Tag: Quinton Newsome

Rhule discusses special teams touchdown

A Nebraska defensive back scored a special teams touchdown in Saturday’s win over Purdue.

A Nebraska defensive back scored a special teams touchdown in Saturday’s win over Purdue. Elijah Jeudy blocked the 4th quarter field goal attempt, and the senior cornerback Quinton Newsome then caught the deflection and ran it back 68 yards for the first touchdown of his Husker career.

Head coach Matt Rhule said he was proud of the role the senior plays on special teams.

“Very fired up for Quinton. I should have said that in my opening remarks. They told me that earlier. If he doesn’t adjust on that fumble, the game might be different in that punt return. The fact that you have a senior who’s out there playing on the punt return team, that speaks a lot to him. He’s an NFL player and he’s out there playing on the punt return team. We can make you do that but we’re not making him do that.”

Newsome discussed his first career Husker touchdown after the victory.

“I was playing the super scorer on that play. I saw the ball pop up and I caught it. I saw the grass and (Tommi) Hill running with me. This is six right here. We’re going to the end zone. Taking the practice reps and bringing it to the game. You never know when you’re going to block a field goal in the game. That was a big moment in the game.”

Following the game, Husker head coach Matt Rhule stated that the coaching staff has been all over the team about the need for big plays on special teams.

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Offensive/Defensive Players of the Week from Nebraska’s loss to Illinois

Here are the Offensive/Defensive Players of the Week from Nebraska’s loss to Illinois

On Saturday, the Nebraska Cornhuskers suffered a 9-26 loss to the Illinois Fighting Illini.

It was a competitive game in the first half. Midway through the second quarter, the Cornhuskers actually held a 9-6 lead. Unfortunately, quarterback Casey Thompson left the game late in the second quarter with an injury. In Thompson’s absence, Nebraska’s offense failed to put any additional points on the board. Backup quarterback Chubba Purdy completed only three passes for 15 yards.

It was an ugly loss. Nevertheless, a couple of players managed to have standout performances. Without further ado, let’s take a look at Nebraska’s Offensive and Defensive Players of the Week.

Three keys that’ll help Oklahoma secure a road win against Nebraska

Oklahoma travels to Nebraska to take on the Cornhuskers. Here are three keys to the game that put OU in the best position to win.

We’ve seen two games from Oklahoma. While the results haven’t been bad, there’s this sense we don’t quite know what Oklahoma is this year.

We don’t have that answer yet, but Saturday’s game against Nebraska will go a long way in answering that question.

Sure, Nebraska isn’t a top 15 program as it once was. It also just fired a head coach who was a returning favorite son. Scott Frost didn’t get the job done at Nebraska, which will sting for a long time. However, the program moves on, and Oklahoma cannot get wrapped up thinking Nebraska will roll over.

With experience in the rivalry, Brent Venables knows what this game means to both sides. Venables will have to prepare his team for a hostile environment for the first time this season.

As for the on-field things to watch out for that could help Oklahoma leave Lincoln, Nebraska, as winners on Saturday night? We’ve got you covered.

Up Next: Keys to an Oklahoma win

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A look at Nebraska’s Big Ten Media Day

Nebraska’s day in Indianapolis is complete!

Nebraska completed its Big Ten Media Day on Tuesday morning. Scott Frost and company were the first team to talk to the media in Indianapolis this year. A photo recap of the day can be found below. You can get a recap of Cornhuskers Wire coverage here. And for a look at social media reactions click here.

Nebraska announces 2022 Big Ten Media Day representatives

Who is making the trip to Indianapolis later this month?

The Nebraska athletic department has finally announced who will join Head Football Coach Scott Frost at Big Ten Media Days in Indianapolis. The two-day event will be held at Lucas Oil Stadium on July 26th and 27th. The Huskers will participate in the festivities on the 26th with fellow Big Ten teams Indiana, Iowa, Marland, Michigan, Minnesota, and Northwestern. The 27th will see Illinois, Michigan State, Ohio State, Penn State, Purdue, Rutgers, and Wisconsin.

Cornerback Quinton Newsome, linebacker Garrett Nelson, and tight end Travis Vokolek are the players who have been chosen to make the trip to the annual event. The Huskers are the opening team of the conference festivities as they are scheduled to meet with the media at 10:00 am on Tuesday, July 26th.

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247Sports’ Nick Kosko predicts Nebraska to upset Iowa in the 2022 season finale

247Sports’ Nick Kosko likes the Nebraska Cornhuskers to upset the Iowa Hawkeyes in the 2022 regular season finale.

Iowa has owned the series against Nebraska, winning the past seven contests against the Cornhuskers. It looked like the Hawkeyes’ dominance over Nebraska was set to come to a close last year in Lincoln, Neb., but a fourth-quarter Iowa rally was jumpstarted by Henry Marchese’s blocked punt that Kyler Fisher returned 14 yards for a touchdown.

That sliced Iowa’s deficit from 21-9 to 21-16. The Hawkeyes followed that special teams game-changer up by forcing Huskers backup quarterback Logan Smothers into an intentional grounding penalty in the end zone for a safety. Iowa’s Caleb Shudak added a 44-yard field goal on the ensuing possession and suddenly the game was tied.

Then, Iowa quarterback Spencer Petras capped off a six-play, 76-yard drive with a two-yard touchdown plunge to give the Hawkeyes its first lead with 2:58 remaining. Hawkeyes cornerback Jermari Harris sealed the victory, intercepting Smothers to end any final threat from the Huskers.

In the process, Iowa registered its fifth consecutive victory in Lincoln, captured the Big Ten West crown and notched a 10-win season. 247Sports’ Nick Kosko isn’t buying into any of the recent series history in his game-by-game predictions for Nebraska’s 2022 season, though.

Kosko likes Nebraska to upset Iowa, 24-21, to end the 2022 regular season.

Yes, we’re picking an upset here. Nebraska puts a stamp on its bowl game date, whenever and wherever it might be. The upset over the Hawkeyes on the road will be the defining game of the 2022 season for Scott Frost. There’s gotta be one in there somewhere, and why not the final regular season game of the upcoming fall? Let’s do it. A late field goal puts Nebraska up by 10 (24-14) and the defense holds on as Iowa fails a late comeback. With the 7-5 record, Frost ensures a 2023 campaign and has a chance to win an eighth game in the postseason. – Kosko, 247Sports.

Obviously, this would be a reversal of what fans have seen in recent years. There’s a good chance that it has serious division implications for the Hawkeyes, too. The West feels like it’s wide open, and Iowa just might be hosting Nebraska for a return trip to Indianapolis in the 2022 edition to determine the fate of the Heroes Trophy.

If that’s the circumstances going in for Iowa’s Senior Day game, then the Huskers will have earned a difficult to come by victory, and it would further signal that Nebraska has made progress as a football program in 2022.

While Iowa is an interesting team heading into next season given the disparity between the team’s offensive and defensive production in 2021, Nebraska might have been the most intriguing, hardest to figure out team in all of the Big Ten last season. The Huskers finished 3-9, which is by definition bad. Still, Nebraska lost eight one-score games, which could indicate that the Huskers are ripe for a quick turnaround.

Time will tell on that front. One thing is for certain: Scott Frost needs 2022 to show tangible results if he’s to remain the Huskers’ head football coach. Frost brought in offensive coordinator Mark Whipple from Pittsburgh to help try and rejuvenate Nebraska’s offense. Last season’s backup quarterback in Smothers returns for Nebraska, but longtime starter Adrian Martinez is off to Kansas State.

Nebraska went ahead and brought former Texas quarterback Casey Thompson in to be the likely starter, and the Huskers added Florida State transfer signal-caller Chubba Purdy as well. The wide receiving corps features a series of transfers as well with Trey Palmer arriving from LSU, Marcus Washington from Texas and Isaiah Garcia-Castaneda from New Mexico State.

Palmer had 30 grabs for 344 yards and three scores in 2021, Washington registered 18 receptions for 277 yards and a pair of touchdowns, and Garcia-Castaneda hauled in 37 passes for 578 yards and four scores. Add that in with Omar Manning’s returning 26 grabs for 380 yards and two touchdowns.

In the backfield, Nebraska will be looking for Rahmir Johnson, Gabe Ervin Jr. and Jaquez Yant to combine for the Huskers’ rushing attack. Last season, Johnson carried 112 times for 495 yards and four scores, Ervin Jr. rushed 37 times for 124 yards and two touchdowns and Yant tallied 47 totes for 294 yards and one trip to the end zone.

Defensively, Nebraska added two-time All-Big 12 second-team selection Ochaun Mathis at defensive end. Mathis has 135 tackles, 30.5 tackles for loss and 15.5 sacks over the course of his college career. He’ll team with Garrett Nelson, Ty Robinson and Alabama transfer Stephon Wynn Jr. At the second level, Nebraska linebackers Luke Reimer and Nick Henrich combined for 189 tackles last season.

The Huskers’ defensive backfield has its fair share of transfer additions as well, featuring Tommi Hill from Arizona State, DeShon Singleton from Hutchinson Community College and Omar Brown from Northern Iowa. That trio will join safety Myles Farmer and cornerback Quinton Newsome.

For a head coach in Frost that frankly is desperate for success heading into 2022, it makes sense to replenish the roster with a series of transfer portal additions and see if it works. While Iowa hopes to be fighting for the Big Ten West in the season finale, Frost just might be coaching for his job.

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