The Nebraska Cornhuskers welcome the Colorado Buffaloes this weekend in a rivalry game that has the potential to define both teams’ seasons. The sides bring nearly opposite playing styles to the table and the key will be making the opponent play your brand of football.
The Blackshirts last year against Colorado did their job. They dominated the line of scrimmage, got to the backfield, and sacked Shedeur Sanders a season-high eight times.
Despite that, Sanders put on one of his best performances of the year, passing for 393 yards and two touchdowns while completing 73% of his passes.
This is because of his incredible ability to make off-script plays out of the pocket. Sanders and Colorado’s offense are arguably better when he is out of system and out of the pocket.
The Blackshirts need to make sure to contain the likely first-round pick and not allow his incredible improvisation skills to lead to scores.
The Colorado offense is fast.
That’s it. That’s the sentence.
They just blow by everyone, and as soon as you think you’re gaining momentum on the defensive end, Travis Hunter is dancing in the back of the endzone.
The Big Red cannot allow this game to become a track meet. The longer the drives are for both sides benefits Nebraska’s depth advantage. If NU can wear down a thin Colorado defensive line unit, it will allow the Huskers to expose favorable matchups as the game goes on. On the other side of the ball, if they can keep the Buffaloes in front and execute tackles, they’ll frustrate CU, causing impatience and, in turn, mistakes.
The Buffs at some point will make a big play in this game. They are too talented and quick not to. But if Nebraska can make this game a grind, not only will they win it, they’ll win it comfortably.
You could make the argument this is the most anticipated game for the Cornhuskers in 20 years. Years and years of close losses and frustration have built to this moment where the Big Red, with a polished and proven program builder in head coach Matt Rhule, face off against a bitter rival with a coach whose flash and glamour are the exact opposite of his opponent but produce similar results.
Deion Sanders and Rhule could not be more opposite, but their teams sit in insanely similar positions: Programs whose recent history of losing have been injected with a massive dose of hope and expectations.
A win for either program under the lights of one the most historic stadiums in football and on prime time television might define not only the coaches’ seasons, but also their legacies.
Everything written above is known by both sides. There are very few games with emotional stakes this high, which is why it’s such an advantage Nebraska gets to play this game at home.
NU needs to embrace the crowd.
The Huskers need to match the energy the Nebraska faithful provide and give them a reason to cheer and stay involved in the game. They must take the energy the crowd is providing and turn it into big plays, big moments, and create a lasting memory their fan base has been yearning for.
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