Finally, it's here. Game week has arrived, Husker fans. We're now just three days away from the kickoff of the 2024 season.

Let's take a look at Nebraska's season-opener, the UTEP Miners. Kickoff is slated for 2:30 p.m. with Fox broadcasting the game.

After a 3-9 campaign in 2023, UTEP decided to move on from head coach Dana Dimel. In Dimel’s six seasons in El Paso, the Miners made a bowl game just once, and it was three years ago in 2021. Dimel has since landed a spot on Bret Bielema's Illinois staff as an offensive assistant.

UTEP's coaching search landed on Scotty Walden, a young and energetic 34-year-old who has climbed the ladder in coaching. He spent the past four seasons leading Austin Peay, an FCS program located in Clarksville, Tennessee.

After starting his coaching career in 2012 as offensive coordinator of his alma mater, Division III Sul Ross University in Alpine, Texas, Walden took the OC job at rival East Texas Baptist in Marshall, Texas, where he wound up being promoted to head coach in 2016 at just 26 years old. After spending four seasons at ETBU, Walden cracked into FBS coaching for the first time when he was hired to be the receivers coach at Southern Miss in 2017.

Walden spent four seasons at Southern Miss, the first two as receivers coach and the last two as co-OC/WRs. Walden became the Golden Eagles’ interim head coach just one game into the 2020 season when then-head coach Jay Hopson resigned.

Walden went 1-3 as Southern Miss’ interim and didn’t finish the season with the program as he accepted the Austin Peay head coaching job in the middle of the season on Oct. 27, 2020.

Walden saw success with Austin Peay — he never had a losing season in his four years at the helm. He went 26-14 overall and improved the win total each season: 4-2 in 2020, 6-5 in 2021, 7-4 in 2022 and 9-3 in 2023. Walden’s Austin Peay team made the 2023 FCS Playoffs, but lost in the first round.

Matt Rhule's Nebraska staff worked a couple camps in Texas this summer, and Walden and his UTEP assistants helped. There's much respect between the two sides.

"Scotty Walden is gonna do a great job. He's an excellent coach," Rhule said. "...There's no doubt that he's going to turn around UTEP. And as a person...he's got amazing energy and juice. So it'll be a battle."

Without a doubt, Walden is one of the top young head coaches in the country. He brings energy on the sideline, sort of like Minnesota's PJ Fleck:

Considering UTEP is in full rebuild mode with a new coach and a new roster, the Miners’ predicted finish of ninth in the 10-team Conference USA makes sense. UTEP hasn’t had back-to-back winning seasons since 2004 and 2005. Since then, it’s had two winning seasons, in 2014 and 2021.

For more on Walden, and his detailed thoughts on Nebraska's team, check this out.

Walden's offense at Austin Peay was a heavy 10- and 11-personnel spread attack that featured wide splits from the receivers, much like the Art Briles offenses of Baylor. Austin Peay used tempo and played fast, often times snapping the ball as quickly as it could, sometimes when the play clock is around 35 seconds, especially after positive yardage.

Austin Peay averaged 34.08 points per game in 2023 and gained an average of 426.8 total yards, 274.08 passing and 152.7 rushing.

Last season, Walden's Austin Peay played at Tennessee and gave the Volunteers fits for one half before Josh Heupel's team pulled away for a 30-13 win. Austin Peay led Tennessee 3-0 and 6-3 at different points in the first half and trailed just 13-6 at halftime.

It took time for Tennessee's defense to adjust to the pace and space at which Austin Peay was operating with.

"They're gonna come out here, they're gonna try to run 200 plays. They're gonna take their shots. They challenge us all over the field," Rhule said.

During a radio appearance last week, Rhule said he was joking with new secondary coach John Butler about how different the film looked compared to the NFL personnel sets Butler has been used to the past 10 seasons. The two coaches were watching four- and five-wide formations from Austin Peay.

During one moment, Rhule said he turned to Butler and joked, “It’s a little different than getting ready for the Jets, huh?”

Here's an example of how Walden chose to attack Tennessee's defense. On a third-and-11 from his own 24-yard line, Walden went with a condensed 10-personnel (one back, zero tight ends, four receivers) look, but shifted in a dramatic way — with all five skill players (four receivers, one running back) lining up outside of the field hash, and with three receivers on the numbers or further out.

Austin Peay got a favorable look, saw the numbers advantage to the field and ran its receiver screen, utilizing four blockers against the Vols' four defenders who followed the shift:

Another aspect of Walden that Husker fans should be aware of — he's willing to take chances, especially in a buy game on the road against a Power Four opponent.

On the very next play, a fourth-and-2 from the 33, Walden went for it. He didn't go tempo — he instead took his time to get his preferred 12 personnel on the field — and snapped the ball with 4 seconds left on the play clock.

It was a read-run, and with Tennessee's defense flowing to the running back, Austin Peay quarterback Mike DiLiello kept the ball, made a safety miss and followed the two excellent blocks of his tight ends for an explosive:

Husker fans could expect a similar approach from Walden's offense against Nebraska's defense in a hostile environment.

In other words, rather than test the middle of a defense with bigger and stronger athletes than you have, put the ball in your skill players' hands on the edges of the field and turn it into a WRs vs DBs battle, a more favorable matchup. Make the Husker DBs tackle in space.

"They play to win. You see all the formations, you see the tempo, you see they go for it a lot on fourth down," Nebraska defensive coordinator Tony White said on Tuesday. "You can see it in the play-calling, very aggressive. They have a lot of trick plays. They run some fakes on you. They keep you on your toes with the PAT field-goal block, with all the stuff they do there. So they make you work. They make you prepare."

Much respect should go to coaches who start from the bottom and work their way up. Walden knows what that's like after beginning his coaching career in D-III football. But so does his DC, J.J. Clark.

Clark spent four seasons (2015-18) coaching at Wheaton College, a D-III program in Illinois. After that, he spent three seasons at the NAIA level, with Indiana Wesleyan. Walden hired Clark in March 2022 to be his linebackers coach at Austin Peay, and Clark has stuck with Walden since. Now he's an FBS DC.

An aggressive one, too, that will remind some of White's flexible defense at Nebraska. Husker fans will see a variety of fronts — three- and four-down lines mostly — with second-level defenders sometimes up at the line of scrimmage and moving around to cause confusion for offensive lines.

At the snap, sometimes those second-level defenders blitz. Sometimes they drop into coverage. Sometimes they're manned up.

"They will zero you up. They will come after you. They will blitz you. So we'll have to handle the pressure, handle the blitz," Rhule said of UTEP's defense. "There's not one part of this coaching staff we're playing against that doesn't come in and try to win. Sometimes you play people and they're just like, 'Hey, let's play it close to the vest.' These guys are coming to win."

Last season Clark's defense at Austin Peay held opponents to 24.42 points per game while allowing an average of 396 total yards, 250.33 passing and 145.7 rushing.

The challenge, Nebraska offensive coordinator Marcus Satterfield said, is preparing the Husker players for what and who they'll see. They've been watching UTEP's 2023 film to get a gauge on the players they'll be competing against. But they've also been watching Austin Peay's 2023 film to understand the scheme they'll likely see.

"It's a really good defense, very good defensive staff," Satterfield said. "Very sound. They make you execute. They do some different things, give you different looks. So it'll be a challenge, for sure."

A total of 11 players from Austin Peay followed Walden to UTEP and will now get an opportunity to play FBS football. Here are some quick notes that stood out while taking a look at the Miners:

UTEP lost last year’s starter, Gavin Hardison, a veteran who played in five games and threw 947 passing yards and five touchdowns against seven interceptions before a season-ending elbow injury.

One of the three quarterbacks who took over for Hardison, Cade McConnell, returns and could be UTEP’s starting quarterback when Nebraska’s defense trots onto the field for the first time in 2024. If it's not McConnell, it'll be Skyler Locklear, a transfer from Austin Peay who played in just four games in two seasons.

Walden told media members this week he'll announce the starting quarterback either today or Thursday.

The 6-1, 195-pound McConnell played in the final seven games of 2023 and completed 53.5% of his throws (92-of-172) for 1,437 passing yards and six touchdowns against four interceptions.

In two seasons at Austin Peay, the 5-11, 195-pound Locklear went 4-of-7 for 70 yards and one touchdown. Locklear, a dual-threat, owns the advantage of knowing Walden's spread, up-tempo attack. McConnell has never played a game in it yet.

“I’m starting to see a little separation in some categories that matter. I really want to get through the game plan with Nebraska, see how they handle it, see how they handle the first game week,” Walden said Monday.

Walden added that, if the competition is close enough, he wouldn’t be against playing two quarterbacks against Nebraska.

In his first start of his UTEP career, at Florida International, McConnell showed off good deep-ball accuracy. Here he is hitting now-departed Kelly Akharaiyi (#4) in stride on a double-move go route for an 80-yard touchdown:

Later in that same game, McConnell saw single coverage on Jeremiah Ballard (#0), who runs a slot fade against the safety who previously got burned by Akharaiyi, and throws a good ball for a big gain:

There's also Kevin Hurley, a 6-3, 233-pound former dual-threat quarterback who is now listed as a receiver. He passed for 196 yards and two touchdowns in 2023 while also rushing for 48 yards and three touchdowns. Hurley could be an option to take snaps for the Miners in short-yardage or goal-line situations.

UTEP lost its top three rushers from 2023, so it’ll be a completely new look in the backfield next to McConnell or Locklear. The bright side is Walden’s starting running back at Austin Peay, Jevon Jackson, a 2023 FCS Football Central second-team All-American, transferred to UTEP and will be the Miners’ primary ball carrier.

Jackson spent three seasons at Austin Peay and 2023 was his breakout season as he rushed for 1,373 yards and 10 touchdowns. The 5-8, 205-pounder was a workhorse — he was given at least 25 carries in five games.

Jackson is a tough low-center-of-gravity runner who has balance. Here's an example against Chattanooga in last season's FCS playoffs that gives an idea of what kind of runner he is. After taking a handoff and following his pulling left guard, Jackson makes the inside 'backer miss and the rest is all him (keep an eye on those aforementioned wide receiver splits and how it impacts the defense, creating more room in the middle of the field for Jackson and the blocking scheme in front of him):

"He's an excellent football player with elite contact balance, and he can make you miss," Rhule said of Jackson.

As for Corey Wren, UTEP is his third school. He spent 2020-2021 at Florida State, where he was primarily a kickoff returner. In eight attempts in two seasons, Wren gained 153 yards, with a long of 22 in 2020 and 33 in 2021. He spent 2022 and 2023 at TCU, where he played running back. In two seasons with the Horned Frogs, he took 15 carries for 61 yards while catching four passes for 8 yards.

Like running back — and everything else — the receiver position will look different in El Paso. UTEP lost its top four receivers from 2023, including Akharaiyi, a 1,000-yard wideout (48 catches, 1,033 yards, 7 TDs), and Ballard (34 catches, 551 yards, 1 TD).

The top returning pass catcher is the 6-foot, 185-pound Emari White, who hauled in just eight catches for 132 yards in 2023. But Walden is bringing productive wideouts with him to UTEP, notably Trey Goodman.

Goodman is a 5-11, 175-pound senior who caught 34 passes for 721 yards and seven touchdowns at Austin Peay in 2023. The past two seasons, he has 66 catches for 1,080 yards and 11 scores.

Another Austin Peay receiver expected to play a role for UTEP is Kenny Odom (28 catches, 301 yards and three touchdowns in 2023).

UTEP lost its top three tacklers and three of its top four sack artists from 2023. Of the 20 players who recorded at least 10 tackles in 2023, 12 have departed the program.

UTEP does return edge Maurice Westmoreland, who had 37 tackles and a team-high 7.5 sacks in 2023. The 6-2, 250-pound Westmoreland plays the Miners’ bandit position, a hybrid defensive end/outside linebacker, much like Nebraska’s Jack linebacker.

Westmoreland is an edge rusher Nebraska’s offensive line — especially the tackles — needs to be aware of. Rhule sure is. The coach said Westmoreland could have easily gone into the transfer portal and found power conference opportunities.

"Westmoreland is a pro. He's a pro," Rhule said. "He's versatile. Great arm-over. Great ability to affect pass rushers. He can rattle his pads, shoulder-shake and get tackles off balance. Not afraid to take the inside move, which is the hallmark of a really confident pass rusher.

"He's got a great motor, and he can also drop in to space. So while he's sort of like a known rusher, you also have to account for, 'Hey, what if he doesn't come?' You can't put a back on him."

In UTEP's game at Northwestern in 2023, Westmoreland showed off his ability at the line of scrimmage. Strong and powerful, he plays with heavy hands and brings the fight to the blocker:

Later in the season, at FIU, Westmoreland showed off his versatility and how big of a problem he can be.

On this example, Westmoreland wins inside with a quick move against the right tackle for the sack:

Later in the game, Westmoreland beats the right tackle again by locking his left arm on the chest of the tackle and helping collapse the pocket:

Westmoreland should provide a great season-opening test for Nebraska's offensive line, and especially Bryce Benhart or Turner Corcoran.

The Miners’ defensive backfield returns cornerback AJ Odums. The 5-11, 175-pound Odums, a former transfer from New Mexico, recorded 36 tackles and a team-high eight passes defensed in 2023.

Another defender the Husker offense will be aware of is Josiah Allen, a 5-10, 179-pounder who plays the spur position, or slot corner in UTEP’s defense. The former Sacramento City College transfer had 41 tackles and five passes defensed in 2023.

Xavier Smith is another Austin Peay transfer who will be a starter for the Miners. The 6-foot, 195-pounder began his career at Colorado in 2022, but never appeared in a game. He then transferred to Austin Peay to play for Walden and became an FCS Freshman All-American after playing in 12 games and recording 75 tackles, seven passes defensed, five tackles for loss and one sack.

Like Smith, Kory Chapman is another Austin Peay defensive back transfer. The 5-10, 190-pound Spur is a veteran who played a lot of football for Walden — he appeared in 33 career games (2021-23) with 25 starts. For his career, Chapman racked up 179 tackles, 15 TFLs, four sacks, 14 breakups and five interceptions.

There's also safety Landon Hullaby, a transfer from Texas Tech who played in four games as a redshirt freshman in 2023. He's a former three-star recruit in the 2022 class.

UTEP got a boost through the transfer portal with linebacker Dylan Brown-Turner, who spent his true freshman season at Florida State. The 6-1, 210-pounder appeared in just one game in 2023 for the Seminoles and didn't record any stats. He's a former three-star recruit in the 2022 class.

UTEP returns last season's starter in Buzz Flabiano, who went 10-of-14 on field goal attempts and was 4-of-4 from 20-29 yards, 5-of-6 from 30-39 and 1-of-4 from 40-49. His longest make was from 43 yards out.

UTEP will be breaking in a new punter. The Miners brought in North Texas transfer Adam Jacklin, an Australian who's 27 years old. Last season for the Mean Green, Jacklin saw action in four games. He punted nine times and averaged 38.7 yards with one touchback. Jacklin will be UTEP's third-straight Aussie punter.

Kam Thomas is another Austin Peay transfer, and he'll be a factor when Nebraska is punting and kicking off.

The 5-7, 184-pounder is small but has plenty of quicks and is perfect for bringing back punts and kicks. In 2023 he averaged 21.1 yards per kickoff return and he brought one back 94 yards for a touchdown in 2022. As a punt returner he's brought back three for scores the past two seasons, and last year averaged 22.3 yards per return. He'll be a Miner Back in Walden's offense, a do-everything back who can carry the ball and catch passes.

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