Recruiting never stops and it’s easy to miss the top stories day-to-day. Recruiting analyst Greg Smith recaps all things Nebraska recruiting news, analysis and more so you never miss a thing.
Saturday’s loss for Nebraska against Northwestern felt all too familiar. It was the same mental mistakes and the same curious play calling with a touch of bad luck. What we saw on Saturday against the Wildcats is currently status quo for the Huskers. They moved the ball well against another good defense, yet the points weren’t produced to match the yardage once again. The Huskers fell to 0-2 with the home opener against Penn State looming.
The team was left searching for answers after the game in Evanston. The mood was somber during post-game press conferences. The mixture of “here we go again” with “the team is close” presents a frustrating predicament for fans.
There is a silver lining for the program right now. There are talented young players making plays for Nebraska right now.
“There’s one positive thing come out of this,” Coach Scott Frost said following the game. “We have a lot of young players that I think will be really good football players for us. They are stepping up and playing well. Listen, nobody is more impatient right now than me. We should be farther along than we are right now. I think we’re there. We just have to go out on the field and make it happen. Win football games and that starts with me.”
On defense, Luke Reimer was a bright spot for the team. He led the team in tackles with 10 in his first game of the season. He also had 1.5 tackles for loss in the game. We could see him starting from here on out. Redshirt freshman defensive lineman Ty Robinson had another solid game up front. Myles Farmer had two interceptions in the first half of the game. He started in place of the suspended Deontai Williams. Farmer needs to figure into the rotation more going forward.
On the offensive side of the football, the line had a tougher game than expected. The absence of Cam Jurgens hurt but the playing time is so valuable for Bryce Benhart and Ethan Piper. The Nebraska staff seems to be slowly embracing the need for the youth movement at wide receiver. True freshman Marcus Fleming saw extended action on Saturday. Alante Brown and Zavier Betts also saw the field more this week. All should continue to see expanded roles as the season moves along.
Of course, quarterback is the big elephant in the room. Redshirt freshman Luke McCaffrey closed the game under center for the Huskers. The questions about the quarterback situation aren’t going away this week. At the least, McCaffrey should have a bigger role in the game plan.
There are reasons to be excited about young players on the team. Can the Huskers get over the hump and wins some games in the meantime? The future could be bright for the program still if the can. There is enough youth that the staff recruited who look to be “arrow up” guys to borrow a phrase from offensive line coach Greg Austin.
For everyone’s confidence, the wins need to follow soon.
Recruit Watch
>> Millard West athlete Evan Meyersick announced his intentions to walk-on at Nebraska.
I am excited to announce my commitment to further my academic and football career at the University of Nebraska☠️🔴⚪️ #GBR pic.twitter.com/JRHWLFxYGh
— Evan Meyersick (@EvanMeyersick) November 6, 2020
>> The son of former NFL wide receiver Donald Driver, Cristian, is a 2022 defensive back in Texas. He included the Huskers in his top 12.
Top 12 🙏🏾 @car20ruiz @RossRoby1 @Hayesfawcett3 @Donald_Driver80 pic.twitter.com/Cg1CSoYFHs
— Mr. Driver (@CristianDriver_) November 7, 2020
>> Huskers 2021 linebacker commit Seth Malcom picked up a cool honor this week before winning another playoff game.
Thank you for the award @KMASports pic.twitter.com/7DVDDnfIjS
— Seth Malcom (@SMalcom8) November 6, 2020
ICYMI
>> Let Brandon Vogel use the numbers to explain why its hard to have the offensive struggles the Huskers had at Northwestern.
>> As Derek Peterson writes, a 21-13 loss to Northwestern prompts quarterback questions for Nebraska.
>> Inside linebacker Luke Reimer lived up to the hype in his first career start for the Huskers.
>> Nebraska’s offense might be in a purgatory of play-calling and personnel.
>> Jacob Padilla has you 2020 Nebraska volleyball state tournament roundup.