Nebraska vs North Dakota: Time to Clip Their Wings

I tell you what. It sometimes seems that no matter the Husker team, we can’t help ourselves. What do you do to teams like Bowling Green? You stomp out any hope of victory immediately. What do the Huskers do? Well officially it goes down in the books as an interception, but really, Jacory Barney just had the ball ripped right out of his hands to hand them the very early momentum.

Luckily, it was Bowling Green we’re talking about, and the team was able to stop any momentum that was captured right in its tracks. A quick three-and-out led to five straight touchdowns by this Nebraska offense, which I may say is starting to look like it can be formidable in its own right this year. The point is this though. We cannot continue to start games like we have the first two of the season. Handing early momentum to the opponent will only spell trouble in the coming weeks as the competition is ramped up. Husker fans, we have seen what happens when opponents’ momentum start to snowball, and I for one, just haven’t seen a Husker team in a long time be able to crawl out of a hole and win a game.

So…. What do we actually have here? 

Two games in, it sure looks like we have a DAWG at QB again in Lincoln. Firey. Unafraid. Foot on the gas. Colandrea will attempt to fit it into tight spaces. He certainly can throw a fastball, something that seemed to be missing with Raiola at the helm. He will hype his team and definitely isn’t afraid to get on someone when necessary. Now can this gunslinger mentality lead to some issues down the road? Without a doubt. But after two games, it appears to me that there is far more upside than down.

Jamal Rule is the real deal as well, seemingly taking over that backfield after just two collegiate games. In all reality, we have seen production out of all the backs. Hand up, I was skeptical of the praise being heaped on the room throughout the offseason and when Nebraska decided to stay out of the RB portal game. Assumed it was another coaching tactic to boost up a room that maybe wasn’t where it needed to be. Through two games, appears these coaches were telling the truth. This can only be a good thing for the Huskers moving forward.

But there are some warts. Some things that need to get cleaned up or else they will become bigger issues down the road. The biggest issue this team faces, in this Profizer’s mind’s eye, the pass rush. Primarily Aurich and Co. have only been sending four, but we have not seen any kind of consistent pass rush. Slightly concerning based on the level of competition that the Blackshirts have faced thus far. Only two credited sacks against two MAC opponents. Better QBs are going to pick us apart. Andrew Marshall can’t cover everyone out there. Consistent pressure on the QB leads to chaos and that leads to turnovers, something that you hope these Blackshirts can improve upon as well.

Penalties must also be cleaned up. Two straight games we have had touchdowns taken off the board. I love aggressive play, playing through the whistle, but taking points off the board will kill games. I don’t care how improved the offense might look, better defenses will not let you off the hook. It’s a fine line, but one that must be tightroped by this Husker team if they want to be successful moving forward.

North Dakota is the #6 team in all of FCS. Tarleton State, the #5 team in FCS, already walked into Bowling Green, OH and beat the Huskers past opponent in Week 1. Nebraska doesn’t need another reminder that the logo of the other team’s helmet doesn’t win the game for you. Like any FCS opponent traveling to an FBS school, they will treat this as their Super Bowl. Another opponent that is here, not only to fund their athletic program for the year, but to market themselves for next year. A golden opportunity for these often-overlooked players to shine in the bright lights. The Huskers cannot mess around. These guys can shine some other time. Saturday night in Lincoln is not the time or place. You can’t take anything for granted in football. Nebraska vs North Dakota – The Profizer’s Pigskin Preview:

1.      Dirty Laundry – I’ll be the mom. I’ll say it. I don’t want to see it laying on the floor this week. Clean it up. Penalties killing big plays are bound to hurt us sometime, but it can’t be every game. Keep the intensity up, but play smart. North Dakota would love nothing more than to watch Nebraska shoot itself in the foot over and over again. We’ve all seen it happen before. Think Georgia Southern, Troy, and Northern Illinois. All they did was hang around until we beat ourselves. That is a trend we need to see come to an end.

2.      Grounded – That is exactly what the Blackshirts need to do to Jerry Kaminski, the North Dakota QB who is off to a hot start this year, throwing for over 800 yards, 11 TDs and only 2 INTs. It needs to be a no fly zone for these Fighting Hawks. It is time to clip their wings and make another player try to beat them. North Dakota will want to be physical upfront, so the Blackshirts will have to step up to the challenge. And just to beat the broken record one more time. Please for the love of Tom Osborne, get some pressure on Kaminski. Make him operate off-schedule. It’s time to create some havoc on that side of the ball.

3.      Let Your Brother Have a Turn – May sound like last week, but I’ll say it again! Let’s get some young guys in the game early. There is no reason that starters should be playing late into this game. Do what you are supposed to do when you schedule this game. Beat ‘em. Beat ‘em early. Beat ‘em often. Send them on their way. This is the final tune up game before we get into B1G play. Depth in college football is more important than ever. Things are going to happen throughout the season and whoever is best prepared will be the victors. Live reps will only strengthen this team moving forward, not to mention in today’s day and age, evaluation and roster management is at a premium. Let’s see what the guys got and build for the future.

A picture is starting to develop. We’re beginning to see what this 2026 version of Nebraska football might be. North Dakota represents the final tune-up before B1G play – and the last warning to clean the mistakes up before they come with actual consequences.

I can already feel Husker Nation doing it. The confidence is beginning to creep back in. A few supposed conference front-runners have stumbled. The schedule doesn’t look quite as daunting as it may have to begin the season three weeks ago. We’re starting to talk ourselves into things again.

Easy now.

There is still work to do.

Put the foot on the gas. Clean up the penalties. Find a consistent pass rush. And take care of business early enough that the kids can go out and play.

North Dakota comes to Lincoln for its Super Bowl.

Send them home with their wings clipped.

Toe meets leather at 6:15pm.

Nebraska poaches the Hawks 49 – 20.