NCAA Football Preview – Nebraska Cornhuskers
After jumping out to a 2-0 start, Nebraska hit a bump in the road and fell at home to 16th-ranked UCLA on Sept. 14 by a 41-21 final, as the Bruins reeled off 38 unanswered points. The Cornhuskers rebounded with three straight wins in blowout fashion before stumbling at Minnesota on Oct. 26, 34-23.
Once again, the Huskers managed to pick themselves up off the canvas. They beat Northwestern the next week on a 49-yard Hail Mary as time expired, then followed that up with a 17-13 road win over Michigan. But the following week, Nebraska committed five turnovers at home against eventual Rose Bowl champion Michigan State and lost, 41-28. That outcome did not sting very long as the Huskers responded with an overtime victory at Penn State on Nov. 23.
They secured a date with Georgia in the Gator Bowl on New Year’s Day after suffering a 38-17 home loss to Iowa in the regular-season finale. NU ended its season on a positive note by beating the Bulldogs, 24-19, to snap a three-game postseason slide and exact revenge from the previous year’s 45-31 loss to Georgia in the Capital One Bowl.
2014 ANALYSIS:
OFFENSE: When Nebraska’s offense has the ball, opponents can expect to see plenty of senior I back Ameer Abdullah, who eclipsed 100 rushing yards in 11 of 13 games last season. His 1,690 yards on the ground marked the highest total for a Nebraska back since Ahman Green in 1997. A Doak Walker Award semifinalist, Abdullah earned Third-Team All-America honors in 2013 as well as First-Team All-Big Ten.
While Abdullah figures to carry the offensive load in 2014, plenty of eyes will be fixed on sophomore quarterback Tommy Armstrong Jr., who took over for injured starter Taylor Martinez after four games and produced mixed results. Armstrong completed only 51.9 percent of his passes and averaged 107.3 passing yards in nine games, although moments like the Gator Bowl when he threw a pair of key touchdown passes, provide reason for optimism. Wideout Kenny Bell also returns after catching a team-high 52 passes for 577 yards and four TDs.
DEFENSE: Headlining the defense is First-Team All-Big Ten defensive end Randy Gregory, who is on the watch list for the 2014 Ted Hendricks Award, given to the nation’s top defensive end. All Gregory did last year as a sophomore was rack up 66 tackles (19 TFL), 10.5 sacks and 18 quarterback hurries.
“Randy Gregory is a tremendous talent,” head coach Bo Pelini said at Big Ten media day. “He has great instincts. He has great get-off, a guy who can really rush the passer. I think he’s only scratched the surface of what he’s going to be down the line.”
All three starting linebackers return in Zaire Anderson (52 tackles, 6 TFL), Michael Rose (66 tackles, 6 TFL) and David Santos (87 tackles, 7 TFL). In the defensive backfield, standout cornerback Stanley Jean-Baptiste must be replaced after getting picked by the New Orleans Saints in the second round of the 2014 NFL Draft. Safety Corey Cooper, the team’s leading tackler last season (91 tackles), provides a steadying presence.
SPECIAL TEAMS: There are some question marks surrounding Nebraska’s kicking game. Punter Sam Foltz performed admirably as a freshman, as his 41.6 yard average ranked fifth in the Big Ten. If he can improve his consistency, the Cornhuskers should be in good shape there.
At kicker, freshman Drew Brown is tasked with replacing Pat Smith, who converted 12-of-13 field goal attempts last season.
OUTLOOK: Nebraska enters the 2014 campaign ranked No. 22 in the national polls. In six seasons under Pelini, Nebraska has finished with either nine or 10 wins every year. That’s certainly not a bad thing, but the team’s goals this time around are a bit higher.
“We’re looking for a championship,” coach Pelini said. “I think we have the pieces. We have a lot of potential on our football team, but there’s going to be a lot of hard work that needs to be done for that to make that become a reality. We’ve tried to turn over every stone in the offseason, look at everything we can do to make ourselves a better football team.”
Nebraska’s road schedule is rather daunting, with trips to Michigan State, Wisconsin and Iowa all on the docket. Early-season matchups with Fresno State and Miami also loom.
Categorized in: NCAA Football