Four Questions for the Nebraska Football Team Headed Into the Akron Game

It sure is fun to watch a Saturday full of college football games with the comfort of already having a win under your belt, isn’t it? After securing the W on Thursday night, that’s what the Huskers got to do over the weekend. Now that the dust has settled on a fantastic Week 1 of college football, and we settle in for the best time of year, we look ahead to Akron week with four questions for the Nebraska football team. 

Is There More Under the Hood for Dana Holgorsen’s Offense? 

Judging by the eye test, the Husker offense looked fine on Thursday night. They seemed to move the ball well, although frustratingly stalled out without points on too many drives. Looking at the numbers, the Big Red nearly doubled Cincinnati’s time of possession, holding the ball for nearly 40 minutes of game time. They converted 10 of 18 third downs, and Dylan Raiola completed 78% of his passes, going 33 for 42 for 243 yards and two touchdowns. You’ll take those numbers, although it would be nice to see something better than 113 yards rushing, 356 total yards, and 20 points. 

Again, it was…fine. I must admit though, after a full offseason of excitement about having Dana Holgorsen at the controls of the offense, I was hoping for more big plays and more points. Judging by what Holgorsen said on Tuesday, so was he. Something more along the lines of what we saw against Wisconsin last year, when the Huskers racked up 473 total yards and scored 44 points en route to a blowout victory over the Badgers. I realize it was game one, and Nebraska was taking what Cincinnati’s defense was giving it, and they did some things well. I’m just curious if we’ll see a more explosive offense in future games. It’s encouraging to hear Holgorsen talk about wanting more, but it’s fair to wonder if the hold-the-ball, run-the-clock, classic Big Ten game plan we saw on Thursday is closer to Matt Rhule’s preferred approach. I get the idea of protecting a young defense as it finds its footing, but it sure would be nice to win a few games by simply blowing the doors off of some teams. 

Who Will Emerge Behind Emmett Johnson?

Emmett Johnson was a beast on Thursday night, rushing for 108 yards on 25 carries, and catching seven balls for another 27 yards. Behind him, though, we didn’t see much. Redshirt freshman Mekhi Nelson had one carry for zero yards, and true freshman Isaiah Mozee had one carry for -2 yards. Coach Rhule said Monday the plan is to play more guys moving forward, and that should be music to Husker fans’ ears. Johnson is clearly THE GUY at running back, but he’s going to need help through the grind of a 12 game schedule. Nebraska will need more reliable options, not just to spell Johnson, but to emerge as weapons for the offense. Let’s hope the next two weeks–against Akron and Houston Christian–will offer ample opportunities for the backups to see the field and find their roles…and for Johnson to limit his action and stay fresh and ready for the conference grind. 

What’s a Reasonable Expectation for This Defense? 

One week of college football is in the books, and Nebraska ranks 69th nationally in scoring defense, 116th in rushing defense, and 52nd in total defense. Not exactly awe-inspiring stuff, especially after Husker fans have become accustomed to Rhule’s top 15 defenses over the last two seasons. Let’s be fair: it’s early, and Cincinnati quarterback Brendan Sorsby presented a unique challenge as a running quarterback. The Blackshirts held the Bearcats to 271 total yards and 17 points, and both of those numbers will play all season long. But it was concerning to see Nebraska’s front seven get pushed around at times, and it makes you wonder what Big Ten play will bring for this squad. 

The Huskers are a young team, the defense has lost several multi-year contributors, and they are breaking in a new coordinator in John Butler. All of that means we could be in for a step back from what the Blackshirts showed in 2023 and 2024. If you want to put an optimistic spin on it, it could also mean there is an opportunity for massive in-season improvement and pleasant surprises as the year goes on. The next two weeks should help immensely as the defense figures itself out. Time will tell after that. 

Do We Have a Kicker?

New kicker Kyle Cunanan was 2-for-2 on field goals, including hitting a 52 yarder in the 2nd quarter. It’s not a stretch to say, in previous years Nebraska might have missed one or both of those kicks, and that could have been the difference in the game. It was extremely encouraging to see Cunanan get the job done. Additionally, by the end of the game he had taken over kickoff duties, booting them into the end zone and not allowing Cincinnati to even attempt a return. Do the Huskers have a full time, reliable kicker? It sure looks that way, and Husker fans sure hope so.