2010 College Football Predictions – Nebraska
An impressive 33-0 Holiday Bowl win over Arizona put an exclamation mark on a very good season for the Nebraska Cornhuskers, but head coach Bo Pelini, who is now 20-8 in his first two seasons on the job, isn’t satisfied. This may be Nebraska’s last season in the Big 12 Conference, but Pelini wants to go out with a bang. Anything short of a Big 12 title and a BCS bowl game would be considered a disappointing season, especially since the Huskers could have easily achieved both of those goals last season. Forget about the controversy in last year’s Big 12 championship game surrounding the officials putting one second back on the clock for Texas to kick the game-winning field goal. Had Nebraska not booted the kick off out of bounds to give Texas such great field position, the Huskers were sitting pretty to pull off the upset. That heartbreaking defeat motivated the Huskers to train hard for their bowl game, and it will keep them motivated throughout the 2010 season.
What’s amazing is that Nebraska was able to win so many games in 2009 despite having one of the worst offenses in the Big 12. The Huskers ranked next to last in the league (99th nationally) in total offense, only averaging 322.8 yards per game. The Huskers also ranked near the bottom of the Big 12 in scoring offense (No. 8), averaging just 25.1 points per game. While Pelini wants even more production from the running game, Nebraska’s run offense was solid in 2009. Roy Helu Jr. did most of the damage, racking up 1,147 yards and 10 scores. Where Nebraska really struggled was its passing game. Quarterbacks Zac Lee and Cody Green were both inconsistent as the Huskers ranked No. 11 in the Big 12 (101st nationally) in passing offense. Lee is expected to get the first crack as starter. He doesn’t have to be great, but he needs to be good enough to keep the opposition honest when it stacks the box to take away the power running game. When the Huskers do take to the air, they’ll be looking to get the ball in the hands of playmaker Niles Paul. Paul caught 40 passes for 796 yards and four scores last season.
There was no better defense in FBS college football in terms of scoring in 2009. The Huskers led the nation by only allowing 10.4 points per game. Chew on this for a moment. Only one team scored more than 20 points on Nebraska all season. While the Huskers will certainly miss Ndamukong Suh, there is enough talent remaining to boast one of the nation’s best defenses again in 2010. Now, the spotlight will belong to 1st-team All-Big 12 defensive tackle Jared Crick. The guy that lined up next to Suh tallied 73 tackles and 9.5 sacks in his sophomore season. Crick isn’t quite as athletic as Suh, but he is just as powerful and has great technique. Plus, his motor doesn’t stop. Fellow 1st-team All-Big 12 pick Prince Amukamara is another player to watch. He recorded five interceptions a season ago. This is a deep, disciplined defense ready to terrorize the Big 12 again.
– Pelini has a championship-caliber defense, and the offense should be better than it was a year ago. With this in mind, there’s no reason to think the Huskers won’t find themselves in the Big 12 title game this December. Find out how I have the rest of the league stacking up in my 2010 Big 12 football predictions.
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Another day at the 2010 NFL Scouting Combine. Ndamukong Suh is a beast! Watch him in action as he solidifies his spot among the other draftees. He bench pressed 32 times!!!
