Nebraska Football: What the 2012 Cornhuskers May Look Like

Nebraska’s 2011 season is at the halfway point and it is never too early to start thinking about next year.

The 2011 Cornhuskers came into their new conference with high expectations. Nebraska was picked by the media to win the Big Ten Conference in their inaugural season. While this could still happen, the way the Cornhuskers played against Wisconsin it is looking less likely that this will be Nebraska’s year to win the Big Ten Conference championship.

Next year on the other hand looks more like a possibility if not a probability for the Cornhuskers.

Nebraska’s non-conference schedule next year is not too difficult. Nebraska opens the season against Southern Mississippi, than travels to Pasadena to play UCLA. If Nebraska’s play on the field matches their expectations, this may not be Nebraska’s only trip to the Rose Bowl in the 2012 season.

Nebraska finishes their non-conference schedule with games against Arkansas State and a team to be announced. I look for the last team on Nebraska’s non-conference schedule to be from a major conference because Nebraska needs to strengthen their schedule.

Next year Nebraska will play Wisconsin in Lincoln. Wisconsin will lose many of their star playersfrom this season to graduation. This will be a game Nebraska can win in 2012.

Nebraska will travel to Columbus to play Ohio State and East Lansing to play Michigan State. Ohio State will be a tough match-up and Michigan State will be losing their star quarterback Kurt Cousins and wide receiver B.J. Cunningham to graduation. Nebraska can beat both of these teams.

Michigan and Penn State will travel to Lincoln next year. Both teams will be tough matchups for the Cornhuskers, but Nebraska can win these games in Lincoln.

The remaining games on Nebraska’s schedule will not pose a threat to Nebraska winning the Big Ten Championship. These teams include Minnesota, Northwestern, and Iowa.

With an easier schedule in Nebraska’s second year in the Big Ten Conference, Nebraska will have a chance to finally get Coach Bo Pelini the championship he has been chasing.

The Cornhuskers will lose some key players to graduation, but many of their young players will be more experienced and ready to take control of the team.

Here is how I see the 2012 Cornhuskers depth chart looking ……

Offensive Skill Position

Quarterbacks

Starter: Taylor Martinez (Jr.)

Second String: Tommy Armstrong (Fr.)

Next year Nebraska will have some competition at the quarterback position. Taylor Martinez will start the season as Nebraska’s quarterback, but if he fails to live up to expectations, Pelini will have a young, skilled, freshman quarterback to turn the offense over to.

Tommy Armstrong is the No. 16-rated quarterback in high school football according to Rivals.com. According to the website, Armstrong is one of the best dual-threat quarterbacks in the country. Hopefully he can enroll at Nebraska early so he can take part in the spring game in April.

Running Backs

Starter: Rex Burkhead (Sr.)

Second String: Ameer Abdullah (So.)

Others: Aaron Green (So.), Braylon Heard (So.)

Running back will be Nebraska’s deepest position in 2012. With Nebraska moving towards a more running-based offense, the running backs will play a key role for the Cornhuskers. If offensive coordinator Tim Beck uses Rex Burkhead correctly next season, Burkhead could be a Heisman Trophy candidate.

Wide Receivers

Starters: Kenny Bell (So.), Jamal Turner (So.)

Second String: Quincy Enunwa (Jr.), Khiry Cooper (Sr.)

Others: Tim Marlow (Sr.), Jordan Westercamp (Fr.)

Nebraska returns all of their wide receivers next year except Brandon Kinne. Kenny Bell and Jamal Turner are playmakers in the Cornhuskers offense. With a year of experience these two players could help open up the offense for Nebraska in 2012.

Tight Ends

Starters: Ben Cotton (Sr.), Kyler Reed (Sr.)

Second String: Jake Long (Jr.), Sam Cotton (Fr.)

Next year Ben Cotton will be back with his younger brother, Sam Cotton who has committed to Nebraska. Both of the Cottons will team up with Kyler Reed to provide Nebraska excellent options at the tight end position.

Offensive Line

Starting Tackles: Tyler Moore (So.), Jeremiah Sirles (Jr.)

Starting Guards: Andrew Rodriguez (Jr.), Seung Hoon Choi (Sr.)

Starting Center: Cole Pensick (Jr.)

Nebraska has been playing many different combinations of players this year on their offensive line. This is good because it will provide experience to some of their young players.

Both of Nebraska’s offensive tackles will be back next year. Tyler Moore and Jeremiah Sirles will have experience and be able to provide excellent run and pass blocking for the Cornhuskers offense.

Starting offensive guard Andrew Rodriguez has also started most of Nebraska’s games in 2011. He will team up with Seung Hoon Choi, who started the game against Washington this year, to provide experienced play from the guard position.

The weak link on Nebraska’s offensive line will be their starting center. Nebraska will lose center Mike Caputo to graduation after this season. Cole Pensick will take over at the center position in 2012. With four experienced members beside him, Pensick should be able to easily handle the duties of center for the Cornhuskers next year.

Nebraska has a commitment from offensive tackle Paul Thurston from Colorado. According to Rivals.com, Thurston is a 4-star recruit and the No. 16-ranked offensive lineman in high school football. It will be interesting to see if Pelini redshirts Thurston or if he decides to give him some playing time. It will all depend on how he performs in summer camp.

Defensive Line

Starting Defensive Ends: Jason Ankrah (Jr.), Cameron Meredith (Sr.)

Starting Defensive Tackles: Baker Stienkuhler (Sr.), Chase Rome (So.)

Others: Thad Randle (Jr.), Greg McMullen (Fr.), Josh Williams (Sr.), Eric Martin (Sr.)

The deepest position for the Cornhuskers defense in 2012 will be their defensive line. Nebraska will lose their All-American defensive tackle Jared Crick to graduation, but Crick will be out for half of the 2011 season, so Chase Rome, Thad Randle and Josh Williams will be more experienced than if Crick played the entire season.

Nebraska has a commitment from defensive end Greg McMullen from Ohio. According to Rivals.com McMullen is a 4-star recruit and the No. 9-ranked defensive end in high school football. McMullen may step into a starting position for the Cornhuskers in 2012, but I see him rotating with Jason Ankrah until he becomes more experienced.

Linebackers

Starters: Will Compton (Sr.), Sean Fisher (Sr.), Trevor Roach (So.)

Others: Alonzo Whaley (Sr.), Deion Jones (Fr.)

The weak spot on the 2012 Cornhuskers defense will be the linebackers. Nebraska will lose All-American linebacker Lavonte David to graduation. David has been the best player for the Blackshirts defense for the past two years. He will leave a hole in Nebraska’s defense that will be hard to fill.

Currently Nebraska is looking to recruit more linebackers for the 2012 season. So far only one has committed to the Cornhuskers. According to Rivals.com, Deion Jones is 3-star recruit from Louisiana. With the lack of depth at linebacker for the Cornhuskers, Jones will receive some playing time in 2012.

Secondary

Cornerback Starters: Stanley Jean-Baptiste (Jr.), Ciente Evans (Jr.)

Others: Andrew Green (Jr.), Justin Blatchford (Sr.), Josh Mitchell (So.)

Safety Starters: Daimion Stafford (Sr.), P.J. Smith (Sr.)

Others: Corey Cooper (So.), Bronson Marsh (So.)

The good news is Nebraska has a lot of experienced players in the secondary. The bad news is that they have been getting beaten all year by opposing wide receivers. Is it experience that this group is lacking or is the talent overrated? I believe it is a little bit of both.

Nebraska will lose preseason All-American Alfonso Dennard to graduation. Nebraska may have found a player to fill Dennard's shoes next year when Stanley Jean-Baptiste entered the game against Ohio State. Jean-Baptiste began the season as a wide receiver for the Cornhuskers before moving to cornerback. Against Ohio State, Jean-Baptiste made an interception that helped propel the Cornhuskers to victory. He will be an important building block for the Cornhuskers secondary in 2012.

The other key player in the Cornhusker secondary is safety Daimion Stafford. Stafford has shown to be a good tackler. With some help from his teammates, Stafford could turn into another Dejon Gomes.

Nebraska needs to recruit some more players for the secondary. So far Nebraska does not have any defensive backs on their 2012 commitment list. I think that will change before signing day.

Special Teams

Place Kicker/Punter: Brett Maher

Kick/Punt Returner: Ameer Abdullah

Nebraska does not only have two of the best special teams players in the Big Ten Conference, Brett Maher and Ameer Abdullah will be two of the best in the country next year.

Brett Maher had huge shoes to fill by trying to replace All-American place kicker and punter Alex Henery. Maher has done a great job this year. Next year Maher will be on everyone’s preseason Lou Groza Award watch list (given to the best place kicker in college football).

Ameer Adbullah has been one of the best kick returners in college football this year. He ranks No. 5 in the country in kick return average with 31.9 yards per return. Abdullah gives the Cornhuskers a dynamic returner that they have not seen since Johnny “The Jet” Rodgers.

Outlook

Nebraska has an easier schedule in 2012 and a more experienced team. Losing Jared Crick, Lavonte David and Alfonso Dennard will hurt the defense, but Nebraska should be able to put a better defense on the field next year than the one that has played so far this year.

If quarterback Tommy Armstrong is as good as advertised (some are already comparing him to the last Tommy that quarterbacked a Nebraska offense, Tommy Frazier), then the Cornhuskers may have a season that Nebraska fans have been dreaming about for years.

Nebraska still has some holes to fill, especially on the defense. With another year of experience and Bo Pelini’s guidance, I think Nebraska will be the top team in the Big Ten Conference in 2012.

Prediction for 2012: 11-1 with a trip to the Rose Bowl