Northwestern Wildcats vs Nebraska Cornhuskers: Five Players to Watch

De'Mornay Pierson-El

3. De’Mornay Pierson-El – WR/PR: We really started to see the emergence of De’Mornay Pierson-El last weekend. He caught his first touchdown pass in the fourth quarter of the win over Minnesota. However, that wasn’t the only progress Pierson-El displayed.

Pierson-El took his first punt back deep into Golden Gophers’ territory. While he didn’t score on the play, his ability flashed on the field for the first time this season. It’s obvious he’s feeling more comfortable within the offense and special teams. Could he even have more of a breakout this weekend?

DPE is still not the No.1 receiver for the Huskers. He will continue to share the spotlight with Alonzo Moore. Surprisingly, Moore has been rated as Nebraska’s best receiver, and he’s shown the ability to make big play. Currently, he leads the Huskers with five touchdown receptions, while filling in admirably for Pierson-El.

As a group, Nebraska has only scratched the surface of what they can become this season. Part of the reason is due to Pierson-El’s injury. His presence may have hurt the offense’s progress in the first two Big Ten games, but they all seem to be on the same page now.

The improvement must continue for the Huskers. After two straight blowouts, the Northwestern Wildcats have to be eager to get back into the win column. Pierson-El can kill those dreams with a punt return touchdown.