Nebraska football can’t afford subpar special teams again

Nebraska football had a lot of problems last season. But one of them was poor production in the kicking game.

Special teams coach Ed Foley met with the media on Tuesday. He talked about the kickers and the returners. Foley went as far as to say that Nebraska football was “terrible” on punt returns last season.

Foley’s not wrong. But that adjective, “terrible” could describe a lot more than the punt returns last season. It could describe many aspects of Nebraska football special teams.

Nebraska football ranked in the top five in kickoff return yardage, but in many other meaningful categories — the Huskers ranked in the bottom four of the conference.

Nebraska football has to improve on special teams

The kickoff coverage was solid. Nebraska ranked fifth in net kickoff return yards but ranked 12th in touchbacks. Hell, Nebraska ranked 13th in the Big Ten in field goal percentage and 13th in average punt return yards.

Oct 21, 2023; Lincoln, Nebraska, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers punter Brian Buschini (18) during the first quarter against the Northwestern Wildcats at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dylan Widger-USA TODAY Sports

Even punting, which was supposed to be a strength, was kind of a weakness. The Huskers ranked 11th in net punting average and 10th in average yards per punt. Nebraska did have the fewest touchbacks on punts, which is a positive thing, and Brian Buschini did pin 35 percent of his punts inside the 20.

But for instance, Iowa’s net punting average was seven yards better than Nebraska’s. That adds up throughout a game and we saw that plenty of times last season (Michigan State comes to mind).

Poor field position was a constant issue for the Huskers and not even attempting to return punts was a big reason why. That can’t be allowed to continue and the field-goal kicking, as well as the punting, just has to be better.

The punt returns were “terrible” and Foley was right to take accountability for that. But the special teams as a whole were subpar and if the Huskers don’t improve there, they are going to keep struggling in close games.

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