Nebraska Football 2014 Spring Wrap Up

Strengths & question marks coming out of spring 

I know this’ll be a shocker, but the biggest question on offense is which quarterback takes over for Taylor Martinez. As of now, the job is Tommy Armstrong’s to lose. Johnny Stanton and Ryker Fyfe are having a fierce battle for the No. 2 spot.

The running back stable is stuffed with talent including Ameer Abdullah, one of the best backs in the league. Imani Cross has grown from a standard goal line back to a big back with speed. Thanks to these guys and the other young bucks, expect Tim Beck’s 65-35 run-pass ratio to continue.

You know Kenny Bell, but there’s some new talent that’s going to burst onto the scene at receiver. Watch out for Taariq Allen, Alonzo Moore and Brandon Reilly next to the more familiar Jamal Turner and Jordan Westerkamp.

The offensive line actually has solid depth for the first time in Pelini’s tenure. Colorado transfer Alex Lewis is a straight up mauler (insert joke about assault while in Boulder here).

The defensive front seven should be impressive this year. Defensive end Randy Gregory and defensive tackle Vincent Valentine look to be standouts on the line. Zaire Anderson and Michael Rose are two of the most entertaining linebackers.

Jonathan Rose and Josh Mitchell make a great cornerback combination.

Nebraska needs a new kicker. Fortunately, the brother of Cornhusker great Kris Brown is coming in the fall, so that takes care of that.

This is a team that has the talent to represent the Big Ten West in the championship game. Just the same, mental mistakes across the board and turnovers could earn Bo Pelini another four losses and trip to a January bowl.

Name a few breakout players to keep an eye on in 2014

Well, I blew through that above, but how about I give you who I think’ll be the best of the best?

WR Taariq Allen: Quincy Enunwa actually bested Kenny Bell’s output by a decent margin in 2013. Allen may do the same this season. He makes insane SportsCenter-worthy catches.

DT Vincent Valentine: If you don’t know this guy, you will by the end of the season. He’s an absolute monster in the middle and likely who Pelini will build his front four around for the duration of his stay in Lincoln.

CB Jonathan Rose: A transfer from Auburn, Rose is every bit the athlete the staff thought they were getting. As mentioned above, he and Mitchell could be a darkhorse cornerback duo.

Grade each position group

QB: B

RB: A+

WR: B

OL: B+

DL: A-

LB: A-

DB: B+

ST (assuming Brown shows up): C (The return teams are atrocious, so he’d make up for an F).

What can we expect from Nebraska in 2014? 

If there’s one word that describes the bottom line to Bo Pelini’s seasons, it’s “consistent”.

The good news is that if he’s ever going to get over that four-loss hump, this season will probably be the time. The schedule’s favorable as the Big Ten West is basically the Big 12 North Part Deux. However, the team’s been horrifically turnover prone during Pelini’s tenure, his teams don’t perform well in prime-time and for some reason he finds games to lose that he shouldn’t.

If I had to make an insanely early record prediction based on where we’re at now, I’d go with:

Florida Atlantic – W
McNeese State – W
at Fresno State – W
Miami (FL) – L
Illinois – W
at Michigan State – L
at Northwestern – W
Rutgers – W
Purdue – W
at Wisconsin – L
Minnesota – W
at Iowa – W

9-3 Regular season – 9-10 wins and 4-5 losses if Nebraska makes the Big Ten Championship

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Brandon Cavanaugh, editor of Husker Corner provided the information for our Nebraska Football 2014 Spring Wrap Up. For more Cornhusker football information, commentary and analysis, you can follow Brandon on Twitter @eightlaces

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