It is clear that Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule’s rebuild is taking longer than anticipated. And with yesterday’s 24-17 loss in Camp Randall Stadium to the Wisconsin Badgers, the Nebraska Cornhuskers have suffered another crushing blow to their bowl hopes. There are glaring issues that Nebraska needs to fix, but there are also several positives that the Big Red can take with them next week in their home matchup against the Iowa Hawkeyes. Let’s take a look.
A Hero at Quarterback
Throughout the season, Nebraska has struggled to find consistency at the quarterback position. Luckily against Wisconsin, Huskers’ offensive coordinator Marcus Satterfield found an answer in sophomore Chubba Purdy. After several first-down runs from senior running back Anthony Grant as well as freshman Emmett Johnson, the team was able to find pay dirt on its opening drive with his 55-yard scamper into the endzone. Furthermore, he was also excellent on his second drive as well. Purdy connected with wide receiver Jalen Lloyd for a 58-yard touchdown pass. With eight receptions for 43 yards, Billy Kemp was a major factor in the screen game with several first downs. Also, Purdy was able to use his legs to extend the Huskers’ momentum. The Florida State transfer finished the day with 169 passing yards, one passing touchdown, one rushing touchdown, and one interception. His heroics, however, weren’t enough as the Big Red failed to score at the end of the game. Can Nebraska manage the clock better in its last home game against Iowa to give him more of a chance? If so, they have a great chance to go bowling.
The Blackshirts Provide Key Stops
Heading into the Wisconsin matchup, Huskers’ defensive coordinator Tony White was riding high. In a close home loss against the Maryland Terrapins, the Nebraska defense limited senior quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa, to only 10 points. In addition, the defense limited the rushing attack for Maryland. Unfortunately, the Blackshirts wouldn’t keep this same energy against Wisconsin. After the first few drives, senior quarterback Tanner Mordecai was able to settle in by completing 18 out of his 28 passes, which led to a touchdown to sophomore backup running back Jackson Acker. In addition, Braelon Allen proved his worth. In the second half alone, he was able to break the Blackshirts’ defense by rushing for 62 yards and two touchdowns. However, it wasn’t all bad. On several occasions, the Cornhuskers were able to get stops on fourth down from junior linebacker Nick Henrich. Furthermore, linebacker Luke Reimer also added to Nebraska’s production from the position with a sack. It’s something that the team can hang its hat on this season, but there is still room for the Blackshirts to improve if they want to succeed against Iowa’s offense.
Read about NU’s stellar defense in What We Know About the Huskers’ Loss to Maryland.
Tristan Alvano’s Bright Future at Nebraska
Don’t overstate what place kicker Tristan Alvano has done for Nebraska’s special team’s unit under coordinator Ed Foley. At the beginning of the season, the 18-year-old freshman had some hiccups in his first appearance. He missed a rash of field goals against Minnesota. And then, he began to settle into a nice rhythm in his next two outings. Against Northwestern, he hit a 47-yarder, which was a career-long. And then against Purdue, he broke his own record with a 55-yard field goal. But he wouldn’t be done just yet this season. In the fourth quarter of this contest, Alvano came up big for the Cornhuskers once again with his 30-yard boot to send the team to overtime against the Badgers. Because of this, expect him to give the team key points in the final regular-season match up against the Hawkeyes. But will it be enough to finally get the Cornhuskers to a bowl game?
The Rise of Young Cornhuskers at Defensive Line
Let’s face it. The main reason for Nebraska’s successful defensive line under coach Terrance Knighton is that its veterans have played a lot of college football. But in their early careers as Cornhuskers, freshman defensive linemen Cameron Lenhardt and Princewill Umanmielien have already made a major impact in Rhule’s first year. So far this season, the duo has combined for four sacks and 29 tackles. In addition, Texas native Riley Van Poppel got valuable reps in the second half. He was able to apply pressure on Mordecai in his limited playing time. The young trio will look to keep their momentum going by forcing Iowa to make mistakes throughout the contest.
