How much more will we learn about Nebraska this week when they take on Buffalo?
We discuss that and more in this week's 3-2-1 column.
THREE THINGS WE LEARNED THIS WEEK
1 - Nebraska took a step forward, but how big of a step?
Nebraska took a step forward vs. Fordham this past Saturday, but the better question is how big of a step?
That is what this week against Buffalo will determine. The Bulls are arguably just as talented of a team as Illinois in all respects, with a veteran quarterback, running back and defense.
Their defensive front has the ability to cause problems for NU, and we have yet to see this Husker offensive line play at a high level in 2021.
Yes, they did go for over 600 yards last week on Fordham, but a lot of that had to do with simply wearing the Rams down.
The bottom line is through two games we still don't know much about this team. My biggest takeaway, if anything, last week was the defense.
They forced three turnovers and held Fordham to just 23 yards of offense on 19 plays on their first six possessions of the second half. Forget the 600+ yards of offense. To me, that was the most impressive part of Saturday's win.
The offense also has failed to produce any home run type plays, as we still haven't seen a running back have a run longer than 20 yards.
2 - First depth chart offered very few surprises
Nebraska put out their first official depth chart this past week. There weren't a lot of surprises, but there were a few things that jumped out.
Teddy Prochazka - Seeing the true freshman already listed on the depth chart at left tackle tells you this staff has high hopes for the Omaha native.
Will Nixon - I thought he would be a little higher than third at the slot position.
Back-up quarterback: I thought we might see an OR between Logan Smothers and Heinrich Haarberg.
3 - Oklahoma and Michigan State offered some Week 1 intrigue
Breaking down what we saw in Week 1 of the college football season, two things jumped out to me regarding Nebraska's upcoming schedule.
No. 1, nobody could have predicted Tulane would take Oklahoma down to the wire in Norman. The game also showed that OU is far from the finished product yet, and I was even surprised by reports of how many empty seats were in Norman.
I get that it was supposed to be Tulane's home game, but I still thought we'd see close to a full house. The announced crowd was just over 42,000. It looked less than that.
Michigan State's dominating win over Northwestern also got my attention. It makes you wonder if MSU is that good, or did the Wildcats lose that much? I tend to believe it had as much to do with how much Pat Fitzgerald's team lost from 2020, but regardless, Mel Tucker has improved his football team year-over-year.
TWO QUESTIONS THIS WEEK
1 - Did the offensive line get better week over week?
Did Nebraska's offensive line get better week over week? According to the PFF metrics, they did take a step forward, but you have to also consider the level of competition.
NU's pass-blocking grade vs. Illinois was 36.7, where on Saturday it was 84.7. Their run-blocking grade went from 48.0 to 62.9.
That 62.9 is also the highest grade NU has had run blocking since 2019. Their best mark of 2020 was 62.5 vs. Purdue. They were consistently a low to mid-50s team on their run blocking grades all of last season.
If you are wondering, 84.7 is also their best pass blocking grade since 2019.
2 - Who was your biggest surprise player vs. Fordham?
The biggest surprise that emerged out of Fordham was arguably tight end Chancellor Brewington.
The walk-on transfer didn't play a snap at Illinois and he played the second-most tight end snaps Saturday vs. Fordham, only behind Austin Allen. His emergence was a pleasant surprise.
In general, the NU's transfer portal additions, like wide receiver Samori Toure and running back Markese Stepp, played a big factor in their offensive success.
ONE PREDICTION: Blackshirts hold Buffalo under 200 yards rushing
Buffalo will be breaking in multiple new starters on their offensive line. Going into this game on Saturday, I really like the match-up of NU's front seven vs. the Bull's offensive line.
I predict the Blackshirts will hold the Bulls under 200 yards rushing on Saturday. This is a team that ran for 287 yards per game in 2021.
Sean Callahan can be reached at sean@huskeronline.com and he can be heard each day at 6:45 am and 5:05 pm on Big Red Radio 1110 KFAB in Omaha during the football season. He can also be seen on KETV Channel 7 in Omaha during the fall and each week he appears on NET's Big Red Wrap-Tuesday's at 7 pm.
