Nebraska Football: A Much Needed Break

Nebraska has officially entered its first bye week of the season at the halfway point. A lot of positives can be taken away from this. At 5-1, Nebraska is on the brink of finally making a bowl game for the first time since the Cubs won the World Series (no, not 1908, they’ve won one since). The biggest thing for the turnaround in record is the turnover margin. The Huskers currently possess a +6 in the turnover battle, a massive improvement from the -17 it finished with last season. Having said that, giving up a nation’s worst 5 blocked kicks isn’t great.

The offense is better. We have a passing game, and mistakes are being MASSIVELY limited. The running game has gotten a little dicey, but that’s mainly due to the entire left side of the line being replaced. The pass blocking has taken a giant leap forward and the receivers are finding ways to get open. The running back group has stayed healthy, as four or five guys can carry the football when asked.

I won’t go into much detail about the defense. Not much to complain about as a whole statistically. Yes, the Illinois and Northern Iowa games weren’t great against the run, quite frankly neither was the first quarter against Rutgers. Rutgers star running back Kyle Monangai had 8 carries for 64 yards but was held to just 14 yards on 11 carries after that. The defense is fine.

I could not be happier about a bye week here. Yes, I know, ride the wave of positive momentum as long as possible. The problem is guys are now starting to get dinged up, or in Buschini’s case, chopped in half like a magician’s assistant. The offense looks like it is getting sloppier, but that could have been the spring-like wind to go with the summer temperatures. In any event, when has taking a step back to reevaluate things ever been bad? (If something like this has ever gotten you fired or had a relationship dissolve, well…sorry.)

Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

Physically, getting a week off to recover can do wonders for the body. The bye week is like a much-needed vacation, letting the day-to-day soreness and bumps and bruises heal. It gives the team the opportunity to get some guys back on the depth chart get a few extra reps in that wouldn’t be afforded otherwise. Maybe it gives guys the opportunity to hit the weight room just a bit harder than you might during the season. It serves as a measuring stick to see where you are in terms of overall strength from the beginning of the year until now.

Mentally, the bye week is a great way to shut things down and focus on schoolwork for a couple of days. After that, back to the film room, not only to study your future opponents, but to reanalyze what you have done throughout the year. It’s a great way to take stock of where you have improved and where to keep honing those skills. It’s also good for having an honest conversation with yourself and your coaches to see what needs to be fixed.

Nebraska is off to a really good start, one many of us would have traded body parts for in previous years. Let’s all take the bye week together. Heal up our voice boxes, sore legs from standing and shoulders from shrugging about whatever the officials screwed up this time. Mentally, enjoy watching other fanbases suffer knowing you can’t be hurt this week. Do things with family and friends, and with a smile on your face. You deserved this bye week too. Enjoy it. Go Big Red!