And here I am rolling my calendar to the week of September 12 . . . and it’s Oregon week! It’s perhaps Nebraska’s first true pressure test in the Mike Riley Era, as last year few national pundits paid attention to our BYU game and the season was already dead meat by the time Michigan State rolled into Lincoln. This time, it’s an undefeated Nebraska team versus what Nebraska used to be, when 9-win seasons like Oregon’s 2015 campaign were considered miserable failures. The road back to the top starts by showing up and delivering in these types of games.
Okay, so Oregon. Holy f*%^, that means their pace and space offense. This one isn’t going to be easy. Despite my attempts over the summer to curse Oregon’s QBs, it appears I’ve failed miserably. Dakota Prukop won the job after fall camp and the early returns are favorable. That said, Nebraska is a team with a pulse, unlike football cadavers Virginia (who lost to Richmond by 17 points) and UC Davis. And Oregon in 2016 isn’t peak Oregon of the Chip Kelly/Marcus Mariota years.
Turn the page for what the Ducks will bring into Lincoln this Saturday afternoon. And as usual, hit the hyperlinks if you want cut ups of Oregon’s scouted games.