Here it is, the last game of the season! Hopefully, Iowa is standing at an 11-0 record with upsets over Ohio State and Michigan and the Cornhuskers represent their last stop before the Big Ten Championship… and then the national championship. Whether or not this is indeed the reality (we can certainly hope), Nebraska is a heck of a game to end the season on.
The Cornhuskers are an extremely interesting team with how they are portrayed in the media. Many have called Nebraska the greatest three-win team in college football history and suggesting that they were much better than their 2021 record suggested. If a few possessions swung the other way, Nebraska could have finished as one of the best teams in the conference!
At the end of the day, though, the Cornhuskers were still a 3-9 team last year, and coach Scott Frost is on the hottest of hot seats. As many have pointed out, Nebraska is a tough out. They gave multiple top teams a tough fight last year, including both Michigan and Michigan State. They feature a sturdy defense and hope the offense takes a step forward in 2022.
Casey Thompson, quarterback
AP Photo/Rebecca S. Gratz
Gone is Adrian Martinez! It feels so weird. After showing promise as a freshman, many had high hopes of Martinez becoming a dual-threat star. Hopefully, he could bring Nebraska back to being a true power! It didn’t really work out that way. He could always run, but Martinez never advanced as a passer in his last three years as a Cornhusker. If anything, he regressed.
Martinez is at Kansas State now, enter Casey Thompson. Thompson was an unfortunate casualty of star prospect Quinn Ewers’ transfer to Texas, and that might be Nebraska’s gain. In his only season as a starter, Thompson threw 24 touchdown passes and added another four on the ground. He might not have been elite, but he offers a good amount of upside to the Cornhuskers’ passing game.
Luke Reimer, linebacker
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As mentioned previously, the defense was the real star for the Cornhuskers last year. They held opponents to a shade under 23 points per game, good for 36th nationally. Michigan State only mustered up 23 points against them. Oklahoma scored 23 as well. Linebacker Luke Reimer was the leader of the Nebraska defense, totaling 108 tackles, including 60 solo tackles. Reimer was a honorable-mention All-Big Ten selection last season.
Ochaun Mathis, EDGE rusher
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For as good as…