Nebraska Football: Cornhuskers Must Focus on Key Big Ten Matchups

The Nebraska Cornhuskers are just a little over two weeks away from the most important part of their schedule.

They will be taking on No. 7 Wisconsin, No. 17 Ohio State, No. 15 Michigan State and a tough but unranked Minnesota team in a four-week stretch.

Nebraska struggled and played a very lethargic game against an opponent they should have dominated in Fresno State. They were actually down 17-14 going into the second half.

The Cornhuskers’ atrocious defense allowed 444 total yards to Fresno State and did not record a single sack or interception.

The final score, 42-29, is not indicative of how close this game really was.

Without the kick return with 11:50 left on the clock from Ameer Abdullah, Nebraska could have lost this thing.

Offensively, the team looked even more one-dimensional than usual. Taylor Martinez threw two interceptions and the team had to do most of their work on the ground.

If the Cornhuskers want to get through their Big Ten schedule unscathed, they need to focus and get back to the basics. They need to get pressure on the QB, stop the run and play mistake-free offense.

Wisconsin is one of the best looking teams in the nation right now, as evidenced by their 51-17 throttling of UNLV and solid blanking of Oregon State, 35-0.

QB Russell Wilson adds a whole new dimension to one of the best running offenses in the nation, and they can beat you in a number of ways.

I don’t see the Cornhuskers getting past them unless they can solidify all aspects of their game and improve their mental toughness.

If they play with the lack of energy they showed against Fresno State, Nebraska will get rocked by the Badgers.

Bo Pelini is a great coach, but he needs to get his boys focused if they want to stay in the hunt for a BCS Bowl this season.