2010 Nebraska Cornhuskers Football Preview

2009 Results: 10-4, Won Holiday Bowl vs. Arizona

Head Coach: Bo Pelini (3rd year@ Nebraska, 20-8 Overall)

Home Venue: Memorial Stadium (81,091), Lincoln, Nebraska

2010 was the season that Nebraska officially returned to the top tier of college football. The Cornhuskers won the Big XII North behind a dominating defense and were one second away from defeating Texas for the conference crown! While Nebraska fans still feel slighted by the referee’s correct decision to put one second back on the clock and allow Texas to kick a winning field goal, they are extremely optimistic for this season after their team thrashed Arizona 33-0 in the Holiday Bowl.

Nebraska is also in a transition stage this season, as this will be their last as a member of the Big XII. The Cornhuskers are leaving for the greener (as in dollar bills) pastures of the Big Ten and they took particular pleasure in shedding their rivals from the Lone Star State. But their imminent departure also means that they will get every team in the league’s best shot this fall. Will the ‘us against the world’ mentality allow Nebraska to keep their focus razor sharp this season? With a veteran team returning and one of the country’s best coaches in Bo Pelini, that focus could be the genesis for a special season.

OFFENSE

The Nebraska offense was somewhat disappointing last season, scoring only 25 points per contest. The reason that their scoring fell off by nearly ten points per outing was a much less effective passing attack, as senior Zac Lee (2,143 yards, 14 TDs, 10 INT) was extremely inconsistent after struggling with an elbow injury all season. I think that a return to health for Lee and a push from a pair of underclassmen will be the kick that he needs to take a big leap ahead this fall. Furthermore, the starting tandem of seniors Niles Paul (40 yards, 796 yards, 4 TDs) and Mike McNeill (28 catches, 259 yards, 4 TDs) should be a physical mismatch, especially the monstrous McNeill, who moves over from tight end.

Another reason that I have confidence in the passing game is the quality of the O-Line that will be protecting Lee. The Huskers have four returning starters, three of whom are seniors this fall. On top of that, this line is absolutely enormous, with the smallest starter standing 6’4” and weighing over 300 pounds! I think that this veteran unit will be one of the best in the country.

That’s a great sign for the running game, which should be the primary axis of attack this autumn. Senior tailback Roy Helu (1,147 yards, 10 TDs) was a 2nd Team All-Big XII selection last year and he is a downhill runner that fits perfectly with this team’s running philosophy. Furthermore, sophomore Rex Burkhead (346 yards, 3 TDs) showed great skill running the Wildcat offense versus Arizona and I think that he will emerge as a legitimate compliment to Helu this season. With two great tailbacks pounding the football behind a goliath line, the Husker running game should be dominating.

Overall, the Nebraska offense should definitely be improved this season. They have a line of leviathans up front that should blow holes in opposing defenses for Helu and Burkhead to run through. That same group should also keep Lee upright and healthy this fall. I fully expect to see the Cornhuskers produce a strong ground-based offense this season.

DEFENSE

No defense allowed fewer points in the entire country last season, as Nebraska held opponents to a miniscule average of 10.4 points game. The driving force behind this showing was DT Ndamakong Suh, who was the 2 nd overall pick in the NFL draft after being a Heisman finalist and winning the Lombardi, Bednarik, Nagurski and Outland Trophies! Needless to say, he will be missed, as will two other NFL draft picks.

But the returning D-Line is still going to be absolutely loaded. Junior DT Jared Crick (73 tackles, 9.5 sacks) was a star in his own right next to Suh last season and was a 1st Team All-Big XII selection! Meanwhile senior DE Pierre Allen (51 tackles, 5 tackles) is also a very strong and experienced player who will be starting for the 3rd consecutive season. But what about replacing Suh? Obviously Crick will be the mainline defender in the middle but monstrous sophomore Baker Steinkuhler (17 tackles), a former elite recruit, should benefit from playing extensively next to a man who eats up a ton of double teams like Crick does. I think that this will be one of the best defensive lines in the country once more, even with the loss of Suh.

At linebacker, two starters return from last season’s great run defense. However, the line was so effective last fall (Suh led the team in tackles) that the linebackers didn’t have extremely impressive numbers. Senior Eric Hagg is a breakout candidate (40 tackles, 2 sacks, 1 INT) and sophomore Will Compton (40 tackles) was a 2nd Team Freshman All-American last year, so there is great potential here. Continuing the trend of impressive young linebackers, middle linebacker Sean Fisher (35 tackles, 1 sacks) was a 3 rd Team Freshman All-American as a backup last year and he is an outright physical specimen at 6’6”! This will be a very strong group of linebackers this season playing behind a great D-Line for the 2 nd straight year.

There really isn’t any weakness on this defense as the secondary is going to be loaded as well. The Huskers finished #1 in the country in pass defense last year by allowing only seven touchdowns through the air while snagging 20 picks! Senior cornerback Prince Amukamara (64 tackles, 2 sacks, 5 INT) was a 1st Team All-Big XII choice last fall and he will anchor this group. Opposite him will be junior Alfonzo Dennard (31 tackles), who seized a starting role as an underclassman last year. Expect this tandem to be one of the league’s best. At safety, the Huskers have to replace both starters from 2009 but there is still a ton of experience on hand. Senior DeJon Gomes (46 tackles, 4 INT) was always around the ball while playing extensively last year and I have zero doubt that he will step easily into the starting lineup this fall. Nebraska will have another great showing against the pass this season.

Ovearll, this will be one of the country’s best defenses in 2010. While no one will replace the indomitable presence of Suh on the front line, I think that the Cornhuskers will still be dominating in the trenches with Crick as their anchor. Furthermore, I think that they will get a great pass rush from the front four, making this defense a very versatile unit. The linebackers are going to have plenty of rooms to run to the football this season behind that great line and the pass defense will also benefit from the great pass rush up front. While I don’t know if Nebraska can lead the country in scoring defense after losing a player as great as Suh, they will certainly be among the best. This is an elite defense.

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SCHEDULE

This will be a very interesting schedule for the Cornhuskers. The non-conference slate features three home games against weak opposition but is redeemed by a challenging trip to Seattle to face Washington and stud quarterback Jake Locker. This will be a great early test for the Huskers. In Big XII play, the draw from the South Division is pretty tough as they have to travel to Texas A&M and Oklahoma State while hosting the most intriguing game in the country this season against nemesis Texas. Nebraska does have three home games against the North Division, including challenger Missouri, but they also have to travel to Kansas State on a Thursday night. Overall, this is a very navigable schedule with a few huge showdowns.

OUTLOOK

When I started working on this preview, I thought that Nebraska was a contender to win the Big XII Championship. However, as I was writing this article, I continued to get more and more impressed with Bo Pelini’s team. This is one of the country’s best teams on both sides of the football in the trenches and that dominance is going to be their foundation for success. Much like last season’s National Champ at Alabama, I think that the Huskers are going to use their two headed monster at tailback to pound teams into submission while playing great defense. While I don’t think that Nebraska is going to go undefeated (one of those amped up but scorned conference rivals will get them: Beware the trip to KSU), they’re definitely my pick to win the Big XII North Division.

That means that Nebraska’s Big XII odyssey will end with a conference championship showdown against longtime rival Oklahoma. I think that both teams will come into this game with legitimate National Championship aspirations and that the winner will end up in the BCS Championship Game to play for all of the marbles. This matchup will be under the spotlight as all of the teams staying in the Big XII (soon to be ten) will be pulling for Oklahoma, even hated Texas! Meanwhile, the Big Ten would love nothing more than to have the defending Big XII Champions playing in their conference next fall, so there is a lot on the line. When it comes down to it, I think that the Huskers will ride their great running game and powerful defense against the Sooners. Furthermore, their experience in the Championship Game last season will give Nebraska an edge as they pull off an upset victory over Oklahoma to with the Big XII Championship. With that victory, the Cornhuskers are my choice to play in their first National Championship Game in nearly a decade.

PREDICTED RESULT: 11-1 (7-1 Big XII)