Fox analyst Joel Klatt is someone who has believed the Huskers were near turning a corner before, and he thinks that now as Matt Rhule enters his second year leading the program.
In his post-spring top 25 he spoke about on his recent podcast, Klatt has the Huskers at No. 22. Other Big Ten teams in there include Ohio State at No. 1, Oregon at 4, Michigan at 8, Penn State at 9, USC at 15 and Iowa at 24. So Nebraska plays three teams in his top 25. All those games – Ohio State, USC and Iowa – are on the road, for what’s worth.
But back to Klatt, the lead analyst for FOX’s top game each week.
“That’s right. Nebraska. I think Nebraska is going to be a pretty darn good football team,” Klatt said in explaining them at 22. “They won five games a year ago in Year No. 1 for Matt Rhule. And yet they should have been a lot better. Their defense was a top 20 defense in the country, scoring and yards … They lost four games by exactly three points and in those games they had 15 turnovers. Folks, 15 turnovers! Thirteen of those 15 were by the quarterbacks. They were minus 17 in the turnover margin last year, which was the second worst in the country. They won five and lost four all by exactly three points with those turnover numbers.”
Klatt said it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know that if, say, Dylan Raiola is just a little bit better for Nebraska at QB than the play the position had a season ago from a turnover standpoint, which Klatt expects, it could easily be a team that wins eight or nine games in his book. He said it’s possible they could be 7-0 and could even wind up higher than ranking he has.
“Nebraska is a good program and I think Matt Rhule is a heckuva good coach. He’s worked everywhere he’s been.”
I wouldn’t rank Nebraska in a preseason top 25 just yet but certainly don’t think it’s foolish either. I always say you almost could stick teams ranked 11 through 55 each year in a blender, with the separation between who’s where being matters of inches in certain games. Or, yeah, turnovers.
I also suspect Rhule, as he shared in an interview last week, is going to drive home just being 1-0. He knows Nebraska hasn’t even checked that box since 2019.
How fired up do you think those veteran Husker defenders who were wisely held to a pitch count in the spring will be come August?
If you left the Spring Game thinking that doesn’t look like the defense is quite in order as when we left it last year, consider Ty Robinson, Nash Hutmacher, Isaac Gifford, Jimari Butler, John Bullock, Tommi Hill, Marques Buford, Cameron Lenhardt and Princewill Umanmielen were among those who were either not out there or barely out there in the Red-White scrimmage. DeShon Singleton, who was one of the best Blackshirts before his injury last September, is also someone to not forget about when fall camp comes. He’s got next-level game when healthy, I feel.
It’s also not just a given it’ll be a top 10 defense either. Got to go earn it again.
No question it was good for Nebraska to build up reps of some younger players this spring. Also no question those veterans will be juiced to be full go in August.
Ty Robinson said during the last week of spring ball he’s happy with his decision to be a Husker for one more go round.
“I’m so happy I decided to come back,” said Robinson on the week the NFL Draft was approaching. “There’s a lot of great guys in the draft this year but I’m taking the opportunity to take advantage and just better myself with Coach Knighton and Coach Rhule and Coach White. That’s the only way these things can happen. I’m really excited to just get better.”
What level can those vets take their game to? Evan Cooper said this spring Isaac Gifford is one of the top guys in the country. Should be determination there to hit a high bar.
Said Gifford in April, “I didn’t feel like I got done what I wanted to get done.”
Don’t forget this quote from Matt Rhule, which hit hard in the spring and will continue to do so through the summer into the heat of August.
“What we need is Tommi Hill to make a jump. We need Ty Robinson to make a jump. And Bryce Benhart, and Ben Scott, and Thomas Fidone, Nate Boerkircher, Luke Lindenmeyer. We need all these older players to make a jump,” Rhule said. “The young players will follow.”
A favorite quote of mine from the spring connected to that idea? It came after one scrimmage Saturday.
“Nash and Terrance (Knighton) got into a fight today almost because Nash wanted to go in,” Rhule said. “I love that about Nash. … Our older veterans …. I think they’ve done a great job of accepting the young players and oriented them to kind of how we do things.”
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