Nebraska football beefs up the offensive line, plus Fred Hoiberg's signature win

Hey, Husker fans. Welcome back to the Husker Big Red YouTube channel. I'm Chris Peterson

and joining me as always is my co-host Danny Gillette. And we're here to talk some transfer

portal additions for Nebraska. We also got the number one upset of number one Purdue

the other day. So it's been a pretty exciting week for the Huskers. Danny, in your parts

I know we got some news today with Bill Belichick. So yeah, what are your thoughts on that, man

How are you taking that? Bill Belichick is not expected to no longer be the New England

Patriots head coach today. I figured that he wouldn't. He wouldn't accept no general

manager role and stay on as a coach. I mean, I don't have any, you know, sources confirming

that or whatever, because I do write about the Patriots. But, you know, I figured that

he would want full control. And my guess is maybe Robert Kraft told him that, you know

he can only be the coach and not the general manager or he just decided to step down. But

either way, it's a massive, massive day for the Patriots organization. And, you know

you talk about guys who I would never thought, you know, see out of their respective organizations

and programs. We had Nick Saban yesterday and now Bill Belichick today. I mean, there's

really a it's really kind of surreal because you think these things will last forever

And Bill's been here for 20 years. So I was let's see, I was actually yeah, I was five

when he came to New England and now I'm 29. And so it's truly is the end of an era. It's

nuts to think about. But I mean, yeah, between him and Saban, it's been quite the quite the

24 hours of moves. And I'm curious to see if Nebraska on the Saban front pursues any

Alabama players in the 30 day transfer window. Yeah, that will be interesting. And yeah, Pete Carroll, another one. Yeah, week. So I mean, you

think about he won a national title and Super Bowl when I think only four, four or five coaches

who have done that and then Saban yesterday and yeah, it's going to be a sea change for

college football could be impact the Big 10 to in Nebraska in the sense that Dan Lanning and

Kalen DeBoer seem like they're two of the two of the candidates on the list. I saw a plane

tracking thing from Eugene to Tuscaloosa. So I know I have no idea if that's it. But people on

Twitter, you know, made the point that there's not too many, you know, chart private flights

going from Eugene to Tuscaloosa. So it seems like Dan Lanning might be, you know

interviewing for the Alabama job. And that would would change things, obviously, you know

for would that would hurt Oregon going into next season, and they're obviously joining the Big

10. So but yeah, I think the other thing, you know, we could talk about this too. But with

Michigan winning the national championship, man, like I feel like that is a great sign for

programs like Nebraska. And, you know, it shows like, if you focus on your culture, and you focus

on the offensive defensive lines, and you get a good quarterback, ding, ding, ding, Nebraska has

all all those things, you know, you can win a championship. So like, I feel better than I feel

more optimistic about the future of Nebraska football now than I ever have after watching

Michigan go from two and four to winning a national championship, like why not Nebraska? Why

not anybody that, you know, has the has the right kind of coach? And I think that, you know, I

think Matt rule is the same kind of coach that Jim Harbaugh is in that sense of building an elite

culture, he knows how to focus on the trenches. And so yeah, I think Nebraska is in a really

great spot moving forward. Yeah, it's really interesting to see, you know, just how punishing that Michigan defensive line

was to the Washington offensive line. And we got a first hand look at it in September. And, you

know, it's gonna be interesting. You mentioned DeBoer is a possible candidate for the Alabama job

too. I hope I hope he gets more recognition because he deserves a lot and I feel like he gets

undervalued at times nationally. So I mean, it's gonna be interesting to see what happens with all

with all this news. And, you know, I think Nebraska is positioned well, maybe not national

championship yet, but I do think the future is extremely bright. And, you know, it'll be

interesting to see even what Ohio State does with Will Howard. I mean, Ohio State's loading up and I

think everybody realizes that Michigan probably won't be the same force that they have been over

the last couple of years. Yeah, it'll be interesting to see how that all shakes out. And Nebraska obviously added a guy

from the transfer portal on Wednesday. So we'll get to that in just a second. Before that, if you

haven't already, please do us the favor of hitting the subscribe button, get into the comment

section, hit the like button on our videos. That really helps us out, helps other people find our

content. But if you missed it yesterday, on Wednesday, kind of a surprise commitment. Micah

Mazzucca from Florida had entered the transfer portal. He was on Nebraska's radar a year ago

surprisingly went to Florida. Now he's coming in as a transfer. It's been reported that it's a walk

on type deal. It's not a scholarship offer, but he started what 12 games last year for Florida. He

started a lot over his career. And Danny, what are your thoughts about Micah Mazzucca coming to Nebraska

The same day he went to Florida last year was the same day he committed to Nebraska January 10

yesterday. So it's kind of interesting how things go full circle. But anyway, he brings experience to

the offensive line. I think he had 743 snaps last year. He brings a bona fide starter. You know, you

look at, you know, this Nebraska offensive line, and it's just another player that can, you know

beef up that position. And when you look at what Nebraska has done in the transfer portal with the

additions that they've had, with the exception, in this case of maybe Bly Hill, they got Isaiah

Naylor, Dante Dowdell, and Micah Mazzucca. And if you want to help out your quarterback, you got to

surround him with, you know, things that can, you know, aid in his success. And we have an offensive

lineman, a wide receiver, and a running back. And I think they've done a really good job of

identifying areas, even with just these three moves of, you know, things that they've needed. And

Mazzucca is another example of that. He's another former Texas guy. He played a Baylor. So I really

like this move. I think, you know, you can never have too much line depth. And I feel really good

about the offensive line this coming season. And I feel really good about the future of the line. And

so this just adds to it. I'm excited. I'm excited to see the steps they take. And, you know, I think

they did, you know, fairly well last year, certainly an improvement from the year before. And now they

have another body of veteran, in this case, stature to add to the room

Yeah, I mean, a quality starter. He started 11 games this year, missed a game because he was hurt a

little bit, but started also 10 games for Baylor in 2012. He started, you know, 21 games over the past

two seasons, a major, you know, Power Five college football. So I think that's a great addition to

this lineup. He could be a left guard. And, you know, that opens things up a little bit, too. You know, if

Turner Corcoran is going to maybe they see him as the left tackle to compete with Teddy, maybe they want to

leave him there. You know, or if there's, you know, an injury, it just gives you even more depth. You've got

now Teddy and Turner Corcoran. You've got Mazuka now, you know, Ethan Piper, Ben Scott, you know

Toski, Justin Jenkins, Bryce Benhart. You've got a lot of guys who have started games and played a lot of

snaps for you. Plus, that doesn't even mention Gunnar Gatula, you know, who's coming into his second year

who I think is going to be a pretty good player. And then Gibson Pyle and Grant Brixer, who I, you know, I

don't know if they're going to get on the field next year, but I think that they're going to push, you know, to

get on the football field. And they're at least going to make it, you know, where those guys have to up their

game to keep them off the field. So I love the depth that we have. I love the young players that we have. And I

just love that across the board, you know, there's, there's, you know, just, well, I mean, quality depth, like I

just said, and it's something we haven't seen in this offensive line. And it really is amazing to see the

transformation of the offensive and defensive lines really under Matt Ruhle. And some of that with the defensive

line was just getting the most out of the guys that were here. But man, Nebraska's play in the trenches. Like if

you want to look at one thing that Matt Ruhle did really well in year one, he transformed that. And now if it

looks like he's transformed the quarterback position. And so, you know, like I said, I just I feel really good

about where Nebraska sits, you know, going into the next this next three, four year window

I do too. And you know, Donovan Ruhle has a lot to work with. I almost said Dylan and he has a lot to work with too

on the offensive side of the ball. But Donovan has a lot to work with. He has a lot of different linemen with a lot

of different skill sets. But the one thing they all have in common is that they're physical, they're punishing, you

know, they can, they can finish their blocks. And a lot of them, Mazuka included are good at run blocking. And

you know, even though I think our offense is going to stray a little bit away from the run in terms of how much we

ran last year, for example, you know, I think running is still going to be a big part of the offense. And you need

punishers in there to create lanes and get the job done. So I think Mazuka is another example of this. And, you

know, I'm happy we were able to land them because I really felt we missed out on him last year

Yeah, man, you have to love the attitudes of the guys, the offensive linemen at this team. Like, you know, if

you've seen those videos of Mazuka fighting the Tennessee players, like, and he just has that reputation to as

being a just a mauler, you know, his pass blocking. Then I want that. I mean, yeah, some people may be like, No, no, it's bad for the program. I want that. I want my

lineman to be nasty. I'd take a 15 yard fighting penalty over a lineman who doesn't care at all. Because we've

seen that. That's awful. A lineman who doesn't care at all is 15 times worse

No, man, I want the lineman that like someone hits a dirty hit on Dylan Rayola. Like all five guys are right in that

guy's face ready to take him down. Like that's those guys we have. Yeah, like I don't think Yeah, a Gibson pile gunner

gatula. I mean, impressive. I'm not even forgot about him. But those Yeah, that's four young guys I'm really excited

about. And then all these guys coming back. Yeah, it's it's exciting. And you know, just having a quality offensive

line means a lot. I do believe you're right in the sense they're not going to run the ball like they did last year

I definitely don't think we're gonna see Dylan designs like, you know, there might be a few draw plays and maybe a few

speed options, but they're not gonna be running Dylan, Dylan Rayola, QB Ferrari, you don't

Yeah, please don't keep him safe. You know, I mean, it's like Michigan did with McCarthy ran McCarthy when they really needed to in the

really big games, but most of the time, you know, they, they, they let the other guys do it. And that's how Nebraska

you know, like, if it's Yeah, we're playing Ohio State, you know, and we need some first downs, like, sure, Dylan Rayola, go, go

run, but please slide. You know, like, that's how that's how I feel about it. But yeah, but you know, Dante Dowdell, and Emmett

Johnson and Gabriel, like, I hope everybody sticks around in that running back room. Because I feel like they're all going to

get they're all going to get chances. There's not, you know, yeah, I do think that obviously, there's going to be a pecking

order. But all those guys, if they all stick around here, they're going to get opportunities behind this offensive line. So I

hope that they all stick it out. Because I really like how they all, you know, add something to the room. I love how Gabe, you

know, is another power back. You know, I think that Emmett Johnson is a really, a really good back. And, you know, he can

carry the ball 15 times a game. I don't know if he can make it 20 times a game. But having him as part of a one two punch, you

know, Ramir, we can see we've seen what he can do as a third down back and special teams guy. So I hope that all those guys

are, you know, on the team next August. Well, I mean, I think and you saw even when we were, you know, a run first offense last year, we were begging for Emmett

Johnson to get my carry. So I don't know if he's gonna get if this running back room is gonna get a ton per se to begin

with. But, you know, I think it does provide them the flexibility in the running back room and the option to do so. And, you

know, the best thing you can do is have a balanced offense. And I think we're trending toward that for the first time. And

man, probably 10 years. I mean, because you knew Adrian Martinez was running and that was pretty much the end of that

Yeah, it'll be fun to see what you know what they do with at this play action game and just a more talented quarterback to

make those kind of throws, especially those, you know, those deep throws and those throws across the middle where you just

you just have to have some zip on the ball and you have to have some accuracy. So yeah, that's that'll be fun to watch. And so

there are some other guys, you know, still on the board in the transfer portal, Jamal Banks. Also, Stefan Thompson, Stefan

Thompson, the linebacker has been projected to Nebraska by a few experts, you know, on three prediction.com, you know, on the

on three prediction machine has Nebraska, you know, the heavy favorite there. And banks, Sean Callahan wrote today again

that he still thinks that banks is going to be, you know, a cornhusker. I don't know if he's waiting on a decision from like

McCartney, J.J. McCarthy or Jim Harbaugh or anything. But like I said, I don't see that coming this week. I feel like that's, you

know, a pretty accelerated timeline, unless Jim Harbaugh like decides that Nope, I'm staying in Michigan. I just don't see, you

know, the timeline of it happening this week where he he meets with an NFL team and has gone, you know, it could happen that

quickly, you never know. But at any rate, I feel like banks is going to be and two for Nebraska

I would love him. He's another explosive receiver. He's a deep threat. He's a playmaker. He's extremely athletic, and it would

just be another weapon to add to the room and another veteran weapons so that Malachi and Jalen Lloyd and Demetrius Bell and

George Cory Barney, again, more depth, you know, all these guys can continue to develop. And you know, that's, that's a really

good thing. And you can never have too many wide receivers, because I remember, I'm not going to name names. But I remember a

couple years ago when we were trotting out some wide receivers, and we were like, What the heck are we doing here? And now we

have, you know, options and, you know, choices that we can go with. And that's always a good thing, too

Yeah, lots of depth options there. And Banks is a guy that has over 600 yards the past two seasons with Wake Forest. So I mean, it

would give you, you know, Banks, Nayor, Coleman, Lloyd, Doss, a lot of different guys that you could, you know, throw the

football to. So yeah, I mean, the thing I like about it is they're adding transfer portal guys at key positions of need, right? You

know, Thompson's a linebacker, they lost Reimer and Heinrich last year. He's got 10 career sacks. He knows the system from being

at Syracuse. So that he can step in right away. Bly Hill is a guy that I feel like his best football's ahead of him and they got

a steal there. So you know, beyond that, I mean, you look at the the two deep on both sides, and there's not a lot of glaring

weaknesses. There's there's a there's a quality player, somebody that you know, has a chance to be a quality player at every

single position. So I feel really good about where this team stands going into spring ball, it will be interesting to see if they do

get in on any of those recruits. I mean, maybe why there's a five star wide receiver, I think that just he committed from Alabama. So

maybe something like that. But yeah, other than that, I think that they feel pretty good about where they stand. And I think

they're pretty close to where they want to be numbers wise. I'm sure some other I'm sure there'll be some more attrition in the

spring after the depth chart, you know, gets a little more solidified. So I think they're right. You know, in terms of roster

building, I think they're right where they need to be. And I think they're just about finished. You know, with this 20 2014, I'm

sure there'll be, you know, maybe with injuries or whatever, there might be another addition post spring. But I think there for

the most part, this roster is pretty much set. And I feel very good about where it's at right now

I'm excited for the spring game. And I said that last show, but I really am. I'm excited to see what this team kind of looks

like. I know spring game doesn't tell me tell everything. But, you know, I'm excited about, you know, how this could shake out

And so now let's switch. We'll talk some hoops here before we wrap up today's episode here, the Husker Big Red podcast and what a

night it was, man on Tuesday night for Nebraska, Matt rule storm the court with everybody else. Fred Hoiberg gets his

defining win 8873. And it really wasn't even that close. They went on that, that run at the end of the first half. And I mean, I

have to say, if you haven't listened to the Kent, you know, if the radio broadcast, like you got to go listen to it, man, like it

was high. It's so awesome. Kent was totally on that night. And yeah, it was great. What did you think about it

I thought it was awesome. And you know, to be honest with you, I didn't really think that the Purdue game was a defined was, was the

defining win for Fred, I honestly thought it was, you know, 2022 against Creighton, because that's what I felt that the tides

started to turn a little bit. You know, we were kind of down and out up to that point. And then they beat Creighton in 2022. And I

thought, you know, maybe they got something here. And, you know, now I think that this Purdue game was his signature win. But I

thought that the Creighton game was kind of defining as to, you know, okay, we've had so many ups and downs. You know, can we be

you know, a ranked team? Can we be, you know, a top tier team? And, you know, I thought Creighton kind of answered that. And then

this Purdue game that it was just crazy to watch because they completely, you know, not completely, but they made life difficult for

Zach Eadie. And they did everything that they tried to do against Wisconsin on Saturday against Purdue, they defended the inside. They

were very quick in their rotations, they defended the perimeter well, and, you know, any sort of run that Purdue had Nebraska

answered immediately. And I thought that was pretty, pretty telling as well, because you could tell that they wanted to win this game

badly. And they shot the ball, they shot the lights out from three. So I just thought it was a good all around team win. I mean, you know

Sam Hoiberg getting involved in the passing lanes. I mean, he keeps proving not not just to me, but I think in general that he's not just a

nepo baby that he can play basketball. And, and so I think it was really cool to see everybody contribute. I mean, Casey was some of the

shots he he puts up there's he's like triple teamed and throw it up and he makes it I don't know how the heck he does that. But I mean, he

was impressive. You know, Josiah Alec, I thought held his own very well against Edie. You know, Edie was very physical, and he actually got

called for some fouls Edie did, which I was surprised because usually they don't call any fouls. But I thought it was a good overall team win

And so many people and you know, players contributed. And I thought the coaching staff did a good job sticking to the game plan. And, you know

that's what it takes to, you know, beat number one. And I think it also showed that, you know, as long as you give Zach Edie trouble, as long as he

throws any bodies at him as you can, then you might have a chance to beat Purdue. And I think if I'm any other team who wants to play Purdue, I

look at the Nebraska tape and, and see how you can stop them. Because, you know, they're very, very good. Don't get me wrong. I think they've

beaten, like five top 10 teams this year. But, you know, there there is a way to be Purdue and it all starts with stopping Zach Edie

Yeah, I thought the key for Nebraska, you know, the two stats, I thought that were the most, you know, key for the wins outside of the three point

shots. Defensively, it was the fact that Edie only got 10 shots up, and that he only had one assist, because that's what can kill you with him

is either he'll, you know, dominate you all night, or he'll just if you double down on them, they'll just be raining threes all night. And I

thought Nebraska, even though Purdue made a lot of threes, they didn't get a lot of wide open threes. And they didn't, you know, they didn't

collapse down a ton on Edie, they really trusted their guys to defend him and be pesky. And they did a great job. They did a great job of

keeping the ball away from him, and forcing those guys to make shots. And they did make shots, but Nebraska just made more 14 three

pointers. That's exactly what they needed to do. It reminded me when they beat Kansas, like in 2002, I think it was, and they just were

raining threes. And I love that, you know, CJ Wiltshire, I think needs a shout out. He's been spectacular this year coming off the bat. I

don't see how like he's right now he's got to be in the conversation for sixth man of the year in the Big 10 conference. I mean, he has been

just, you know, unbelievable. And Nebraska added, you know, all these transfers, pushed him to the bench, you know, he could have

pouted, he could have, you know, wallowed, and he could have left via the transfer portal, but he didn't, he stepped up his game. And he's

been as good this year as I mean, for what we expected, he's been at he's exceeded expectations more than any other player on the roster

This is his best year in the program. Honestly, I really do. Oh, yeah, definitely shooting consistently. And, you know, it has been

spectacular. Like, this guy's gonna try to find a role, you know, like, like last couple years, he tried to see where he would fit. And he

tried to do almost too much. And now, I think he's right where he needs to be where he feels comfortable. And he doesn't have to do too

much because there's other guys around him that can make plays. And I just think that that's a microcosm of this whole team, right? Because when you win, it's when everybody like finds their role

and accepts their role. And I just respect guys that, you know, yeah, I'm sure CJ wants to play 30-35 minutes a night, and he's not

getting those minutes. But every single second he's on that floor, he's given it everything he's got. And he's been so for like

this guy's, yeah, he might not play in the NBA, but he's played well enough, like he's gonna play professional basketball

somewhere, like in Europe or whatever, like he's definitely good enough. And I think you can say that about a lot of guys on this

team. I mean, Rink, Mast, you know, obviously KC, Bryce Williams, like there's a lot of guys that even if they don't play in the in the

NBA that are going to play at the next level, and they all have just, you know, fit into their roles, like Sam Hoiberg, like you said

just scrappy as hell, every time he gets out there to sign a league, you know, whether he's, you know, excuse me, starting or

coming, I mean, you know, he went from a starter to a bench player, like, and it was nothing, that was it made zero difference to

him, the effort was the exact same. And, and when you have guys that are willing to give up for willing to sacrifice for the greater

good of the team, like that's when you win. And that's why beyond all the talent, I just feel like that this team truly is a team, you

know, they're, they're a fist, they're a family, and they're willing to give up whatever for each other. And so, you know, after

they after that win, they're in a great spot to make the NCAA tournament, you know, Joe Linardi, it was interesting, they dropped

him out of the they were in the first four out after the Wisconsin game, he hasn't redone the bracket yet, I'm out, they're gonna be in

now. And you look at their record, they're 13 and three, they have three quad one wins. And all of those were, I mean, they weren't that

close. Like really, the Michigan State game was somewhat close. But you got the margin of victory in those three wins has got to be

double digits on average. So I feel like Nebraska, as long as they don't completely fall off the wagon, you know, in the last month, a month

couple months of the season, they're in a very good spot to get to the NCAA tournament. And the corn husker coaching career of Fred Hoiberg has been quite the roller coaster, hasn't it seven and 25 in his first season

two conference wins. I mean, even as early as 2021 2022. He was 10 and 22 with a foreign 16 conference record. Now he's, you know, 13 and

316 wins last year. You know, he's definitely I think, gonna pass that mark of 16 wins. And it's just been really kind of you don't see a

coach get as much leeway to build a program and have as many ups and downs as he has. And I think that's also a credit to Trev

Alberts, because, you know, Trev came out last year and said he had faith in my Bergen, he's showing it. And quite honestly, Fred is

making him look pretty good right now. Yeah, it all starts with Trev Alberts, man, he definitely deserves credit, you know, Matt rule credits him all the time. And that's for a

reason, because these guys know, like, if you don't have the if you don't have the leadership and the support and leadership, like it

makes it very difficult, you know, and when we had these other guys, you know, I mean, it was so awesome to me that Trev Alberts was

there and went on to the floor. I mean, I'm pretty sure that he was right next to Matt rule going on to the court. Like I just, I

love that he's that invested in Nebraska, because that's who he is. He played for this for this program. I mean, not basketball

obviously, but he played for the Cornhuskers. And he knows what it means. So it's not, you know, it's not just a job for Trev

Alberts. I mean, he truly like, yeah, he likes getting paid and stuff. But he truly wants to see this team succeed. And it's not just

about the paycheck for him. And I believe that with Matt rule, too. And that's why I'm just so excited about this team and this

program and where they're headed. You know, football and basketball because they just they got the right coaches like Fred

Hoiberg is doing exactly what we thought he was going to do. It took him a little bit longer than we thought. But he's the last two

seasons is exactly what you thought Fred Hoiberg was going to get and good on Trev Alberts for letting him see that through. And now

we've got a pretty damn good, you know, basketball coach, like you look at the coaches in the Big 10. And I think Fred Hoiberg is

definitely you know, in the upper echelon of those coaches, in my opinion right now

And I feel like you can see his coaching style and the way they play defensively, just scrappy attacking, you know, very kind of, you

know, pressure all in your face, sort of, you know, they're not gonna give up an easy basket. And, you know, I think that's a that's a

credit to coach Hoiberg because I think, you know, you know, the teams that he's coached here have all at least tried to play that

way. Now these last two years, he's found the personnel for, you know, what he deems best and, you know, where, where, where he

wants to go. Well, I think, you know, it's like you've said so many times, I mean, he brought in, you know, some different assistants on the

coaching staff. And it really it reminds me of what john beeline did at Michigan, he had the great offensive mind, but he had to

bring in, you know, and get the defensive side of the ball where it is. And Fred has always been one of the best offensive minds in

basketball, there's no question about that. Now that they're getting it done on the defensive side, like you could see

offensively all the great sets and things that he's running. So yeah, they're playing really high level on both ends. So it's going to

be exciting. Iowa on Friday night, man, I love that matchup. I hope we hope we take down the Hawkeyes again

Yeah, it's gonna be it's a it's a tough week. But I think this week is going to tell a lot about the program. I mean, I think this

season kind of already has but I think I think another one on Friday would be would be pretty sweet. I'm not gonna lie pretty sweet

It would be very sweet. So we're looking forward to that. And we'll wrap it up here, guys. Thanks for joining us. Before we go, please

make sure if you haven't hit that subscribe button. It really helps us out going to the comment section, hit the like button, and

we'll be back on Saturday morning for another Husker Big Red chat. So come join us. Hopefully we are celebrating another victory

over the Iowa Hawkeyes, the team that we love to be more than any other. And I'm predicting a victory on Friday. I haven't even

looked into the matchup that much, but I just believe in this team. So we're gonna beat those guys. So come celebrate with us on

the Saturday morning. And as always, go Big Red. Go Big Red