7B
TheMichiganDaily, www.michigandaily.com

find his open receivers early 
in the game, enough to put up 21 
points in the blink of an eye.
Martinez may not have the 
weapons around him nor the 
experience to do that on this stage. 
But he has the skill.
Still, if Michigan’s defense 
can avoid the over-aggression 
that plagued it early against 
Notre Dame, you have to like its 
chances against a true freshman 
quarterback in a new system at 
Michigan Stadium. 
(An aside: Martinez is going to 
be a problem in the Big Ten for 
the next few years. He’s brimming 
with talent, and he’s in the right 
place at the right time.)

Advantage: Michigan

Nebraska’s run offense vs. 
Michigan’s defense

Some of this is covered in the 
section above, but Nebraska’s 
run 
attack 
is 
multi-pronged. 
There are lots of moving parts, 
motioning, options and more. 
Martinez orchestrates it all — 
he will probably end the game 
with the most carries, too — but 
he’s certainly not alone in the 
backfield.

After 
being 
ejected 
for 
targeting in the third quarter 
last week, junior VIPER Khaleke 
Hudson will have to sit for the first 
half. Defending Martinez and all 
those moving parts will be where 
Michigan misses Hudson most. 
In all likelihood, senior Jordan 
Glasgow will slot into the VIPER 
spot in Hudson’s absence.
There are three Cornhuskers 
with at least 20 carries on the 
year. Greg Bell and Maurice 
Washington both average over 5.5 
yards per carry. Devine Ozigbo, 
who’s been less effective early this 
season, will also figure into the 
equation.
This is an offense predicated 
on space and decision-making. 
The space they have been able to 
find, offering promising glimpes 
of what the Scott Frost offense 
could become in the years to come. 
The deicision-making has lagged 
behind, and it has led to some 
expected mistakes this season. 
The Cornhuskers have averaged 
two more turnovers per game 
than their opponents this season, 
which is tied for 126th of 129, 
nationally. For now, the mistakes 
are going to be enough to hold 
this offense back; the roster depth 
is also not up to nearly where it 

needs to be in the aftermath of the 
Mike Riley era.
All that being said, this is 
almost certainly not the caliber of 
offense Michigan will see when 
it plays Frost and Nebraska down 
the line. For now, Michigan’s 
(generally) stout run defense 
holds the advantage.

Advantage: Michigan

Special Teams

Michigan’s 
special 
teams 
remain a surprising team strength. 
Sophomore kick returner Ambry 
Thomas is still a threat to take 
any kickoff to the endzone. Junior 
punter Will Hart ranks sixth 
in the nation in yards per punt, 
averaging 50.1 yards per punt. 
Both kickers are certifiably 
iffy in this one. Quinn Nordin has 
made two of his three field goal 
attempts this season, Nebraska 
kicker Barret Pickering has made 
just two of four, none over 40 
yards.
Frankly, if this game comes 
down to special teams, things 
have gone astray for Michigan.

Advantage: Michigan

Intangibles

How 
about 
this 
for 
an 
intangible: Many Michigan fans 
are convinced Scott Frost robbed 
them of an undisputed national 
championship 
in 
1997. 
His 
Nebraska team was ranked No. 2 
in the nation, behind Michigan. 
Both teams won their bowl games 
— the Cornhuskers did so a bit 
more convincingly against Peyton 
Manning’s Tennessee team. After 
the game, Frost (a quarterback for 
Nebraska at the time) suddenly 
turned into a politician.
“You know, if all the pollsters 
honestly think, after watching 
the Rose Bowl and watching the 
Orange Bowl, that Michigan could 
beat Nebraska, go ahead and vote 
Michigan, by all means,” he said. 
“Let me say this. Let me say this. 
But I don’t think there’s anybody 
out there that with a clear 
conscience can say that Nebraska 
and especially that (coach) Tom 
Osborne, that great man, doesn’t 
deserve a national championship 
for this. At least a share.”
And so, a share it was. Michigan 
topped the AP Poll, Nebraska 
claimed the coaches poll. And 
forever, Frost lives in Michigan 
infamy.

But the history with Frost and 
Michigan didn’t end there. In 
2016, he told reporters he was 
proud that his team had “outhit” 
the Wolverines — this coming 
after a 51-14 drubbing. He’s 
thrown subtle jabs at Harbaugh’s 
antics. Nebraska’s prodigal son, 
Frost has even been crowned the 
next Harbaugh.
Come gametime, it all might 
mean nothing (for what it’s worth, 
chatter this weak has remained 
cordial). But let’s just say if it’s not 
close, don’t expect Michigan to 
ease off the pedal until the clock 
hits 0:00.

Edge: Nebraska, I guess?

Prediction

 This is one of those games that 
probably shouldn’t be close, but 
just might be anyway. Nebraska 
comes in with nothing to lose and 
everything to gain. For Michigan, 
it’s vice versa. Those games are 
inherently dangerous.
But it just seems highly unlikely 
a 0-2 team starting a freshman 
quarterback with iffy health wins 
this game on the road. 

Michigan 34, Nebraska 17

EVAN AARON/Daily
Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh and the Wolverines are looking to go 3-0 at Michigan Stadium this weekend with Michigan’s Big Ten opener against Nebraska (0-2) on Saturday before heading to Maryland next week. 

