Nebraska Football: Jonathan Taylor will provide ultimate challenge
The Nebraska Football defense will have their work cut out for them.
Do I want Wisconsin to win over Nebraska Football on Saturday? No, of course not. However, I would be lying if I said I wasn’t looking forward to watching Jonathan Taylor run the football. He should provide the ultimate challenge for Nebraska, and he will probably be the toughest running back they have faced so far this year.
On the season, Taylor has single-handily carried Wisconsin in some games. He has had a great year, rushing the ball 208 times for 1,259 yards and 15 touchdowns. Averaging 6.1 yards per carry, he is a threat as soon as he touches the football. His statistics are truly impressive. If the NFL Draft was held tomorrow, he would be able to play in the professional game with ease.
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He has rushed for at least 100 yards seven times so far this season. His best output of the year came on Saturday against Iowa. In what was a 24-22 win for Wisconsin, Taylor played a huge role. He carried the ball 31 times for 250 yards. Averaging 8.1 yards per carry, a 42-yard rush was his longest of the afternoon. He also caught a pass for eight yards, but his lack of productivity in the receiving game was certainly made up for in the running game.
Nebraska currently ranks 77th in the country with 174 yards allowed per contest. That is certainly an improvement from the 200 rushing yards per game they allowed in 2018. Even still, it is safe to say that run defense has not been a source of strength for Nebraska Football. I’m interested to see how this team plays on Saturday and how they defend Taylor. Will they stack the box? Will they allow him to run and hope they do not allow touchdowns? Personally, I think the latter would be a risky and dangerous strategy.
There is no denying that Taylor is going to get his fair share of yards. He has shown that he can do it all season. It is the touchdowns that would concern me. Nebraska Football has played suspect defense against the likes of J. K. Dobbins and the running game of Minnesota. I suspect that Saturday will be more of the same.
As a Nebraska fan, I don’t want to see Taylor tear up the defense. As a college football fan, I can’t wait to see him play. Watching the chess match between the Nebraska run defense and Taylor will be fun. He is Wisconsin’s x-factor and there is no doubt he will play a factor in the game. It is just a matter of if Nebraska can stop him. If they can, they will have a chance to win. If they can’t, it could be a long day.