For the first time since 2016, the Nebraska Cornhuskers will be playing in a bowl game, snapping the longest active bowl drought in college football of seven seasons.
After a 5-1 start by, things quickly got away from the Huskers, and they found themselves sitting at 5-5 before Wisconsin game, and the rest was history.
Nebraska was selected to play in the Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl in Yankee Stadium in New York City, where they will meet the 7-5 Boston College Eagles, led by first year head coach Bill O’Brien.
The Eagles would sprint out to a 4-1 start, before falling to a 5-5 record, and would lose their starting quarterback T.J Castellanos to the transfer portal mid season.
The Eagles will be without their two first team All-ACC players, in right tackle Ozzy Trapilo and edge rusher Donovan Ezeiruaku.
Stop the Run:
The Eagles have ran for 2,116 yards this season as a team, and any team that faced Boston College in the last four weeks of the regular season, saw a heavy dose of running back Kye Robichaux.
Robichaux has carried the ball at least 21 times during the four game stretch, including 28 carries for 198 yards and two touchdowns in win against the Syracuse Orange.
Robichaux has ran for 725 yards and 10 touchdowns this season, but keep an eye out for junior Jordan McDonald, who has silently emerged as the second running back for the Eagles.
It won’t be easy for the Huskers, who are missing around 7-8 key defensive players due to the transfer portal.
New Faces on Offense:
With senior wide receiver Isaiah Neyor opting out to prepare for the NFL Draft, sophomore Jaylen Lloyd will start in his place.
We have yet to see much from Lloyd this season, but he is fast, very athletic and has shown his ability to make tough catches in traffic in late game situations.
Backup quarterback Heinrich Haarberg will be moving to tight end full time, and with junior tight end Nate Boerkircher transferring to Texas A&M, Saturday would be the perfect opportunity to get some experience for Haarberg heading into next season.
Consistency on Offense:
Since the Huskers hired Dana Holgorsen as offensive coordinator, the offense has been up and down during the final three games of the season.
After scoring only one touchdown against the USC Trojans, the Huskers would bounce back and score five touchdowns on offense.
Things were finally starting to look up for the Huskers offensively, until the Iowa Hawkeyes would hold Nebraska to just 10 points, ultimately losing the game.
The Eagles have given up 31 points or more in four of their last six games, so we should see Dylan Raiola and the Huskers look to play fast with consistent play calling on Saturday.
Key Players:
QB Grayson James: 901 yards 6 TD 2 INT
WR Lewis Bond: 60 rec 590 yards 3 TD
DB Carter Davis: 3 INT 3 FF
Prediction:
There will be a lot of Husker fans in New York on Saturday, and it is really hard for me to see a world where the Huskers don’t give the fans a great game to watch.
Nebraska didn’t wait 8 years to lose in their bowl game.
Nebraska: 31 Boston College: 21
