Bruce Thorson-USA TODAY Sports
With kickoff just a day away, I caught up with Husker Corner staff writers Joshua Shaw and Leland Johnson for our pregame Corner Table discussion.
Game day finally upon us. With so many question marks on defense, what do you expect to see from them on Saturday?
Leland Johnson:
When defensive coordinator John Papuchis handed out seven blackshirts on Wednesday some of those questions were answered, at least we know a few of the starters. Which leads one to believe some good things must be happening in practice, since this is the earliest the blackshirts have been handed out in the Pelini era. I would expect to see speed, size, and smash mouth football Saturday night, especially from the D-line as they line up against an inexperienced Wyoming front. There will be new numbers filling in at different positions. Which leads to my favorite question during the season opener, “who was that guy?” We always learn someone’s name from this game we didn’t know before it because of their outstanding play on the field. This won’t be Nebraska’s best defense we’ve seen, but it might be the most aggressive.
Joshua Shaw: I expect to see a lot more speed and different looks than we’ve seen in the last two years from the defense.
John Ackeren: Growing pains should be expected, and not the Kirk Cameron variety. Wyoming might not be Michigan, but they can throw the ball. Look for a little confusion early, then look for in game adjustments and a solid finish.
How diverse do you expect the Huskers offense to be against Wyoming?
Joshua Shaw: They will have new wrinkles thrown into an already explosive offense from last year as Tim Beck and Scott Frost share offensive ideas.
Leland Johnson: Offensively Nebraska will do one thing on Saturday, but in few different ways. Run, run, and run the football. I think the offense will be very vanilla with little reason to show much off.
John Ackeren: I see a lot of off tackle action, sweeps, and the option. We will see Taylor throw the ball here and there, but only to keep the Cowboys defense honest.
Who do you think will lead the Huskers in rushing tomorrow, Ameer Abdullah or Taylor Martinez?
Leland Johnson: Ameer Abdullah and Imani Cross will both gain over 100 yards.
Joshua Shaw: I think Ameer Abdullah will get more yardage. I don’t see the Huskers having to run Taylor that much. They won’t risk any injury to him.
John Ackeren: Ameer all the way. Taylor is going to get his, but I can see Ameer with 15-20 attempts and a big day for Nebraska.
Alright, it’s prediction time. Give me your final score and game M.V.P.
Joshua Shaw: My final score is 45 to 14 with the Huskers pulling out a victory. Wyoming may stick around for a bit but they simply won’t be able to stop the Husker offensive juggernauts. I expect Ameer Abdullah to be game MVP having a couple of touchdowns on the ground and one through the air.
Leland Johnson: The Huskers run away with this one NU 45 WY 13. MVP Corey Cooper with a pair of INT’s
John Ackeren: I like the Huskers 56-20 in this one. As for the M.V.P. I will go with Abdullah. I think he will dominate the game.