Keys & Predictions for Nebraska football vs UTEP

Good morning, Husker fans. Welcome back to the Husker Big Red YouTube channel

We're back for another episode of the podcast here. We are one day away from Nebraska football opening the 2024 season against UTEP

We've waited for a long time. It's finally here, almost here, 24 hours away

So we're going to break it down with our keys, our predictions for tomorrow's game against UTEP

We'll also talk about Colorado's game on Thursday night and how that kind of could lead into Nebraska's matchup next week

as well as we'll cover a few other topics for week one of the college football season, man. College football is back

Danny, how are you? How are you feeling? How excited are you for college football and Nebraska football

I'm excited for Nebraska football. It's finally here after a long offseason, a busy offseason

I'm excited. Now we get to see Dylan Raiola in real time

And now we get to see the Blackshirts play again. And we get to see, you know, John Butler on the coaching staff

We get to see Tony White's defense return and a bunch of fun storylines to follow

And I don't think the balloons will be returning, unfortunately. I know I saw some people asking about that

but we still have a lot of things to be excited about and I am certainly excited

I do miss the balloons. I'm not, I wish they would have not got rid of the balloons, but you know, whatever

That's just another thing we can lay at the feet of Trev Alberts. So, you know, it is what it is. That is true

But yeah, so I mean, looking at this UTEP matchup, you know

kind of diving into UTEP a little bit more. They're still kind of a hard team to scout because, you know

Scotty Walden's in his first year there. Just a lot of, kind of a lot of new pieces

He brought a lot of pieces over with him from Austin Peay. So it's kind of wondering what they're going to look like this year

But for the most part, I think if Nebraska just goes out and executes

and takes care of, you know, the little things and doesn't sub its toe

doesn't mess up on special teams, doesn't turn the football over, you know, doesn't commit a bunch of penalties, I feel like, you know, they should win this game

Not super easily, but I would say fairly easily. That's kind of my read on it. I know that you've been, you know, kind of pounding the table

It's going to be a little bit of a tougher matchup. You still think that UTEP is going to make this a game for the Huskers

I don't know if they'll make it a close game, but they won't be, they won't just roll over and, you know, die

You know what I mean? So I think it is going to be, I don't think it's going to be a cakewalk

I mean, to be even truthful, the last time we won in 2019 against South Alabama wasn't a cakewalk

So, I mean, no game is a cakewalk in college football. Colorado saw that last night

But, you know, I think it's going to be a game that comes down to who can take care of the football the best

And turnovers were a major problem, as we know, for Nebraska last season

And I think they'll have a better handle on it this year

But it's going to be interesting to see how many self-inflicted errors we can avoid

Yeah, so I mean, leaning into that, I would say that's one, you know, one of my keys for Nebraska is just to avoid turnovers

Play a clean game, essentially. You know, no weird onside kicks, no blocked kicks, no punt returns, no interceptions

I mean, you know, one turnover is okay. You can live with one turnover. But, you know, if you have a couple of turnovers in this game, that's maybe a way that UTEP can, you know, sneak in there

and have an opportunity to pull an upset in the third and fourth quarter. So that's a big key for me

And in all ways, I feel like when you have a heavy favorite like Nebraska, you know

a key is just playing a clean game and, you know, not allowing your opponent to have, you know, chances that they don't need

Right. And also making sure to give your defense plenty of rest

Because I felt last season, you know, the defense was on the field for a lot of the time

And to their credit, they held their own. But, you know, making sure to, you know, play a balanced game of football and giving that unit time to kind of relax on the sidelines a bit

and adjust and make adjustments is going to be important as well. Because I feel like the defense, you know, like I said, there were times when they didn't leave the field for most of the game

So I think that's going to change this year. But I think it's very important to play complementary football

Yeah, Nebraska did not play complementary football very well last year. You know, they turned it over 2.6 times per game

The defense was often put in poor positions and, you know, came up a lot of times with, you know

they'd have short fields and would get field goals. They would get three and outs. I mean, they did a lot of great work last year

So it will be really fun to see what they can do, you know, with an offense that complements them, that can keep the ball

that can move, you know, can put together and sustain long drives so that, you know

these guys can actually get a bit of a rest and not have to play, you know, a ton of plays

So it will be interesting to see that, see if that happens on Saturday. And I guess another key for me is going to be, you know, who wins the running matchup

That's always an important thing, I think. And you look at UTEP, they struggled last year with their run defense

I believe they lost all their linebackers to the transfer portal. They lost their best pass rusher, their best defensive lineman to the NFL

Their pass defense was pretty solid. They allowed like 180 yards per game, and they have a couple of starters back in the secondary

But I really feel like even though this is Dylan Reola's first start

I feel like Nebraska could have a great chance based on the matchups to run the football really well

You know, Ramir Johnson, Emmitt Johnson. And on the other side, they brought over Jevin Jackson, Scotty Walden did from Austin Peay

So he's a 1300-yard rusher, a really good running back. And, you know, keeping him in check, I would say, is going to be a big key for Nebraska too

Because, you know, if you can, you know, force them into longer down the distance

then you can let your pass rush get after it a little bit. And also, you know, you don't, you know, if you're a UTEP, like what do you want to do as an offense

Part of what I would think their plan would be is to let's run the football. Even though they do like to pass the ball more, I would think they would want to try to, you know

keep Dylan Reola on the sideline as much as possible. And if they don't run the football, it makes it harder to do that

And Trey Goodman is the Miners' top receiver. He played for Walden at Austin Peay, head coach Scotty Walden

And he had 34 catches for 720 yards and seven touchdowns. And he was named, you know, in all United Athletic Conference first team selection

So there is, you know, potential for UTEP's passing game as well

And, you know, K McConnell's no slouch either. He had six touchdowns and four interceptions, but also 1,437 yards

So I think UTEP brings more of a balanced attack than some might realize

And I'm wondering if UTEP, yeah, so Skylar Locklear actually looks like has been named

as the starting quarterback for week one against Nebraska. So that's going to be kind of interesting

That came out last night. So McConnell probably, you know, will get some chances too

I mean, it wouldn't surprise me if they used both quarterbacks. But the thing about Locklear is he, so he was basically with Scotty Walden for two years at Austin Peay

He was the backup, transferred over, won the job. So he's got familiarity in that system

So we do at least know a little bit about who the starting quarterback is going to be

But he has not played much. I don't know if he, I'm not sure if he's, you know, thrown any passes last year

But that's going to be interesting to get your first start at Lincoln Memorial Stadium on Saturday

Absolutely. And, you know, I think, you know, the fact that he played for Walden will bring some familiarity

So that might help, but it's certainly no easy task for him to have that be his opening game

Yeah. And looking at his numbers here and his profile, he saw action in two games last season was three or four for 59 yards

He did throw a 46 yard touchdown pass in high school. He threw for over 7,000 yards, 78 touchdowns

So, you know, he's the guy that's used to throw in the football a lot, which sounds like a great fit for the Scotty Walden offense

So I guess, you know, another key for me is just going to be pass protection

And it's going to be on the Nebraska side of things. I said that UTEP did graduate, you know, their top pass rusher from last year

but they still have some guys that can attack it in the pass rush. And so I'm looking at like Turner Corcoran and some of those guys, you know

and as long as they can protect Dylan Riola in this game and other games, I think he's going to be, you know, elite producer for Nebraska

But you've got to give him time. And I'm definitely going to be keeping a close eye on that blindside protection in week one

Yeah, that's definitely going to be important. And, you know, you look at, you know

some instances in past years where just a little bit more pass protection would have made a huge difference

I always go back to Casey Thompson, right, and how he struggled because of the lack of consistency on the offensive line

Now it's going to be, you know, I'm not saying that Dylan Riola and Casey Thompson are, you know

similar athletes even, but that type of pocket passing style that Thompson brings to the table

I think he's a little bit similar to Riola in that way. So it'll be interesting to see if the line can hold up this time around

Granted, the line is a lot different now than it was, what was it, two years ago now

But I mean, I'm interested to see how they handle a pocket passing quarterback instead of a quarterback that, you know

has athleticism and can move and can kind of improvise when the line breaks down

Yeah. And so one name to know as a Nebraska fan on the, in terms of looking at UTEP on the defensive side of the ball

Maurice Westmoreland, and he had 37 tackles last year, 10 and a half tackles for loss and seven and a half sacks

So that's probably the guy that, you know, Turner Corcoran is going to have to block on Saturday and we'll see if they give him some help

But if I was, if I was UTEP, that's where I would line him up. I would, I would much rather him facing off against Turner Corcoran than Bryce Benhart

So I would be going after him quite a bit and we'll see, you know, how that kind of works out

I'm sure, like I've said before, I mean, it helps if you, you know, if you only have one spot to really worry about, you can chip

you can have tight ends, yada, yada, yada. But I am going to see, I'm interested to see how that Nebraska kind of handles that and how, you know, Turner Corcoran handles

you know, a guy that I think is probably going to be playing in the NFL next season in Westmoreland

Yeah. It's going to be, it's not going to be an easy game for him. It's going to be a challenge, but it's good to get that first challenge of the season in the first game

And it will also give us, you know, somewhat of a benchmark as to where he stands in terms of, you know, his, his health and

you know, how he can handle possibly the rest of the season

Yeah. So I guess then to sum it up. So for me, my three keys for Nebraska to win this game or to play clean, win the running matchup

So, you know, outrush UTEP, which I think, you know, they should be able to do and protect Dylan Riola

If they do those three things, they're going to win this game and they should. And if they do those three things, I think they'll, I think they'll cover the spread

I think they'll win this game by four touchdowns, but they do have to do all three of those things though

If they don't do all three of those things, you know, if you don't protect Riola well, then your offense could be crippled a little bit

And you know, you might, you might not get that spread if you don't take care of the football

or if you have a goofy play on special teams that might cut into that as well. So I'm not super confident betting the over for Nebraska here in terms of the point spread

but I think that they'll find a way to get it done and to cover that and Dylan Riola's first start

Yeah, absolutely. Because you got to, because you know, you got to remember that they're also

it's a brand, it's not a brand new offense, but a lot of new players on the offensive side of the ball

And one of the things I definitely agree with all your three keys to the game

but one of the things I'm going to watch too is the kicking, the kicking duties for Saturday

Matt Rohl said yesterday, Thursday, that the Huskers may use two kickers

John Hull could kick from farther out and, you know, Tristan Alvano could do the shorter distances

and he expects Hull to handle kickoffs. So the two kicker thing will be a little bit interesting to me because if Alvano shows that he's struggling

or if he's not ready to go yet, then that could mean a larger role for Hull moving forward

Yeah, it will be interesting to see how that works out. And yeah, I just, I think the best case scenario is, you know

Tristan Alvano winning the job. But what I don't want Nebraska to be in is in a situation where they get to the 25-yard line

and they're having to figure out who to send out to kick. You know, that's not, that's not where you want to be because that can be a tough situation too

you know, for John Hull to go out there and be like, okay, you haven't kicked today, but go try a 49-yard field goal

So I just hope that we can find some clarity this week

And, you know, obviously I want the kicks to go in, but it would be nice to see Alvano, you know

hit the PATs, hit some field goals, get the 100% and then just kind of take over that job

and be the place kicker for the rest of the season. I could also see it kind of being the situation that you didn't want to happen only because..

I know. Yeah, yeah, I know. Only because this is, you know, the first game of the season, you're trying to figure everything out

And so I could kind of see it being a test run, but I totally understand where you're coming from

It's just, you know, I'm not 100% sure where the kicking game is going to go yet

and I'm not sure the coaches are either. So I could totally see the situation that you mentioned, unfortunately

All right. So let's get on the record here with our prediction, and then we'll get to some thoughts on Colorado in the rest of College Football Week 1

But so I think we both probably are projecting or predicting a Nebraska win

but what's your final on-the-record prediction with a score, Danny? Nebraska wins 31-13. 31-13. Okay

I'm going to say Nebraska wins 38-10. I think that's what I picked on Husker Big Red

So, you know, one field goal for Kristen Ovano. I'm going to say three touchdown passes for Dylan Raiola tomorrow

And I'm not saying they're going to be long bombs. Like, I think you'll have, like, you know, maybe a Thomas Fedoni in the end zone or in the red zone type deal

But I think you'll hit one, like, one touchdown pass that's beyond 30 yards

I'll say that. That's my prediction. That's like my bold prediction for Saturday

Because truthfully, I don't think we have to hide much from that Colorado defense, judging by last night

Yeah, that was something. Well, I mean, it's about what I expected. You know, I didn't—I don't know

I wouldn't have been surprised if North Dakota State beat them, because they—you know, I've seen those guys�

They're in the program. I mean— Yeah, I watch a lot of FCS football being from Montana, and they're pretty solid

They haven't been—now, they aren't what they were when they went on the national championships

Like, so, you know, this isn't like the powerhouse NDSU that it was, like, four or five years ago

But they're still pretty good. But, I mean, Colorado gave them 450 yards of offense

What did surprise me is they've been known more as a running program, you know

throughout their history, and they threw—their quarterback was 18-22 for 277 yards and a touchdown

So, if I was Dylan Raiola, I would be pretty excited about going up against that Colorado defense next week

because I guarantee you, Nebraska's better than NDSU across the board, wide receiver

You know, maybe not in the trenches as much, but they've got weapons that NDSU only wishes they had

Yeah, and so, it was just kind of crazy to me. I mean, even Shadur Sanders didn't look his best

He still played well. Don't get me wrong. He still played well. But, I mean, there was a little bit of struggle in last night's game

And even with the struggle, both Jimmy Horne and—Jimmy Horne Jr., excuse me

and Travis Hunter Hill had over 100 yards receiving. So, I mean, I hate Colorado, but those two are really impressive

Yeah, it's going to be—it's so interesting, because, you know, in Dallin Hayden, the guy— they brought him over from Ohio State, nine attempts for 20 yards

And Shadur Sanders had six for 17. They had another back that had five for 15 yards

So, I mean, that is not—that's like 59 yards rushing. And if they run for 59 yards, like, Nebraska should beat them by two touchdowns

And maybe that won't happen, but I remember last year, you know

Colorado couldn't run the football. Nebraska got a lot of sacks on Shadur Sanders

And unfortunately, the offense kept giving the football away, and just a lot of stupid mistakes, stupid penalties

But I just—if Colorado's going to be that one-dimensional, I don't see how they don't just absolutely tee off on Shadur Sanders

like, you know, six, eight times in that game. Yeah. Colorado did not impress me

Yes, it was the first game of the season, but there's a lot of holes on that roster

Yeah, definitely a lot of holes. So, it'll be interesting to see what happens next week

Is there any other Week 1 matchups that kind of have your eye, or that you're watching from a Nebraska perspective

Miami and Florida, that's not really a Nebraska perspective, but, I mean, that does have my eye

It's always a fun game down in the swamp. And I think Miami did—this is a crucial year for Mario Cristobal over at Miami

and he has a ton of talent. He has a ton of talent on that roster

So, I think that's going to be, you know, a game worth watching

I think it's going to be interesting. And I'm trying to think if there's any other Week 1 games that have caught my eye

I think the one on Sunday, yeah, USC and LSU will be one that catches my eye

Just because USC is a conference foe, and LSU is, you know

looking to, you know, rebound after losing Jaden Daniels to the draft

And then locally here, actually, my—the Boston College Eagles are going to play

on Monday night against Florida State on ESPN. So, that'll be something worth watching, too. There's a lot of good games on this weekend

Yeah, and so, even, you know, people in Montana will be paying attention to that one because of Reed Harris, so—guy from Great Falls, Montana, wide receiver out there

So, hopefully, he'll make a play for you. But, yeah, the Miami and Florida, man, that's like—that would be like, for Nebraska fans

that would be like Oklahoma and Colorado playing. Like, they just—Nebraska fans hate Miami

And the hate is a little less for Florida because we pounded their ass in the 1995 National Championship game and embarrassed Steve Spurrier

like he's never been embarrassed before in his life. But Nebraska fans do not like anybody from the state of Florida, Florida State included

since they, you know, beat us in the National Championship in 1993

even though we got screwed because there was a Phantom block in the back. But, at any rate, so that'll be one of those games where, like, you know

you just want, like, the worst thing to happen. But that—but you're right, it is an interesting matchup

And then Georgia and Clemson has my interest, too. Texas A—so, three top 25 matchups the first week

So, I like that and the old Labor Day matchup. We'll see—we'll see if BC can put Florida State at 0-2

That would be wild. They almost did, though. They almost beat them last year. So�

Yeah, I remember that. Because I remember—I'm sorry, but last year I remember thinking that, like

that BC was going into the season. I thought that BC was maybe the worst team in the Power 5—out of the Power 5 program. So�

It started to look that way. And then they, like, somehow, like, you know, battled off seven wins

including defeating 25th-ranked SMU in their bowl game. So— Yeah, so, I mean, I was—I was—I was impressed with that season

But that Florida State game was the one where I was like, oh, man, these guys aren't that bad

But—and it's also—like, that just shows you the talent level, you know? Like, even—even a team like BC, who you look at as, like, oh, they're, you know

one of the least talented teams in the Power 5, they still got a bunch of dudes. Like, but, like, Reed Harris is a dude and he's not even one of their best dudes

So, it just—it goes to show you how talented everyone is at the Division I level

Well, BC is a hard sell, too. You know, cold weather in Massachusetts, academic, you know, kind of prestige is also�

it's also tough to get by. But Jeff—Jeff Haffley certainly didn't help matters

And I'm glad he's in Green Bay now. It's time for Bill O'Brien to—to take over

I'm glad, too, because that means that— oh, God, I can't even remember

I'm so—I blanked—I blacked out the defensive coordinator from the past at the Packers

because he was so bad. And he just—oh, he made—he made me want to drink

But at any rate, he's not there anymore. So, whether it's Jeff Haffley or anybody else, they needed somebody else

So, we're both happy with that move. So— I'm curious to see what Bill O'Brien does

That's for sure. I think he's going to do well, actually. I think that was a really good hire for you guys

I think he'll probably, like—I don't know that he'll ever win an ACC title, but they'll probably string together, like, ten straight winning seasons

Like, that's what I think is going to happen. And he's from here, so he kind of gets it, you know

It's like, he kind of gets the sports culture, so. Yeah, and I think he'll—I think he'll—I think he'll be in that job for a while, so. Yeah

All right, you guys. Well, we're going to wrap it up there. We're going to pop up for a pregame chat on Saturday morning, about 30 minutes

So, come hang out with us for that. We'll have more on this matchup and just, you know, waste some time until kickoff

So, we'll be doing that Saturday morning, about 8.30 Eastern time, somewhere around there, 8.30, 9 o'clock Eastern time

We'll have the specific time up there tomorrow morning. But join us for that

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