2010 NCAA Football Preview: Nebraska
In the 1990s the Nebraska Cornhuskers were always in the hunt for a national title. Twice they succeeded; on two other occasions they finished in second; three other times they finished in the top ten. The team’s worst finish in the 90s was in 1998 when they finished 19th; they followed that up with one of their #2 ranked seasons.
Since the turn of the millennium the Cornhuskers have found the road to victory much harder to travel. Five times they finished the season not ranked in the top 25 including three of the last four years.
When head coach Bo Pelini took over prior to the 2008 season he inherited a team that only won five games the previous season. In one year he had the team winning nine games; in two he had them win 10 and finish the season ranked (14th) for the first time since 2005, when they were 24th.
In 2010, Pelini would like nothing more than to take the team back to the glory days of old. With the collection of experienced starters returning he just might have a chance of doing so.
Offence
Nebraska may be able to challenge in the Big XII with the group they have returning on offence next season.
In their championship days they were known for having a huge offensive line that could block anything and they have one that is pretty close to that going into 2010. Center Jacob Hickman is the only player they lost; both guards, Keith Williams and Ricky Henry and tackles Marcel Jones and Mike Smith return.
Roy Helu will benefit most off the returning front line; last season he rushed the ball 220 times for 1147 yards and nine touchdowns. Helu will end up sharing time with sophomores Rex Burkhead and Dontrayevous Robinson as he tries to figure out who the heir apparent is.
Where the team may hurt is the one position where they can afford to hurt the least, quarterback. Senior Zac Lee does not exactly inspire confidence with his play on the field. He can be wildly inconsistent at times with QB ratings above 100 five times last season and below 50 three times including a 1.3 effort against Texas last December.
Defence
Anyone who is familiar with college football is aware that the best defensive lineman in football moved onto the professional ranks after last season. No matter; the Cornhusker’s Black shirt defense is back in full force after departed for a couple years prior to head coach Pelini taking over two years ago. In 2007 the team had 455 points scored on it, ranking it 112th in Division I that year; it was the first time in school history that a defense had given up so many points.
Ten players with significant time return to the field for 2010. Three starters return to the secondary with an additional two coming back that have had a lot of playing time. Senior Prince Amukamara and junior Alfonzo Dennard are slated to start, but expect to see seniors Anthony West and Dejon Gomes get plenty of time as well. Senior Eric Hagg will be joined at safety by sophomore P.J. Smith; in limited time as a freshman he made 14 tackles.
While the front four will miss Heisman trophy candidate Ndamukong Suh it is the depth provided by David Harvey and Barry Turner that the team may miss more. Senior Pierre Allen and junior Jared Crick return to the front four and look to be joined by sophomore Cameron Meredith. Linebackers Will Compton and Sean Fisher, both sophomores, will be expected to pick up a lot of the slack along with new starter senior Blake Lawrence.
With 17 total starters returning the Cornhuskers will take a veteran presence onto the field next season. The inexperience at quarterback may hurt, but the defence will likely make up for that again. It would not be surprising to see Pelini give sophomore Cody Green more time if Zac Lee falters early.
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