by Steve Hanway 6 comments

They say you can schedule more wins than you can coach.  In that sense, Nebraska should be pleased with their 2014 and 2015 slate of conference opponents.  Considering all of the potential matchups, Rutgers and Michigan State should be much easier to handle than Michigan or Ohio State.  Still, NU season ticket holders are left to wonder, "Where's the beef"? Continue →

by Steve Hanway 1 comment

Tonight, Nebraska begins a three-game homestand against Michigan that will close the regular season.  If the Huskers (24-26) manage a sweep, they would finally pull themselves over .500.  Because NU is 14-7 in the conference, that could also make them the regular season Big Ten champions.  Even if Nebraska were swept, their 14 wins guarantees them a place in the Big Ten tournament (which takes the top six conference teams).  Continue →

by Steve Hanway 1 comment

Defensive end Owamagbe Odighizuwa was the top-rated target for both UCLA and Nebraska's 2010 recruiting class.  The Bruins won that particular face-off which may well have been a decisive factor in UCLA's victory over the Huskers in 2012.  The senior reportedly underwent hip surgery that will require him to sit out the 2013 season.  That could prove a similarly decisive factor when the two teams face off in Lincoln in September. Continue →

by Steve Hanway 1 comment

Nebraska has added a walk-on at receiver in 6'3" 195 lbs. Alex Balke.  Balke caught 51 passes as a senior for 845 yards and 14 touchdowns.  Nebraska's last real impact walk-on at receiver was Todd Peterson, who was slightly bigger at 6'4" and 205 lbs. as a redshirt freshman.  By the time Peterson graduated, he had climbed into the top five all time at Nebraska in receptions and receiving yards. Continue →

by Steve Hanway 30 comments

Friday brought seemingly great news to Nebraska when it was announced that Alex Lewis, son of former Husker All-American center Bill Lewis, would be transferring from Colorado to Nebraska.  Now the word is he's been charged with second-degree assault, which is a felony.  Continue →

by Steve Hanway 9 comments

The success or failure of the 2013 season will probably rest on one component of Nebraska's football team - the defensive line.  You might extend that to the entire defensive front seven, but linebackers tend to thrive when the guys up front are doing their job well.  The Huskers scored 30 points or more in every defeat in 2012.  Whether we see similar scoring efforts go to waste in 2013 will depend a great deal on how good the defensive line becomes.  With so many departures, that may be a tall order. Continue →

by Steve Hanway 1 comment

Jason Hall has become the second player to give Nebraska an oral commitment to the class of 2014.  Hall is a 6'2" defensive back prospect out of Grand Prairie, Texas.  His only other offer so far came from North Texas but Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Ole Miss were all beginning to show interest.  Continue →

by Steve Hanway 7 comments

The induction of Tommie Frazier into the College Football Hall of Fame hardly seems newsworthy.  It was inevitable, and the real question was why it took as long as it did.  But another interesting element of his Hall of Fame story will be two classmates that will join him as 2013 inductees.  Both suffered humiliating defeats against Frazier. Continue →

by Steve Hanway 2 comments

While most of the kickoff times for the 2013 season are yet to be determined, the first two have been locked in.  Both games will be broadcast on the Big Ten Network.  The August 31 opener against Wyoming will be in prime time (7 pm Central) and the following week's contest against Southern Mississippi game will have the somewhat unusual start time of 5 pm Central.  There are clear advantages to Nebraska playing these games late. Continue →

by Steve Hanway 4 comments

Color me a fan of the Emerald Isle Classic played between Notre Dame and Navy in Ireland last fall.  The game was historic and the venue was beautiful.  It also suited the two teams that played in the game.  Both Notre Dame and Navy have a global fan base that includes people living in Ireland or excited to travel there (Fighting Irish, anyone?).    But staging the same game between say Memphis and Akron in the same venue would not have been anywhere near the same thing.  A game featuring a sanctioned Penn State squad against Central Florida falls somewhere between the two extremes.  For the schools in question though, it does make some sense. Continue →