Nebraska Football: Kade Warner a bright spot in tough defeat

MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - OCTOBER 12: Kade Warner #81 of the Nebraska Cornhuskers catches a pass against Chris Williamson #6 of the Minnesota Gophers during the third quarter of the game at TCF Bank Stadium on October 12, 2019 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Gophers defeated the Cornhuskers 34-7. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - OCTOBER 12: Kade Warner #81 of the Nebraska Cornhuskers catches a pass against Chris Williamson #6 of the Minnesota Gophers during the third quarter of the game at TCF Bank Stadium on October 12, 2019 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Gophers defeated the Cornhuskers 34-7. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images)

Warner stepped up for Nebraska football on Saturday night.

As the dust settles from the tough Nebraska Football loss to Minnesota, there was no denying that Saturday’s game was a tough one to watch. I’m not going to try and pretend to find a silver lining, because quite frankly there was not one. However, there were a couple of encouraging things that I saw on Saturday. In particular, one particular development stood out. In what was a tough night for the wide receivers, Kade Warner played well.

Warner finished the game with three catches for 38 yards. A 26-yard grab was his longest of the evening. I can’t remember if it was the third or fourth quarter that Warner came in. Whatever the case may be, there was no denying he made a couple of nice grabs. It was good to see him have somewhat of an impact in what was an otherwise difficult game. Watching him on Saturday, I wonder if he should get more playing time in the future.

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Let’s be real. The Nebraska quarterbacks have struggled getting the football to anyone this season. If you are not a running back or tight end, the chances of getting the football right now are slim to none. However, Warner ran crisp routes Saturday night, and he showed he could be a dependable target. I realize he was in the game for a short period of time, but he definitely made his presence known while he was in the game.

We saw him emerge on the scene a little bit last year. As a freshman, he had decent statistics, catching 17 passes for 95 yards. Averaging 5.6 yards per catch he showed he had potential. This year, he hasn’t really gotten a ton of playing time. I wonder if we will see him more down the road. I certainly hope so.  He certainly showed he had potential on Saturday.

As Nebraska goes into the bye week, head coach Scott Frost certainly needs to shake things up. Putting Warner on the field a bit more would certainly do that. Of course, the major issue is getting him the football. However, that is something that could be fixed with a different game plan. We will see what Nebraska Football draws up during the bye week if anything.  If one thing is for certain, it is that the coaches seem to be reluctant to adjusting the game plan.