Nebraska Football: Previewing the Chattanooga Game

Only college football fans can understand the joy and excitement created by three simple words:

"It's Chattanooga week."

The long months of summer are finally drawing to a close, meaning that fans are about to be liberated from reading preview magazines, watching talking heads analyzing games and parsing every morsel of information coming out of fall camp.

Finally, actual football is about to be played.

Throughout the season, I will be previewing each Nebraska game. My previews are in a happy/sad format.

I will give you three things that will make you happy if you see them, and three things that will make you sad. I will end each preview with a fearless forecast of the game to come.

We've waited eight months for this, so let's get started!

HAPPY IF...The Offense Has Rhythm

The Mocs are the first real test for Nebraska’s new-look offense under rookie offensive coordinator Tim Beck.

We really don’t know much about what it will actually look like, but we’ve been led to believe that Nebraska’s offense will have elements of the Oregon system of rapid-fire plays and reads from the sideline.

We’ve also been told the offense will be simplified and will work towards fitting the skill sets of the players.

Still, Chattanooga will present Nebraska’s first opportunity to play offense without the training wheels.

The fewer kinks and bugs the offense can work out against a pretty poor opponent, the better Nebraska fans can feel as the season goes on.

HAPPY IF...The Ankle Holds Up

In many ways, 2010 for Nebraska was the “How The Ankle Turns” soap opera. When Taylor Martinez was healthy and confident, he could be amazing.

His performances against average-to-poor defenses like Kansas State and Oklahoma State were record-setting.

Of course, he also had stinkers against teams like Texas and South Dakota State, neither of which turned out to be world-beaters.

It’s impossible from 2010's evidence to sort out if Martinez’s problems at the end of the season were a result of his injury, of teams figuring out how to stop him or some combination of the two.

But it was clear that a healthy Martinez is much more dangerous than an injured one. We’ll find out on Saturday which one Nebraska fans will see under center.

HAPPY IF...You're Checking Your Roster

Chattanooga sets up to be the type of opening game Nebraska fans are used to seeing—a minnow coming to Lincoln for a paycheck and a drubbing.

If, in the third and fourth quarters, Nebraska fans are reaching for their rosters to find out the names of the kids in red trotting on to the field, then things have gone according to plan.

SAD IF...The Ball Hits the Ground

A huge bugaboo for Nebraska last year was the fumble.

Nebraska put the ball on the ground a staggering 45 times, losing 16. Let’s put those numbers into perspective.

Nebraska had the most fumbles of any FBS school in 2010. And the next closest, Georgia Tech, only had 37.

But there’s a new offensive sheriff in town, and the coaching staff has been talking up the importance of ball security all offseason.

If that message hasn’t sunk in, and the ball hits the FieldTurf for NU again, it’s a bad sign for the upcoming season regardless of the score against the Mocs.

SAD IF...The Yellow Hits the Ground

Throughout Bo Pelini’s tenure at Nebraska, the Cornhuskers have consistently been a heavily-penalized team.

Some of that comes from the aggressive style of play Pelini preaches, particularly on defense. Some of that comes from poor execution.

(And no, none of it came from a conspiracy against Nebraska by Big XII honchos last year. Let it go, people.)

If Nebraska will be relying on its defense (once again) to win close games as the offense sorts things out, then Nebraska's win margins will be tight.

That means NU can’t afford to be giving away yards, and ultimately possessions, through penalties. If the flags start flying again for Nebraska, it’s a bad sign.

SAD IF...The Kickers Can't Fill Old Shoes

It’s hard to overstate the value Alex Henery had to the Cornhuskers in his time as a starter.

His dependability as a placekicker shortened the field Nebraska’s struggling offense had to travel in order to put points on the board.

His wizardry at punting, particularly in coffin corner punts, forced opposing offenses into terrible field position and put Nebraska’s defense in a position to succeed.

And not enough praise is given to Adi Kunalic’s ability to induce touchbacks with his thunderous kickoffs.

A lifeline for opposing teams struggling against a dominant defense like Nebraska’s is to get a special teams score. That’s tough to do when a team’s kicker plants a kickoff out of the end zone.

Preseason reports have Brett Maher and Mauro Bondi competing for both the punting and placekicking duties.

But if neither of them are able to match the kicking prowess seen last season, Nebraska will have lost a competitive advantage.

Fearless Forecast

Not only is Chattanooga an FCS opponent, they’re not a particularly good one. Last year, the Mocs went 6-5, including blowout losses to Wofford and Elon.

From a sheer talent disparity, Nebraska should have their way with Chattanooga and put the game out of reach.

However, don’t be surprised if Nebraska struggles early, as Tim Beck’s new offense gets its first opportunity to be taken out of the garage.

Expect a relatively close game early, with Nebraska pulling away in the second half and emptying the benches in the fourth quarter.

A -34.5 number is relatively low for a season-opener against an FCS team, which makes Nebraska a good investment in week one.

Nebraska 48, Chattanooga 10