2 Average Guys

It’s finally time for the Penn State game and although they aren’t what we thought they would be, they still pose the stiffest challenge for the Huskers on the season.  The Nittany Lions have a roster filled with 4 and 5 star guys that are playing a very physical brand of football right now and can still reach a bowl game if they win the next two games.  They have a lot to play for in a season that seems like a disaster for them; they were a preseason favorite for the national championship, ranked #2 in the country and won their first three games.  Three straight losses later, head coach James Franklin was fired by the university and now they stand no chance at making the college football playoffs.  

This is a game that has to have them salivating seeing how all of our weaknesses play to their strengths plus their defense is really good and  will run the ball like we used to do.  They  know what it takes to win in the Big Ten and will give Nebraska all it can handle.  So how does Nebraska deal with that and come away with quite possibly its biggest win of the Matt Rhule era?  The Huskers have to play disciplined football from start to finish and can’t hope for the Nittany Lions to gift them the game.  Penn State won’t make a lot of those mistakes unless Nebraska forces them.  Finding some way to stop the run is crucial because we haven’t shown that we can get big plays downfield from our passing game which the Huskers will need to do in order to come away from this one.  

This past bye week should prove to be a godsend for the team as a whole, knowing it gives TJ Lateef three straight weeks of practicing with the starters which is huge in terms of timing, efficiency, and confidence.  The coaches most likely will let him throw the ball downfield in a big time hostile environment, and that is what he needs, experience.  Emmett Johnson will need to be himself and getting some big plays on special teams is always helpful.  The week leading up to UCLA, coach Rhule didn’t say too much about Lateef and just let his play do the talking.  This week, though he has repeated himself a lot about how well Lateef is buying in and the team rallying around him.  Why do I bring that up?  I think it’s because I’m still getting used to coach Rhule and learning that he truly believes what he’s saying. We’ve heard all those answers before from previous coaches and watched the team come out flat and unprepared for the game, ultimately losing.  Personally I prefer the coach say it once or twice and move on, regardless of how many interviews they do, but that’s not Rhule’s style and never has been.   

This year’s team has been different, and have found ways to win games when in the past they wouldn’t have.  They seem more tight to the chest and not as focused on talk, but rather action and that’s what it’s going to take to win this game.  No talking until it’s over and Penn State winds up with its seventh loss of the season while Nebraska looks strong at 8-3, giving Iowa something to ponder heading into the Black Friday game.  It’s about time the Huskers start playing with some quiet confidence like they did against UCLA, that’s the version of Nebraska we hope for.  We went through the Riley and Frost years of embarrassment, watching the endless hype videos, social media presence, and trash talking that only fueled our opponents, leaving the coaches and team giving humiliating excuses and all but scripted answers in the post game and throughout the next week.  

I’m learning that Rhule understands the world of college football these days and that it’s better he be the face that says the things and takes the heat, than his players.  He wants them to only be focused on what is right in front of them, and this week it just happens to be Penn State.  Two storied programs that were run in similar fashion throughout the 70s 80s and 90s by two head coaches that were the faces of their programs.  Forget about the Wisconsin and Iowa trophy games which were manufactured, we’re not their true rivals and they aren’t ours. The Penn State game has the better feel of a respectful rivalry given its history, one we haven’t had since Oklahoma and are desperately seeking.  Two fan bases with shared values of hard work making an honest living, joined with family and faith.  We’ve never felt at home in the Big Ten and maybe never will, but if this provides one moment when things feel normal and right, when two storied programs can go let it all out on the field, with a Nebraska win of course, then that would be something to talk about, and would give Husker Nation it’s well deserved sense of peace.