Nebraska Preview: Bye Week #1
There may not be a college football team in America more in need of a week off than the Nebraska Cornhuskers who head into the first of two byes on the 2019 schedule.
The Huskers (4-3/2-2 Big Ten) are beaten up with injuries at several positions offensively and beaten down defensively after giving up more than 1,000 yards rushing (1,068) in the last four games (267 yards per game).
Last Saturday's 34-7 loss at Minnesota was Nebraska's second lopsided loss in three weeks as the Huskers operated without injured starting quarterback Ardian Martinez and lost running back Wan'Dale Robinson to an injury in the first half.
Despite all of that, backup quarterback Noah Vedral had success moving the ball against the Gopher defense in the first 30 minutes, driving Nebraska to the Minnesota 40 yard line or beyond on each of their first three possessions of the game, only to come away with no points on the scoreboard.
The 'Voice of the Huskers', Greg Sharpe, told me those missed opportunities really hurt:
Defensively, Nebraska struggled all night to stop the Minnesota running attack as the Gophers racked up 322 yards overall, averaging close to seven yards a carry.
Greg says the Huskers inability to stop the run was a surprise:
This week, Nebraska gets the first of two bye weeks on the 2019 schedule, the other coming November 9. Greg says the week off couldn't have come at a better time for this team:
One of the things the Nebraska coaching staff will be working on during the bye week is the offensive line, which has allowed 11 sacks and 35 tackles for loss in the last four games.
Greg says this group still very much a work in progress:
The offensive line isn't the only area of concern at this stage of the season. Greg says there are other holes in this Nebraska roster:
Greg says there is potentially some good news on the horizon. When Nebraska resumes the season there are two winnable games on the horizon before the likes of Wisconsin and Iowa await in the final three weeks of the year: