Nebraska Tailgate Talk: Nebraska is going on a late night Duck hunt in Eugene

Nebraska takes on the Oregon Ducks in a VERY late-night game at 10:00 pm local time. Yes, you read that correctly. B1G knows they could put the Huskers on TV at 2 in the morning and still crush ratings. The game is televised on FOX. The good news is the weather will be a pleasant 60 degrees in Eugene, Oregon, at kickoff. I’m curious how many Duck fans will be in the stands after their debacle last week (a 17-15 loss to UCLA) and a 30 million in NIL money record of 3-2 that led them to drop out of the AP Top 25. The spread is Oregon -7.5.

What a game last week against Indiana. Woulda – Coulda- Shoulda. It literally boiled down to just a couple of plays deciding the game. According to Nebraska DC Rob Aurich, “that’s how small the margin is” (against a former Natty Championship team). He’s not wrong. I think if Jamir Conn doesn’t get hurt, we probably win that game. If there had been a defensive pass interference call against Indiana toward the end of the half, or if the Huskers hadn't missed a field goal, it would at least have been a tie game and overtime. I’m still VERY proud of Big Red. Anyone who hasn’t seen improvement from last year wants to complain and be a whiny little rat. They battled hard and never gave up.

And did you see that Aussie punter Archie Wilson was honored with the Ray Guy Award for week 6? He had a FANTASTIC performance on Saturday, averaging 57.3 yards per punt, and a career-best 68-yarder! So far, he’s placed 7 of 17 inside the 20-yard line, and last game he downed one at the 1-yard line. Well done, Mate!

So what’s up out west at the pond? Duckland isn’t a happy place right now. If you were living under a rock last weekend, you didn’t hear that Dylan Raiola (6-19 for 43 yards) was behind center and didn’t fare too well. He threw 2 interceptions and fumbled before he got the hook. The Ducks then went with QB3 Brock Thomas (11-15 for 156 yards) in the 4th quarter. Had they pulled DR at half, they most likely would have won. This week, the pressers from Eugene said there was a battle at QB. Wow. Shocked. Better QB1 Dante Moore hasn’t played since that USC hit to the head that leveled him a couple of weeks ago. Rumors say he’s considering sitting out the rest of the season to protect his draft status. Wouldn’t blame him.

That said, I suspect the opposing QB will be a question mark until the first snap. I’m not worried about how our defense will prepare for the matchup. They were great against Indiana. The question is whether they still have enough in the tank. Oregon with QB Moore will be a lot like Indiana. Oregon with Dylan… well, we know what that store is selling. And Brook Thomas has good film, so it’s all defensive hands on deck. No matter who is behind center, it’s a pressure cooker for the Ducks. If Dante feels enough pressure to start the game, he likes to throw deep. That’s a bad thing.

What do you need to know about the rest of the Quack attack this year? It’s not the usual Duck. Their O-line is probably the weakest link after losing some guys to the draft, according to people in the know. This leads to not-very-good things in the run game. Sound familiar? Huskers need to keep up the same kind of lockdown on opposing rush yards as last week.

Oregon has good running backs in Dierre Hill, Jr. (5’ 11” & 205lbs, at 52 carries) and Jordan Davison (6’ 0” & 225 lbs at 62 carries) getting most of the reps. Both are shifty and can produce with averages each around the 4-yard mark. They like to run up the middle, but that’s where our Husker Blackshirt defense is best. Big Red will also need to keep setting and holding the edge (much improved from last year's leaky woes).

More worrisome to me is Oregon's wide receiver core, who, once they catch the ball, can really go. #7 Evan Stewart has 27 receptions for 352 yards and 4 touchdowns. #1 Dakorian Moore has 18 for 311 yards and 4 touchdowns. Four others follow, each with around 180 receiving yards. They are as stacked at receiver as Husker Volleyball is on long legs. Miss a tackle on one of the Oregon receivers, and they are in the end zone. This is where losing experienced and great player Jamie Conn can keep the Huskers hurting in the backfield.

Oregon D line is very solid. With a nicked-up Husker O-line, it’ll be another trench battle like last week. The most important thing is to protect QB Anthony Colandrea. I mean, bad things happen when a backup QB gets his hands on the football (yeah, that’s a shot lol). All the Big Red running backs looked good last week, but I still give Jamal Rule the spark. He has that IT factor. WR Jacory Barney finally earned some of that overpriced paycheck. OC Dana Holgerson called him out in his Tuesday presser by saying (I’m paraphrasing) he was finally on the right routes and looked good. Seems I’m not the only one who notices things.

Since this is an away game, I’m going with a duck popper recipe from a friend. Roast a duck or duck breasts, then tear the meat apart. Cut fresh jalapeños in half and core out the hot stuff. In a bowl, mix ½ lb cream cheese, 2 TBS Cajun spice (I use Hot Rod’s BBQ Creole Rub or the Tequila Lime), 1 TBSP fresh garlic, and 1-2 TBS soy sauce. Fill in the jalapeño with the cream cheese mixture and top with a piece or two of the duck meat. Wrap a half piece of thin-cut bacon around the popper and secure with a toothpick. Crank up the oven to 400 degrees and broil the poppers 4-5 minutes per side until bacon is browned. Let them rest before serving.

Keys to the Pajama Party: Huskers will need to start quick and rattle the QB, whoever he is, to get the upper hand. If it’s Rolly-poly, Jelly Roll Mahomey Raiola, I feel much better about Nebraska’s chances. He is supposed to be less rolly this year, but he still has the same indecisive/bad-decision gray matter between his ears. It will take another stellar game for Big Red to beat QB Dante Moore. Protect Colandrea from the dirty, cheating, slug-to-the-chin D-lineman Bear Alexander!! (Shame on you, Duck HC Dan Lanning, for not lowering the boom on him. You didn’t like it when your QB got that kind of treatment).

The game plan for Husker success is about the same playbook and keys as last week. Start fast, establish the run, have Colandrea make smart decisions, and run him only when necessary. Clock management is always a factor, too, so the coaches need a better plan than last week and know when to kick it and when not to.

Whether you plan to stay up late to watch or catch it off the DVR with coffee in the morning, it’s a BIG game for Nebraska football. I’m hoping the Huskers go duck hunting and bag lots! GBR!

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