THE RED ZONE BLITZ

Week 1 showed flashes—and plenty of reasons to worry. Now Bowling Green comes to Lincoln. No playing with your food. It’s time for Nebraska to make the Week 2 jump.

Nebraska opens against Ohio at 11 a.m. The guy on the other sideline held Anthony Colandrea to 10 points nine months ago. Lincoln, NE — I’ve covered this program through enough good Septembers and Octobers that turned into ugly Novembers to know the difference between a start and a season. Last year Nebraska got to 6-2, cracked the Top 25, then beat UCLA to reach 7-3. What followed was not a slow fade. It was Penn State 37-10, Iowa 40-16, and Utah 44-22 in the Las Vegas Bowl

We wait with bated breath each year for this team to do something, do anything, to show us signs of life. We thought we had it last year. Rhule season three. This is it. This is when he brings it all together. His culture. His people. We saw it at Temple. He did it again at the cesspool that was Baylor. The time was right. A rising star in Emmett Johnson. An offensive guru pushing the buttons of a five-star legacy quarterback that will orchestrate a dark horse playoff run thr

The Huskers stagger into Black Friday searching for clarity after a brutal night in Happy Valley. Iowa arrives built to exploit every Nebraska weakness, but the Profizer sees a sliver of hope in the cold November wind. Match Iowa’s intensity, be special on special teams, and let the Blackshirts rise once more. Three steps. One rivalry. One chance. Nebraska vs. Iowa.