In this era of rebuilding Nebraska needs to embrace every victory big and small

Saturday’s victory against the lowly Purdue Boilermakers 28-10 was far from a thing of beauty but getting the job done is something this program needs to embrace to get to the next level.

The special teams kicking woes have long been documented but unless the staff find a student kicking a ball at the Rec that can make field goals this is what it will look like all season long. This places a heavier burden on the shoulders of Freshman phenom Dylan Raiola but he is as close to a pro at quarterback that this program has seen in decades.

This will be a season of infuriating mistakes and toe-stubbing antics but as long as they can go two steps forward to every step backwards they will go bowling. Nebraska has plumbed the depths of ineptitude when it comes to finishing off a game so to see a dominant 4th quarter is something to embrace.

We have witnessed every possible self-inflicted way to lose a game, so winning is a relief rather than joy.

The defense was sometimes rag-dolled by a hardened Illinois offensive line so it was good to see them bow up against an undersized Purdue team. This league gives little room for error on the lines as they are grown men who will make you pay for any weakness.

This weekend will be much of the same with Rutgers fitting the mold of a rough-and-tumble team that with batter you for 4 quarters. The likes of Ty Robinson and Nash Hutmacher will need the Nebraska running game more than ever to give them a breather.

Rutgers will be targeting Nebraska’s special teams so they will need to have their heads on swivels for any chance of a blown assignment. If the special teams can not make any glaring mistakes and the offense goes for 4th and short they could nullify the large gap in abilities between the two teams on special teams.

What Rutgers lacks in talent they make up for in a hard-nosed attitude and sound well-coached football which will be difficult to overcome.

The Huskers will need to shut down the Rutgers’s much-vaunted running game and set the Raiola-led offense loose when the opportunity presents itself to win and go 5-1. It sounds like a repeated coach speak statement every week but the outcome could very well dictate how the season goes.

These are the tough toss-up games that Nebraska has lost so many times in recent years that winning this game will do much to quiet down the ghosts of season past.

GBR