Nebraska Cornhuskers: Keys To The Season, Top Game, Top Transfer, Fun Stats
Nebraska Cornhuskers: Key To The 2022 Offense
Don’t blow off the running game.
It’s a Mark Whipple offense, which means the passing game is going to work and some Husker receiver will end up going Andy Isabella/Jordan Addison and turn into a 93-catch star.
It’s still Nebraska, there’s a part of the base that would still love to win by dominating with the ground game, and the team has to be able to control things at times when it can rip off yards in chunks. That’s going to fall on the backs without an Adrian Martinez in the backfield to hit the home run.
Nebraska ran for over 200 yards three times last year. It was 3-0 when it did, 0-9 when it didn’t.
200 rushing yards hasn’t meant an automatic win in the Scott Frost era, but out of the 15 victories in the four seasons, the O hit the mark in ten of them.
Nebraska Cornhuskers: Key To The 2022 Defense
To hammer this home from earlier – make more big things happen.
The Huskers only came up with 20 sacks, and it only forced 13 takeaways.
The bulk of the sacks and plays behind the line came in just a few games, and three of those 13 turnovers came against Fordham. It wasn’t for a lack of hustle or effort – the D just didn’t come up with enough game-changing moments.
Offenses coughed it up ten times – Nebraska only pounced on a Big Ten-low three fumbles.
The defense came up with ten interceptions. Seven of them came in three games, so there were just three in the other nine games.
There’s too much experience and too many good parts not to do more.
Nebraska Cornhuskers: Key Player To The 2022 Season
P Brian Buschini, Soph. & PK Tommy Bleekrode, Jr.
How do you start winning all the close games? You start to own special teams, and that’s been a bit of a problem.
The Nebraska punting game was a struggle last year. In comes Brian Buschini, who averaged 46 yards per kick with 30 put inside the 20 at Montana.
Husker kickers combined to hit just 8-of-16 field goals and missed four extra points. Furman’s Tommy Bleekrode was an all-star punter, and last season he hit 15-of-18 field goals with one of his misses from 62 yards.
If these two are terrific, they might be that little bit of difference that’s been missing.
Nebraska Cornhuskers: Key Transfer
QB Casey Thompson, Sr.
It’s the weird part about the transfer portal – either you’re getting lesser program’s good guys, or you’re getting a great program’s backup. But that’s not really right when it comes to Thompson.
Texas has Hudson Card and Quinn Ewers – there’s only one quarterback job.
Thompson doesn’t have the big-time skills of those two, but he’s an accurate veteran passer who threw 30 touchdowns and just nine picks over the last three years. He’s not going to be Adrian Martinez on the ground, but he can run a little bit.
Nebraska Key Game To The 2022 Season
at Iowa, Nov. 25
You want to see the cliché of Lucy pulling the football in action? That’s what Iowa has done to Nebraska over the last four years in the Scott Frost era, and it’s been even worse than that.
There have been late heroics, a few meltdowns, and blowout, and overall, lots of pain over a seven-game losing streak. If nothing else, winning in Iowa City for the first time since 2014 would be very, very cathartic.
The schedule is light enough that Nebraska really and truly should have bowl eligibility locked up before the finishing kick of the season – at least, it had better. Now it has to finally get past this Iowa problem.
Nebraska Cornhuskers: 2021 Fun Stats
– Total Points: Nebraska 335 – Opponents 272
– Fumbles: Nebraska 17 (lost 7) – Opponents 10 (lost 3)
– Field Goals: Opponents 16-of-27 – Nebraska 8-of-16
2022 Nebraska Preview
Offense, Defense Breakdown
Season Prediction, What Will Happen
Nebraska Top 10 Players | Nebraska Schedule & Analysis