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.

                              Carriker Chronicles

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.  

                                bleedhuskerred.com

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.

                                 Carriker Chronicles

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.

                                 bleedhuskerred.com

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.  

                                 bleedhuskerred.com

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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FINALLY GAME DAY!

Hope springs eternal!  Or this time, “falls” enteral?  Either way, a new Nebraska season is finally here.  Man, it’s been a while.  When we last saw the Huskers, they were limping to a 3-5 season finish with a come from behind win over Rutgers.  Nebraska failed to reach a bowl game for the fourth year.

To be honest, it feels even longer.  Nebraska has been relative about two times in the last four years.  When they hired Scott Frost and when they were ranked ahead of a 2018 season that ended worse than the season before.  It’s been a long hard ride.

So why will this year be different?  There are quite a few reasons for optimism, but it should probably be weary optimism.  Nebraska returns most of their defense that was the only bright spot for much of last season.  The special teams have an official coach in Mike Dawson for the first time in Frost’s career at Nebraska.  Special teams really can’t get much worse outside of Connor Culp from last year, so that should at least be a brighter spot.

So why would we be so negative as the Huskers go into Champaign for the first game of the season?  Quite simply, the offense has been awful.  Scott Frost was considered a budding genius as an offensive coach when he was at Central Florida and Oregon.  His first year at Nebraska was rough, but by the end of they year, you had an idea that Nebraska would figure it out and start being competitive in the Big Ten.

What happened after that was two seasons of sputtering outputs.  Nebraska has yet to develop a running game that can compete consistently in the Big Ten.  They have yet to produce wide receivers or really a quarterback that can compete for all Big Ten honors.  The offensive line has been average at best and the running game outside of the quarterback all but disappeared.

Why will that change in 2021?  I think a big part of the optimism is based on Adrian Martinez settling in and being consistent from week to week.  Establishing a running game with the running backs is so important to Martinez and his health.  Martinez simply can’t take the punishment he has received in the last two year.  Two running backs that weren’t on the roster last season and a redshirt freshman (Markese Stepp, Gabe Ervin, Jr. and Sevion Morrison, respectively) are the leaders in the clubhouse to help Martinez.  

They all need help from the offensive line.  That is the piece that has really failed to propel the Huskers into the upper reaches of the Big Ten West.  Veteran leadership from Cam Jurgens and Matt Sichterman should help the inside, but the tackles are young but talented.  They all need to take a step forward, but they look the part off the bus.

Throw in a revamped wide receiver room and veteran tight ends in Austin Allen and Travis Vokolek and you start to see a Big Ten roster for probably the first time in Coach Frost’s tenure on the offensive side.  

Martinez had his best season when he had Devine Ozigbo and Stanley Morgan on the team.  Those two are still working to make NFL rosters but they were clearly great assets when they were in Lincoln.  If Nebraska can finally recreate that type of supporting cast, they should be able to reach some of that potential that we all thought we were getting when Coach Frost was hired.  If that doesn’t work out, this season could be a long one for all of Husker Nation. 

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ON WITH THE REWIND…

Last game prediction was Rutgers 24, Nebraska 21.  The actual score was Nebraska 28, Rutgers 21.  I always question if we should put the final prediction back in the blog, but it is a gentle reminder where Nebraska was at the end of last season.  No amount of Kool-Aid can cover the abysmal finish to the Husker’s Covid shortened season.  Nebraska survived four turnovers from Adrian Martinez and physically handled Rutgers enough to win in the end.  Hopefully those days of struggling are long behind Nebraska.

Quick Notes:

Scott Frost…A not so quiet off season almost slowed to a crawl once fall camp started, but an article about an NCAA investigation has started a lot of rumors about Coach Frost and his future at Nebraska.  To be honest, the investigation on whether an analyst worked with players during a practice really doesn’t raise a flag for me.  It’s likely nothing will come of it, other than a slap on the wrist.  What it did show was the national perception of where Coach Frost is in terms of keeping his job.  I think Frost is safe this year, even if they went 5-7.  Changes would be made, but likely Frost would survive to 2022.  If Nebraska were to fall off and only win 3 or 4 games, I don’t know that he would survive that.  I think this is Frost’s best team.  If he truly is growing as a head coach in the Big Ten, he could take that big step that we have all been expecting from his hire on day 1.  

Adrian Martinez…Has there ever been a player that has had this much influence on a Husker season in the last 15 years?  If Martinez goes down for any length of time it would likely be disastrous for Nebraska.  He has had terrible turnovers at high-risk junctures of his career, but there is no denying he can change a game when he is playing well.  Nebraska must keep him upright and healthy this year and any chance of winning more than 5 games is contingent on him playing at least 10 games this year.  He has more talent around him than he has had for his entire career.  He, much like Coach Frost, needs to take that large step this fall.  

Sevion Morrison…I think the starter at running back on Saturday will be Morrison.  He may not be the player with the most carries or the most production, but I’m betting on him being the starter.  Stepp and Ervin will have their opportunities, but Morrison was the guy that I was the most excited by when he came out of high school.  He reminded me of Demarco Murray from the Oklahoma days and I really think he has shown a lot of those skills in fall camp.  If he is the man and can provide the rushing that Nebraska has really lacked since Ozigbo left, the sky is the limit for this Husker offense.   

Cam Taylor-Britt…We haven’t talked too much defense in this week’s blog, but this guy is the leader of the Blackshirts.  If Taylor-Britt has an all Big Ten season, which he is capable of, this defense can be a top four defense in the Big Ten.  If that happens, Nebraska will have a legit chance of winning the Western division.  Taylor-Britt can shut down the other teams best wide receiver every week.  That allows a veteran defense to do unique things to create pressure on offenses that they otherwise may not be able to do.  He is an NFL player.  Nebraska needs him to play like it every week.  

Season Predication:

Nebraska has the best overall roster since the last bowl season in 2016.  The have veteran leadership on defense and have NFL caliber athletes all over the roster.  The time is now.  Scott Frost has been building it up, Husker fans are ready for the results in the win column.  To me, the ceiling is likely 8 wins, but the floor, should something happen to Martinez, may be 3 wins.  That’s a big swing.  I like Nebraska to lean into a seven-win year.  Eventually the one score ball games must go in Nebraska’s favor.  No team has struggled more to win close games than Scott Frost led Husker teams in the last three years.

Score Prediction:  Nebraska 31, Illinois 24 

Going into the fourth year at Nebraska, Coach Frost has had two good game plans for season opening games and had his best half at Boulder in his second game in 2019.  I feel like Nebraska will be well prepared for Illinois.  The Illini bring back 22 Super Seniors, but they really have lost a lot of offensive fire power along the line and at wide receiver.  Nebraska gave Illinois five turnovers last season and still had multiple opportunities to get back into the game.  New coach Brett Bielema has a strong history in the Big Ten, but he will be breaking in his new team for the first time.  Nebraska probably couldn’t have asked for a better time to play Illinois, as they will be working out some first-year coaching kinks.  If Nebraska doesn’t win this game, it will be a long year in Lincoln.  That shouldn’t happen this time!  GBR!!

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