When the Nebraska football team squares off against Georgia Southern on Saturday evening it will be the first time the two teams have faced one another. That’s not the only reason why the Huskers could be excused if they don’t know much about the team they’re about to face.
The Eagles have spent most of their football life as a team that was built around the run. When the team was at its best, it was running Paul Johnson’s Triple Option to a tee. However, running the ball on first down, second down and third down is a thing of the past for the Sun Belt team.
With former USC head coach Clay Helton at the helm, the Nebraska football team is going to be facing off against a pass-happy offense that is trying to win and win big in 2022 despite the drastic change in approach.
That offensive approach worked out quite well in Helton’s first game as the head man at the program as they managed to beat Morgan State 59-7 in their Week 1 matchup. Luckily for the Huskers, that game likely shed some light on just who they should watch out for in the Week 2 clash.
Nebraska football going up against a run and gun offense
So just who should the Cornhuskers look out for against Georgia Southern? There are some names that stand out more than others.
Logan Langemeier – C
While some might be surprised that a center is right at the top of the list, it probably shouldn’t be considering what a weak spot the pass rush has been for the Nebraska football team has been this season.
Yes, it was against Morgan State, but Langemeier still had himself a pretty good game, rating a 89.4 grade by PFF standards. Interestingly enough, the 6-4, 285-pound center was extra special regarding run blocking. That’s notable considering that the Nebraska football team wore down and couldn’t stop the run when it mattered most against Northwestern. It will be interesting to see what happens when a Husker defense that has looked gassed far too often this year does against a team that will try and move the ball all up and down the field on Saturday.
Sam Kenerson – WR
The performance against Morgan State came out of nowhere for Sam Kenerson, but it looks like the wide receiver is going to be one of the go-to players for Helton’s new look offense.
In Georgia Southern’s first game of the year, Kenerson had seven catches for 99 yards. He caught everything thrown to him and had a 90.1 PFF rating. That performance comes after he had just nine targets and two catches a year ago.
Khaleb Hood – WR
While Georgia Southern was all about the run a year ago, Hood still showed he was plenty good as a pass catcher, as he hauled in a team-leading 41 balls. In the first game against Morgan State, he didn’t lead the team but he still put up six catches for 75 yards and a touchdown.
The fact that the Eagles have so many targets they can go to is part of the problem for the Nebraska football team. That it’s already got a couple of dudes who are looking like big time producers for the Sun Belt squad could mean headaches for a Huskers defense that has caused plenty of headaches for its fans so far this year.