Nebraska hoping to alter perception against Ohio State

This is a big spot for Scott Frost.

The second-year Nebraska head man was the most sought-after coach on the market after leading UCF to new heights in a very short amount of time, and the Cornhuskers were desperate to bring stability and a winning pedigree — along with a former Husker great whose past is linked to the great Tom Osborne — back to Lincoln.

On Saturday evening, Nebraska has a chance to reclaim its spot on the national stage when it hosts No. 5 Ohio State after basking in the spotlight of ESPN’s “College GameDay.”

Of course, no one really expects Nebraska to defeat Ohio State, which is off to a 4-0 start and looks once again like the team to beat in the Big Ten behind first-year head coach Ryan Day. The Buckeyes are No. 3 in the FBS in both scoring offense (53.5 points per game) and scoring defense (9.0 points per contest). Talent is lost year in and year out in Columbus, yet new talent replaces departed stars each fall. A coach with three national championships retires, yet the expectations remain sky high in Ohio. Urban who?

However, OSU will be presented with a much tougher environment than Bloomington — site of its only road trip thus far — on Saturday night.

Despite suffering a disappointing loss at Colorado in Week 2, Nebraska can still make a major impact with a win under the lights at Memorial Stadium, where many GBR fans will hope that a program revival comes full circle in a short amount of time. After all, Frost was able to move from 6-7 in Year 1 at UCF to 13-0 and “national champions” the following year.

What’s stopping him from turning a 4-8 mark in 2017 into a 10-win campaign this fall? Why can’t Nebraska — a proud program looking to recapture past glory — take care of business at home as it used to do regularly in the Big Eight?

That is how Nebraska fans should think, that is how Frost operates and that is what he is instilling in each one of his players.

Earlier this week, Frost was not playing down the significance of GameDay, the national exposure and the raucous environment he expect this weekend.

“This is special,” Frost said. He also does not want his players to see the added attention as a distraction.

“Our guys need to know how to be comfortable in these situations.”

The players do need to become comfortable because as part of the expected program revival, times like Saturday evening will become the norm. Nebraskans should be bold and embrace this moment.

Frost has just one request for Husker fans.

“We need them to be at their very best [on Saturday],” he said.

At this juncture of the program rebuild, though, should we expect the Huskers to compete for four quarters and deliver a signature victory for Frost this early in his tenure?

The Cornhuskers average 38.0 points per game, but the defense allows 25.3 points per contest. Those numbers don’t translate well against a Buckeyes team that is strong on both sides of the ball.

To upset Ohio State, Nebraska needs to catch a lot of breaks.

True freshman Wan’Dale Robinson, who was Big Ten Freshman of the Week after his effort against Illinois, had 27 touches (rushing and receiving) for 168 yards and 3 touchdowns last week. He doesn’t need to replicate that performance, but he needs to make explosive plays.

Quarterback Adrian Martinez needs to play like a Heisman Trophy contender. The ability and grit are there. Now he just has to embrace the big moment and use his legs against a tough Buckeyes defense.

And the Husker blackshirts need to force Buckeyes signal-caller Justin Fields into a critical mistake or two in front of 90,000 fans. But can he be rattled? We’ll find out soon enough.

Nebraska has shown that it can overcome deficits and sloppy play this season. Now, the team simply has to believe it has arrived.

Much of the talk coming into the season was about how Nebraska wasn’t quite ready to emerge as a national contender, but that its division chances were strong because of a weak schedule.

In just one night, however, perception can be dramatically altered. And a national brand can once again be revived.

Dave Miller

Dave Miller has covered the college football landscape nationally since 2009 with stops at National Football Post and Campus Insiders. In addition to contributing to Saturday Tradition, he can be seen on Stadium Network.