Each week, a reporter covering the Gophers' opponent will be my guest to break down his or her team. This week, it's Evan Bland of the Omaha World-Herald. He takes a look at Nebraska and Saturday's game.
Here's the Q&A with Evan Bland:
Q: This obviously isn't the type of season that people in Nebraska were expecting. Given the Huskers' 2-4 home record, how frustrated has the fan base become?
A: A sizeable portion of the fan base passed frustration sometime in September. A home loss to Northern Illinois shocked Husker Nation and led to athletic director Shawn Eichorst losing his job the following week. The Ohio State game was 35-0 at halftime and had fans muttering toward the exits in the second quarter. Last weekend, an overtime defeat kept people in the stands but again left the stadium quiet at the end of the day. There's a real worry among Nebraska officials about the sellout streak – the ongoing NCAA record the school began in 1962 – coming to an end if results don't turn. Frustration is still an emotion in the mix for fans, but it's fading into the background of stronger feelings like resignation, anticipation of a new coach in 2018 and, at the moment, even some apathy.
Q: Do you think there is any chance that Mike Riley is retained as coach, and if he isn't, who would be the top handful of candidates to replace him?
A: The chances Mike Riley reaches a fourth year just aren't very good. Coming into the season there was no real vibe that the former Oregon State coach was on the hot seat but, again, the loss to Northern Illinois changed the equation. It's not impossible Riley returns. He still has games against good Penn State and Iowa teams to show signs of progress. He also has a new athletic director in Bill Moos, who had inherited a struggling third-year football coach in his previous stop at Washington State and gave him another season before bringing in Mike Leach. But Riley's critics – and the number has grown steadily in the last month – will cite too many close loses, shaky in-game management, a continuously struggling defense and poor player development as reasons for his ouster. Even recruiting, where Riley has generally been perceived to succeed, took a big-time blow last week when NU's top commit backed out of his verbal pledge because of program instability.
The most vocal subset of Nebraska fans want Scott Frost as NU's next coach. (The former Nebraska quarterback is coaching Central Florida to an 8-0 record in his second season as a head coach.) Other names are entirely speculation and subject to what direction Moos wants to go but include coaches like Les Miles (his son, Ben, is a freshman fullback at Nebraska), Chip Kelly (who knows Moos from their Oregon days), Mississippi State's Dan Mullen and Syracuse's Dino Babers.
Q: Tanner Lee had a stretch of four games with only one interception total, but he threw three against Northwestern last week. Which version of Lee can we expect to see Saturday?
A: Nebraska coaches would love to know the answer to this one, too. When Lee has been on, he's looked like an NFL-caliber prospect with a big arm and even-keel demeanor. He's also popular among teammates, a captain and was almost singlehandedly the reason why the Huskers rallied to beat Purdue last month. But, man, there have been mistakes. His 17-to-13 touchdown-to-interception ratio isn't pretty, and his four pick-sixes may have cost NU two wins by themselves (Northern Illinois and Wisconsin). Against Northwestern last weekend, he threw two of his three picks right to defensive backs waiting in zone coverage, apparently not seeing them beforehand. If Minnesota can disguise some of its schemes well Saturday, there's no reason to think the Gophers can't generate a turnover or two.
Q: How big an impact has JD Spielman had on the offense and special teams, and what do you expect from him in the future?
A: He's been one of the bright spots on the entire team. The Minnesota native has said taking a redshirt year was critical in his mental development learning routes and techniques, and it's shown in key moments for Nebraska, particularly on third and fourth downs. He already broke the school record for receiving yards in a game with 200 on 11 catches against Ohio State. He needs 48 receiving yards, 105 all-purpose yards and five receptions Saturday to set new NU freshman records season marks in all three categories (those records now are 641, 1,259 and 45, respectively). The jittery slot receiver even got involved on a 40-yard jet sweep against Northwestern and continues to flash his versatility. On special teams, he returned a kickoff for a touchdown on opening weekend and has generally been reliable for the Huskers on kickoffs all season. He should be a weapon in Lincoln for years to come.
Q: What is your prediction for the score of Saturday's game and how did you arrive at it?
A: These are two teams with struggling offenses, and the forecasted cold temps and snow won't make either unit look good. Neither defense gives up much in terms of big plays, so which team can sustain a drive? Given the expected conditions and Nebraska's complete inability to run (108th nationally at 121 yards per game) and stop the run (81st, 177), Minnesota appears to be in position to pick up a victory at home. I'll say 24-21 Gophers as the Huskers continue to play out the string.
