Mickey and staff seem to be maximizing close to the talent level of this team, barring those recruiting rankings. In a conference where quality linemen, as a whole, are pretty broad and standard. Our offensive line isn’t one of the conference’s best. The defensive line is playing more players regularly and have held up in these last two games. But there is at least a handful or more teams with talent levels above these last two opponents. We won the second half with adjustments in these last 2 games. Refreshing and unusual, unfortunately.
We are in our sixth experiment post Osborne. The conference is getting better , especially in 2024. Nebraska can’t afford to make a mistake without further damage and probably a steeper hill to climb. We have had head coaches and staffs with demonstrated weaknesses across the gamut of reasons.
Some of those are showing lack of power five relevant experience, recruiting ability, evaluation skills, replacing needed assistants, S & C applications to on-field performance, college game pertinent traditions, coaching up players and in-game adjustments. We have a pool of guaranteed money, facilities and NIL ability to compete nationally. A very relevant head coach and staff is a very real possibility this time that exhibits the stated traits not consistently exhibited in the last five staffs individually and collectively.
If it doesn’t happen this time, that means a great deal of understated public weight and value is put on our lack of population in-state and our geographical region. A huge variable of which no immediate answer can be drummed up. Only winning but our opponents don’t care if that ever happens.
