Frank Solich will set high above Tom Osborne field tomorrow and take in two of his former teams battling on the gridiron. Those dressed in red know Frank won’t openly cheer for the Huskers. He doesn’t have to. They know where his heart is. Those who have made the trip from Athens and decked out in hunter green understand why he’s sitting high above with the Big Red royalty. He’s an honored guest and respected adversary. The man who their football field is named after.

And then there are those of us that have no idea what Frank is thinking. The former Husker who played for legendary Cornhusker coach Bob Devaney and was the first Husker running back to rush for over 200 yards. The first Husker player to appear on the cover of Sports Illustrated. The Nebraska head coach who went 58-19 over six seasons and called one of the biggest plays in Husker football history, the ‘Black 41 Flash Reverse’ against Oklahoma in 2001. Simply stated, there are few men with deeper ties to two different college football teams.

Those in red, “How could he not love us, he was such a huge part of Husker football”. Those in green, “How could he love them more than us after how they humiliated him like they did”. And for that reason, I have no clue where Frank’s heart is, nor would I force him to tell me.

As for Matt Rhule, he’s not worried, he reversed the curse. He took part in honoring Frank by having the locker room named after him and running the fullback the first play of the spring game. It’s all good. Until it isn’t.

Did anyone see what UMass did to Rutgers last night and did the UMass quarterback’s name ring a bell? When Scott Frost OC Mark Whipple was here, he was hot on a recruit named Pop Watson. Well, Watson and the Minutemen took it to Greg Schiano’s crew beating them 37-21. UMass is in the MAC, Rutgers the Big Ten. Don’t get ahead of yourself Husker fans.

The Bobcats

First year head coach John Hauser looks to build off the momentum created from last season as the Bobcats finished 9-4 with a 17-10 victory over UNLV in the Frisco Bowl. Hauser, who was the defensive coordinator before being named head coach has embraced and continued the culture Solich created at Ohio.

Last season the Bobcats rushed for an average of 227.4 yards per game, at 5.3 yard per carry average and 2.5 TDs a game. They may call the MAC Conference “the poor man’s Big Ten”, but they have big offensive linemen and like to pound the rock. They will challenge Nebraska’s front seven. Remember Northern Iowa?

The hiccup? The Bobcats face major turnover on the offense replacing their starting quarterback, top running back and entire offensive line. As of now it sounds like 6’4”, 290-pound true freshman Job Maverick may be starting at center. He’ll lead the way for 5’11”, 218-pound sophomore running back Duncan Brune, who last season rushed for 585 yards (4.9 yards per carry) and 8 touchdowns.

The Bobcats have named Nick Poulos as the starting quarterback. The best way to describe the 6’6”, 243-pound Poulos is, an experienced inexperienced QB. He’s a big guy who can stand in the pocket and take hits. He’s spent the last two seasons as the backup and in 12 appearances he’s thrown for 290 yards, 2 TDs, and 1 interception. The ugly stat, he’s only completed 45.6% of his passes. Still, he’ll be a good test of the Blackshirts as he will use his legs in Ohio’s spread option. He has rushed 184 yards and 1 TD in his career.

Aurich when talking about Ohio. “Good program,” he said. “Nine wins or more the last four seasons. They’re going to be ready to play.”

Defensively, Ohio has good depth with a very good front seven. Up front they’ll be led by 6’3”, 250-pound D-lineman Tyler Gillison and 6’4”, 255-pound DE Ike Ackerman, an Omaha native. They’ll be supported by a deep linebacker group in 6’3”, 227-pound Michel Molnar, 6’0”, 225-pound Charlie Christopher, 6’4”, 230-pound Cody Raymond, and 6’0”, 225 Jack Fries. Ohio’s rush defense only allowed 140 yards per game, placing 4th in the nation in rush yards allowed last season.

But even with a good front seven the leader of the defense is returning safety DJ Walker. Last season the 6’1”, 198-pound Walker recorded 61 tackles, 6 tackles for a loss, 2 interceptions and 1 pass breakup. Often compared to Ohio State’s Caleb Downs, Walker has started the last 26 games for the Bobcats. Of note, one of Walker’s interceptions came against Anthony Colandrea.

Because of that you can bet that former DC, now head coach John Houser, won’t have forgotten the game plan for Colandrea in the bowl game. Their defense gave Colandrea problems in key situations, including two sacks, an interception in the red zone, and a lost fumble. They put constant pressure on him, forcing him out of the pocket and never letting him get comfortable. They kept Colandrea enough out of sync that he was never able to dictate to the defense. So, there won’t be a lot of change in what the Bobcats do defensively. Hauser’s defense totaled 22 sacks, 12 interceptions, and 5 fumble recoveries in 13 games last season.

Holgorsen’s thoughts about Ohio. “They’re gritty; they’re tough,” Holgorsen said. “They aren’t going to come in here scared. One of the most impressive things I’ve seen from a Group of Five team going to a Power Four school was what they did at Rutgers last year. They were down 31-14 at halftime. Most Group of Five teams are going to quit. That group didn’t. They beat West Virginia the next week...We know they’re going to come in here and play their tail off.”

This week on 93.7 The Ticket, Ohio play by play announcer Marty Bannister was a guest on Early Break. He likes the Bobcats, saying they have a punchers chance if the game gets into the fourth quarter.

Single Biggest Factor for Nebraska

The Huskers cannot take the Bobcats lightly. The biggest key to this game? Anthony Colandrea needs to keep his emotions in check and not try to do too much. He’ll be looking to show the college football world that the Husker’s made the right choice and parting ways with Dylan Raiola was the smart move. He’ll want to thrill Husker fans and ignite a fire around this offense and the team. And he’ll want to send a message on the scoreboard, settling the beef he has with the Bobcats. Because of that, I anticipate QB coach Glenn Thomas and Dana Holgorsen telling Colandrea to ‘just settle down’ more than once during the game. It all adds up to being the perfect opening for Nebraska. This game will be a great test for keeping Colandrea reeled in and focusing on the task at hand.

There have been a lot of changes for the Cornhuskers. The staff and the roster from a talent standpoint are better across the board. It isn’t crazy for Matt Rhule to say this is the best team he has had at Nebraska. I’m excited for the season to get underway. And believe me Husker fans when I say we’re going to see something different this season.

GO BIG RED!! SIMPLE, FAST, VIOLENT!!

Photos courtesy of the Falls City Journal Home - Falls City Journal - Falls City, NE

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