Stukenholtz: Huskers Have Another Chance to Change The Narrative

CU won't keep the Red out, but maybe NU can keep the Prime out

I will not say the ‘P’ word. I will not say the ‘P’ word. I will not say the ‘P’ word. I will not say the ‘P’ word. I will not say the ‘P’ word. I will not say the ‘P’ word. I will not say the ‘P’ word. I will not…

Have you heard enough about Deion Sanders yet? About Coach *****?

I get it, at least somewhat. The guy was an incredible athlete in his…best years. A two-sport athlete at the professional level. An NFL Hall-of-Famer. Then, after a successful TV career, he decided he wanted to coach college football, and he turned Jackson State into a winner.

Now, he’s the head coach of the Colorado Buffaloes. He’s not Tom Osborne. He’s not even Bo Pelini. But if you consume any national college football content these days, you’d think he’s the second coming of Bill McCartney.

He’s won one game at the FBS level. One.

With all the hype surrounding Coach…Sanders, it’s fitting that Colorado would play host to their most prominent historical rival in Nebraska for his first home game. Plus, both teams are coming off of some historically bad stretches of football and made hopeful hires last fall.

But all most anyone outside of Nebraska or BTN are talking about is Deion. Or Deion’s son, quarterback Shedeur Sanders. Or Travis Hunter, the former five-star recruit who did his best impression of his coach last week, playing almost every snap on both sides of the ball as a cornerback and wide receiver.

Matt Rhule? Eh, he’s the guy on the other sideline.

Jeff Sims? Oh yeah, the guy who threw three picks last week.

Nebraska? Pfft, they’re just the old, rusted out shell of a once-proud program. And they certainly can’t hang with Colorado.

All the attention is on the Buffs for this one. All the pressure, too. Few national pundits are taking NU to win.

This makes for a…perfect opportunity for the guys wearing red on Saturday.

Based on what I saw last week in Nebraska’s loss at Minnesota, and in Colorado’s surprise win at TCU, the Huskers have some favorable matchups they can exploit. There should be ample opportunities on the ground for Sims, Gabe Ervin, and company. The more success the ground game provides, the more comfortable Marcus Satterfield will get in sticking with it.

Colorado has some serious talent. It will be no small task in bottling up the Buffalo pass game, which yielded 510 yards and four 100-yard receiving performances. That being said, I believe the strongest Husker unit is the secondary, and its best returning player is Quinton Newsome. Newsome should plenty of chances to showcase his skills and show the country that he’s a…top-tier player.

Other aspects that may tilt in NU’s direction include special teams and the trenches. While Nebraska enjoyed a ground game advantage against Minnesota, Colorado struggled to defend the run and produce rushing yards in their victory over TCU. The Husker defensive line will be without Ty Robinson for the rest of his targeting suspension, but even in his absence his mates performed. Nash Hutmacher and Blaise Gunnerson made tangible gains in the offseason, and true freshmen Cam Lenhardt and Princewill Umanmielen appear to be…the real deal, too.

It would be nice if, at the national level, there was more X’s and O’s comparison of the two teams. Sure, there’s some actual gameplay breakdown out there if you seek it out. But it’s mostly about the narrative. The discourse. The casual fan hears all about Coach…Sanders and his amazing exploits. They hear about poor Nebraska and their non-stop string of close losses. About their curse.

After the stinging loss to the Gophers in the opener, Husker head coach Matt Rhule made it a point to dismiss any discussion of same old, same old. “I’m not even thinking about anything that happened before I got here,” Rhule said postgame in Minneapolis. “It has nothing to do with me. I don’t want our players to think about that. I’m thinking about what’s next. I’m thinking about getting back and watching this tape tomorrow. I’m thinking about next week.”

There’s only one way through for Nebraska: they have to finish. They have to pay off their new practice habits with on-field results when the lights come on. The close losses story won’t go away until they turn into close wins. Then Rhule’s methods will be reinforced. The success that never came under Scott Frost could then become real.

It has to start somewhere. May as well start Saturday morning in Boulder.

Let’s see if they’re ready for prime time.

DANGIT! Almost made it. Back to the chalkboard…

I will not say the ‘P’ word. I will not say the ‘P’ word. I will not…