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Tennessee Football: Perspective of Vols' Next Opponent-Nebraska Cornhuskers
Nov 15, 2015; Nashville, TN, USA; A general view of Nissan Stadium and the new recently installed sign prior to the game between the Tennessee Titans and the Carolina Panthers. Mandatory Credit: Jim Brown-USA TODAY Sports
Tennessee football is set to face Nebraska in the Music City Bowl. Here is what Husker Corner, which covers the Cornhuskers, has to say about the game.
Tennessee football has a history with the Nebraska Cornhuskers that dates back to the 1990s, when the two were Top 5 programs and played each other in two elite bowl games, one of which was for the national championship.
With the programs in completely different spots, we reached out to Husker Corner’s Brandon Cavanaugh to talk more about the Vols’ opponent in the Music City Bowl.
If you want to see our perspective on Husker Corner, click here.
-What is the first thing that comes to the mind of Nebraska fans when they think of the Tennessee football program?
The 1999 Fiesta Bowl may come up. I look at that as an earlier version of this year’s Music City Bowl with both squads being pretty equal in talent. The teams were only two years removed from facing each other, so the look of the schools were familiar. The only difference was the names. That game is still looked at as a solid win by Huskers considering Nebraska was ranked No. 3 at the time and Tennessee was No. 5.
Nov 25, 2016; Iowa City, IA, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers quarterback Tommy Armstrong Jr. (4) throws a pass against the Iowa Hawkeyes during the first quarter at Kinnick Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports
-Who are Nebraska’s key players that Vols fans should watch out for?
Heck, he got knocked out cold during Nebraska’s game against Ohio State. He was then carted off the field, went to the hospital and was back on the sideline over a rather short span of time. If he can play, he does. Duct tape and all.
Running back Terrell Newby will likely be leading the charge on the ground. Nebraska has a plethora of wide receivers, but Jordan Westerkamp’s name will surely come up. He’s made a catch in 36 straight games which is one shy of the school record.
Oh, and he’s roommates with Armstrong. That will be brought up during the broadcast. I’m just getting it out of the way now.
On defense, you’ll likely hear about the secondary quite a bit as they’ve rallied behind a label of “Lockdown U”. This started as a new mindset in the offseason after defensive backs were scorched in 2015.
This year, they’ve collected 16 interceptions which currently puts them in a tie for No. 12 nationally. While not overly impressive, the No. 42 ranking in pass defense is a night and day difference in just one year’s time.
Members of this group include Kieron and Aaron Williams (no relation), Josh Kalu and Nate “White Snake” Gerry. If Gerry’s name is familiar, it’s probably due to the hit he laid in the 2015 Foster Farms Bowl.
For all of you Vols out there, this is apparently a targeting penalty worth of ejection.
Nov 12, 2016; Lincoln, NE, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers head coach Mike Riley before the game against the Minnesota Golden Gophers in the first half at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Thorson-USA TODAY Sports
-How do Huskers fans feel about their program’s direction right now in Mike Riley’s second year?
If your readers want a nitty gritty answer, I highly suggest reading the article. That said, I’ll give you the Reader’s Digest version for those less-inclined.
While the first year of the Riley Era was…ahem…difficult to digest, Nebraska won the close games in 2016 that would’ve been a loss last season. The Huskers went undefeated at home for the first time since 2012 and recruiting has picked up to an insane degree.
For those not familiar, Bo Pelini’s position on recruiting was less than enthusiastic. Now you see talent that is desired by the likes of Ohio State, Michigan, USC, Oklahoma, etc. looking at and choosing Nebraska.
The Wisconsin loss was hard to stomach as the Badgers have had the Big Red’s number since entering the conference. Nebraska was this close to finally snagging another victory against them. I don’t think anyone saw the outcome of the Ohio State game coming. I personally didn’t see Nebraska winning that contest, but not losing by 59 points.
Honestly, if a Husker fan can step back and take an objective look at this team, they can’t help but be impressed. This is a team that has barely any depth, essentially one Power Five-caliber quarterback and an offensive line that has looked like a M*A*S*H* unit. The defensive line was supposed to part like the red sea for running backs, but has done an admirable job under a first-year assistant coach.
It’s also important to look at Riley’s decision-making. All year long the running joke was about how poor the special teams were. Somehow special teams coordinator (and Riley’s friend) Bruce Read was making $450,000. You couldn’t go a game without reading many a tweet about it. Shortly after the Iowa game, he was released.
Riley then basically said, “We’re going to assign special teams work across the staff” and hired uber-recruiter Donte Williams away from Arizona. Wildcat fans are not happy with Nebraska right now.
With Tanner Lee, a transfer quarterback from Tulane, you’ll see more of the pro style offense that Riley and offensive coordinator Danny Langsdorf have wanted to run from the get-go. More talent is coming in, growing up and next year should be very fun.
Nov 12, 2016; Lincoln, NE, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers offensive lineman Tanner Farmer (63) and offensive lineman Jerald Foster (67) carry quarterback Tommy Armstrong Jr. (4) after Armstrong injured his leg scoring a touchdown against the Minnesota Golden Gophers in the second half at Memorial Stadium. Nebraska won 24-17. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Thorson-USA TODAY Sports
-What is the biggest thing Nebraska has to do to win this game?
Run the ball effectively. The Huskers do not want to be in a position where it can’t get any rhythm with Newby or any of the other three (count ‘em three) backs. The offensive line’s been hurt, but it should be as healthy as it’s going to get when these two teams meet.
I understand that the Vols have been dinged up, too. When I saw that they’re giving up 232 yards on the ground per game, I believed it. Watch for Langsdorf to gameplan around that and take the opportunity to introduce the Volunteer defense to a good ol’ fashioned Big Ten smashmouth running game with a hint of the long ball.
-What is the biggest concern in this game that could cost the Cornhuskers?
Armstrong. He’s such an X-factor, it’s amazing. He can be so fun to watch one moment and then he’ll throw into triple coverage the next. That said, he’s a fantastic athlete and he’s the best Nebraska has at the position. Don’t think fans and the staff don’t know it.
If he goes down or starts throwing picks, that’s the kind of thing that can cost the Huskers the game. If the team’s healthy, I think that there’s enough faith in the defense that it can take a few shots and things will still be okay. If No. 4 isn’t in or gives multiple gifts to Tennessee, things are going to get very interesting for the Huskers and not in a good way.
Sep 24, 2016; Evanston, IL, USA; The Nebraska Cornhuskers make their way to the field prior to a game against the Northwestern Wildcats at Ryan Field. Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-USA TODAY Sports
-Which Nebraska is the real Nebraska? The one who took Wisconsin to double-overtime or the one that Ohio State and Iowa blew out? And how in the world could they look so different in certain games?
I feel that overall, Nebraska and Wisconsin are at about the same talent level which helped lead to that game staying so close. With Ohio State, there’s obviously a ways to go and it didn’t help that Armstrong was knocked out. Backup quarterback Ryker Fyfe is essentially a throwback to Buckeye alum Joe Bauserman (Google him, it’ll make sense).
With Iowa, I think the Hawkeyes just wanted it more. Armstrong was likely to play but he was still badly hobbled by a hamstring injury, the line was still banged up and I think the team’s psyche was very fragile.
Another thing to take into account is the loss of Sam Foltz. For those of your readers who aren’t aware, Foltz was a stud punter and a beloved member of the team. He got into a horrible car accident with former Michigan State punter Mike Sadler before the season began and that’s weighed heavy on the team’s mind.
-What is your prediction, with the score, and the reason behind it?
Looking at this game and the athletes on both sides of the ball, I think there will be a decent number of points scored. It has a feel that’s much similar to Nebraska’s bowl game last year against UCLA. I consider Dobbs a far better runner than Josh Rosen, though.
Nebraska 34 Tennessee 24
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