Nebraska’s 5-0 start has earned the Huskers plenty of attention, but it hasn’t answered all the big questions surrounding Matt Rhule’s team.
That’s the tension Adam Carriker dug into in the latest Carriker Chronicles: Nebraska has stacked wins, yet the picture of who this team really is remains fuzzy. The Huskers have handled every game on the schedule and still find themselves unranked, which only adds to the curiosity around where this season is headed.
There’s no arguing with the record. Five games, five victories.
Nebraska has shown enough good football in stretches to look like a team with real upside. But there have also been enough uneven moments to leave room for doubt, especially about how the Huskers will look once the competition gets stiffer.
The Maryland game captured that split personality well. Nebraska came out a little off early, and the performance had some shaky edges.
But the Huskers stayed composed, made adjustments as the game wore on and eventually took control. The defense helped swing things, and the second half - especially the fourth quarter - showed the kind of finish that matters.
On offense, Anthony Colandrea remains one of the most important players to watch. He can hurt defenses with both his arm and his legs, though Carriker made the case that Nebraska probably does not want him carrying the offense as its primary rushing threat every week. The Huskers still need more steadiness from the ground game, and they need more receivers to become reliable options.
Carriker also spent time on Dana Holgorsen’s offense, Nebraska’s use of the I-formation and the kinds of decisions that could loom larger in close Big Ten matchups.
Defensively, there’s a lot to like. Rob Aurich and the Blackshirts have shown they can adjust on the fly and generate pressure.
Nebraska has the size and athletic traits to line up with stronger opponents. Still, the warning signs are there too.
Penalties and inconsistency are the kinds of issues that can’t keep surfacing if the Huskers want to handle better teams.
If the season ended right now, Nebraska would have earned a strong grade. Undefeated is undefeated, and the Huskers have done what they were supposed to do. But the real proving ground is here now.
Curt Cignetti and Indiana are next, and the Big Ten slate will start revealing what kind of team Nebraska really has. The Huskers could finish with eight wins or more.
They could beat ranked opponents. They could turn this into a very strong year.
But being 5-0 does not mean the work is done.
Don’t accept mediocrity. Don’t move the goal posts. The next few weeks will tell us a lot more about Nebraska Football.
In Other News...
Indianas Latest AP Ranking Just Sparked A New Disrespect Debate
Indianas latest AP ranking has given Hoosier fans another reason to grumble, even after a convincing 32-point win over Rutgers and a 21-game winning streak that has kept the season rolling. The Associated Press poll still slotted Indiana seventh, while Alabama jumped to sixth after its dominant win over Mississippi State, a swap that naturally caught plenty of attention.
The gap between the AP and Coaches Poll only added to the conversation, since the coaches kept Indiana at fifth. For a program that keeps stacking wins, the difference in perception is becoming its own weekly storyline, and it leaves the Hoosiers with another chance to answer on the field rather than in the rankings. [Read more 🡒]
Kentucky Fans Have Every Right To Be Furious With This Poll
Week 5s AP Poll has given college football plenty to argue about, and Indiana is right in the middle of the noise. The Hoosiers slipped a spot even after a decisive victory, one of several moves that left fans around the sport scratching their heads, especially when contrasted with teams that were rewarded or punished far differently for results that did not seem all that dissimilar.
Kentuckys fall out of the rankings after a road win is the kind of jolt that makes the whole exercise feel arbitrary, and it is not the only example stirring frustration. Floridas drop after a loss looked steep next to Ole Miss, while North Dakota State barely showed up in the voting despite its strong start, a reminder that pollsters are often grading teams on more than the final score and leaving plenty of room for debate. [Read more 🡒]
Indiana May Have Found The Receiver Duo That Changes Everything
Indianas passing game looked different in a 47-15 win over Rutgers, and not just because the score got out of hand early. Charlie Becker and Nick Marsh each topped 100 receiving yards, with Becker hauling in eight catches for 107 yards and two touchdowns while Marsh added seven receptions for 120 yards and a score. For a group that has spent much of the season searching for a reliable shape, that kind of production from the outside gives the offense a cleaner identity and a much wider margin for error.
Marsh, the transfer from Michigan State, has been drawing more into the game plan in recent weeks, and the way he and Becker talked afterward suggested this was about more than simply winning one matchup. Both receivers pointed to perimeter blocking and the willingness to work together as part of the reason the offense clicked, and Davion Chandler is also emerging as a third option who can keep defenses honest. If Indiana is going to keep stretching teams vertically and making life easier everywhere else, this is the kind of receiver room that can change the conversation. [Read more 🡒]