Cat scratch fever has quelled now in Lincoln. Nebraska football is now sans Bo Pelini, Faux Pelini, Kitty Pelini (the spring game cat, Anya, actually belongs to a school staffer, although cats actually own their human beings, not the other way around) and all the feline imagery that once abounded in Memorial Stadium.
It was a great bit while it lasted, as Pelini’s cat led all the headlines at last year’s Big Ten football Media Day. And that fact speaks volume why it’s called “Big Ten Media Day,” NOT “Big Ten Actual News Is Broken/We Might Actually Learn Something Day.”
New Coach Mike Riley brings a distinctively different style. While Pelini was the “Angry Dad” cartoon character created by Bart Simpson, Riley is more The Dude from “The Big Lebowski.” The laid back Riley has a nice chill attitude and PR skills aplenty, but he shouldn’t instill much optimism within the fanbase. Going 93-80 for his career is certainly not that impressive.
There really is no way that kind of resume should get a coach a prestige gig like this.
Nebraska football players attending Big Ten Media Day:
Tommy Armstrong Jr., Jr., QB
Nate Gerry, Jr., S
Jordan Westerkamp, Jr., WR
Offense:
QB: Armstrong will once again be the guy. His total offense last season was the third most for a single campaign in school history. However, those 12 interceptions and 52% completion numbers just won’t do. Should he fail, Freshman and real life Great Gatsby character Zack Darlington is up next.
We’re not sure how well Armstrong will perform in a Riley offense though.
RB: At NU, this is often the more glamorous position. It looks like tailback-by-committee this year, and the Huskers look to try and fill the very big shoes of Ameer Abdullah. Senior Imani Cross has plenty of experience, but he doesn’t fit the role of being “the guy.” His previous body of work just doesn’t lend itself to the idea of his becoming B.M.O.C. this year. Instead, the first string belongs to Terrell Newby; with Adam Taylor set to get lots of touches.
Line: Left Tackle Alex Lewis is a second or third round NFL Draft pick who could play his way into round one. The other end is stellar too; with Zach Sterup. However, Nebraska football sees a lot of attrition and turnover here, as three starters need to be replaced.
WR: Kenny Bell may have been the best to ever play the position at Nebraska so he will be missed. Fortunately, there’s plenty left here for receiver to be a position of strength. Westerkamp, the famous Hail Mary hero versus Northwestern in 2013 is a top gun, and De’Mornay Pierson-El might end up being the most talented player on offense.
Defense:
Line: Last year the defense allowed 26.8 points and 384 yards per game, so the squad isn’t exactly the Blackshirts. Randy Gregory is gone, and wow did he take a serious plunge down the board on NFL Draft week. One of the biggest beneficiaries of Gregory’s presence is Maliek Collins. With all the attention on Gregory, Collins flourished and put up better numbers.
He the most NFL potential of anyone on the roster.
Linebackers: Not a whole lot to get excited about here. Well, they are getting healthier at the position, as the return of Michael Rose-Ivey is key. Maybe he could be bedrock the unit leads after losing two starters; including their leading tackler Zaire Anderson.
Secondary: Gerry is a budding star, and there’s some potential in this unit. There’s also a lot of inexperience.
Bottom Line: This looks a lot like an eight win Nebraska football team. Which means you’ll have a four loss Nebraska football team. I know, I know, that storyline is more played out than the Fast and Furious movie franchise, but hey, what can you do?
Never Too Early Season Preview Series:
Paul M. Banks owns, operates and writes The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with Fox Sports Digital. Banks, a former writer for the Washington Times, currently contributes to the Chicago Tribune RedEye edition. He also appears regularly on numerous sports talk radio stations all across the country.
Follow him on Twitter and Instagram