2022 First Glance Preview: Nebraska Cornhuskers

Written by: Andrew Walker

Week Five: Nebraska Cornhuskers

Location: Memorial Stadium, Lincoln, Nebraska

Date & Time: October 1 – 7 or 7:30 P.M.

TV: TBD

CORNHUSKERS AT A GLANCE

Head Coach: Scott Frost

Entering his fifth season as Nebraska head coach

Record at Nebraska: 15-29 (10-25)

Overall Record: 34-36

Last Season: 3-9 (1-8)

CORNHUSKERS RETURNING LEADERS

Passing: Casey Thompson (at Texas) – 165 of 261 (63.2%) 2,113 yards 24 TDs 9 INTs

Rushing: Rahmir Johnson – 112 carries for 495 yards and 4 TDs

Receiving: Omar Manning – 26 catches for 380 yards and 2 TDs

Tackles: Luke Reimer (LB) 108 tackles (60 solo), 6 TFLs, 3 Forced fumbles

CORNHUSKERS PRESEASON PREDICTIONS

Athlon’s Sports: 5th in the Big Ten West (6-6, 4-5) Guaranteed Rate Bowl Projection

Phil Steele: T-3rd in the Big Ten West

Lindy’s: 4th in the Big Ten West

SP+: 29th Nationally

IMPACT NEWCOMERS FOR THE CORNHUSKERS

Casey Thompson – QB transfer from Texas

Ochaun Mathis – DL transfer from TCU

Trey Palmer – WR transfer from LSU

BIGGEST QUESTIONS FACING CORNHUSKERS

1.     Can Scott Frost finally put together an at-or-slightly better than .500 season?

2.     Can Nebraska hold up among the Big Ten’s best?

3.     Will the addition of Casey Thompson immediately make Nebraska better?

Program Preview

The Nebraska Cornhuskers have effectively been stuck in limbo since the arrival of Scott Frost. His addition certainly was to much fanfare, but that has slowly been snuffed out by the reality that Frost hadn’t coached in a power five environment. (Sorry UCF) Frost, no longer being his own offensive coordinator, should bring some stability to the play calling, especially with the addition of new OC, Mark Whipple.

Whipple comes in from Pittsburgh where he helped turn Kenny Pickett into a Heisman candidate He has NFL experience as well before that. He’ll come in to coach standout transfer quarterback from Texas, Casey Thompson and a slew of other quarterback talent Nebraska has on roster. One glaring hole in that quarterback talent is left by surprise transfer portal departure of Adrian Martinez. Martinez had a somewhat decent season last year, but he couldn’t keep the ball out of the other team’s hands. He’ll move on to Kansas State for the 2022 season, but the sting of his wonderful 2018 season still haunts Cornhusker fans.

The Cornhuskers open the season in Dublin, Ireland playing Northwestern. Talk about two teams used to playing in the cold – playing in the cold to start their season. Northwestern sees Indiana in their fifth game of the season after having gone through North Dakota, Georgia Southern, and Oklahoma. The Cornhuskers fate of the season should be understood and sealed by the time they reach Indiana in the fifth game. Squeaking out a win against Northwestern and attempting to keep it close against Oklahoma would be wonderful for Northwestern – if they can figure out their play calling.

Offensive Preview

As mentioned before the departure of Adrian Martinez this past offseason was a huge blow to the Cornhuskers. He had one of the Big Ten’s best performances at QB in his freshman year, throwing for 2,617 yards, 17 TDs and 8 INTs with a QBR of 139.5. Martinez cemented himself as the Huskers starting quarterback for as long as he stayed. Unfortunately, his production in 2019 and 2020 took a steep dive, partially due to the shortened season of 2020 and injuries, but he was still on a downward trend.

Enter Casey Thompson. He joins a Nebraska offense that, on paper, looks like they thrashed the competition in every offensive category. Statistically, Nebraska was on top. Record wise, eight of Nebraska’s losses were by a single score, and the ninth, against then No. 6 Ohio State ended with a 26-17 score. The Cornhuskers were an extremely impressive team last season on the stat sheet, but ended up being one of the Big Ten’s worst teams.

This season, with the return of wide receiver Omar Manning, Thompson will have someone very capable to throw to. As for who will be protecting Thompson? Center Cam Jurgens left early, leaving a hole in the center of the line, while tackles Teddy Prochazka and Turner Corcoran, key parts of the line, missed spring practice with injuries. Nouredin Nouili, a projected starter will miss the 2022 season due to a failed drug test. Trent Hixson has starting experience at center. New offensive line coach Donovan Raiola has emphasized aggressiveness and getting off the ball.

The Huskers recently lost running back Markese Stepp to the transfer portal, after arriving from USC. Stepp was likely the backup to Rahmir Johnson who had 495 yards and four touchdowns in 2021.

Defensive Preview

Nebraska’s defense was inevitably the demise of so many close games last season. This season, it’s looking a little more optimistic. Four of the top five tacklers are set to return: linebackers Luke Reimer, Nick Henrich, Garrett Nelson and cornerback Quinton Newsome. This, undoubtedly, is good news for Nebraska fans.

The defensive line had to be rebuilt under new coach Mike Dawson, who now works with both the line and outside linebackers following the departure of Tony Tuioti. The line has centered around tackle Ty Robinson, who had four starts. Casey Rogers, who also had starting experience, unexpectedly entered the transfer portal in late April. The Huskers, in turn, took advantage of the portal, landing end Ochaun Mathis from TCU, who is expected to step in immediately.

For Nebraska, the defense is still a work in progress. Being able to stop the run should be Nebraska’s number one priority this upcoming season. Ranking 9th in the Big Ten isn’t exactly a selling point to prospective recruits and transfers, so their attention will certainly be there this season.

Special Teams Preview

Transfer wide receiver from LSU Trey Palmer was also a returner during his time in Baton Rouge. He’ll bring speed and athleticism to Nebraska’s return yardage. The Huskers ranked 124th in kickoff returns and were tied for 128th in punt returns last season. Additionally, transfer punter from Montana, Brian Buschini, was one of the top punters in the FCS and should bring some good ability to flip the field when needed.

Previous First Glance Previews

Week One: Illinois Fighting Illini

Week Two: Idaho Vandals

Week Three: Western Kentucky Hilltoppers

Week Four: Cincinnati Bearcats