The Cornhuskers have looked awful to begin the season.
Quarterback Casey Thompson and new offensive coordinator Mark Whipple were supposed to fix this Nebraska team. With head coach Scott Frost no longer in charge of offensive play calling, the Cornhusker offense was expected to soar.
What happened instead is a loss to Northwestern and an uninspiring victory over North Dakota. Thompson has thrown three picks during this stretch.
Nebraska now hosts a Georgia Southern team looking to make a jump in the Sun Belt conference. The Georgia Southern Eagles have a lot of returning production from last season. They routed FCS Morgan State in Week 1, but that’s perhaps not indicative of how good the Eagles are.
This game against Nebraska will be a much better measuring stick for Georgia Southern. Can they compete with a Big Ten opponent? This will also serve as Scott Frost’s last chance. How hot is Frost’s seat?
Georgia Southern vs Nebraska Predictions & Week 2 Pick
Helton Builds Great Coaching Staff
Georgia Southern made a big-time hire in Clay Helton, who was ditched by USC for Lincoln Riley. Helton went 46-24 as USC’s head coach and will now attempt to re-build the Eagles after a 3-9 season.
Helton put together an excellent staff, too. Richard Ownes is a great hire as offensive line coach. Former Western Kentucky offensive coordinator Bryan Ellis will be an excellent OC in Statesboro. Former Citadel special teams coordinator Turner West will be the team’s new defensive coordinator and is a smart, as well.
Eight starters return on Georgia Southern;s offense, including four on the offensive line and five of the team’s top six wide receivers. They also added Buffalo transfer Kyle Vantrease at starting quarterback.
Vantrease’s production took a step-back last season, at Buffalo but he had huge seasons in 2019 and 2020. Vantrease stepped into this offense relatively seamlessly, completing 29 of his 46 passes in Week 1 against Morgan state for 370 yards and four scores.
The Eagles’ defense is going to take a step back. Their new defensive coordinator returns just five starters from last year, losing three starters in the linebacking unit alone. However, they do have more talent along their defensive line and in their secondary.
If they put it all together, the Eagles can make serious improvements this season. The future looks bright in Statesboro with Helton at the helm.
Frost’s Last Stand
You can argue that Mark Whipple is overrated as a coordinator. You can also argue that Casey Thompson is at fault for his atrocious interceptions (two big time throws, three turnover worthy plays in two games). And you can say that maybe the Huskers defense isn’t as talented as advertised.
But there is one common theme in Lincoln, and that’s Scott Frost.
Frost has made horrific decisions this season, including a couple of ridiculous onside kick calls. His decision making was directly responsible for the Nebraska loss to Northwestern. Nebraska is 16-30 in his tenure in Lincoln. Things have to change quick.
The Cornhuskers didn’t look sharp against North Dakota. It was a 7-7 game at halftime. North Dakota averaged over 2.0 Open Field Yards per Rush and finished with a 55% success rate.
It’s clear most of the blame for their struggles against North Dakota falls on defense. The offense was able to produce almost 250 yards of rushing, and Thompson still finished with over nine yards per attempt. However, the defense allowed 175 yards of rushing at over five yards an attempt… to an FCS school.
Georgia Southern vs Nebraska Pick
Nebraska has been fine on offense. Whipple hasn’t crafted a similar offense to what he had with Kenny Pickett at Pitt last season. Yet, Nebraska has averaged 450 yards of total offense at 6.7 yards per play while scoring 66 points through his first two games.
It’s the Cornhuskers’ defense that has looked dreadful, even against weak opponents like Northwestern and North Dakota.
Helton has the tools to turn Georgia Southern into a good offensive team. They just dropped 56 points, which is still a feat against any opponent.
The sharp money has been hitting the over, pushing the number up over two points from the opener. The line movement is legitimate, because these two teams are going to score at will on Saturday.
I’d bet the over at almost any number.
Best NCAAF Bet: Over 62.5 (-110) at DraftKings
