Nebraska Football: Five things we learned in 2020 season

What We Learned About Nebraska Football – Bright Spots

Along with the running game and field goal unit, there were some other bright spots. The first bright spot was tight end, Austin Allen. The 6’8″ junior was forced to see more action with the little talent the Huskers had in receivers and was a good deep ball target. Previously, Allen had quiet years in 2018 and 2019, but he broke out in 2020. Allen recorded 236 yards off of 18 receptions and recorded his first touchdown on an eight-yard reception against Purdue.

The next bright spot was wide receiver, Wan’Dale Robinson. He may not be the tallest guy on the field, but he showed his quickness and managed to come up with some big catches and good runs. The sophomore ended the season with another impressive campaign, tallying 51 catches for 461 yards and carrying the ball 46 times for 240 yards. With more targets next season, Robinson has great potential to continue his progression and be the go-to receiver in big drives.

Last, freshman wide receiver Zavier Betts had some nice contributions. Betts recorded 12 receptions for 131 yards and scored his first career touchdown against Penn State. His best game was against Purdue, where he caught five passes for 36 yards. Betts showcased that he can be a solid option for the future with Nebraska.

What We Learned About Nebraska Football – Improving Defense

Nebraska has been known for their great defense, however, there hasn’t been much great defense around in recent history. That was the case this year. The defense had their struggles early, especially in the Illinois loss, but they gradually improved toward the end of the season.

Senior linebacker JoJo Domann was the best of the bunch. He led the team with 58 tackles and a pair of forced fumbles. Sophomore Garrett Nelson also improved later in the season, doubling his tackles from 15 in 2019 to 30 in 2020 and got 1.5 sacks.

The Huskers defense played their best half of football in the last half of football this season against Rutgers, where they dug deep and gave up just seven points. If they can find ways to emulate that more often moving into 2021, they will give themselves a much better opportunity of winning games.