For the first time since 1985 the Nebraska Cornhuskers enter the second game of their season with a losing record. BYU snapped Nebraska’s 29-game season opener winning streak in dramatic fashion completing a last second Hail Mary to win 33-28. Nebraska will look to rebound against Sun Belt member South Alabama. The Jaguars look to continue building on the positive momentum from last season as they reached their first bowl game in program history last season losing to the Bowling Green Falcons in the Camellia Bowl. The Jaguars are currently 1-0, as they fought off a tough test from the Gardner-Webb Bulldogs, winning 33-23. Here we will look at some of the key matchups of the game as well as some intriguing storylines to follow early on in non-conference play.
Nebraska vs South Alabama Preview
Key Matchup #1: South Alabama RB Xavier Johnson vs. Josh Banderas
Xavier Johnson had his breakout game last Saturday against the Gardner-Webb Bulldogs racking up 177 all-purpose yards on only 8 touches. The sophomore from Tampa, Florida recorded a touchdown catch of 56 yards on a screen as well as a 92-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter to put the game away. At 5’11” and 180 pounds, Johnson is a small, quick back who excels in the open field. Lining up across from Johnson will be junior Josh Banderas, the leader of the Nebraska linebackers who is entering his third season as a starter. Banderas had a solid opening game tallying six tackles in Nebraska’s loss to BYU. Johnson is the type of back that has given Banderas fits in the past as he has struggles at times defending in open space. If South Alabama is going to have a chance to win this game they will need some big plays, and Johnson is the man that can do it for them.
Key Matchup #2: South Alabama TE Gerald Everett vs. Dedrick Young
All things considered, it was a solid first game for Dedrick Young as the true freshman tallied seven tackles and an impressive pass breakup against BYU. Young will get a new test this Saturday in the form of South Alabama tight end Gerald Everett. BYU rarely featured a TE in its offense so he spent the majority of the game covering running backs out of the backfield and occasionally helping cover the slot. Against South Alabama, though, Young will be lined up over Everett, a junior TE who caught four passes for 75 yards and a touchdown against Gardner-Webb. At 6’4″ and 225 pounds Everett is more of a big receiver than a traditional TE, and he is a fluid athlete who will test Young’s ability to cover in space.
Key Matchup #3: Nebraska Offensive Line vs. South Alabama’s Defensive Line
Nebraska struggled to get much of a push against the BYU defense last Saturday as the Huskers racked up just 126 yards on 37 carries against BYU for a measly 3.4 yards per carry average. South Alabama presents a chance for the Huskers to gain some more confidence in their offensive line as the Jaguars are young and inexperienced up front. The Jaguars allowed 177 rushing yards to FCS Gardner-Webb, and Nebraska should be able to exploit them up front. A very intriguing matchup to watch will be Nebraska’s starting right tackle, redshirt freshman Nick Gates, going up against South Alabama’s best defensive lineman Akeem Lewis.
Key Matchup #4: Nebraska QB Tommy Armstrong vs. South Alabama Safeties Roman Buchanan & Antonio Carter
South Alabama graduated a ton of players from last season and return just two starters on the defensive side of the ball. Those two returning starters are safeties Roman Buchanan and Antonio Carter. Buchanan is coming off a strong start in the season opener, as the junior tallied eight tackles and an interception against the Gardner-Webb Bulldogs. Tommy Armstrong threw for 319 yards against a solid BYU defense and looks poised for a big year, but he has struggled against teams with good safeties in the past (Purdue and Michigan State come to mind). Armstrong needs to continue building off of his strong season opening performance, and to do so he will need to outsmart the leaders of the Jaguar defense.
Question #1: Will the suspended Huskers play?
One of the main storylines for Nebraska’s fall camp was who the five suspended players would be. News broke about a week ago when starters Michael Rose-Ivey, Jonathan Rose, and Cethan Carter were suspended for the BYU game along with reserves Joe Keels and Robby Painter. The loss of Rose-Ivey and Rose especially hurt, as the young Husker defense struggled without its starting WILL linebacker and starting cornerback. Expect Nebraska’s defense to improve significantly if the suspended players are allowed back on the field against the Jaguars. Rose-Ivey is considered the leader of the Nebraska linebackers, and Rose is one of the most experienced corners on the roster. He is also a very effective special teamer. Husker nation will also get its first glimpse of Cethan Carter in the new offense. Husker fans have been waiting three years for Carter to translate his natural athleticism into on field production, and this year should be the time he does it.
Question #2: How much will Tommy run?
One of the few issues that Husker fans had with Danny Langsdorf’s play calling was a noticeable lack of designed runs for quarterback Tommy Armstrong. Armstrong ran for over 700 yards last season providing a powerful complement to the ultra-quick Ameer Abdullah. Against the Cougars Tommy finished the game with nine carries for just two yards. Taking away his three sacks for -4 yards Armstrong finished with six runs for 26 yards finishing with a respectable 4.3 yards per carry average. Tommy Armstrong is at his best when he is being used as a passer and a runner. When he is forced to sit in the pocket exclusively he tends to struggle. Expect Langsdorf to give Tommy more opportunities to run the ball as Nebraska’s offense got a much needed boost when Tommy started running in the second half.
Question #3: Will the Secondary respond?
Nebraska’s young secondary learned some hard lessons last Saturday as BYU’s experienced wide receivers exposed the Husker cornerbacks in the Huskers loss. BYU’s top three receivers (Mitch Matthews, Nick Kurtz, Terenn Houk) combined for 11 catches Saturday for 251 yards and two touchdowns averaging an incredible 22.8 yards per catch. With Jonathan Rose returning to the lineup expect Nebraska’s secondary play to improve, but the one to watch next Saturday is Daniel Davie. The senior was coming off a solid junior season and was looking to earn all-conference honors in 2015, but the senior was exposed for much of the BYU game. He allowed several big catches and committed a costly pass interference penalty. If Nebraska’s defense is going to become an above-average unit Davie’s play will have to drastically improve.
Final Conclusion
This has the feel of a recovery game for the Cornhuskers, a chance for them to regroup from their painful loss to BYU, and iron out some of the problems they experienced. South Alabama is not on Nebraska’s level athletically and returns only 5 starters from last year’s bowl team. A young Husker defense raises questions though. If they aren’t locked in early South Alabama could make things interesting for a while.
Prediction
I feel that Nebraska will come into this game angry, as they let a winnable game against a very good opponent slip away last week. I think the offensive line establishes Nebraska’s dominance early and gives Armstrong a consistent run game that opens up the secondary. Nebraska’s defense should rebound from a rough first outing and make life miserable for QB Cody Clements. I think Nebraska jumps South Alabama early and never looks back on their way to an easy victory.
Nebraska: 45, South Alabama: 14
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