Nebraska
Game day central | Nebraska 9, No. 17 Illinois 6; 9:38 left 2nd quarter
Proceed to observe together with beat author Scott Richey the remainder of the afternoon from Memorial Stadium:
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Right here are some things I will be on the lookout for at the moment in Lincoln, Neb.:
– Because the kickers are the one gamers out proper now, let’s begin there. Caleb Griffin is wholesome once more after a leg damage price him the Iowa and Minnesota video games. Fabrizio Pinton made all seven of his subject aim makes an attempt in these video games, whereas Griffin was 7 of 11 on the season earlier than his damage.
So will Griffin get his spot again? He is on the market proper now simply hammering informal 50-yarders. Or will Pinton preserve the sphere aim kicking duties? He is been extra environment friendly. We’ll discover out as quickly as Illinois kicks a subject aim as a result of it is clearly going to occur.
The one job Griffin has 100% not misplaced is his kickoff duties since neither Pinton nor Will McManus can ship common touchbacks. Kickoffs to the 10-yard line are usually not very best.
– I am going to even be watching the working backs, after all, with Chase Brown angling for his ninth straight 100-yard sport and Josh McCray most likely out there. One fascinating notice i.e. working again depth is that Jordan Anderson made the journey as an alternative of fellow freshman Aidan Laughery.
One other notice on Brown. He hasn’t had a type of 200-yard monster video games but this season after placing up two in 2021. Going through the worst protection within the Large Ten may create that chance.
– Nebraska quarterback Casey Thompson has been sacked 19 instances this season. The Illinois protection, at the least since after the Indiana sport, has succeeded in recurrently placing opposing quarterbacks on their backs. The Cornhuskers’ offense offers off some actual Virginia vibes (i.e. liking to hit huge performs within the passing sport). Should you recall, Brennan Armstrong spent a superb chunk of that sport working for his life (if he wasn’t getting hit).
Our @adzilis caught up with Scott and Karen Reiman, dad and mom of #Illini junior Tip, who by no means miss a sport.https://t.co/rusaUYS7Ib pic.twitter.com/cwtAP2UvY8
— IlliniHQ (@IlliniHQ) October 29, 2022
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The extra casual warmups forward of the particular pregame warmups are underway on Tom Osborne Area. Illinois working again Josh McCray was out early and did not appear to be carrying the brace on his proper knee that he had for the Minnesota sport the place he dressed however did not play.
Including McCray again within the fold will not change the truth that Chase Brown is the No. 1 working again on the nonexistent Illinois depth chart (Nebraska truly offered one!), however the huge bruiser of a sophomore might nonetheless play a pivotal function.
All these brief yardage scoring alternatives close to the aim line that wound up being subject objectives as an alternative of touchdowns? It isn’t a stretch to suppose the 6-foot-1, 235-pound McCray may be capable of punch a type of in.
Entrance of thoughts. Heart on chest.
Flip the Huskers into creamed corn, Illini. pic.twitter.com/cuZwLLXeNi
— Brad Evans (@NoisyHuevos) October 29, 2022
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I heard precisely zero chants of “Go Large Pink!” within the first half-hour I used to be in Lincoln, Neb., this morning. Sort of disappointing for my first journey right here for soccer. Both the massive crowds had been elsewhere aside from subsequent to Memorial Stadium or the Cornhuskers have given up on this season.
I child. It is simply extra the previous. Even after the disastrous begin to the season, there appears to be renewed hope in what interim coach Mickey Joseph can do. That is the jist of what I gleaned from spending time in Omaha, Neb., on Friday evening. Something could be higher than Scott Frost, proper?
That is what makes this an fascinating sport for Illinois. The Illini have a division title legitimately of their sights for the primary time since divisions began within the Large Ten. And Nebraska is not simply in a “play the spoiler” function. Illinois hasn’t locked this factor up simply but, and the ‘Huskers definitely aren’t out of the chase (together with Purdue and Wisconsin).
How course of pushed this Illinois workforce has been this season, which is a direct results of coach Bret Bielema’s strategy, ought to bode nicely to this turning into some sort of lure sport. As an apart, it is nonetheless wild to suppose Illinois soccer can have lure video games. This season is way completely different than every other I’ve coated in my time in Champaign.
How far the Illini will take this factor, after all, remains to be to be decided. A win at the moment in Lincoln would clearly be one other sturdy step in the proper route.
Scott Richey is a reporter masking school basketball at The Information-Gazette. His e-mail is srichey@news-gazette.com, and you’ll observe him on Twitter (@srrichey).
Nebraska is now a leader to land Aiden Manutai. Here is the latest.
The Nebraska Cornhuskers aren’t exactly done in the 2025 cycle as they have been searching for some flip targets. After actively searching, the Huskers may have found another one.
That guy is Aiden Manutai. Manutai is a Kahuku High School defensive back from Kahuku, Hawaii. He plays safety and is a listed four-star from ESPN. Manutai is committed to the California Golden Bears.
Manutai has been a target for the Cornhuskers for a bit of time and started to trend towards the Cornhuskers earlier this month. Manutai was originally interested in Nebraska along with five other schools before committing to the Bears.
Manutai did not make a trip to Lincoln this weekend, which is a good sign for the Golden Bears. However, the Cornhuskers are in a good spot despite this visit not happening. The Huskers made their first bowl game in years which is a positive sign for any recruit.
Manutai is also one of many recruits who were influenced by the addition of Dawson Merritt, who recently flipped from Alabama to Nebraska. Will Manutai be the next flip for the Big Red?
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It was an unseasonably nice afternoon in Memorial Stadium. And no, I’m not talking about temperatures in the high 50s for the final home game. In his second game as offensive coordinator, Dana Holgorsen’s offense exploded for arguably the Nebraska offense’s best game under Matt Rhule. Dylan Raiola played his best game, throwing for over 290 yards with no sacks and no turnovers. For the first time all season, I’d say the Huskers played well in all three phases of the game, and that was enough to send them bowling this December.
The story of this game was the Huskers offense. Emmett Johnson became Nebraska’s second 100-yard running back of the Matt Rhule era, joining Anthony Grant last season against Louisiana Tech. The Huskers had just two of their runs “stuffed” (a run for 0 or fewer yards) on their way to their second-best rushing output this season.
I was struck by the blocking effort in this game. Jahmal Banks held his block on the edge until Dante Dowdell crossed the goal line. Linemen were pulling and still blocking ten yards downfield, helping players fight for extra yards. That type of extra effort made this a special night for the offense.
The Husker’s offense also dominated the control of the ball. The Nebraska offense was built on methodical drives. Even if you remove Nebraska’s two explosive plays, the Huskers offense still managed an EPA of 3.88. This was the first game all season where Nebraska’s non-explosive plays went for a positive EPA.
Special teams was also a big positive for the Huskers in this game. Nebraska’s special teams performed 12.5 points better than Wisconsin’s this game. This was just the second time this season that Nebraska’s special teams unit was a net positive (Ohio State, 2.86 EPA). John Hohl’s 14 points were the most by a kicker in the Matt Rhule era.
The defense still had its concerning moments this game. Wisconsin performed in the 90th percentile or better in many offensive statistics, including its seven explosive plays. These big plays are a cause for concern against Iowa, as the Wisconsin offense is one of the worst teams in the country in generating explosive plays, at just 5.8%. The Nebraska defense was stout on crucial plays, allowing just a 30% 3rd-down success rate and a 33% red zone success rate.
Going into this game, Nebraska lost nine straight games after winning number five and ten consecutive games to Wisconsin. Many people on social media want to make fun of Nebraska fans for storming the field after getting to bowl eligibility. I’m happy these people can enjoy their laughs while they can. The Matt Rhule rebuild is running on schedule, and we all know what year three looks like for him.
Through 11 games, the Nebraska skill position group is the youngest in college football. The extra practice to build chemistry with each other and get more practice reps running Holgorsen’s offense is invaluable. The 2024 seniors won much less than most in Lincoln would’ve liked. But as they walked off the field for the final time, they put Nebraska football on a new trajectory.
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Stay up to date on all things Huskers by bookmarking Nebraska Cornhuskers On SI, subscribing to HuskerMax on YouTube, and visiting HuskerMax.com daily.
Nebraska and Wisconsin Volleyball have played a total of six sets against each other this season, all of which have been won by the Huskers. Seniors, Merritt Beason, Leyla Blackwell, Lindsay Krause, Kennadi Orr and Lexi Rodriguez were all celebrated for their contributions to the program after tonight’s win.
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