Nebraska Football: 5 Things the Cornhuskers Learned from Last Year

It was a learning experience.

How many times have you heard that particular cliche? Usually it's associated with something particularly unpleasant, and is said as a means to find a positive to take from the otherwise-awful encounter.

It might be a bit hyperbolic to call Nebraska's 2011 campaign as "otherwise-awful," but there is no question that NU found significant areas of improvement to work on in the offseason. At the risk of being a little presumptuous, here are five things from 2011 that Nebraska could learn from and improve upon in 2012.

Rex Burkhead Was Nebraska's Offense

There’s no doubt that Rex Burkhead is a phenomenal talent; one that became more and more central to Nebraska’s offensive attack as 2011 wore on. In fact, one could argue, Burkhead may have been a bit too central to the offensive attack. At the end of the regular season, Burkhead was responsible for 72 percent of Nebraska’s rushing offense and 41 percent of Nebraska’s total offense.

Superman, indeed.

Against Iowa, Burkhead broke a school record for carries in a game with 38. That’s great for Burkhead. but it’s a little troubling that so much of Nebraska’s offense had to run through No. 22.

Sure, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. But for 2012, one would think Tim Beck would retool Nebraska’s offense so it doesn’t break its senior leader.

Taylor Martinez Isn't a Game-Changer Anymore

Remember back in 2010, when Taylor Martinez burst on the scene — quite literally — with an eye-popping touchdown run against Western Kentucky? The first half of that season, and the dazzling numbers T-Magic put up with his legs and his arm, had Nebraska fans dreaming of the Scoring Explosion all over again.

Then came the ankle injury against Missouri, and the one-sided shouting match with Bo Pelini against Texas A&M. Add in the meltdowns against Wisconsin and Michigan on the road. Sprinkled in between those struggles was a different Martinez. A Martinez that was smarter with the ball, more judicious with the hits he took and less likely to make the big mistake. A game manager, if you will.

But along with the new T-Manager role came the absence of the home run plays that defined Martinez as a freshman. Will the home run threat return? Nebraska fans certainly hope so, but remember that we have seen a half-season of home runs, and a season-and-a-half of game-managing and ineffectiveness. 

There's a Lot of Young Speed on Offense

Kenny Bell. Jamal Turner. Ameer Abdullah. Aaron Green. Four freshman who saw the field (some more than others) and let their blistering speed do the talking. And that’s not even counting Braylon Heard, who had such a stacked field to compete with that he moved to cornerback for 2012.

While some Nebraska fans were disappointed that NU couldn’t make better use of its freshman speed in 2011, there is no question that NU will have a number of fleet-footed weapons with which to challenge defenses in 2012.

A Lack of Pass Rush Makes All the Difference

The biggest surprise of 2011 was the sudden vulnerability of the Blackshirts. While the Children of the Corn would fret from year to year about Nebraska’s offense under Bo Pelini, the ability of Nebraska’s defense to dominate was never in question.

But even at the start of the season, the Blackshirts looked uncharacteristically weak. The secondary in particular, seemed to struggle from game to game in preventing the big play. And while numerous questions about the secondary are legitimate, there is one statistic that is hard to overlook as the genesis of Nebraska’s defensive struggles.

In 2010, Nebraska was ranked 28th nationally in sacks with 31. In 2011, Nebraska was ranked 81st nationally with 21. The lack of pass rush, coupled with injuries and rotating positions, was a huge eye opener for Nebraska fans, shaking their faith in the ability of Pelini to work magic on the defensive side of the ball.

The Years Change, but Some Problems Remain

In year four of Bo Pelini’s tenure as head Husker, many Nebraska fans had hoped to see some improvement in the “mental toughness” areas of the game. Would Nebraska be able to stop handicapping itself with turnovers and penalties?

Well, in 2010, Nebraska was ranked 61st nationally in turnover margin. In 2011, NU was ranked 67th. Similarly, in penalties, Nebraska was ranked 115th nationally, while in 2011 NU “improved” to 73rd. Thus, going into year five, it’s likely that Nebraska fans can expect NU to continue to fight against itself as well as the opponents on the schedule.

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