Nebraska Cornhuskers Football: Final Tune Up Before The Big Ten Comes Calling
By John Ackeren
Bruce Thorson-USA TODAY Sports
With UCLA and Audiogate now in the rear view, The Nebraska Cornhuskers have FCS foe South Dakota State in their sights. Saturday’s game against the Jackrabbits is Nebraska’s final opportunity to get things fixed in a live game atmosphere. Sure they have two weeks of practice to get ready for Illinois and the rest of their Big Ten schedule, but nothing can replace game speed and on the fly adjustments.
South Dakota State should be a similar situation to the Southern Miss game. No mobile quarterback to deal with. They will present a good mix of the passing game and ground attack for the Huskers to absorb. The Blackshirts will need to make a statement in this one, because the sharks are circling.
No one fears this Nebraska team. Wyoming didn’t, neither did UCLA. South Dakota State wasn’t intimidated in 2010 when they pushed Nebraska to the brink of defeat at Memorial Stadium. The Huskers have no choice but to take out all frustrations on this Jackrabbits team. They have to literally put the fear of God in them on every snap. They need to hit hard, they need to give South Dakota State four full quarters of pain. If the Jackrabbits training staff doesn’t get a good workout then the defense failed to do it’s job.
The Huskers have to leave the field exhausted too. What is on the horizon will require them to sacrifice their bodies for a full sixty minutes. Nothing can be left in the reserve tanks if the goal of a Big Ten Championship can be reached. One of the biggest issues the Huskers have is playing four quarters of football. They can’t afford to check in and out mentally against anyone on the Big Ten slate and that includes Illinois, Purdue, Minnesota, and Iowa. Two seasons in this conference has shown us that anything can happen if you don’t play a complete football game.
It doesn’t matter how many yards Nebraska gives up this weekend. The scoreboard does. The Huskers have to keep it to a minimum. Boosting the confidence of a team and their fan base is essential. Going into a bye week on a positive note cannot be overlooked. With everything that has happened this week off the field, a little dose of zen is in order.