Two-Minute Drill: Key matchups that will decide Nebraska-Georgia Southern | Football | starherald.com

2022-09-09 22:48:17 By : Ms. Penny Huang

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Sam McKewon and Amie Just get listeners ready for Nebraska volleyball's upcoming battle against Creighton, discuss the temperature of Scott Frost's hot seat following the win over North Dakota and talk depth chart heading into this week's football game. Plus, the two make picks for which pla…

Each week, the Two-Minute Drill provides an in-depth breakdown on all the key matchups that will decide a winner in the Huskers' game. Here's what Georgia Southern and Nebraska bring to the showdown.

The Huskers should, over four quarters, be able to flex their muscles here.

GSU runs a similar defensive alignment to NU — kind of a 4-2-5 — that sits on the smaller side. Nebraska will have a 30, 40, 50-pound advantage at some spots, and even if Donovan Raiola’s line isn’t the most athletic group, it can lean on a defense until, like North Dakota, it relents.

Anthony Grant, reigning Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week, is dangerous at the second level of a defense. He should top 100 rushing yards again, and he may be joined by another player.

NU has to — and will — win this matchup.

When Casey Thompson is on — at the beginning of the first and second halves — he’s really sharp, and NU’s revamped receiving corps, while imperfect, is doing good work after the catch.

Rain and wind — more wind than rain — may affect the Huskers’ pass attack, to some degree, but Georgia Southern, in the midst of an overhaul on the defense, will do well just to hang on.

The Eagles had three interceptions in a season-opening, 59-7 rout of Morgan State, but Nebraska’s talent and execution well surpassed that of the FCS Bears.

Thompson has to be smarter on third-and-long over the middle of the field. He’s been a little too aggressive, throwing two of his three interceptions in that situation.

The Eagles, once a leading FCS practitioner of the triple option, have wrapped their wings around the Air Raid offense, courtesy of new head coach Clay Helton, who installed the offense at USC over his last two seasons there.

That means GSU usually has four wideouts and one back, who runs the ball as an accent to the passing game. Think Purdue. Or think Buffalo last year.

Nebraska’s so-so defensive front seven — Nick Henrich should return for the Oklahoma game — needs to watch for inside handoffs and draw plays, plus those quick orbit motion throws to receivers that function like toss plays.

Georgia Southern should try to test Nebraska’s physicality, but that may not be Helton’s instinct. Again, Nebraska will struggle to keep a foe under 100 rushing yards.

Nebraska knows Georgia Southern’s quarterback, Kyle Vantrease, quite well: Vantrease, playing for Buffalo, completed 27-of-50 passes in NU’s 28-3 win over the Bulls.

GSU has smaller, shifty receivers — Sam Kenerson, Khaleb Hood, Jeremy Singleton — who will force Nebraska defenders to tackle in space.

The Air Raid offense can be a deep-strike attack but, more often, it’s a short, controlled-passing system that first attacks the full width of the field before taking vertical cuts on the edge of the field.

Nebraska’s pass rush needs to get home with four or five; the Air Raid has answers for heavy blitzes.

Nebraska discovers new ways each week to give its fan base a special teams heart attack.

What team has a guy try to pick up a blocked punt 17 yards ahead of the line of scrimmage? NU does.

Who manages to hit a guy with a squib kick? The Huskers do.

Still, Nebraska’s punting has been pugnacious so far, and NU has yet to make the big mistake in the punt return game.

Can the Huskers break a big kickoff return?

This would be the week; out of ten kickoffs last week, Georgia Southern only booted one touchback.

Another week in Nebraska, more drama and worry over the status of the football program. Which, in year five of the Scott Frost era, makes sense. Everything feels urgent. How much of that reaches the players? This is where Nebraska’s large number of transfer plays to NU’s favor. Thompson doesn’t wear the Husker baggage. Neither does Grant. Neither does Mathis. Georgia Southern rolls into town looking for progress, and not expecting much more. It helps than Vantrease has been in the environment before.

Nebraska’s defense vs. Georgia Southern’s tempo and playing style.

Let’s cut through the hyperventilation and fainting spells over the Eagles’ no-huddle offense: Watching their win over Morgan State, they might get off a few snaps with 28, 29 and 30 seconds left on the play clock.

Nebraska’s own offense gets plays off at the 25, 26, 27-second mark.

Besides, Nebraska has struggled not so much with tempo, but personnel package that had the Huskers second-guessing.

Maybe Georgia Southern can put Nebraska on its heels a bit, but the temps will be in the 60s, not the 90s. NU should be able to handle this.

Nebraska media and fans occupy a weird space where they currently expect the worst but aren’t satisfied with their expectations being exceeded.

So NU’s 17-17 third quarter tie with North Dakota essentially fit expectations, right?

And Nebraska, in running away in the fourth quarter, did what superior teams do: Make plays.

NU should separate itself earlier on Saturday night, in part because its offense will get more opportunities to score. But if it’s close at halftime, well, get used to it. For most teams, that’s the sport now.

For many years, Nebraska may have been able to look at a 21-or-24-point win over a team like Georgia Southern with disgust. No longer. Blowouts aren’t birthrights around Memorial Stadium.

Nebraska has to earn its way to a win like that, and if it tops 300 rushing yards — which it could — be satisfied.

Save the worry for Nebraska’s big game against Oklahoma the following week.

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Sam McKewon and Amie Just get listeners ready for Nebraska volleyball's upcoming battle against Creighton, discuss the temperature of Scott Fr…

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