2103 Outlook - Nebraska

From the minute the Cornhuskers made the jump from the Big 12 to the Big 10 there was a new power for the rest of the Big 10 to contend with.  Now in their second season in the conference, Bo Pelini and his team seem poised to make a jump to compete for the conference crown.

JR QB Taylor Martinez will have a lot of pressure on his shoulders, but if he continues to improve as a passer this year, he could begin to turn the corner.  We know he can run, but can he make plays with his arm?  If we find out he can, this could be a very good offense.  At RB, SR Rex Burkhead is one of the very best in the conference, and also one of the best in the nation.  He will garner consideration as a first or second day selection in the next draft, and he has a top backup in Ameer Abdullah too.  The wide receivers have a potential star in SO Kenny Bell.  He has elite speed and if they offense can learn to take advantage of it, they could have a real threat there.  The o-line is a bit young and inexperienced, but if they can put it together this offense can be quite good.

Defensively, the Cornhuskers are a squad who will be looking for a leader.  They lost their top three players from a year ago (Jared Crick, Levonte David, and Alfonso Denard).  If they can find someone to step up and fill the leadership role, they should be alright.  Up front, a lot of sucess this team has will be dependant upon the play of SR Cameron Meredith.  He is a good edge rusher, and if he can get some pressure, that will help the whole defense.  SR LB Sean Fisher is another guy who could step it up in 2013.  He is not the most athletic of linebackers, but he has added some stregnth, and he plays with good technique.  The secondary has two SR safeties and two JR CBs.  The corners will need to play better than last year, as they struggled to find another player to put across from Denard.

The 2013 Nebraska Cornhuskers should be a very good team.  With the right players stepping it up and taking it to the next level, they will be a real factor in the Big 10 race.