Bloody Wisconsin

Jordan is Back!!!

Since joining the Big Ten, Nebraska has had very little success against the Badgers.  It’s inconvenient to say the least, although four of those games have come with Bo Pelini at the helm.  Last year however, Nebraska had the Badgers at home and lost on a last minute field goal.  It was part of Coach Riley’s horrible first season.

Nebraska enters this weekend with a lot to gain, undefeated and ranked in the top ten.  Wisconsin has already faced the two brutes of the Big Ten, losing somewhat close games to Michigan and Ohio State.

Nebraska has an opportunity to make a big statement this week.  The biggest statement in the Riley era.  Nebraska is beat up, missing Cethan Carter and the offensive line is also suffering up and down he list.  If Nebraska is going to win this game, they need to do it with defense and not turning the ball over.  

Coach Riley has been known to be a giant killer in the past in the Pac-10.  Let’s hope this week falls under Riley’s spell.

ON WITH THE REWIND…

Our previous score prediction for Purdue game was Nebraska 31 – Purdue 13.  The Huskers struggled against Purdue finally pulling away or a 27 - 14 win.  It wasn’t pretty, in fact is was pretty ugly.  Despite Nebraska not being able to establish a running game, Nebraska was able to keep the Boilers at bay, giving up a long TD pass, but not much else.  Let’s hope it was a let down, prior to the big game this week.

Cornhusker Memes Tees

Quick Notes:

Jordan Westerkamp is back!  Make no mistake, having Jordan back is a huge plus for the Huskers this week.  Think of all the games that Jordan has made a big catch or a big block.  He is a security blanket for Tommy and a leader for the offense.  I expect his presence to not only help the passing game, but to open up things for the run as well.

Offensive Line needs to step up.  For three and a half quarters, Tommy Armstrong and Terrell Newby had no holes and next to no time to even get back to the line of scrimmage…against Purdue.  That simply won’t be acceptable this weekend against Wisconsin and their monster front 7.  Nebraska will need a big game from the hog mollies up front if they are going to pull the upset on the road.

The Defense Continues to Play well..  Outside of a long pass that defensive coordinator Mark Banker said should have never happened, the Blackshirts continue to keep games close and have been the steady part of this 2016 team.  If the defense plays great this weekend in Madison, it will give the Huskers a chance.

The Cubs are in the World Series.  Sorry for the short blog this week.  For this life long Cubs fan, this has been one of the best weeks in a sports fans life…next week we should be back to our regular scheduled blog!

Score Prediction: Nebraska 19 – Wisconsin 17

Nebraska isn’t as healthy as they were 4 weeks ago, and neither is Wisconsin.  Nebraska has had NO success in Madison, and yet I feel like it’s time for the Huskers to get them.  Nebraska is playing with house money in a sense, because losing to Wisconsin doesn’t mean they still can’t win the West division, but a win would all but separate Nebraska for the rest of the season.  This game will be a slugfest, but I see Tommy Armstrong making the plays to win it and the defense collecting 3 turnovers.  I’ve been torn all week if I would pick the Huskers, but I feel in my heart it’s just time.  GBR!

Riley’s Winning Streak Brings Back Memories

Last season Nebraska went to West Lafayette, Indiana.  They left Lincoln without Tommy Armstrong and when they started playing they realized they left their desire to play defense in Lincoln as well.  What happened that day in October of 2015 was about as low as it could get for Huskers fans.  Purdue hadn’t beaten a conference opponent in a couple of seasons and now, Nebraska, a team in the top ten in all time wins in college football was the laughing stock of the Big Ten.

I shudder to remember the game.  Poor Ryker Fife looked as if he had never played football part of the time.  Defensive players gave about half effort and by times it wasn’t even that good.

Riley had a reputation for beating better teams, but he also had a reputation of laying some rotten potatoes on the table.  The Purdue loss smelled worse than any Husker loss since Bill Callahan roamed the sidelines.  Even our loss to Wisconsin when Melvin Gordon ran for over 400 yards seemed like just a bad day against a good team.  This was freakin’ Purdue!

My how things have changed.  The next week, Nebraska came back home to Lincoln, Tommy Armstrong started against Michigan State and the Huskers upset the Spartans.  At the time, it looked like one of Mike Riley’s signature wins.  That was great, but many felt and many still feel that Coach Riley wouldn’t be able to bring Nebraska back into National prominence.

Since that Purdue game, Nebraska has gone 9-1 with the lone loss being a Friday afternoon stinkfest to Iowa.  Even though Nebraska lost to Iowa, the game was close most of the way.  The other 9 games that Nebraska has won, one thing has been consistent, and that is great effort.  We have been in some close games and found ways to pull them out in the fourth quarter.  Riley has instilled a calmness in this team and it has shown especially when the tide has turned on Nebraska and they have rallied.

Now Purdue visits Nebraska.  They themselves, no strangers to turmoil, will be coming in with an interim head coach.  Purdue fired previous head coach Darrell Hazel last week.  While the Boilermakers have managed 3 wins on the season, their athletic director has seen enough half effort and half organization that he felt like a change was needed.  I don’t know if I would have done it prior to taking on the number eight ranked team in the country, but it’s done now.  

Nebraska is playing a game that they should win and win easily.  Purdue has multiple starters missing on a defense that can’t stop the run and they have had to throw the football often to keep up in most games.  It turns out, Nebraska’s strength on defense is their secondary and the Huskers plan on running the football a lot this weekend.

Nebraska isn’t without their own warts this season, especially when it comes to injuries.  On offense, big time players Cethan Carter and Jordan Westerkamp will sit out again this week and there are numerous injuries plaguing the offensive line.  It doesn’t matter though.  Nebraska is back to being Nebraska a little bit this season.  They simply have more talent than Purdue and should beat them on talent and coaching this weekend, even at less than full strength.

Against Indiana last week, Nebraska sprinted out to a 17-0 lead, but when more players went down with injuries on offense, the team started to sputter.  No worries though, Mike Riley continued to push the right buttons and when he needed to play a great hand, he pushed all the chips into the middle of the table in the fourth quarter and salted the game away.

Indiana is much improved from last season.  New defensive coordinator Tom Allen has Indiana playing the best defense they have played in recent history.  Head Coach Kevin Wilson has had the offense playing well since he got to Bloomington.  Credit the Nebraska Blackshirts for holding the fort down for a beat up offense.  The Huskers manage to hold the Hoosiers under 100 yards rushing and kept Nebraska in the lead the entire game.

I expect the Huskers defense to dominate Purdue this week.  I expect the offense to try and shorten the game and get out of this week without any major injuries if they can.  Nebraska is about to hit the most important stretch of games in this season, they can’t let Purdue hang around in this game.  Finally, it feels like Coach Riley has the ship headed in that direction.  All of that started last year against Purdue.  Go figure.

Carriker Chronicles

ON WITH THE REWIND…

Our previous score prediction for Indiana game was Nebraska 27 – Indiana 24.  The actual score wound up 27-22, which was pretty close to our prediction.  Nebraska got out to such a big lead early, it looked like they would blow them out.  Unfortunately, with the injuries Nebraska has on offense, they weren’t able to step on the Hoosier throats.  Hopefully we won’t see a repeat this week.  Either way, Nebraska is 6-0 and I don’t know any Husker fans complaining about “how” they got there.

Cornhusker Memes Tees

Quick Notes:

Bowl eligible!  Nebraska has won more games that it did all of last regular season.  The Huskers wouldn’t have even went to a bowl last year, had there been enough 6 win teams to fill all the slots.   Nebraska won’t have to worry about that this year, they are already qualified.  Now it’s time to start figuring out what warm destination they will play in.  Each win from now on puts Nebraska in a better matchup to end the season.

Terrell Newby continues to be the man at running back.  Newby ran for over 100 yards on Indiana.  What continues to stand out is Newby’s ability to get yards when Nebraska needs them the most.  Newby basically carried the Huskers on their final scoring drive to push the lead to over a field goal.  Despite his oh so close fumble on the drive, Newby has stepped up to be the second best offensive player on the team so far this season.  Thank goodness for his play, or Nebraska could easily be 4-2.

Secondary rebounds from previous week.  Against Illinois, it seemed like Nebraska’s secondary couldn’t get it going.  Against Indiana, they made plays when they had too.  Chris Jones pick six to start the game along with Aaron Williams interception to end it were perfect bookends for a defense that played really well after an off week against the Illini.  

Nathan Gerry is starting to play awesome.  Nathan Gerry had eight tackles against Indiana, but it felt like a lot more.  Gerry made stops that were huge in changing momentum around.  Gerry was flying around and the rest of the defense seemed to feed off from that.  All of that and he was under the weather last week.  If Nebraska is going to have a chance to beat Wisconsin, Ohio State or Iowa, Gerry is going to need to have the best games of his career to make that happen.  It was a great start against a good Indiana team.

Tommy Armstrong just isn’t healthy.  It doesn’t matter if he is running bootleg action, sprint roll outs or running for his life behind a depleted line, Tommy just isn’t quite as agile as he was at the beginning of the year.  Let’s all hope that he doesn’t take a lot of hits this weekend.  Tommy will need to be the MVP of the games after Purdue.  

Introducing Cole Conrad.  Who?  Poor Cole, up until about 3 weeks ago the only people that knew the sophomore from Fremont were his teammates and his parents.  Now the kid is playing major minutes at Nebraska at tackle.  Cole stepped in after David Knevel went down on the first series for Nebraska.  While he didn’t dominate, he made some good solid plays.  He needs to cut down on missed assignments, but it’s nice that he has some experience now as Nebraska gets into the meat of their schedule.

Injuries.  We are all loving this season so far.  Nebraska has beaten all comers this year.  The thing that could derail that is injuries.  Before Nebraska goes into Madison, Wisconsin next week, the Huskers really need some luck with players coming back from injury or healing up of nagging injuries that have made a difference in play.  This Nebraska team may not blow anyone out yet, but when healthy, they are probably a top 8 team in the country.  I doubt any team outside of Alabama could continue with the amount of players missing time that Nebraska has had, and expect to come out undefeated.  The Huskers need a week of sound football for the stretch run but they need to stay healthy.

Score Prediction: Nebraska 31 – Purdue 13

This game would have been 50-14 if it was played four weeks ago, I have no doubt.  Now Nebraska just needs to play hard, smart football and get out of this game with few to no injuries.  I expect Nebraska to try and shorten the game as much as possible.  I don’t expect a lot of passing this week.  I think we will also see backup running backs get some time, so Newby can stay fresh for the upcoming schedule.  This week is about survive and advance.  Hopefully Nebraska can rest their starters in the fourth quarter.  GBR!!

The Husker Vacation is Over!

Huskers Get a Bye at the Perfect Time

If you would have told Husker Nation that the hometown Huskers would be 5-0 in the middle of October, with a chance to go on the road to Bloomington, Indiana to improve to 6-0 last July, I think most would have been pretty pleased with that.

The flip side of the conversation is, you will have multiple injuries to indispensable players, and have to take on the bulk of the Big Ten schedule wondering week to week who would be available.  Since we don’t have a crystal ball to determine the rest of the season for Nebraska, it seems as though every game from now on could be a guessing game about how the team will react.

Since we last blogged, Nebraska took on an Illinois team that many people probably thought the Huskers would walk over.  Unfortunately for Nebraska, the Illini gave the Huskers all they wanted for 3 quarters.  Nebraska did what they continue to do though and pulled away in the fourth.   Many of us would like to see Nebraska not need to pull away, but it’s nice to know that they can.

Illinois had a bye the week before they played Nebraska.  Make no mistake about it, head coach Lovie Smith used that time to prepare for the Huskers and did an admirable job in making sure Nebraska couldn’t run the ball the first three quarters.  Tommy Armstrong banged up his ankle midway through the first half.  When he wasn’t available for bootlegs and play action plays where he had the threat of a draw, Nebraska’s offense ground to a bit of a halt.  

The Huskers also didn’t do themselves any favors with a missed field goal, a few missed assignments on defense and a few dropped passes.

The biggest thing looking back at the tape was that the offensive line was filled with backup players, many playing big minutes for the first time this season.  Senior Corey Whitaker and Redshirt Sophomore Cole Conrad played large amounts of time in a game that Tanner Farmer sat out and David Knevel was unable to keep going.  Against the Illinois defensive line with multiple possible NFL draft picks, it took about 3 quarters for the line to gel and put the Illini on their heels.  

Terrell Newby finally busted a long run in the fourth quarter.  In my opinion that play was as much to do with the line playing better as it was for Illinois having busted coverage.  You just don’t get high quality blocking out the gate most of the time with offensive lineman playing in their first game, and it showed during some of the Illinois game.  It is a huge credit to line coach Mike Cavanaugh and the players, they made it work.

Nebraska really took the game over with a drive that started in the 3rd quarter and lasted for what felt like an eternity, going into a large chunk of the fourth quarter.  The drive included fourth down conversions and some stubborn running in the red zone that finally paid off.  Again, Nebraska was able to do that, because Whitaker and Conrad and the rest of the line started to crack the Illinois defensive line.

Where am I going with this?  Well I believe that if Nebraska is going to beat Indiana this weekend, the offensive line is going to have to dominate in the running game.  Both Farmer and Knevel are going to play this weekend, which should provide a spark in the running game.  Before his injury Farmer was starting to play like an all-conference lineman.  If healthy, I expect him to pick up where he left off.   This week’s problems won’t be in the offensive line, as both Whitaker and Conrad are available to play if needed, but the skill position group won’t quite be what we are used to seeing.

Devine Ozigbo, Jordan Westerkamp, and Cethan Carter are all either not traveling this weekend, or doubtful in the case of Ozigbo.  Those are three big weapons the Husker offense could really use in a game that they may need to score over 30 to win.  

Luckily, we saw Terrell Newby play like a seasoned vet against Illinois. We will need to see that again if the Huskers have a chance to win this coming weekend.  Tommy Armstrong will get Alonzo Moore back this week as well.  Alonzo stretches the field unlike any other wide receiver.  Hopefully Moore will offset the loss of Westerkamp and the offense will have the deep option that they didn’t really have against Illinois.

Defensively, Nebraska has survived fairly unscathed so far this season.  Mick Stoltenberg is probably the biggest beneficiary of the bye week, as he has yet to unleash the quickness that he displayed before re-injuring his knee in preseason camp.   Nebraska will continue with their bend but don’t break against the Hoosiers, but they will need to force a couple of turnovers in this game, to make up for the losses on offense.  The Huskers defense has held everyone not named Oregon under 17 points this season.  If they can come close to duplicating that effort against Indiana, the results of this game should continue to be the same as they have been up to this point in the season.

Cornhusker Memes Tees!

ON WITH THE REWIND…

Our previous score prediction for Illinois was Nebraska 38, Illinois 14.  While the game ended up 31-16, it was much closer than many of us imagined.  I don’t think any of us could foresee all the injuries that happened in that game.  Give Illinois a lot of credit, they came into Memorial Stadium prepared and banged with the Huskers pretty good.

Quick Notes:

Terrell Newby was the man in the second half against Illinois.  Newby had touchdown runs of 3 yards to help break the game open and slammed it shut with a 63 yard run at the end of the fourth quarter.  The senior running back continues to run harder and play better each game.  It’s kind of nice to have a veteran in the backfield with Armstrong that continues to improve.

Secondary has a rough week.  For the first time this season, the Huskers secondary looked a little slow against the Illini.  While they looked to be trailing a lot more in coverage, they didn’t give up a big day, statistically.  Problem is, this wide receiver group wasn’t particularly strong and Indiana may give them more issues this week.

Tommy Armstrong needs his legs.  One thing is for certain, Illinois sold out for the run against Nebraska and it worked for three quarters.  Offensive Coordinator Danny Langsdorf took the running out of Tommy’s arsenal since he was banged up. This caused the line of scrimmage to be jammed up, sometimes with eight or nine defenders in the box.  When Tommy can bootleg away on the edge, it seems to relieve that congestion in the middle.  Nebraska will only be able to play like a top ten team if Tommy is healthy.  Let’s hope week off gave him the rest he needed.   

Guess who is in the top Ten!  Nebraska has cracked the top ten in both polls for the first time since 2011.  While it doesn’t seem like a big deal to some old timers, for a program trying to drag itself back to the top in recruiting, this ranking is a great thing to show high school kids.  It lets players know that the Huskers are on the way back.  A win this weekend and Nebraska will really have the hammer when they go out to talk to recruits.

Time for some young players to step up.  We are at the point in the season that some of the freshman and redshirt freshman and sophomores start to step up and make plays.  Some of those candidates, like Stanley Morgan and Aaron Williams have already done it.  Now it’s time for players like Mick Stoltenberg, Tanner Farmer, Alex Davis, Bryan Reimers and Antonio Reed to start playing like they are veterans instead of first time players.

Carriker Chronicles on Husker Maxx!

Score Prediction: Nebraska 27 – Indiana 24

I hate to think this game will be close, because on paper, Nebraska should roll, but games aren’t played on paper, they played on grass and we know that Nebraska shouldn’t roll that.  (Sorry, couldn’t resist!)  Nebraska comes out of its bye week, and they should be very prepared.  Indiana has come off of a big upset over what is now a suspect Michigan State team and having played Ohio State close for 3 quarters.  For some reason I think they will play Nebraska tough this week and then fall back to the pack after that.  That has been the pattern so far, as teams seem to give great effort against the Huskers and regress afterward.  Nothing would make me happier than to see that regression start this week, but its homecoming and the Hoosiers smell blood.  Too bad they won’t get the W.  GBR!!

It's Been A Long Week Husker Nation...

Run Tommy!

After a nice win at Memorial Stadium Chicago edition, the Huskers were able to come home from Evanston with a 4-0 record.  What has happened since then has been a bit of blow up, both at home and nationally.

So let’s talk a little bit about the game.  Nebraska was a favorite on the road against a Northwestern team that had come into Lincoln last year and dealt the Huskers a large blow, that helped push the Huskers toward a 2-6 record that they were lucky to pull out of enough to get to a bowl game.  This isn’t the same Nebraska team and it showed.

The first series that the Huskers had the ball looked like they were going to be a runaway, they marched down the field only to have Terrell Newby fumble the ball while leaping Superman style toward the pylon.  Unfortunately for Nebraska, that play changed the complexion of the game slightly.  Instead of blowing out the Wildcats, they hung around and made it hard for the Huskers to blow them out.

On the good side of things, the Huskers amassed over 500 yards of total offense.  Tommy Armstrong continued with his strong play and rushed for 132 yards.  Including 246 yards passing, Tommy is really making a case that he could be all Big Ten by the end of the season.  If you would have told fans that at the beginning of the year, most would have probably scoffed at that.  They shouldn’t, Tommy has been the MVP so far this season for the Huskers.  If he can stay upright and continue with his current pace, there is no doubt in my mind that the Huskers can end up playing for the Big Ten title come December.

Defensively, Kevin Maurice had a big game with his first two sacks of the season.  Chris Jones continued to play like a lock down cornerback and Joshua Kalu and Aaron Williams both had interceptions to help the defense hold Northwestern to 13 points.  This Blackshirt unit has really been solid when they’ve needed to be and continue to improve over last season’s unit.

Nebraska has a chance to move to 5-0 this weekend against Illinois.  After last season, an undefeated record moving into October is a reversal of fortune that all Husker fans are enjoying.  Last year’s debacle in Champagne seemed like hitting rock bottom, losing 14-13 on a last seconds touchdown pass.  Little did we know that getting beat by Purdue was the actual bottom, but this year the Huskers look like they are back on track and should have plenty of motivation for revenge against the Illini this weekend.

One last thing I want to touch on is the three players that kneeled during the National Anthem.   Whether you are offended by the act or not, clearly the players, Coach Riley and the rest of the team have handled the controversy well since last Saturday.  While I can certainly understand people being upset, sometimes you have to put yourselves in someone else’s shoes to completely understand what they feel and what is important to them.  I won’t ever understand what it’s like to be an African American in this country, no more than I will understand growing up in an environment of drugs, crime and broken homes.  While you may or may not agree with the platform they chose to try and bring light to a subject, the fact is, the discussion has been ramped up this week in Nebraska.

All that being said, I’m going to support the team and those three players.  Coach Riley is supporting them, the University President Hank Bounds has supported them and their teammates are supporting them.  That’s enough for me.  I wish it didn’t have to be this way, but I understand that bringing light on a subject of race and the difficulty of the times we live in pertaining to race is important.  I have a feeling that this episode is going to bring this team together this weekend and this season.  

I think a little bit about what has happened this last week.  I then think about Sam Foltz and what this team went through this summer.  Life isn’t always simple, in fact sometimes it is damn hard.  Being 18 years old or 22 years old, sometimes you see things different than someone who is knocking on 40, 50 or even 80.  That’s ok, it’s alright to have differing opinions and being able to express them is about as American as apple pie and football.  Hopefully the end result is that we all are more aware of the circumstances in this country and what we need to do to improve it going forward.  I know cheering for the Huskers this weekend is always a great way to bring all of Husker Nation together, I hope it continues to do that.

ON WITH THE REWIND…

Last week our Northwestern prediction had the Huskers winning 28 to 17.  Considering it ended up 24 to 13 we didn’t do too bad, but we will continue to persevere in our effort for perfection!

While the game itself seemed like it was pretty tightly contested, Nebraska was never really challenged in the final minutes. Though it wasn’t a blowout, the Huskers also never seemed in danger in the fourth quarter.

Nebraska was able to do pretty much whatever they wanted against the Wildcats offensively.  If it weren’t for the two early dropped balls near the goal line, Nebraska could have easily been out to a 28-3 lead.  This Husker team is learning how to put teams away.  They aren’t quite head and shoulders above each opponent, but they are definitely looking like they are a top shelf team in the Big Ten West.

Get This Shirt Before the Iowa Game!!!

Quick Notes:

A Mikale Wilbon sighting!  Mikale had a homecoming of sorts, as he is from Chicago.  He played like he was out to impress his family too.  After seeming to be an afterthought since the beginning of the season, Wilbon averaged over 9 yards on his six carries last Saturday.  I think we all would like to see a little more of that action.

Chris Jones continues to play lights out.  It really is becoming lock-down U on his side of the field.  In fact, I’ve read a stat he is averaging an interception or pass breakup on every four passes thrown his way this season.  Even if it’s not true, he has played like an All-Conference cornerback.

Tommy Armstrong is making a believer out of many.  Tommy continues to improve from week to week.  It’s not a stretch to say that his improvement has been maybe the most remarkable improvement from one year to the next that we have seen since (chokes up a bit) Ndamukung Suh. I don’t want to put Tommy in that class just yet, but the improvement has been remarkable.

4-0. Like I said earlier, the fact that the Huskers are undefeated and ranked 15th in both national polls is impressive.  Considering where things were headed at this time last season, I’d say it’s a marked improvement.  A win this weekend, followed by an off week should be enough to help propel Nebraska into the meat of their schedule.

Recruiting.  It’s hard to understand sometimes because the results don’t always present themselves while recruits are here, but Nebraska is hosting an impressive set of recruits again this weekend.  I can’t stress enough how important it is to get kids to home games at Nebraska.  It is such a game changer for them.  As Coach Riley closes out this class, there are plenty of high profile kids considering the Huskers.  Continue to win and this could be the highest rated recruiting class for Nebraska in over ten years.  

Score Prediction: Nebraska 38 – Illinois 14

Nebraska was feeling their oats a little bit after a big win at home over Oregon.  What happened after that was the first road game, first conference game and the first chance for Nebraska to stumble.  The Huskers didn’t do that.  Now they get an Illinois team that has less talent at most positions, but a quarterback that had a big day against the Huskers in 2015.  This week it shouldn’t matter though, this team is too resilient and too focused to let this game slip away.  Nebraska gives up a couple touchdown passes in the second half, but will cruise to a relatively easy Homecoming victory.  GBR!!

On to Northwestern!

On to Northwestern! 

 Last week was about as much fun as a Husker fan can have, save for the heartburn of blowing a second half lead and having to have your dehydrated quarterback lead a furious comeback that you aren’t sure is going to happen. I digress, it was still fun! Of course when it was all said and done, Nebraska did what it had to do and they plucked those Oregon Ducks and started the season 3-0. 

The game itself, if you were able to attend, was about as much fun as you can have when Nebraska plays a ranked opponent. Oregon is no slouch, even if they dropped from the ratings. A lot of press members have written and said that had Rolls Royce Freeman not been hurt, Nebraska probably loses. First of all, I highly doubt it would have changed the outcome, Oregon ran for 336 yards on the day, so unless Melvin Gordon walked out on the field, it’s doubtful that the Ducks would have ran the ball much better. Second, the Ducks are built on speed, and multiple teams around the country would have had a hard time containing the high octane offense the Ducks run, so for Nebraska to shut down the passing game and force the Ducks to find a way to beat them, it seemed to work out okay for the Big Red. 

Nebraska made plays when it had to make them. Tommy Armstrong played about as well as I can remember him playing. No turnovers from Tommy along with his ability to run the football when called upon, made him the game MVP in my mind. The Blackshirts held when they had to. Wide Receivers made catches that were so clutch, it reminds you just how special this particular group is at catching the football. Honestly, on fourth down in the fourth quarter, I was calling for a punt, but Coach Riley had enough confidence in Tommy to make the play on fourth and long to change momentum and really stick it to Oregon.  

Coach Riley had the weight of the world on him last week. You come to Nebraska to get away from the University of Oregon and all the advantages that they had over him at Oregon State, and boom, your second year, coming off a 2015 season that wasn’t what you expected, you get the Ducks again. Let’s face facts, had Nebraska not won that game, we’d all be sitting around this week, saying “well, at least we can still get to Indy.” Now, it’s not only can we get to Indy, but can this season turn into something special? 

I’ve said multiple times, Tommy Armstrong is the key to this season. So far, outside of one crazy throw to a Wyoming linebacker, he has played like a leader and a senior. If you haven’t been impressed with his play making ability and his leadership in 2016, you probably won’t ever be a fan of Tommy. He has simply made plays, be it with his legs or arm and he is a big reason the Huskers roll into Evanston undefeated. 

Now Nebraska has another quest coming. Since Nebraska has joined the Big Ten, they have had one year that they managed to make it to the Big Ten title game, otherwise it has been a dreary existence in the league. One of the biggest reasons for that struggle is Nebraska’s inability to beat what I would call second tier teams in the league consistently. I would put Northwestern at the top of that list.

Northwestern has next to no winning football tradition up until the last 25 years. They were perennial doormats in the league for a long time. That said, even in their prime recent vintage, they have been a second tier team most seasons. That doesn’t mean they are bad, but Nebraska is a place that dedicates way too many resources to football to not beat Northwestern consistently. And boy, have they made it tough on the Huskers. Outside of 2014 when Nebraska came roaring back from a rocky start to blow out the Wildcats, this series has been filled with close games, nail biters and fortunately for Ron Kellogg III, a Hail Mary that will live for the ages. If Nebraska is to take the next step in relevancy in the national college football landscape, they need to start by taking care of business this week. A big win on the road to start Big Ten play, may be the precursor to big things come December. 

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ON WITH THE REWIND… 

 Last week our Oregon prediction had the Huskers winning 35-32. Not too shabby, believe me, it could have gone the other way. Nebraska won a game that they hadn’t typically won in about 6 years, against a team that probably would have beaten any recent Husker squad. 

Nebraska’s crowd needed to step up. Man did they ever! That was one of the loudest and rowdiest games I’ve attended in a while. I would rank it up with the Miami game from two years ago, it was fun and Husker fans delivered! 

Expect to see trick plays. Oregon dialed up the two point conversion after each touchdown. The Huskers only allowed one conversion on the first attempt. It may have cost Oregon a chance to win, and as we thought, trick plays had an outcome in the game, it just wasn’t the trick plays that we may have thought were coming. Nebraska didn’t pull out any, but they made big stops on the conversions and that was a great help. 

Quick Notes: 

1. Shoutout to Bryan Reimers and his first touchdown catch as a Husker! His story as a Lincolnite walk-on was great news and was sorely needed with Brandon Reilly unable to play. Great play as well when the Huskers needed a big play! 

2. Oregon won’t forget Michael Rose-Ivey. The senior linebacker made huge plays throughout the game and made a play when Nebraska needed it the most on the final Oregon possession. He gets a game ball. 

3. Oh, Devine! Devine Ozigbo put the pedal down to start the second half running the football. He forced Oregon to respect the run and opened the game up for some big throws later in the half. He gets a game ball. 

4. Tommy Armstrong is the man. Tommy has shown in the past what he is capable of. Now it’s just a matter of consistency from game to game. You are starting to see that now. He was the player of the game against Oregon, no doubt about it. Let’s just hope he drank plenty of Gatorade this week! 

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Score Prediction: Nebraska 28 – Northwestern 17

Unlike last week, I feel like Nebraska has a talent advantage over Northwestern at multiple positions.  The Wildcats are missing 3 of 4 starting defensive backs from the start of the season.  Brandon Reilly will be back and the Huskers WRs have been playing lights out without him.  I expect to see at least two touchdown passes, including Stanley Morgan getting his first.  Throw in a big day rushing from Devine Ozigbo and Terrell Newby for good measure and a game that might be close in the first half, should be well in hand by the 4th quarter for the Huskers.  GBR!!

Expect A Nailbiter Against Oregon!

Shuck a Duck, look who’s coming to Lincoln!

Last week the Nebraska Cornhuskers entertained their neighbor to the west, the Wyoming Cowboys.  The Huskers were a little too hospitable in the first 3 quarters, keeping the Cowpokes in the game all the way into the fourth quarter.  What happened after that isn’t something we have seen much of the last 4 years.  The Huskers held it all together while the opponent came unraveled.

Let’s be real here, Bo Pelini was fired as much for his inability to hang on to leads and his teams penchant for blowing a gasket in big games and getting run over as he was for his boorish sideline behavior.  He also had a hard time getting his team to play hard against perceived lesser opponents.  The McNeese States and South Dakota States of this world probably were a precursor to greater issues within the program than the Wisconsin and Ohio State avalanches.

This time however, the Huskers poured it on in the fourth quarter for the second consecutive week, beating a lesser team by a much greater margin that the game play would have led you to believe.

Nebraska is an improving team and we are seeing it before our very eyes.  And not a moment too soon, because guess who is coming to Lincoln?  Yeah, the Mighty Ducks from Oregon.  This isn’t your mom and pops Oregon teams from the 70s and 80s that played Nebraska and took some large beatings.  This is the second most winning program behind Alabama the last few years.  Oregon has become a hot item in college football overnight, as much for their Nike garish uniforms as their winning success, but they have had great success recently and it has turned this matchup into the ultimate measuring stick for Nebraska.

One might argue that since Chip Kelly moved to the NFL and Marcus Mariota followed, that Oregon has been moved down a peg or two.  That may be the case, but nationally, the Ducks cache is still great and believe me, they have enough weapons that if Nebraska doesn’t come to play on Saturday afternoon, the Huskers will get boat raced.

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This Nebraska team is probably equipped to play Oregon as well as any Husker team in the last four years. The last two years with Coach Pelini led to some dog races against teams with more perimeter speed than Nebraska and last season with the changeover in staff, the Huskers couldn’t stop Purdue, let alone one of the top offenses in the country.

Things seem to have turned for this Husker team this season.  Coach Riley and Coach Banker have really upgraded the defense in their second year and position coaches at each level are having a great effect on their groups and it’s starting to show.   Brian Stewart has the defensive backs intercepting passes; Trent Bray has the linebackers leading the team on the field and newly hired defensive line Coach John Parrella has the line playing better than they did all of last season when Nebraska had two NFL draft picks starting next to each other.

This Nebraska team is built to stop the run first and that is what they will need to do with Oregon.  The Ducks try to force you to use all your resources to stop the perimeter runs, then beat you over the top with quick hit passing when the safeties come up to far to help with the run.  I expect the fact that Coach Banker and Coach Riley have spent over 10 seasons playing against Oregon should allow for them to plan their schemes adequately.  I think Nebraska’s defense should keep the Huskers in the game.

That leads us to the Husker offense.  As much as we all want the defense to play well, this game really hinges on the play of Tommy Armstrong.  If Nebraska is to have any chance this weekend, Armstrong is going to need to limit turnovers to no more than one and Tommy will need to run the ball with authority to keep Oregon honest enough that he can find wide open receivers down the field.  I don’t know how much faith I have in this happening, but Nebraska is due to win a game that it should, against an opponent that they maybe have equal talent with.  If Nebraska can find a way to do well offensively this weekend, I think they can come out of this game 3-0 going into conference play.

Quick Notes:

Getting Mick Stoltenberg back on defense should be a nice boost to the defensive line this weekend.  Oregon plays fast paced and Carlos Davis may need a breather for a few series.  Mick is a beast when healthy and should provide enough depth to help Nebraska slow the Ducks run game.

Losing Brandon Reilly for this game sucks.  Missing Brandon in the first game of the season showed that the WRs that are backing him up weren’t quite ready for prime time.  Having him back against Wyoming opened up the field and Nebraska had WRs running open all over the place.  This week they won’t have that luxury, so Alonzo Moore, Jordan Westerkamp and De’Mornay Pierson El will need to step up their games this week to make up for it.

Nebraska needs to limit Oregon possessions.  You can put it however you want, but the Huskers need to stay out of a track meet with the Ducks.  Oregon has an Olympic hurdler on their team at wide receiver and has plenty of speed at almost every skill position.  Nebraska has to be patient on offense and not turn the ball over.  Keeping Oregon from having the ball keeps them out of rhythm and keeps them from scoring.  Both of those things would be a great help in winning for Nebraska.

The home crowd needs to show up.  In the past Nebraska fans have been better than great for night games.  Afternoon games have been kind of a tossup how loud the fan base is.  If Nebraska repeats the crowd rowdiness from Miami and Michigan State of the last couple of years, Oregon will be in for surprise that they aren’t expecting.  And yes, I will be there losing my voice with the rest of the Big Red Faithful!

Expect to see some trick plays.  Oregon and Nebraska will have a trick or two up their sleeve this weekend.  Whoever is successful in running one or two may be the difference maker in a game that is bound to be close.

Score Prediction:  After thinking this over, I think Nebraska is going to pull this game out.  I don’t know how, I’m not sure I believe it anywhere but in my heart, but something tells me it’s Nebraska’s time to shine this Saturday.  I think they pull out a close on, Huskers 33, Ducks 30.  Let’s hope I’m able to type next week, as I expect a nail biter!  GBR!