Nebraska Cornhuskers vs Minnesota Gophers: Five Players to watch
Andy Janovich
When the Nebraska Cornhuskers (2-4) take the field on Saturday, the college football season will be more than halfway through October. The Huskers will also be in search of their first win in Big Ten play. Nobody could have imagined such a slow start in Mike Riley‘s first season. In fact, the Huskers were so close to having a banner season, but they haven’t been able to finish strong.
Read More: Big Ten Rankings: Huskers lack fourth quarter poise.
With the depth chart ever-changing, the Nebraska Cornhuskers haven’t had a consistent lineup on the field defensively. Coming into the season, the Huskers were set to have one of the strongest linebacker units in the country. However, they were young and not deep at the position. Therefore, potential injuries could really set the Blackshirts back.
The return of Josh Banderas, and Michael Rose-Ivey were supposed to lead the way, with freshman Dedrick Young following suit. However, Rose-Ivey was suspended in the season opener, and has been out the past four games with a groin injury. In addition, Banderas missed the last three games with a groin injury of his own. He’s scheduled to be back for the Minnesota game. The only mainstay in the group has been Young.
Rose-Ivey (14) and Banderas (8) have combined for 22 tackles, while the replacements have been stellar in recent weeks. However, having the entire unit back together doesn’t seem plausible at this point. Chris Weber leads the team with 42 tackles, but he injured his neck in the loss to Wisconsin. Currently, Weber is listed as No.2 on the depth chart. Luke Gifford was the first in line to take over the reigns at outside linebacker, but he’s seen limited action as Marcus Newby began to emerge. The Huskers may have quite a few stars at the position, but they’ll need to make plays in crunch time for it to be true.
Offensively, the Huskers have not been the same in conference play. It’s no secret they’ve been struggling with the passing game, but it seems people don’t understand how bad it’s been in the first two games.
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Against Illinois and Wisconsin, the Nebraska Cornhuskers completed 35 percent of their pass attempts. Now they are facing one of the best pass defenses in the country. The Gophers only give up 163 yards passing per game, and they played TCU to open the season. Therefore, thinking of the Huskers throwing the ball all over the field is a scary proposition. Still, they must find a way to get it done. Tommy Armstrong’s QB position is safe for now, but he may be one bad performance from being replaced.
For the moment, it’s a case of what might have been for the Huskers. However, it should be a case of what needs to happen going forward. There’s plenty of time for the Big Red to turn the season around, but it also means they have the potential for a historically bad season. Which way will it go for the Huskers?
Here are the Five Players to Watch vs Minnesota.