As Nebraska turns its attention to the first road game of the 2019 schedule, we take a look at five of the biggest questions still facing the Huskers going into Colorado week...
1. Will there be any changes at center?
One of the more glaring issues facing Nebraska in Saturday's opener was the poor all-around play of the offensive line, particularly at center.
While head coach Scott Frost said the plan all along was to pull Cameron Jurgens after he reached his preset play "pitch count" in the game, the move to replace him with Will Farniok to start the second half seemed more out of necessity than just going by the script.
It wasn't as if the younger Farniok made a dramatic difference in NU's ugly day up front, but he at least alleviated the problems with continuous high snaps that Jurgens struggled with throughout the first half.
Frost has been all in on Jurgens for awhile, so will he stick with his guy as the starter for another week? Or will he make the change to Farniok as the new No. 1?
2. Is everything OK with Martinez?
It may have been a result of the poor offensive line play, the total lack of a running game, or his receivers not getting enough separation downfield, but something was off with Adrian Martinez vs. South Alabama.
The projected Heisman Trophy contender looked anything but on Saturday, completing just 13-of-22 passes for 178 yards, no touchdowns, and an interception while only rushing for six yards on 13 carries.
It was arguably Martinez's worst overall performance of his young Husker career, and it was against a defense that shouldn't have given him or NU nearly as many problems as it did.
Is Martinez ready for a bounce-back game this week at Colorado, or was Saturday reason for concern?
3. Will Pickering be back?
There had been talk about Barret Pickering's status being up in the air due to injury a few days prior to kickoff, but his game-time scratch from the lineup was still a somewhat surprising development.
The sophomore place kicker was held out in favor of true freshman walk-on Dylan Jorgenson, and the drop-off in Nebraska's kicking game was noticeable.
Credit Jorgenson for stepping up the way he did, making all five of his extra points and doing a solid job on kickoffs. But his lone field goal attempt of the day - a 31-yarder at the end of the first half - was blocked.
Going on the road this week in the most important non-conference game of the schedule, the Huskers need their proven place kicker back in the mix.
4. What is the status of Williams?
The only known injury of note suffered in the win over South Alabama was to safety Deontai Williams, who left the game early with a reported shoulder injury.
The good news was that Eric Lee Jr. stepped in and had one of the best performances of the game with four tackles, two interceptions, a touchdown, and a pass breakup. Also, walk-on Eli Sullivan stepped up with four tackles of his own in his best showing as a Husker.
The bad news, though, was that Frost had no update on Williams' status after the game, and his availability for Colorado remains unknown.
While Lee's breakout effort was definitely a highlight, Williams was the starter for a reason, and the Huskers need all hands on deck in the secondary vs. a dangerous Buffalo passing attack.
5. Is Washington the clear No. 1?
Nebraska's offensive line struggles made it tough for anything to get going in the run game on Saturday, but it was clear that Maurice Washington brought a little something different when he checked in for the second half.
Washington - who was suspended for the first half - only finished with six rushes for 39 yards, but his 6.5 yards per carry were significantly better than starter Dedrick Mills, who had just 44 yards on 15 attempts (2.9 ypc).
The Huskers need a shot in the arm on offense, and having Washington fully available for the foreseeable future will certainly help. Will Frost make the change to have Washington be the new No. 1? Or will Mills continue to handle the bulk of the workload?
