Nebraska Football: Turner Corcoran’s struggles cause for concern

Nebraska football had a tough go of things on Thursday night against Minnesota, losing 13-10. It’s not productive to rehash every single aspect of the game. However, one thing stuck out to me in particular. The play of Turner Corcoran needs to be improved if the Nebraska football offensive line is going to have a solid year.

Corcoran played 56 snaps. He allowed three sacks and two quarterback hurries on the day. He had a run grade of 56.1 and a pass grade of zero. Overall, he came in at a 42.31 grade in Pro Football Focus’s ratings. He was the lowest-rated lineman out of the bunch, and was largely responsible for the team’s struggles on the line.

A red flag for Nebraska football

This raises a bit of a red flag. Corcoran is one of the more experienced players on the offensive line. The left tackle played three games at the left guard position before moving to left tackle last year. The bottom line is, he is an experienced player. Yet, he still continues to struggle. On top of this, he is one of the returning faces on a Nebraska offensive line that has a bunch of new players.

His overall struggles at the collegiate level are a bit surprising. It wasn’t as he was a low-rated high school player. He was the top player in Kansas in 2019. The talent is there. The execution at the collegiate level has not been.

I’m not ready to write him off yet. Doing so would be unfair, particularly after one game. However, his play is worth watching. If he continues to struggle, that could be an unfortunate development for Nebraska football. He looked severely overmatched on Thursday, and that is definitely a credit to Minnesota’s defensive line. Yet, we have seen Corcoran struggle, time and time again. He struggled last year at times, and it was very evident that he was in over his head on multiple occasions.

Hopefully, he’ll be able to find his footing soon. The Huskers will take on a Colorado defensive line that did not record any sacks against TCU. This could be an opportunity for Corcoran to bounce back.  He needs to find his footing, and quickly. Otherwise, it could be another long year for him.