Nebraska has to to turn the page on Saturday.
Here we are Huskers faithful. Sporting a 1 and 4 record with only two games left thus eliminating the possibility of a winning season for yet another year. That being said there is much we can learn in the two remaining games before returning to a more normal football climate next season.
A solid performance against the Boilermakers would go some distance in calming the nerves of fans and give the team confidence heading into next season. One thing I am looking for is Adrian Martinez to build off of a good performance against Iowa. Success is forged in the fires of competition and it seems Adrian Martinez has been a beneficiary of this.
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Following a benching in favor of Luke McCaffery he returned against Iowa and looked like the quarterback we all have wanted him to be. He threw well, looking composed in the pocket delivering a good; hard thrown accurate ball to his receivers. Martinez also looked as dangerous as ever on the occasions he chose to tuck it and run. But in my opinion the most impressive aspect of his game was the turnovers or lack thereof (I don’t count the final play). I think a perfect and victorious game against Purdue will be anchored around the play of Martinez and I am confident that if he can build off his last performance a victory will be likely.
The second ingredient in the concoction for a win and a good win is to keep the physicality on defense. For the majority of the Iowa game, The Blackshirts matched the ever gritty Hawkeyes in terms of physicality and desire in the trenches at the line of scrimmage. This approach and attitude was able to stifle the Iowa run game. Purdue is not as physical as Iowa but this hard nosed approach on defense is something that should not be reserved for the physically elite teams but one that should be brought to the field every Saturday and one that will go some distance to beat the Boilermakers.
The final things I am looking for to complete the magic formula against Purdue, is intensity and discipline. This week I read Cam Taylor-Britt’s remarks to the Omaha World Herald about how, “We are not winning and that is not Nebraska culture.” It is great to see that there are players in the locker room who expect to win. The team showed a lot of heart bouncing back after the Illinois debacle and in terms of the locker room, Taylor-Britt’s words are another indication that even though the results are not going the way we all would like, the belief and expectation of winning is their and that is a good sign. As previously noted the Huskers responded from a loss well by showing great intensity that I hope continues.
However what they brought in intensity they lacked in discipline. This is a deep rooted problem for this Nebraska team and one that reared its ugly head at Kinnick Stadium as it has all season long. It is hard enough when the other squad is working against you, even harder when you are working against yourself. If the intensity is carried over, with a new sense of discipline, I expect the Cornhuskers to get their second win of the season against the Boilermakers.
As always I will be on the edge of my seat rooting for the Huskers to win. This time I expect they will do it as well. But, we are Nebraska, we have high standards, so let’s apply them, let’s not only expect a win, but expect a well played game. A game with no turnovers, as few penalties as possible a free flowing offense and a stout defense. But most of all let’s expect a return to the Nebraska way, lets expect a win.