Mailbag: What has been and what's ahead for Nebraska

The bye week has come and gone, and Nebraska is now back in game-week preparation. Let's kick it off with a mailbag.

Photo courtesy Nebraska Athletics

The bye week has come and gone, and Nebraska is now back in game-week preparation to face Indiana in Bloomington on Saturday. Before we get there though, we opened up the newsletter for our first true mailbag. We took questions from X/Twitter, our comment section and direct messages.

From areas of improvement to what tricky games lie ahead (spoiler alert: this Saturday is a big one), we’re tackling what was on your mind during the bye week. Let’s dive in.

Is there a stat (Brandon red meat) that describes the amount of separation our WRs are getting compared to previous years? Has that improved/worsened? Is that change due to scheme or player talent?

Basically it feels to me like they aren’t getting as “open” as previous years but I would rather have actual data and not just my layman’s opinion and you all are very good at putting things like that into context for me.

BV: Red meat, indeed, but without serious player tracking data (if it were available, we’re talking prime-steakhouse prices to get it) I’m not sure I can put a number on it. But I agree with your observation, and it’s interesting given I think everyone would agree the receiving corps has been upgraded.

Three things worth considering:

1. Nebraska has drawn 13 pass interference penalties. That’s more than half of the total penalties against NU’s offense this season. You could argue this one either way: either there’s not a ton of separation (resulting in more PIs) or the PIs are in some cases preventing separation. I shade to the former.

2. Dylan Raiola has been great, but one of his areas for improvement right now is learning to take the layup sometimes instead of the 3-pointer. The Huskers have had players open—usually shorter routes, but plays that would still qualify as “open” and result in big plays—and we’ve seen Raiola look elsewhere. (You can really see this on all-22 film, and sort of see it on a rewatch of the games.) This isn’t a surprising weakness for a true freshman, particularly one with this level of talent who got off to a strong start. But I’d be surprised if this wasn’t a coaching point during the bye week. Anyway, I think this might contribute to the idea that guys aren’t all that open compared to recent years.

3. On that same track, Nebraska’s pass game last year was heavily based on play-action, and some of the biggest gains were off option looks. If you watched option-era NU, remember how the tight ends would always have like 14 catches during a season, but six of them went for touchdowns and they averaged 23 yards per catch? That’s play-action off option looks at its finest. Tommie Frazier, Eric Crouch, et al, sometimes could’ve punted the ball to their receivers they were so open. That’s not a part of this year’s offense, which might be a partial explanation for the stagnation of separation.

We know there needs to be improvements to the Huskers running game. What needs to be done to fix it? Scheme? Play calling? Personnel?

BV: This one has me stumped. My gut reaction was the unsatisfying coach’s answer of “execution,” but digging into the numbers a bit, I’m not sure I can make that argument. Nebraska ranked 52nd in line yards after six games, a decent indication the blocking has been slightly better than average through six games. It ranked 103rd in second-level yards, the point where you start sharing credit for yards gained between the line and running backs, and 101st in open-field yards, those where the ball carrier gets all the credit.

This all points me to this: Nebraska just might not have a true home-run hitter at running back, though I think Emmett Johnson has the greatest potential in this category. He got some additional touches against Rutgers, and didn’t really change the numbers much but that’s a pretty good defense. If this is just Nebraska’s reality in 2024, I think they can still make it work. Might have to as I’m not sure there’s a simple fix.

What are the chances that Nebraska follows Real Madrid's lead on the live grass care and feeding?

ES: That’s pretty incredible, but I think you’d be looking at an entirely new stadium for Nebraska to make that possible. While Real Madrid’s Santiago Bernabéu Stadium isn’t new, it is 24 years newer than Memorial Stadium. It has also been renovated more regularly than Memorial Stadium, which has its advantages as well. Memorial Stadium is very fragile at this point, which is a big piece as to why the delay on the current renovation plan. It’s not easy, nor is it cheap, to complete.

Retrofitting Memorial Stadium for something like this would likely be a multi-year project (if it’s not a new stadium), and it would be expensive. The question would be: how often will Memorial Stadium be used for something other than football? If the goal is to use the space for more than just seven Saturdays every year, then maybe you can justify it. If the goal is just to update the playing surface for football, you can probably just move forward with a new grass field and maintain it without breaking the bank.

What has been the biggest area of improvement for the Nebraska football team this season, and what still needs the most work?

ES: I don’t know how to best quantify this, but I’d say its ability to overcome itself. Too often Nebraska has had something go wrong and fallen apart as a result. We’ve seen Nebraska overcome those challenges better this season than they have in recent years. I’ll take that.

You can credit that to Nebraska’s improvement in its two-minute offense. Considering the Huskers lost five games in 2023 by one score, coach Matt Rhule and his staff put an emphasis this season on efficiency in drives for the offense. Sure, quarterback Dylan Raiola struggled a bit against Rutgers — the wind was a learning opportunity! — but he’s still been very solid through his freshman season. He’s procedural too.

As for what Nebraska can keep working on, I’d say it’s perimeter blocking. That’s been a theme this season, with Rhule even calling it out after the win over Colorado.

“I did not like some of the execution and part of that was the perimeter blocking,” Rhule said the Monday following the win. “I think it can be way better and it was way better at times last year and it was way better last week. This wasn’t the best week that we had.”

Perimeter blocking sort of just ebbs and flows for this team still, so I imagine it’ll remain an area of focus for improvement.

Which upcoming game poses the biggest challenge for Nebraska, and what will be the keys to securing a win?

BV: Putting Ohio State to the side—as that’s basically the annual answer if the Buckeyes are on the schedule—it’s probably Indiana. I’ll have a full breakdown of the keys to that game Thursday once I dig into the numbers a bit more, but the broad strokes? Indiana has been the most efficient offense in the country through six games and can stay on schedule via the run or pass, though the Hoosiers have been particularly tough through the air. This offense is only a little above average at avoiding “havoc” plays, which the Huskers are good at engineering, so getting those tackles for loss and pass breakups will be important for NU’s defense.

Flip it around and the Hoosiers are about as well-rounded defensively, though they have given up points when opponents have cracked IU territory. Finishing drives will be essential for Nebraska’s offense, and that’s an area where it’s been hit-or-miss so far. Nebraska was only a 3.5-point underdog on the early line, squarely in tossup territory, but I think the Hoosiers are going to be a tough out.¹

ES: As of this weekend, I’m taking Indiana too. Far out, I’d circle the Iowa game as well. The improvement in the Hawkeyes’ offense is interesting, and I’ll be curious how Nebraska holds in Iowa City.

What young players have impressed you the most so far, and who do you think could be future stars for the program?

BV: Can we count James Williams as a young player? He’s only a sophomore and, if not for a year at Iowa Western, he’d be a redshirt freshman at NU. He’s already emerging in his first season of full-time snaps, and, not to get too far ahead of ourselves, but Nebraska’s going to lose a lot on the defensive line after this season. Williams should at least soften that blow.

ES: I’ll give the nod to Raiola. It’s a lot to handle being the starter as a freshman, and he’s done so with about as much grace and poise as you can ask. Even after the rough go against Rutgers, he held his head high and handled it. There’s a lot to be said about that, and you have to feel good about how he will develop as a leader as a result.

1. After a pair or routs against Purdue and Rutgers the week after Nebraska played both teams, the Wisconsin game, in Lincoln Nov. 23, might be the most pivotal game left. That or at USC.