot of preseason publications and sportswriters, basically wanting to will Nebraska into winning the Big Ten West.  It could still happen, the Colorado game really doesn’t matter in the big picture. However, we all knew (including Frost), this job wasn’t going to be a redo of Central Florida, no matter how much we all wished it.  Face it, Nebraska is a program that for five years prior to Frost taking over, was headed in a large tailspin. Poor recruiting, poor coaching, poor culture and poor development has plagued Lincoln for a long time. That is hard to turn around in a couple years, let alone one season and two games.  Nebraska doesn’t play in the same conference as Central Florida, the roadblocks are a bit higher up north.

Nebraska will be back in the national conversation, I’m sure of it.  I actually feel like Nebraska by the end of the season is going to be a team no one wants to tangle with.  I also think that in two more seasons, you will see Nebraska in the conversation for a national playoff berth if things continue at this current pace.  I get it that many of us want this program to head back to the 90’s type dominance yesterday. What we should be hoping for is a replication of the 80’s at this point.  Just start winning nine games a year again for 2 or 3 seasons. With this staff and the people behind Nebraska football, I foresee it happening. Unfortunately, this season is just another block in the base of what is being rebuilt.  It’s going to give us some gut punches along the way. Better prepare for a few more before it’s all said and done. 

ON WITH THE REWIND…

Last week’s prediction was Nebraska 34, Colorado 31.  The final score was the reverse with Colorado coming out on top.  We know Nebraska can beat Colorado. If the played them 10 times, I’m sure Nebraska would win their 5.  Unfortunately, they only play one. It can be a stepping stone or an anchor. I think it’s just another step forward, despite the outcome.

Quick Notes:

Cam Taylor-Britt… A perfect microcosm of last week, Taylor-Britt made some unbelievable plays, tackles for loss, forced a fumble and yet he was the player defending the receiver on the flea flicker that really turned the corner for the Buffs.  Taylor-Britt is special. To me, he is like a mini version of how Nebraska is progressing. He can be sensational, but he isn’t perfect yet. He may get there, I just hope it is soon.

Maurice Washington…. Man, this kid is special.  Off the field stuff not withstanding, he is probably the most talented player on the Husker roster.  Washington makes plays that no one else on the team can make. Any time he is in the open field he can house it.  I’d like to see him play some wide receiver when Dedrick Mills and Wan'dale Robinson are on the field. Last season against Iowa he was almost unstoppable.  He needs to play as many plays as he can, he is that great.

Kickers …Nebraska was so spoiled last season with Barrett Pickering.  He adjusted after a rough start and became another of a reliable, if not spectacular kicker in a long line of Huskers specialists.  You could argue his absence has made Nebraska fall from the ranks of the undefeated. Hopefully he is healthy by conference play. Nebraska needs him.

Blackshirts…We talked about them some last week, but that first half against Colorado was almost brilliant.  I honestly felt like the emotion of the first half was what tired Nebraska out in the fourth quarter.  Nebraska put it on Colorado, and looked like they had the fire to carry Nebraska this season. Injuries have put a bit of a damper on their performance and the late game collapse was really bad, but I continue to be encouraged by their tenacity and willingness to tackle with violence.  I’d argue that the personal foul on Lamar Jackson in the first series was a bad call. I know it was early, but I felt like it gave Colorado some life. If Nebraska could have capitalized on that early stop, it would have really changed that game. The Blackshirts needs to cut down on penalties, but they could be a force in the Big Ten based on the first two games.

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Score Prediction: Nebraska 37 – Northern Illinois 21

When Northern Illinois came to Lincoln and upset Nebraska two seasons ago, it set in motion the ability to have Scott Frost come back to Nebraska.  I thought that was rock bottom for Nebraska that day, but I was probably wrong. I’m not sure if we really have hit it yet, but I sure hope so. Nebraska needs to make a statement at home this week, offensively and defensively.  If Nebraska is up by three touchdowns going into the fourth quarter, they need to get young players into the game. That's the only reason this game should be as close as we predict. Nebraska is capable of dominating this team. As always GBR!!!

Game Day in Boulder!

So that wasn’t exactly how it was supposed to go.  Nebraska has been a media favorite to win the Big Ten West division all off season and it looked like South Alabama would be nothing more than a stepping stone on the way to that title.  Then the offense took a turn into the ditch last week and as Nebraska only scored two offensive touchdowns on one of the worst offensive performances in Scott Frost’s coaching career.

So, what really happened?  A couple of things stick out and your crack blogger Kenny Bloggins went to former college football players to see if the bloggin’ eyes were telling the truth.

What surprised me was that two former players, one from Nebraska and one from the Minnesota Vikings had varying opinions on how the offensive line performed.  The former Husker told me that Cam Jurgens is going to need to be the “guy” at center. Right now, Will Farniok just isn’t ready to rumble in the Big Ten. He said that Jurgens will need to get as many reps as possible before Big Ten play and hope for the best.  The rest of the offensive line will need to get better too, but to him Jurgens is the key to the season. So goes Jurgens, so go the Huskers. Can’t say that I disagree.

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The former Viking was a little big more optimistic.  He said that hand placement was the biggest culprit for the Huskers against South Alabama.  He explained that hand placement is a matter of repetition and after doing it for a couple of games, the offensive line would be fine.  He expects offensive line coach, Greg Austin, to have it handled this week against Colorado. If they don’t, he said expect changes in personnel by week three.

From my vantage point and re-watching the first half about six times, the footwork was just as big an issue as hand placement.  The Huskers looked slow up front, like they were stuck in concrete. Matt Farniok looked like he had an invisible plow hooked to his hips.  Jurgens and new guard Trent Hixson didn’t look to be on the same page half the time. That is a communication issue and an experience issue.  I think that will get cleaned up. The feet in the concrete though? I don’t know if you can fix that.

Nebraska is in a precarious situation right now.  If the offense has a bad week against Colorado, the season may be headed toward .500 rather than any division titles.  If the Huskers can’t take advantage of the young skill talent it has, I think the coaches are going to need to take a long look at playing some different players on the offensive line and giving them a chance to build stamina and learn on the fly.  You can’t continue to put veteran players out in the trenches if they fail to perform repeatedly. Are better players on the Husker bench? I don’t think so unfortunately, but the staff may need to find out. This week more than probably any other, could foretell the rest of the season.

Carriker Chronicles at the Omaha World Herald

ON WITH THE REWIND…

Last week’s prediction was Nebraska 40, South Alabama 17.  The final score was Nebraska 35, South Alabama 21. We were close on the score, but certainly not on our prediction of how they would get there.  Nebraska’s offense will need to be the bread winner this season for the Huskers to have great success. Hopefully South Alabama was an anomaly.

Quick Notes:

Blackshirts… You could have shocked me out of a coma if you told me before last week that the defense and punt return unit would carry Nebraska to victory.  Give big kudos do defensive coordinator Erik Chinander. He called timely blitzes and the Blackshirts forced five turnovers. They may not be world beaters, but if this defense can turn the ball back to the offense with any kind of regularity, the overall team could be good.  I don’t know if the defense can win many games for Nebraska, but it was nice to see them do it early in the season.

Maurice Washington…. Whatever you think of the suspension that Coach Frost handed Washington, it certainly was a lift to get Maurice back on the field.  He is clearly a difference maker for Nebraska. He sees the field so well, and it doesn’t take great blocking for him to get to the next level.  I’m not saying Dedrick Mills won’t have big games this year, but Washington clearly is a notch above almost any other athlete on the field. Nebraska needs Washington to play every game to increase their success.

Special Teams …I could tell that this unit was going to be improved, based on the depth of athletes on the roster this season.  When you have veteran players on special teams like Cam Taylor-Britt and J.D. Spielman along with newcomers like Wan’dale Robinson, you can see that explosive plays can happen at any time.  I foresee Nebraska having some big plays this year on both return teams. Now, Nebraska needs Barret Pickering to get healthy. If he shores up the kicking game, Nebraska will have a nice advantage on special teams in a lot of games.

Big Red Kool-Aid…With Adrian Martinez being so good as a true freshman, it was hard not to drink all the offseason hype with this offense.  That first taste against South Alabama was bitter as hell though. I think we all can see that the difference between 4-8 of last season and a possible flip to 8-4 doesn’t leave a lot of room for Martinez not to be at his best each game.  I expect the offensive line to get better, but I think it’s a lot to ask that they win the West division. It seems like even with the offseason hype, Frost’s initial prediction that it would be three years before this team is ready to make waves in the NCAA is probably closer to fact than what we would like to believe.  Who knows though, smack Colorado around this week and you never know what confidence may fly out of Lincoln.

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Score Prediction: Nebraska 34 – Colorado 31

Before the season started, I really thought Nebraska would win this game by two touchdowns and maybe more.  After last week, it is clear the team still has a lot of work to do before it blows out anyone. I’m not saying that Nebraska won’t play great this weekend, they certainly can.  I just think the thought of scoring more than four touchdowns this week may be wishful thinking. I think Nebraska gets three touchdowns on offense and the defense scores again this week.  The Blackshirts continue to create timely turnovers and Nebraska returns the favor in Folsom Field this season. GBR!!!

Editor’s Note: We regret putting North Alabama in last week’s score prediction.  The fact that we were in Alabama last week with someone from South Alabama was our punishment for the error.

Smell that Fall, Bring on Football!

So, have you been antsy this offseason?  Have you missed Husker football at all? How could you not, right?

Nebraska had the type of offseason that makes you want the season to start yesterday.  The Huskers final six games ended with a loss to Iowa, but the 4 wins down the stretch and the close loss to Iowa showed that Scott Frost had finally figured his new team out and that the players had figured out Coach Frost as well.  

A quiet spring game led way to a long off season.  Maurice Washington has been dealing with legal issues all summer and the offseason marijuana possession seemed to touch several incoming freshmen.  So far, nothing has come of the weed stories and Washington still awaits his fate in California that won’t be settled until after the first game against South Alabama.  We just found out Andre Hunt and Katerian Legrone have been suspended. That has to be the biggest thing that has happened this entire offseason.

So as the wait for games has consumed some of us, we followed recruiting and basically any other nuggets that we could obtain.  Cam Jurgens out with a foot injury? Of course. Graduate transfer wide receiver from California? Why not. These stories seem important, but small potatoes compared to the beginning of fall camp.  

Now that we have read all the articles, both local and national, we begin to see a swell of momentum for the Huskers like we haven’t seen in at least three seasons.  Several national prognosticators have listed the Huskers as the favorites to win the West division in the Big Ten and the Huskers are ranked in the initial AP poll for the first time in what seems like forever.

Is this too much, too soon for a team coming off a 4-8 regular season?  Probably. I think the Huskers are on the right track, but it would be easy to see any number of injury scenarios that could keep this team from finishing in the top 2 in their division.  Nebraska has slowly stock piled players at wide receiver, running back, quarterback and tight end on offense, but the offensive line still seems like it has shallow depth that can play in the Big Ten.  We all know that Adrian Martinez is the reason many think the Huskers are the odds-on favorites to win the West. Any regression or missed time by Martinez would certainly hurt the Huskers chances to do anything outside of reach a modest bowl game.

Omaha World Herald Carriker Chronicles

Defensively, the Blackshirts were anything but solid in 2018 and there are only a couple of names on the depth chart that are different from a team that couldn’t stop anyone the first six losses of last season.  Darrion Daniels was a nice grab from Oklahoma State at nose tackle, but no other new player looks to make much of an impact early in the season. Scottsbluff’s Garrett Nelson may be the only true freshmen to see regular time and late added junior college sensation Jahkeem Green arrived in camp so late that he may not play regular minutes until the conference season starts.  Any improvement must come from within the current roster.

It’s easy to be pessimistic, especially coming off back-to-back 4-8 seasons.  This season however, I expect that record to flip completely, if not turn into a 9-win season.  

There is no doubt that Adrian Martinez, should he stay healthy, will be an All-Conference type quarterback.  We have seen enough of his talent to know that if he takes the next step in the Scott Frost offense, he will win games based on his talent alone.  When Scott Frost left Central Florida after his second season, his offense was considered one of the best in the country. Even if he only raises the Husker offense to top 20 status in the country, Nebraska should eclipse seven or eight wins.

If the Blackshirts can show any type of improvement over last season, Nebraska will be a lot to handle as the season wears on.  Special teams need to improve as well, as it was abysmal in Frost’s first year. It really has nowhere to go but up.

When it comes down to it, an easier schedule, along with a surging offense, a defense that is bound to be better and a special teams group that can’t get much worse, should propel Nebraska into bowl season in 2019.  Will it be enough to win the division? Consider us cautiously optimistic, but realistically tempered. We have heard it almost every season since 2011 that Nebraska is a contender to win their division. It is time for the Huskers to make that move.

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ON WITH THE REWIND…

We don’t have a previous score from the Spring Game, but I would have bet on the team wearing red.  Our recollection from that game? Luke McCaffrey is fast. Other than that, not much really stands out.

Quick Notes:

Offense… This group is young everywhere.  Kanawai Noa is the only senior on the team that expects to see big minutes.  This group is also very quick. You can say that it is small, with the addition of Wan’dale Robinson to pair with J.D. Spielman, there won’t be a group that is quicker in the conference.  The question is, will Nebraska’s running game continues to improve with the loss of Devin Ozigbo? I suspect that JUCO transfer Dedrick Mills and Maurice Washington, when eligible, should be able to cover what Ozigbo and Washington did last season.  I also expect the offensive line, in its second year with Greg Austin, to make a big step overall in 2019. The offense is by far the strength of the team and it has been overhauled in less than two years. It is very impressive. 

Darrion Daniels…. It goes without saying, but Nebraska struggled to put a true nose tackle on the field last season.  Carlos and Kahlil Davis are not true nose tackles, and Damion Daniels wasn’t ready to play full time last season.  Bring in Damion’s older brother Darrion from Oklahoma State and #boom now you have a real person to man the middle.  With Darrion coming in and Damion being a year older, what was a weakness last season just got a nice shot in the arm.  Throw in Deontre Thomas as another option and the Huskers should be much improved along the defensive line.

Linebacker …Nebraska’s next big jump in recruiting needs to come at this spot.  Nebraska has done such a good job addressing deficiencies all over the field but finding immediate playmakers at both the inside and outside linebacking positions has eluded the coaching staff.  There are plenty of young players with promise in the pipeline, but in 2019, outside of Mohamed Barry, you don’t have many players that have proven themselves on the field. If this position group even plays average this year, the Blackshirts will make a large jump in yards against and probably points given up as well.  This position group really is the question mark that may make the season a bust or success.

Season Prediction…I could see the Husker season going any number of directions.  Face it, they have under performed to their talent severely that last two seasons.  If they just play close to the level that they should, they would win 7 games easily.  I think we get a mix of second year explosion, but a dose of hard reality that Nebraska, while on the right track, still doesn’t have the horses or depth to win 10 games.  I expect Nebraska to win 8 during the regular season. For some reason, I think it will be difficult for the team to go much better than 5-4 in conference. If they do better than that, they could certainly win the west, but I think the lack of depth and lack of big-time playmakers on defense will hold this Nebraska team from breaking through.  They are close, but not ready for playoff football just yet.

Big Red Rising Shirt

Nebraska 40 – South Alabama 17

I expect the Huskers to have some inconsistency on offense the first game.  I also expect them to be explosive in the game and put up 4 touchdowns on plays longer than 25 yards.  North Alabama won’t get the team that played Troy last fall. They won’t get the best of the Huskers this year either.  Nebraska will work to get a lot of young players on the field to get the jitters out, knowing that going to Boulder the next week is the first big challenge of the season.  I expect this game to be over moving into the 4th quarter.  If it isn’t, this season may not have the promise it seems prior to the kickoff.  GBR!!!