No 8 - Nebraska Cornhuskers 2010 Preview

Friday, September 03, 2010

by Aengus Moorehead

No 8 - Nebraska Cornhuskers 2010 Preview - Zac Lee

2010 was the season that Nebraska Cornhuskers officially returned to the top tier of college football. The Cornhuskers won the Big 12 North behind a dominating defense and were one second away from defeating Texas for the conference crown. While Nebraska Cornhuskers fans still feel slighted by the referee’s correct decision to put one second back on the clock and allow Texas to kick a winning field goal, they are extremely optimistic for this season after their team thrashed Arizona 33-0 in the Holiday Bowl.

Nebraska is also in a transition stage this season, as this will be their last as a member of the Big 12. The Nebraska Cornhuskers are leaving for the greener (as in dollar bills) pastures of the Big Ten and they took particular pleasure in shedding their rivals from the Lone Star State. But their imminent departure also means that they will get every team in the league’s best shot this fall. Will the ‘us against the world’ mentality allow Nebraska Cornhuskers to keep their focus razor sharp this season? With a veteran team returning and one of the country’s best coaches in Bo Pelini, that focus could be the genesis for a special season.

2009 Results: 10-4, Won Holiday Bowl vs. Arizona
Head Coach: Bo Pelini (3rd year@ Nebraska, 20-8 Overall)
Home Venue: Memorial Stadium (81,091), Lincoln, Nebraska

The Nebraska Cornhuskers offense was somewhat disappointing last season, scoring only 25 points per contest. The reason that their scoring fell off by nearly ten points per outing was a much less effective passing attack, as senior Zac Lee (2,143 yards, 14 TDs, 10 INT) was extremely inconsistent after struggling with an elbow injury all season. A return to health for Lee and a push from a pair of underclassmen will be the kick that he needs to take a big leap ahead this fall. Furthermore, the starting tandem of seniors Niles Paul (40 yards, 796 yards, 4 TDs) and Mike McNeill (28 catches, 259 yards, 4 TDs) should be a physical mismatch, especially the monstrous McNeill, who moves over from tight end.

Las Vegas Sports Pick

Another reason to be confident about the passing game is the quality of the O-Line that will be protecting Lee. The Huskers have four returning starters, three of whom are seniors this fall. On top of that, this line is absolutely enormous, with the smallest starter standing 6’4” and weighing over 300 pounds.

That’s a great sign for the running game, which should be the primary axis of attack this autumn. Senior tailback Roy Helu (1,147 yards, 10 TDs) was a 2nd Team All-Big 12 selection last year and he is a downhill runner that fits perfectly with this team’s running philosophy. Furthermore, sophomore Rex Burkhead (346 yards, 3 TDs) showed great skill running the Wildcat offense versus Arizona and he will emerge as a legitimate compliment to Helu this season.

No defense allowed fewer points in the entire country last season, as Nebraska held opponents to a miniscule average of 10.4 points game. The driving force behind this showing was DT Ndamakong Suh, who was the 2nd overall pick in the NFL draft after being a Heisman finalist and winning the Lombardi, Bednarik, Nagurski and Outland Trophies. Needless to say, he will be missed, as will two other NFL draft picks.

But the returning D-Line is still going to be absolutely loaded. Junior DT Jared Crick (73 tackles, 9.5 sacks) was a star in his own right next to Suh last season and was a 1st Team All-Big 12 selection. Meanwhile senior DE Pierre Allen (51 tackles, 5 tackles) is also a very strong and experienced player who will be starting for the 3rd consecutive season. But what about replacing Suh? Obviously Crick will be the mainline defender in the middle but monstrous sophomore Baker Steinkuhler (17 tackles), a former elite recruit, should benefit from playing extensively next to a man who eats up a ton of double teams like Crick does.

At linebacker, two starters return from last season’s great run defense. However, the line was so effective last fall (Suh led the team in tackles) that the linebackers didn’t have extremely impressive numbers. Senior Eric Hagg is a breakout candidate (40 tackles, 2 sacks, 1 INT) and sophomore Will Compton (40 tackles) was a 2nd Team Freshman All-American last year, so there is great potential here. Continuing the trend of impressive young linebackers, middle linebacker Sean Fisher (35 tackles, 1 sack) was a 3rd Team Freshman All-American as a backup last year and he is an outright physical specimen at 6’6”.

There really isn’t any weakness on this defense as the secondary is going to be loaded as well. The Huskers finished #1 in the country in pass defense last year by allowing only seven touchdowns through the air while snagging 20 picks! Senior cornerback Prince Amukamara (64 tackles, 2 sacks, 5 INT) was a 1st Team All-Big 12 choice last fall and he will anchor this group. Opposite him will be junior Alfonzo Dennard (31 tackles), who seized a starting role as an underclassman last year. Expect this tandem to be one of the league’s best. At safety, the Huskers have to replace both starters from 2009 but there is still a ton of experience on hand. Senior DeJon Gomes (46 tackles, 4 INT) was always around the ball while playing extensively last year and he will step easily into the starting lineup this fall. Nebraska Cornhuskers will have another great showing against the pass this season.

This will be a very interesting schedule for the Cornhuskers. The non-conference slate features three home games against weak opposition but is redeemed by a challenging trip to Seattle to face Washington and stud quarterback Jake Locker. This will be a great early test for the Huskers. In Big 12 play, the draw from the South Division is pretty tough as they have to travel to Texas A&M and Oklahoma State while hosting the most intriguing game in the country this season against nemesis Texas. Nebraska Cornhuskers does have three home games against the North Division, including challenger Missouri, but they also have to travel to Kansas State on a Thursday night. Overall, this is a very navigable schedule with a few huge showdowns.

This is one of the country’s best teams on both sides of the football in the trenches and that dominance is going to be their foundation for success. Much like last season’s National Champ at Alabama, the Huskers are going to use their two headed monster at tailback to pound teams into submission while playing great defense.

PREDICTED RESULT: 11-1 (7-1 Big 12) - Bodog NCAA College Football Futures Lines

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alfonzo dennard - baker steinkuhler - bo pelini - dejon gomes - eric hagg - holiday bowl - jared crick - memorial stadium - mike mcneill - ndamakong suh

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