Nebraska is one day away from playing in its first bowl game in ten years as they prepare to play Boston College in Yankee Stadium.
Much has changed since the last time the Huskers made an appearance in the postseason. NIL and the state of the transfer portal have a lot to do with it. Both teams will look a little different than they did en route to securing a spot in the Pinstripe Bowl. New coaches, without key players, but still, it’s a chance to build momentum leading into next season.
For Nebraska, all eyes will be on the defense and how they play under the direction of new Defensive Coordinator John Butler. The Blackshirts will be without a handful of important players on the defensive side, doing no favors for Butler. This includes, arguably, the top three edge rushers on the team— Jimari Butler, James Williams, and Princewill Umanimielen. In their absence, Nebraska will look for Cameron Lenhardt and Keona Davis to step up and make plays up front.
Boston College Quarterback, Grayson James, will be in charge of the Eagles’ offense on Saturday. James started the last three games for the Eagles, going 2-1 with wins against North Carolina and Pittsburgh. James played clean football, only turning the ball over once in those three games and looked poised running the offense. The Eagles will test Nebraska’s defense up front early in the run game, but if the secondary doesn’t stay disciplined, James can hurt teams mightily with play action. When Nebraska’s defense has given up big plays, the majority have come because of lapses in coverage downfield.
Nebraska’s offense will look a little different in this game as well. Wide Receiver Isaiah Neyor will sit out, and Running Back Dante Dowdell is no longer with the team. It’ll have to be younger talent like Jaylen Lloyd and Kwinten Ives who make up for the loss of production, but I suspect Rahmir Johnson, who is returning to his home state in his last game of College Football, to get plenty of opportunities against the Eagles.
Offensive Coordinator Dana Holgorsen was thrown into the role late in the season, and even without an ample amount of time to learn the offense and the personnel, there was clear improvement on that side of the ball. Now, having had a month to prepare, Holgorsen should be feeling much more comfortable running the show.
Score Prediction: 38-27, Huskers finish the season with a winning record.
