The 2011 Nebraska football season is in our rearview mirror. The season-ending 30-13 Capital One Bowl loss to South Carolina to close the season leaves a sour taste as the Huskers finish the season in disappointing fashion at 9-4. Nine win seasons at Nebraska are the minimum expectation in a given year so to that end the season was not a failure but when you play it back in real time it was because the four losses (three decisive) hurt more than any of the nine wins felt great.
The ill-fated Bill Callahan era brought a 27-22 mark from 2004-2007 that included two bowl-less seasons. The Bo Pelini era (including his interim coach Alamo Bowl win over Michigan State in 2003) has brought a 39-16 mark. Since Pelini took over in 2008, the Huskers have gone 38-16 with two 9-4 seasons and two 10-4 campaigns. Those four seasons confirmed what I said when Pelini took over. Going from 5-7 in 2007 to 9-4 in 2008 was the easy part. Going from 9-4 to say 11-2 will be the hard part.
While Pelini’s initial impact was great, the Huskers have yet to take the next step. However, those calling for his scalp need to remember two things: a) It took the great Tom Osborne seven years to win a conference title and b) Nebraska fired Frank Solich after a 9-3 campaign in 2003 and that led to the Callahan era. Granted, the Callahan years were an anomaly but if you fire Pelini and get another Callahan-type, you get what you deserve.
However, at some point, Nebraska needs to get returns on its investment from hiring Pelini. That means stop being plague by a sputtering offense and continued mental mistakes. Over the next few weeks, we will have in depth position-by-position breakdowns but for now, here’s a thumbnail sketch for 2012:
Quarterback: Taylor Martinez produced 2,089 yards as a passer and 873 yards as a runner in his sophomore season. While he improved as a leader and is likely to be the starter at the moment, he needs to take a significant step forward now that he is a junior and has 25 starts under his belt. However, it is equally important that Brion Carnes or possible verbal commitment Tommy Armstrong push Martinez.
Running back: Rex Burkhead is nothing short of amazing both as a player and as a person. With 284 carries, Burkhead did the heavy lifting but what was most baffling was that the staff burned redshirts on Ameer Abdullah, Aaron Green and Braylon Heard for a combined 91 carries. Burning a redshirt on Abdullah was understandable because he was returning kicks but it was painfully obvious by midseason that Green and/or Heard should have redshirt. Since the Huskers run a variation of the option involving the fullback, losing Tyler Legate will be a more significant loss than at first glance. C.J. Zimmerer and Mike Marrow now have their chance.
Wide receiver: The Huskers lose Brandon Kinnie but given that he dropped as many passes as he caught, that loss is an addition by subtraction. Kenny Bell, however, turned into Martinez’s go-to guy with 32 grabs for 461 yards and three scores. Quincy Enunwa also showed flashes of brilliance but the wild card in the equation is Jamal Turner, who led the team in receptions the first five games but fell out of favor with the coaches. Tim Marlowe also returns and perhaps has the best grasp of the offense.
Tight end: Kyler Reed and Ben Cotton both return as seniors. The former has the downfield speed that has often been under-utilized. For the offense to improve, Reed needs to become more of a weapon.
Offensive line: Despite losing Jermarcus Hardrick and Mike Caputo, this season was a youth movement for the Huskers. The hope is that with an extra year of the system that more cohesion will be developed. Jeremiah Sirles (junior) and Tyler Moore (sophomore) are the probable starting tackles. Juniors Spencer Long and Andrew Rodriguez are likely to start at guard while Cole Pensick will probably get the nod at center
Defensive line: With Cameron Meredith and Eric Martin, the Huskers have two solid starters at end but if they are to establish depth then players like Jason Ankrah and Josh Williams need to perform. At tackle Baker Steinkuhler is a no-brainer to start at one spot but who becomes his sidekick? Chase Rome, Jay Guy, Todd Peat or Kevin Williams? Probably Peat given his potential.
Linebacker: Losing All-American LaVonte David is glaring departure to say the least. It’s hard to say who replaces him at the WILL linebacker spot. Will Compton is the Huskers most experienced linebacker at the MIKE position having started 23 games. Another key question is who starts at BUCK linebacker? Given his late season impact, probably Alonzo Whaley.
Secondary: His Capital One Bowl ejection aside, Alfonzo Dennard will not be easy to replace. Andrew Green and Ciante Evans had their share of peaks and valleys but showed enough promise in the second half of the season to give the Huskers a potentially good pair of corners. However, the wild card is JUCO transfer Mohammed Seisay. You don’t bring in a JUCO transfer unless you intend to start him. With Damion Stafford, the Huskers have a solid starter at one safety but PJ Smith and Courtney Osborne did not seize the opportunity when they had the chance.
Special teams: While it’s hard to forget the incredible talents of Alex Henery, Brett Maher managed to get Husker fans to do just that as both a punter and kicker. As for the return game, Abdullah flashed brilliance early in the season while Marlowe gives you a safe pair of hands.
What lies ahead: The Husker offense should improve given that much of the cast returns from last season and they will be in Year Two of Beck’s system but what does that translate into as far as overall production? On defense, not only do the Huskers lose a talented trio of players in Jared Crick, David and Dennard but the depth has its share of unknowns. Special teams are probably the biggest strength. The Husker margin for error will be even thinner than it was this year. While the Big Ten might not be as strong at the top as other conferences, there are fewer throwaway wins among the middle-tier teams. Nebraska fans are clamoring for a conference title for the first time since 1999 but that will take a lot of doing. That statement is not “lowering the bar,” it’s called reality.
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