What does Nebraska football need to do to beat Colorado on Saturday? While there a lot of potential strategies, game plans and areas of focus, I believe there are four keys that will lead Nebraska to victory.
Dominate both lines of scrimmage
This should – and will be – priority one for the Huskers. If Nebraska can establish their running game, it should create opportunities for Dylan Raiola in the passing game. Plus, it can keep Colorado’s offense on the sidelines, growing frustrated by a lack of opportunities. If Nebraska cannot run – or worse, protect Raiola – it could be a long night.
On defense, controlling the line of scrimmage might be even more important. If the Blackshirts can shut down Colorado’s running game, it makes the Buffs one dimensional. That allows the defensive line to get after Shedeur Sanders and create havoc within Colorado’s passing game. I believe Nebraska’s Tony White trusts his defense against Colorado’s passing game. But things get harder when they have to defend the run and pass.
Win the scramble plays
There will likely be times where Nebraska’s pass rush gets through and flushes Shedeur Sanders from the pocket. Sanders is typically not a “tuck it and run” quarterback. Instead, he prefers to extend the play and wait for one of his talented receivers to get open.
Every time the pocket breaks down and Sanders starts scrambling is an opportunity for Nebraska to swing the momentum.
In these chaotic scramble plays, three things can happen:
- The defense gets a big play (sack or interception)
- Sanders’ pass is incomplete (thrown away or otherwise)
- Sanders finds a receiver for a big gain.
That last one is a worst-case scenario for NU. When Sanders goes into scramble mode, NU has to be able to finish the play. Colorado will get its yards through the air, but Nebraska cannot allow back-breaking plays where they’re a fingertip away from a sack before they score a long touchdown.
Win the turnover battle
A year ago, Nebraska turned it over four times (three fumbles and an interception), but took the ball away only once. It’s hard enough to win a minus-3 turnover margin game, but it gets worse: In a game that Colorado won by 22, the Buffaloes scored 16 points off turnovers. In other words, without gift-wrapping multiple free possessions, it would have been a one-score game.
Turnovers have been an offseason point of emphasis with both the offense and defense. If the Huskers can break even – or like Week 1 against UTEP, be ahead – I like their chances. If Nebraska has a negative margin, the road to victory is harder.
Don’t let the moment be too big
There has been a lot of buildup for this game. The Nebraska-Colorado rivalry. Deion Sanders vs Matt Rhule. Shedeur Sanders vs. Dylan Raiola. Revenge from an embarrassing loss a year ago.
The fan base wants this game in a very big way. I expect Memorial Stadium to be as loud and raucous as it has been in a decade … possibly ever.
But the Huskers can’t let the moment – and their emotions – get the better of them. They can’t fall apart when Colorado busts a 60-yard play. The Huskers don’t need to panic and try to answer every big play with one of their own. Slow and steady can win this race. Most importantly, they can’t say “here we go again” when a mistake happens, as has happened so many times in recent years.
One of my fears is that the buildup for CU-NU is approaching that of the “Red Out Around the World” game against Texas in 2010. Nebraska had lost a heartbreaker to Texas in the 2009 Big XII Championship, but the Longhorns were coming to Lincoln.
Nebraska released a hype video … in July. They built a special website, printed shirts, and more. This was going to be the time that Charlie Brown – ranked #5 in the country – finally kicked the football.
Except that it wasn’t. The Huskers collapsed under the pressure and lost to the unranked Longhorns by seven, making numerous mental mistakes. The moment was too big.
In 2024, Nebraska’s staff is working to keep the moment in focus. On Thursday, Matt Rhule said the team has watched a video of the 2023 Bud Crawford-Errol Spence boxing match. In that highly anticipated bout, the Nebraska-born champion systematically chopped his opponent down and won on a ninth-round TKO.
As Rhule said: “If we play differently because of who we are playing, we’re not who we say we are.”
I like that approach. A lot.
But it’s one thing to say it. It’s another to do it in front of a screaming crowd while NBC broadcasts it in prime time.
It’s time to prove it.
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