What you need to know about Nebraska before Ohio State plays them
Nebraska can’t lose that many heartbreaking games again, right?
The Ohio State football season will be here before you know it, and even if you’ve only been paying semi-close attention this offseason, you’re probably aware of the major storylines with the program. This is going to be an exceptionally young, but talented and athletic team. There’s a lack of proven production at wideout, running back, and defensive back. They return the best QB in the conference, and should at least compete for a Big Ten title.
But you may not know a lot about the specific teams on Ohio State’s schedule. We’ll get into a lot more detail before the actual games, but you may want a primer so you can sound smart at the bar, or at the barbecue, or in the grocery store checkout line.
So take a look at Ohio State’s opponents this year. Next up, the Nebraska Cornhuskers.
What was the deal with Nebraska last season?
Man, what wasn’t the deal? Nebraska had, unquestionably, one of the weirdest seasons in all of college football last season.
They lost on a Hail Joseph to BYU to open the season. They lost in overtime to Miami. They lost on a last second field goal to Wisconsin. They gave up a game-winning TD to Illinois in the final seconds. They probably should have beaten Iowa as well.
They also got stomped by Purdue. PURDUE!
And yet, somehow, because of national craziness and because once upon a time, Nebraska got good grades, the Cornhuskers backed into a bowl game despite a losing record. They then beat a throughly disinterested UCLA team to win a bowl game, and finished with an improbable 6-7 record.
The advanced stats said Nebraska wasn’t nearly as bad as its record. But at the end of the day, you’re to some degree what the standings page says you are. What will it say about Nebraska this year?
What’s up with Nebraska’s offense this year?
Nebraska brings Tommy Armstrong back at quarterback. The senior threw for over 3,000 yards last year, he’s decently mobile, has a big arm, and does a lot of things better than many Big Ten fans give him credit for. But his mistakes were constant, and costly. Armstrong only completed 55% of his passes last year, and threw a whopping 16 interceptions.
Those turnovers are a perfect recipe for losing close games, and improvement anywhere in the offense won’t be able to offset that level of poor decision-making. Some interception regression seems likely, but Armstrong probably won’t drop from 16 picks to say, 5 or anything, unless he isn’t throwing the ball nearly as much. And that seems unlikely.
Part of that is because basically all of Nebraska’s skill position guys return. The top six wideouts, including leading receiver Jordan Westerkamp, are back. So is De'Mornay Pierson-El, who, if healthy, may be the best returnman in the conference. Leading rusher Terrell Newby returns, as do a slew of potentially interesting backups. There is not a shortage of players who can do some damage with the football on this team.
How effective this offense can comes down to their ability to not turn the ball over, and their offensive line. Nebraska struggled with consistency all of last year, and now they need to replace three starters on the offensive line. Nebraska wasn’t great in short yardage before, and failing to convert on those opportunities now just puts more pressure on Armstrong. How quickly the new guys gel will tell the story of Nebraska’s offense.
What about their defense?
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Entire article:
http://www.landgrantholyland.com/20...-state-nebraska-football-preview-big-ten-2016
