Scott Frost’s first season coaching Nebraska football hasn’t gone exactly as planned, but here’s why a win over Michigan State would make up for a lot.
Nebraska football fans had big ideas when Scott Frost took over the Huskers this season and those dreams were shattered with a 0-6 start.
That wasn’t how the season was supposed to go. Nebraska football was supposed to win the opener against Akron, which never happened, beat Colorado and then Troy.
Then, the Huskers were supposed to make noise in the Big Ten and with how Nebraska has played recently, that idea doesn’t seem super far-fetched. What would make it even more realistic is a win over Michigan State Saturday.
Obviously, there are a lot of reasons the Huskers want to win this game badly. For one, it’s senior day. And without a bowl game on the horizon, you can bet this Nebraska football team wants to win its last game at Memorial Stadium.
Senior, captain, leader.@big_MICKet has given everything he has for Nebraska.#GBR x #HomeGrown 💯 pic.twitter.com/UV9pO68T0Z
— Nebraska Football (@HuskerFootball) November 13, 2018
But for Frost, it would also be a nice feather in his cap. There is a saying that coaches need to beat teams they are supposed to and every once in a while, beat some teams they aren’t supposed to and Michigan State, as of now, would qualify.
Michigan State is a slight favorite against the Huskers Saturday and was recently ranked 18th in the College Football Playoff rankings. It’s basically a 50/50 game but it’s the kind of game Frost hasn’t won — yet. Nebraska wasn’t able to seal the deal against Northwestern and it laid an egg at home against Purdue.
The Huskers also failed to pull an upset in a close loss to Ohio State. There have been chances Nebraska just hasn’t delivered. But if it can Saturday against Michigan State, it will be a big deal for Frost and the program.
For one, it will give Nebraska some solid momentum heading into next season regardless of what happens next week against Iowa. It will also show just how close Nebraska is to being a relevant team in the Big Ten West. Of course, winning the next two games would reinforce the point further, however, knocking off the Spartans would be a good start.
It would show that Adrian Martinez can beat a team with a legit defense and that Frost can beat one of the programs that have lived in the upper echelon of the league for years.
These are the games that Frost came to Lincoln to win and before the end of the 2018 season, it would be really nice to see him win one.