Nebraska football opens the season at home against UTEP. Here are three keys for the Huskers to have success against the Miners.
The long-awaited debut of Lincoln’s professed savior, quarterback Dylan Raiola, is Saturday. It’s great for the program that Raiola gets to start his career against a non-Power 5 program, a rarity for the Big Red, considering their last four seasons began with conference opponents.Despite the clear talent gap for Raiola’s first opponent, it’s still the best opponent he’s faced in his career. The most important thing offensive coordinator Marcus Satterfield can do for his freshman gunslinger is get him into a rhythm. Quick, easy, simple reads that will allow him to build confidence. There’s a benefit to “seeing the ball go through the hoop.”
Games like this against UTEP, where you are clearly more talented than your opponent, are all about shaking off the cobwebs and building toward playing higher levels of competition in the future. If Raiola comes out against the Miners, is put into compromising situations early on, and fails to execute, it can negatively affect his confidence.
Once Raiola can establish his ability to do the simple things against UTEP, the Big Red can open up the playbook and let their five-star quarterback prove to everyone why the hype around his talent is warranted and real. But what’s most important in this contest is building his confidence and creating a foundation for what is hopefully for the Huskers a successful rookie season for the future of their program
I find matchups like these in college football so fascinating. You have one team that has every advantage you can think of when it comes to athletic facilities, nutrition, money, coaching, and talent, paying the other team to come to their stadium and get their ass handed to them.
But that doesn’t always happen. Every year, there’s at least one unexpected upset from a game like this, and every power team’s goal is not to be the donkey.
The key to these games is simple: get on the gas early. The longer the game goes on without being a blowout, the longer the opposition believes they can slay the goliath. As the game goes on and continues to be competitive, the more the momentum starts to shift.
