3 Keys to Michigan football beating Nebraska
By Josh LaFond
In a matchup with a reeling Nebraska Husker squad, will we see another Michigan football blowout win, or a tightly contested game?
Nebraska is no longer the blue-blood they once were. That much is certain.
This year, the Scott Frost train went off the rails early as he was fired following a 1-2 start to the season culminating in a 45-42 loss at home to Georgia Southern. Who has replaced him?
Enter former Nebraska Husker player turned passing game coordinator turned interim head coach, Mickey Joseph. Joseph has the Huskers playing with heart and with pride, something that was clearly absent during the Frost era.
There are still a ton of holes on this Husker squad, but they are at least fighting for their coach and their program.
How will Michigan football respond this week? Will they take care of business against the Huskers or will they look past them and find themselves in a dogfight?
Let’s discuss that and more in this week’s edition of our keys to a Michigan victory.
Get after the quarterback, whomever that may be
Former starting Texas Longhorn quarterback Casey Thompson made the decision to transfer to Nebraska this past off-season and has had a stranglehold on the job all year. That was until the last couple weeks, anyway. Thompson injured his throwing hand a couple weeks back against the Illinois Fighting Illini’ and hasn’t made his way back since.
If he can’t go against Michigan football, who are the other options?
Florida State transfer quarterback Chubba Purdy brings experience to the room, while sophomore Logan Smothers brings mobility and upside but struggles throwing the ball.
No matter who is under center for the Huskers on Saturday, Michigan needs to get pressure on the quarterback.
If it is Thompson by some miracle, then getting pressure on an injured quarterback could cause him to make quick decisions. If it’s Purdy, we know who he is: a quarterback who can’t read defenses, struggles to fit the ball in tight windows, and makes errant decisions. And if it’s Smothers? He has not shown any ability to date that he can be a division-1 quarterback, so if you keep him in the pocket it’ll be a field day for the secondary.
Nebraska doesn’t have any solid quarterback options outside of Thompson. And if he’s not at 90% let alone 100%, it’ll be a long day for the Nebraska offense.