Very Average Huskers Face Very Below Average Gophers
At the midpoint of the season, Nebraska is squarely in the middle of the pack when it comes to the stat rankings in the Big Ten. Outside of Ameer Abdullah in the return game and the combination of Taylor Martinez/Rex Burkhead in the running game, this team is statistically very average. With a 5-1 record, it shows just how important it is to maintain a proficient running game in college football. If the defensive numbers were anything better than average, this team would be on par with Wisconsin as the most dangerous team in the conference.
The best conference defense this year is probably going to end up being Michigan State with Penn State not far behind. And for the rest of the season, Michigan's offense is the only one that post dangerous numbers on the ground each week against their opponents. For the teams Nebraska has already faced, Wisconsin's offense is nearly impossible to stop, but their toughest defensive opponents are still ahead of them.
It would not be an outrageous claim to say that Wisconsin will be the overall highest ranking team Nebraska faces all year in each of the major NCAA gathered statistical categories. While there may be room for improvement through each season, most teams are what they are at this time of year. Regardless of Bo Pelini's statements about the process and keeping this team improving from week to week, to jump a significant number of spots in any given category is not likely.
On the flip side of the Badgers, the Gophers may be the worst statistical team that the Husker play all year. They rank in the bottom 3 of the Big Ten in 12 of 17 major categories. These including total offense, scoring defense, turnover margin, and many others. 10 of those rankings are 90th or worse in the nation. If previous games against teams like Baylor, Kansas, and Iowa State are any indication, Nebraska's performance against Minnesota may not thrill most fans considering the opponent quality.
As long as the Huskers appear confident and in control, the end result of a win is what matters. This is a game to work the kinks out of new personnel groups and rotations. The numbers do not paint a pretty picture for the anticipated result this weekend. Not to disparage the Gophers, but if too much time is spent actually winning this game as opposed to making the team better, Pelini's talk of improving within the season might be stalled for a week.
Nebraska
10/19/2011
stats may be average now but lets wqit till the end of the season. we r better than average by the eye test in my book.