Final thoughts, overreactions from Nebraska football win over Cincinnati

Nebraska football is 1-0. Many college football teams across the country would love to have that same record, especially after playing a Power-4 opponent.

The win over Cincinnati wasn’t pretty. The Pinstripe Bowl win wasn’t either, but they were victories, and after all the struggles in the past decade, they should be celebrated.

Dispelling some Nebraska football overreactions

There were plenty of overreactions to the first game. A common theme among a certain segment of the fan base was that the Huskers would be “lucky” to win seven games this season. That seems like a stretch.

It was one game. The run defense is a concern, so is the lack of running back depth, but those were issues mentioned in the offseason for a reason. They are real. Nebraska football has players who can develop and improve to address those issues.

We’ll see how it works out. But I didn’t see anything that made me believe this team isn’t capable of winning 9-10 games. Every team has concerns. It’s how you address them. That’s what matters.

I was encouraged by Emmett Johnson’s performance. It’s about what I expected. There’s zero doubt about his ability to produce. The question is whether he can carry the ball 20-25 times a game for an entire Big Ten season? Some others need to emerge more than they did on Thursday night.

One big concern

Maybe the most concerning thing was the lack of a pass rush. Nebraska football got nine pressures but didn’t register a single sack or a hit on the quarterback.

The Huskers also need to sort out the left tackle position in the next two weeks. It seems clear that Elijah Pritchett is the best player at the position. Turner Corcoran got beaten badly, at least once, in pass protection. He still looks better suited to be a guard.

Gunnar Gottula is a high-effort player who is better off as the swing tackle or sixth offensive lineman. Pritchett had the best run grade and pass-blocking grade among the tackles (PFF). There’s a reason he was paid what he was in the portal. It’s time to ride him as the left tackle.

Every Week 1 win has warts. Nebraska has two weeks to improve before another test against Michigan, but as far as first games go, it was par for the course, with the bonus of a win.

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