Nebraska football vs. Michigan preview – Huskers travel to Ann Arbor as underdogs
By Mike Morris
Coming off a setback loss to Sun Belt team Troy, Nebraska takes on Michigan in Ann Arbor this weekend in a rematch of the 1997 championship drama.
Nebraska travels to Michigan this Saturday to take on the Wolverines in the Big House. The two programs already have some history, with Michigan trying to claim half of Tom Osborne‘s last national title in 1997 because they beat a Baylor team that finished 2-9 by one more touchdown than Scott Frost and the Huskers did. Weak.
Anyway, that was then and this is now, and then-quarterback now-coach Scott Frost has his work cut out for him. The Wolverines are 17.5-point favorites following their win over SMU and Nebraska’s loss to Troy.
Sophomore walk-on quarterback Andrew Bunch started last week after relieving the injured Adrian Martinez against Colorado. He played as you’d expect a walk-on sophomore who lost a QB battle to a true freshman too, throwing 2 touchdowns and 2 interceptions for 177 yards, completing 19 of 27 passes.
The fact that things are this way isn’t an indictment on Bunch, it’s an indictment on the state of the roster, which is only two games removed from Mike Riley, at the current moment. Once Martinez is healthy, things should start getting back on track, or as back on track as things can be with this year’s road schedule.
On the Martinez front, he practiced fully on Wednesday after participating on Monday and Tuesday. Frost was quoted in the Omaha-World Herald today:
"“He’s further along,” Frost said. “Again, it isn’t just ‘Is he ready to go?’ It’s ‘Is he ready to go mentally and physically to the point that he can protect himself in the game and make sure he stays healthy?’“He’s really close. We gotta make a final decision.”"
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Michigan’s defensive line is scary. Bunch will be facing highly touted junior Rashan Gary and senior Chase Winovich. Gary has seven tackles and a sack after three games and Winovich has 10 tackles and a sack. One wonders how much time Bunch will have in the pocket to make plays. Luckily, Greg Bell, Devine Ozigbo, and Maurice Washington have combined for 72 carries and 379 yards in 2 games. They may be the key to a successful offensive attack against Michigan.
The Wolverines have a talked-about quarterback of their own going up against the Nebraska football team. Shea Patterson, the Ole Miss transfer, has led Michigan to a 2-1 record heading into Saturday. He has 589 yards and six touchdowns to his name.
Next. 3 things we learned at Monday’s press conference. dark
The Huskers have played tough at times this season, with going down early in both previous games ending up killing them. I’m honestly not taking them to win, but if you’re a betting kind of person, making a homer bet for Nebraska to cover wouldn’t be the craziest thing in the world.