As Nebraska turns the page on its loss at Colorado, we take a look at five of the biggest questions still facing the Huskers going into Northern Illinois week...
1. How will the Huskers respond?
Saturday’s 34-31 overtime loss at Colorado was about as bad as it gets in a number of ways. In fact, head coach Scott Frost said he could only think of a couple other defeats in his career that hurt much worse.
Quarterback Adrian Martinez was as emotional and upset after the game as we’ve seen him at NU. Linebacker Mohamed Barry was completely dejected and called his performance the his worst as a Husker.
The list went on and on of players who spoke during post-game interviews that were still trying to recover from the Buffalo gut-punch they had been handed.
Worst yet, that was a loss that isn’t going to be forgotten any time soon, especially with a fan base that went all-out to fill Folsom Field and was as devastated as anyone about blowing a 17-point halftime lead to a former conference rival.
It will be a tall task for NU this week in trying to turn the page on that ugly finish in Boulder, but doing so will be critical in keeping any of the lofty expectations going into this season afloat.
The problem is the Huskers are facing a Northern Illinois team this week that won’t be intimidated in the slightest. The Huskies came into Memorial Stadium two years ago and pulled out an upset, and they just gave No. 13 Utah all it could handle in a 35-17 road loss on Saturday.
2. Can NU fix its running game?
Of all of Nebraska’s problems on offense right now, the inability to do anything in the traditional running game has to rank near the top.
Through two games the Huskers have rushed 90 times for 276 yards at a measly 3.0 yards per carry. NU’s running backs have managed just 196 yards on 48 rushes as a unit for 4.0 ypc.
Those numbers certainly could be worse, but the inability to run the ball between the tackles whatsoever has made the offense almost completely reliant on chunk plays and Martinez’s scrambles.
Northern Illinois is a physical defense that’s going to make Nebraska earn every yard it gets, so the pressure will be on the running backs and offensive line to win in the trenches and take some pressure off of Martinez.
That area will only continue to take on more importance when Big Ten play starts up in two weeks, so getting the run game back on track will be critical.
3. What is Pickering's injury status?
Nebraska had to get by without its starting place kicker for the first two games of the season, as Barret Pickering continues to deal with an undisclosed injury.
Though special teams coach Jovan Dewitt said Pickering would “be fine” for the Colorado game early last week, the sophomore was a late scratch from NU’s travel roster. That left senior punter Isaac Armstrong to handle field goals and extra points.
While Armstrong did his best in a tough situation, not having their No. 1 kicker changed the game for the Huskers. It altered their strategy in overtime, as it left Frost feeling as good about Armstrong’s chances of hitting a 45-yard field goal to tie it than going for it on a fourth and 16.
Nebraska needs Pickering back as soon as possible, because it needs all hands on deck in all three phases right now.
4. Will NU get its receivers more involved?
It was no secret that Nebraska had some big shoes to fill at wide receiver after the departure of Stanley Morgan Jr. this offseason. But hardly anyone could have predicted just how much his presence would be missed after two games.
Aside from JD Spielman, the only proven commodity returning at the position this year, the Huskers haven’t gotten anything out of their receiving corps so far.
Spielman has caught a team-high seven passes on nine targets for 148 yards and a touchdown through two weeks, including his five grabs for 112 yards and a score at Colorado. The rest of the wide outs have a combined seven receptions, and six of those are from freshman Wan’Dale Robinson (on a team-high 13 targets).
The only other wide receiver to catch a pass thus far is Jaevon McQuitty, who had one reception for six yards in the opener on his only target of the year. The only other wideout who has even been targeted is Kanawai Noa, who didn’t catch any of the five passes thrown his way.
5. Can Nebraska develop a killer instinct?
Nebraska had countless chances to put Saturday’s game away in the second half and overtime, and yet it was never able to deliver a knockout punch.
Frost said the Huskers had “about a hundred” opportunities to seal the victory, but for one reason after another they continued to let Colorado hang around and put together a 24-point fourth quarter to tie and eventually win the game.
That inability to put a boot on its opponents’ throats late in games is something NU has struggled with since Frost’s first season, and it’s why the team has found itself searching for answers like it was on Saturday far too often.
The road won’t get any easier going forward this season or any other going forward. Frost and his staff have to find a way to instill a true killer instinct within their players, but they also have to coach with an aggressiveness beyond just trying to hold onto a lead.
Nebraska’s offense went into a shell starting in the third quarter and allowed the Buffaloes to chip away, and when the game was on the line in overtime, the play-calling was passive, to say the least.
Good teams know how to slam the door when their opponents are reeling, and that’s something the Huskers haven’t done well enough at all.
