Nebraska Tailgate Talk: Will Husker fans get a Halloween treat? Blackout offers big win

Nebraska is back in Black Saturday at 7 pm in Memorial Stadium. The weather forecast calls for a wonderful 63 degrees at kickoff, but there may be some showers (30% chance) in the morning and at game time. The sun sets around 6:30ish now, so wear layers. A comfortable 60 degrees is predicted for the end of the game. The game will be televised on the BTN, and as of Wednesday afternoon, the spread was Nebraska by 7.5.

Work with me here. I’ve heard quite a few times lately about the “margin for error being so small in these games.” These games are against ranked teams.  If that’s the case (and I believe it is), why isn’t the Husker punt return game developed enough to get tens of yards for the returner? I get that there is a LOT to the enigma of “Special Teams Coaching.”  I’m not even saying this is a post-Ekeler problem. I think it’s been a problem since Mike Riley moved to the 402.

I think something needs to be done to bring in a coach who knows how to get young athletes to catch a football and RUN forward like the wind, past the other team, and, dare I say it, into the end zone. We all know football is a game of inches, or of getting just one more 1st down. So logic tends to lead you to “get more (any) return yards for a better starting position.” The more obvious philosophy of "don’t shoot yourself in the foot with bad decisions on whether to catch or not" goes without saying. Well, maybe it does need saying. That's scary. I would even say the solution for Nebraska is just down the street. Calling Bill Bu$ch….

Ok. Back to scary business. The Washington Huskies are also coming off a bye week, and again, this week the story is yet another maybe-this-guy-or-that-guy quarterback comes to town with a West Coast spread offense and great receivers. One of the possible QBs can beat you with his feet (Demond Williams Jr., 5’11” 190 lbs.), the other not so much (Elijah Brown, 6’ 2” 215 lbs., backup transfer from Stanford). Part of Washington’s DNA is that their mobile QB can extend plays. However, Williams is nursing a rib injury. Even with a flak jacket, any hit from the Blackshirts can cause some big problems. I'd also think accuracy will be a factor with that throwing motion. Time will tell which one gets the nod.

Nebraska football has matchup advantages it must exploit against Washington

Washington mostly lines up with 11 personnel: 1 tight end, 1 running back, and 3 wide receivers, and they chuck it downhill. 6th-year running back Trey Cooley is a name the Blackshirts will need to keep out of our headsets Saturday night. Huskie WR Dezmen Roebuck is the most likely target for whoever lines up at QB.

Speaking of defense, Washington also has some solid linebackers among the 11 returning starters. Linebacker and 5th-year player Jacob Manu, 4th-year Xe’ree Alexander, and 2nd-year Zaydrius Rainey-Sale are usually in the mix at tackle. Oh yeah, and their purple punter is really good too. Hunter Green averaged 51.7 punt yards against USC. Washington comes to town unranked and having just beaten up on Purdue 38-26 on Oct. 16, their only conference win so far. They lost to USC, Iowa, and Minnesota.

This isn’t a must-win for the Huskers. To quote Hurrdat media personality Austin Jacobsen, it’s a “CAN’T LOSE” game. I agree. We fans have seen what is possible. This team can beat Washington. I know the players are eager to get the bad taste of such close losses out of their mouths. I want them to flat-out Mollywhop Washington. I want the Huskers to lead by 3 touchdowns by halftime. To that end, a bye week to heal up should help Nebraska get back its run game. Jamal Rule’s ankle should be better, and OC Dana Holgerson told the entire group (paraphrasing) to suck it up and play through the injuries. Some scary motivation right there. That’s good in theory, but you do need your legs and feet to move forward through a pile of humans, and hopefully our quarterback won’t have the most rushing yards Saturday night.  

Speaking of the Big Red run game, Washington is only ranked #54 in rushing defense, on the bright side. Rattling the Huskie QB will also earn Big Red bonus points. A solid hit on Williams would probably knock him out of the game. Shaking up a newer QB usually helps, too.  Given how often the Huskies throw the ball, I can see Andrew Marshall or Dwayne McDougle III coming up with a pick or six points.

There are very few good purple foods out there for a tailgate. This week I paired up grape Jell-O and Skrewball Whiskey for purple peanut butter Jell-O shots. The ratio is 1 cup hot water, 1 package grape Jell-O mix, and ¾ cup whiskey. As it’s Halloween, there will be lots of other sweet treats on the menu. We'll have cinnamon sugar crisps, candy-covered pretzel rods, and other spooky things. Hopefully Mother Nature will cooperate.

The darker side: Nebraska ranks #20 in red zone scoring, and Washington ranks #49. Nebraska ranks #15 in 3rd down conversions; Washington ranks #121. The Huskies have the edge in passing, averaging 11.78 yards per play, while the Big Red are at 11.31. Time for those forgotten receivers (Janiran Bonner, Quinn Clark, Cortez Mills Jr., and Barney (yes, I said it) to step up their game on the back half of the season. Does Nebraska stack up better in most categories? Yes. Will there be a great home advantage for the Black Out game? Yes. Does that alone win the game? Sadly, no.

I do believe Nebraska will bounce back from the last two losses. I also believe this is a really good team when healthy. It’s a Halloween Blackout at Memorial Stadium. The skull and crossbones will be in the middle of the field. The crowd will be loud, and the Huskers will be victorious. Get out and celebrate the next-to-last home game. As always, Go Big Red!

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