College Football News Preview 2020: Previewing, predicting, and looking ahead to the Nebraska Cornhuskers season with what you need to know.
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– What You Need To Know: Offense | Defense
– Top Players | Key Players, Games, Stats
– What Will Happen, Win Total Prediction
– Schedule Analysis
– Nebraska Previews 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015
2019 Record: 5-7 overall, 3-6 in Big Ten
Head Coach: Scott Frost, 3rd year, 9-15
2019 CFN Final Opinion Ranking: 73
2019 CFN Final Season Formula Ranking: 93
2019 CFN Preview Ranking: 42
No one knows what’s going to happen to the 2020 college football season. We’ll take a general look at where each team stands – doing it without spring ball to go by – while crossing our fingers that we’ll all have some well-deserved fun this fall. Hoping you and yours are safe and healthy.
5. College Football News Preview 2020: Nebraska Cornhuskers Offense 3 Things To Know
– When is this whole offense thing going to kick in? It scored 34 fewer points than the 2018 version, it finished an okay fifth in the Big Ten overall, and it actually ran well – going for over 200 yards per game – but it wasn’t a differentiating factor.
It needs a jolt of confidence. It needs to know it can close out games and come through in the clutch. That comes with experience, and that comes with getting almost the entire starting group back … sort of.
CFN in 60 Video: Nebraska Cornhuskers Preview
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– Good freaking luck trying to figure out the Nebraska receiving corps. Leading receiver JD Spielman left the team for personal reasons. The hope is that he’ll be back – and he’s the main man if and when it his – but it’s been a strange and murky situation since he left in early March.
Wan’Dale Robinson could grow into a good, veteran No. 1 target if Spielman isn’t back, and he’ll need to be that with the freshmen about to take over. With all the receiver talent coming in, five wideouts hit the transfer portal. Fortunately, the young guys should be fantastic.
6-4, 225-pound JUCO transfer Omar Manning and star freshman Zavier Betts will soon be the stars of the show, Marcus Fleming will be a factor, and Alante Brown can fly.
Now they need Adrian Martinez to grow into the type of quarterback who can make them all blow up.
Noah Vedral is now at Rutgers, and Andrew Bunch is transferring out. That leaves Luke McCaffrey as the main backup behind Martinez, who has been fine, but hardly the program-changing talent to make the Scott Frost offensive machine go. When he’s on, he can take over a game by himself. Now he has to be on a whole lot more.
– Don’t get too caught up in the numbers when it comes to the Husker O line – it was fine. Martinez takes sacks because he runs a whole lot – Nebraska was last in the Big Ten in tackles for loss allowed – but the front five does need to be more consistent for the ground game. All five starters are expected back around all-star senior Brenden Jaimes at left tackle.
Martinez is the team’s most dangerous runner, but former Georgia Tech star Dedrick Mills led the way with 745 yards and ten touchdowns. He’s the featured back, receiver Wan’Dale Robinson will get his share of carries – he finished third on the team in rushing yards.
However, Robinson might be needed more at his day job as a top target, and Maurice Washington transferred out. The job is open for a No. 2 back, with redshirt freshman Rahmir Johnson and new recruit Sevion Morrison getting the longest looks.
NEXT: College Football News Preview 2020: Nebraska Cornhuskers Defense 3 Things To Know