Nebraska football absolutely destroyed the Illinois Fighting Illini on Saturday and it’s safe to say that this offense is at full-effect after a somewhat slow start.
The Nebraska Cornhuskers might have had a rough start to the 2018 season, but their offense is cruising now, shredding Illinois’ defense to the tune of a 54-35 victory in Lincoln on Saturday. While the Huskers sit at just 3-7 on the year, there’s a lot to like about this team moving forward, namely the offensive production over the last month.
That offensive production is led by quarterback Adrian Martinez, who has been such a thrill to watch. Martinez added to his stats on Saturday with another electrifying performance, putting up 290 yards through the air with three touchdowns and a pick while rushing for another 55 yards and a score.
Martinez is fun to watch, but the run game in general has been so explosive for Nebraska. Devine Ozigbo is having a tremendous season, rushing for 162 yards off of 11 carries on Saturday while adding three touchdowns on the day. He’s a senior, so he has just two games left as a Husker, but the run offense has a good option taking over next year in Maurice Washington.
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Washington is a freshman and had 67 yards rushing on Saturday. He’s been solid behind Ozigbo on the depth chart this season and those two, plus Martinez, make Nebraska’s rushing attack a lethal weapon.
The run game is good, yes, but the receiving game has been so much better than I expected it to be this year. A big part of that is Martinez of course, but his weapons have helped him out quite a bit.
Stanley Morgan Jr. and JD Spielman have come into their own the last month or so. Morgan went for 131 yards with two scores on Saturday while Spielman added 71 yards through the air. Morgan is a senior, but Spielman is a sophomore, so Martinez will at least have one of these guys returning for the 2019 campaign.
Present day college football is all about offensive production and Nebraska is putting up points like nobody’s business. They went toe-to-toe with Ohio State last week and have absolutely shredded the likes of Minnesota, Bethune-Cookman, and Illinois.
If the Huskers can hang with Michigan State and Iowa to close out the season, fans will really have hope for a special 2019 season in what will be year two under Scott Frost. This is all great news too, as the 0-6 start wasn’t exactly fun to sit through. We all knew the Cornhuskers weren’t as bad as their 0-6 record indicated, but now we have proof.
This offense is rocking and rolling and with two games left in 2018, Nebraska football has a chance to go out on a high note and get us all excited for next year.
Go Big Red!