Momentum, pressure, identity and jobs on the line: Six storylines as the Huskers begin preseason camp | Football

How does that stuff get better during preseason camp? Frost and the coaching staff say they harp on it and emphasize it all the time. No matter what the method, fans will have a close eye on the results.

The easy answer is to force more turnovers. By the end of 2020, Nebraska had a solid unit — and has almost all of its production back aside from injured inside linebacker Will Honas and departed cornerback Dicaprio Bootle — but only forced seven turnovers in eight games. Only Maryland (four in five games) and Michigan (three in six) took the ball away less frequently among Big Ten teams.

There is also plenty of other room for improvement. Nebraska was No. 44 nationally and eighth in the Big Ten in total defense (5.46 yards allowed per play). Finishing 10th in the Big Ten in third-down conversions (40.5%) doesn’t tell the entire story because NU was worst in the conference for the first four games and then best in the conference over the last four.

For the most part, the Blackshirts played tough against the run. That’s a good starting point. How much can they build from there?

Nebraska in 2020 and over the past two seasons has at times seemed caught in between on offense. Perhaps that has just been about the unit’s limitations. The Huskers have struggled to identify difference-makers at wide receiver outside of since-transferred JD Spielman and Wan’Dale Robinson. They’ve been OK, but somewhat underwhelming along the offensive line. Occasionally, they’ve lined up and ran it right at somebody — Maryland in 2019 and Rutgers to close 2020 stand as good examples.