Nebraska's offense carries increased options into primetime matchup with Michigan
Michigan is 5-0 for the first time since 2016, enjoying its first trip to the Top 10 since 2019.
The Wolverines’ offensive line has allowed just 1 sack all season. Their only turnover was thrown by the third-string quarterback last week.
The schedule doesn’t ease up for Nebraska (3-3), which will host the Wolverines in an ABC-televised primetime game Saturday evening.
Nebraska has played tough teams tight, leading to talk that they’re undefeated Iowa’s biggest challenger in the Big Ten West.
But Saturday’s task is taller than the corn for the Huskers. Just how do they go about completing it?
Nebraska has … options. As in, the various plays that crop out from its triple-option look.
“It’s something we’ve been actively practicing,” Nebraska quarterback Adrian Martinez said Monday. “It’s one of those concepts that you just need reps and reps. We do it every day at practice, and we continue to work on it. You see some of that chemistry paying off.”
Huskers head coach Scott Frost grades it a “6 out of 10,” which is failing in every school system I’m aware of. But his players are still studying — and the syllabus is expanding.
“It took a little getting used to,” wide receiver Samori Toure said. “It is not something that I have done in my past, but I caught on quick. The coaches were good about teaching me that role, and by the time fall camp came, I was comfortable with it. It makes our offense more versatile.”
The results in the finals on the field have been better than the quizzes Frost sees in practice, including an 83-yard option pitch that Zavier Betts ran in for a touchdown.
“It is a lethal offense when you execute it,” tight end Austin Allen said of the Huskers’ increased use of the triple option. “It really spreads the field. It really opens up our playbook, too. You can run a lot of things off of it. People are really starting to love it just because they have seen what it can do in practice. They have seen what it can do against a Big Ten opponent. It is something that we are going to keep harping on. It is going to open up a lot of other things too. We cannot just live and die on it. It has obviously worked really well for us, but that is not something we can run every time. It is a big part of our offense and it has worked so far.”
The Wolverines are aware.
“It’s extremely important to hone in on your assignment because you never know — your small, detailed assignment may be the one that makes a big play or that wins the game for us,” Wolverines linebacker Nikhai Hill-Green said on the Inside Michigan Football radio show. “So everyone needs to just do their 1/11th and we’ll come up with a victory.”
Michigan defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald agreed on the importance of positioning in an appearance on the same program.
“It’s gotta be assignment-sound football,” he said. “The challenge is, when you play the teams that run options, if you have one guy out of position — one out of 70 plays — that’s a 70-yard run. Martinez can make you pay if you’re not on your Ps and Qs. Big-time challenge ahead of us.”
That’s not just coach-speak. The Wolverines are trying to do something they’ve never done before — win in Lincoln. Nebraska is 1-0-1 in games played 101 years apart.
The Huskers have the option to keep it that way.