95
Adrian Martinez
can’t do it alone.
How big a jump
Nebraska makes
in Scott Frost’s
second season
will depend on a
number of first-
year players. The
Huskers have lost a
1,000-yard rusher
and a 1,000-yard
receiver from last
year. But Cal grad
transfer Kanawai
Noa, who had
96 catches over
four seasons as
a wideout for the
Bears, joins the
program, bolstering
the inexperienced
receiving corps.
The most intriguing
addition is four-star
recruit Wandale
Robinson, who
flipped his commit
from Kentucky to
Nebraska over the
winter. Robinson
has the ability to
play at running
back or receiver,
and Frost’s creative
play-calling should
make the most of
Robinson’s skills.
X-FACTOR
THE BIG STORY Despite a
second straight 4–8 finish
in 2018, there are expectations
in Lincoln. The Huskers were
4–2 to finish the year, and coach
Scott Frost enters his second
season at Nebraska with a top 20
recruiting class under his belt.
The Cornhuskers are a clear cut
below Michigan and Ohio State,
but with an improved offense
led by second-year quarterback
adrian martinez, returning to nine
wins for the first time since 2016
is a possibility.
CAN’T MISS Ma r t i nez’s
Heisman hype may be a tad
premature, but the signal-caller’s
first season was unquestionably
impressive. Martinez logged a
school-record 295.1 yards of total
offense per game as the Huskers’
first true freshman QB. In Frost’s
RPO system, Martinez, who ran
for 625 yards with eight rushing
TDs, is the playmaker to continue
Nebraska’s legacy of impressive
dual-threat quarterbacks.
KEY QUESTION The
Cornhuskers sported the
Big Ten’s worst defense last
season, allowing 31.3 points per
game. Can the D make a big jump
in 2019? The line should be
stronger, with the addition of
senior Darrion Daniels, a transfer
from Oklahoma State who could
be one of the Big Ten’s most
dominant tackles.
KEY MATCHUP
BIGGEST GAME
SI RANKING
AUG. 31
SOUTH ALABAMA
SEPT. 7
@ COLORADO
SEPT. 14
NORTHERN
ILLINOIS
SEPT. 21
@ ILLINOIS
SEPT. 28
OHIO STATE (5)
OCT. 5
NORTHWESTERN
OCT. 12
@ MINNESOTA
OCT. 26
INDIANA
NOV. 2
@ PURDUE
NOV. 16
NOV. 23
@ MARYLAND
NOV. 30
IOWA (18)
THE RUNDOWN
3
6
9
12
15
6 –
7
9 –
4
4 –
8
4 –
8
7 –
5
WINS
Things looked bleak after
a dismal start to the
Frost era, but the Huskers
are trending in the right
direction after a strong
finish to 2018. They’re
ready to contend in the
YEAR 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019* Big Ten West.
*SI PROJECTION
5 -YEAR TREND
8.5
The road schedule is
relatively weak while
Nebraska’s toughest opponents
(Ohio State, Iowa, Wisconsin)
travel to Lincoln. Expect the
Huskers to be in the Big Ten West
title chase deep into November.
OVER OR UNDER
2019
SCHEDULE
Nebraska
FRO
M^ L
EFT
:^ M
ATT
HEW
HO
LST
/GE
TTY
IM
AGE
S;^ G
REG
OR
Y^ S
HA
MU
S/G
ETT
Y^ IM
AG
ES
24
