An overlooked storyline with Nebraska football? We've got one

we've talked about everything in the leadup to this Nebraska football opener on Saturday or have we an Overlook storyline that's [Music] next you are locked on Nebraska your daily Nebraska Corn Huskers podcast part of the locked on podcast Network your team every day thank you for making lockon Nebraska your first listen every day we are free and available wherever you get podcasts and on YouTube part of the locked on podcast Network your team every day and today's episode is brought to you by Game Time download the game time app create an account use the code locked on college for $20 off your first purchase terms apply download the game time app today all right good morning another day closer here to uh to game day Conor haer from 1620 The Zone and omam from the athletic all right so morning you mentioned it we've talked about uh pretty much every angle of this thing we'll have our prediction show uh tomorrow our no our mailbag show our prediction show predictions predictions tomorrow yep yep ahead of the Thursday night football yes then mailbag right yep yep that's how we're doing it so we're set up um so this is like the last uh you know thing that we have to kind of make up even though it's not made up uh it's real no this is definitely real and it was talked about a little bit yesterday uh after after practice so if you think about it um and you know we like to look at the seasons in in individual like they're in their own vacuums Nebraska's opening the season at home for the first time since 2019 on Saturday and I would say I would add this Nebraska is opening the season in a conventional manner for the first time since 2017 um where you know the 2018 akan game got uh got thunderstormed out and they had to open against Colorado and that was the first game of a new coach um so you go all the way back to 2017 Road or neutral set games against Ohio State Illinois Northwestern Minnesota uh one of all losses by the way all losses one of those games was overseas um then there was like I said a game that got uh thunderstormed out and there was a whole drama that went along with that one of them was in October that's true there was the whole pandemic thing as well uh that did not uh that did not go very well and by the way that season nebr in 2020 Nebraska was originally slated to open with a huge game with Purdue um and that would have you know been had its own attachment to it was that on schedule one onea to that was one that was one and then and then onea I don't remember what happened with onea but then two came out and that's how it went I think go to Columbus yeah yeah totally normal so this is th this is definitely a thing um and I don't know we we've going back to that 20 uh 18 akan game we probably made a lot of that you know people always talk about that game oh if they would have just had that game but it is it is the ability to get your program started on the right foot Infuse some confidence in it you don't feel like you're in scramble mode immediately um if things just go relatively well on Saturday yeah I think that I don't think I don't think we're making enough out of this and and how it could impact the way this season at Nebraska is going to unfold just because now there was the 2019 season when Nebraska opened versus South Alabama and won at home and then had uh you know somewhat normal a somewhat normal beginning until Ohio State came in on a on a college game day Saturday and and blew the doors off of the Huskers but really since then there has not been one of these normal beginnings and I brought this up with Tony white yesterday who of course is in just his second season at Nebraska but he went through Minnesota on the road a year ago Colorado on the road a year ago so by the time these coaches Matt Rule and his staff made their debuts at Memorial Stadium and year one they were 0 and2 and it was like the balloon had popped a little bit um your starting quarterback was was no more um he was on the bench injured you were changing the offense it's like they never really got to the opportunity to get their feet under them so I asked Tony on Tuesday during media availabilities for the Nebraska coordinators what he thought about the significance of actually getting to open the season at Memorial Stadium and here's what he had to say being Nebraska you hear about the greatest fan base and and that kind of stuff is just kind of words in the air but it truly like I mean spring game 66,000 plus we weren't getting that when I was at Arizona State and games you know what I mean like we weren't getting that in Syracuse like we were not getting that that that that that was not happening you know I mean and so to see 90 990,000 uh first game of the year um I think it's going to be electric and the just the guys feel it they know I mean they You Feel It in the Air uh just the uh just The Vibes I mean you get you kind of get the Goosebumps right now talking about it it's going to be it is going to be a great great day in there I think being in Nebraska you hear well don't need to hear it twice um so it was a goosebump kind of day on Tuesday because the black shirts were distributed and we'll talk about that later in the show and then you know Tony started to think about getting the opportunity to be to be zero and zero and going out there and you know they've had the spring but it's been of of course a long time since the team has played in the stadium and they've never played in this Stadium when uh it was it was a fresh start it's uh you know you go back you go back as we said to 2020 and it's always been all right pack up the truck pack up the plane go on the road by the time you open at Memorial Stadium you know you've had already some some big disappointment in a in a football season so I think there's some real value to that I I think you know it's easy to just look past it and say this is the way college football goes I read this week that Minnesota is starting at home for the 12th consecutive year like that's okay A little unusual it's also very unusual to go on the road uh four years in a row and play conference opponents to open a season so I think it's G to matter I think when we're looking back at this season when we're in October when we're in November when you when you when you take this season as a whole it's going to have mattered that Nebraska got this softer um this softer run this longer Runway with four consecutive home games to open the year I just you know it it's just it was a thing that kind of came along at the wrong time you know the the whole idea of Nebraska opening up the season with important conference games it's great for television it's um I mean that's why that's basically the only reason why they do it you open on Thursday night you open in Ireland like whatever it is it's good for television and Nebraska's obviously been a willing participant they're a Big Brand it's easy to see why you would want them in that game but Nebraska has just had so much you know up and down turmoil coaching changes changes just in general over the last several years that it's just not been the right spot for them to do stuff like that yeah I'm not trying to make excuses for them but like you know because they could have won each of those games I guess with the exception of the Ohio State game but it's just it it just felt like so much pressure playing in those games um where and then and then they lost them all and like you said it's perfect description the the the balloon popped immediately and you're scrambling and you're trying to just claw your way back into it and and most of the time you're still in August it's not a good situation did the cam Taylor Brit um I'm gonna take a knee in the end zone happen it happened in a season opener at Illinois that Nebraska ended up losing yeah so you had that you had the onside kick coach feeling more pressure than he needed to do needed to be trying to do something that just was unnecessary in that moment last year at Minnesota you had all kinds of things that happened that Illustrated the moment was too big for Nebraska right there not that it would have been too big for Nebraska if that game had been played in October or November and they had their feet under them but the turnovers look Nebraska's percentage chance to win that game the winning the winning meter that that ESPN famously displays wi probability yeah right win probability it was at 99% in the fourth quarter of that game it just takes this just like a a Cascade of bizarre moments to lose that one so I don't think it's coincidental that Nebraska's had some of those some of those instances in each one of these three openers in the last four years were discounting Ohio State because that was just a much better Ohio State team than its opponent um they've all included stuff like that and I think part of it is because this team just they haven't had the chance to to get right they haven't had the chance to uh to you don't ease into the season but to start it in a way that that that setting yourself up for Success a a a a team that has the ability to do this a team that should go on the road and challenge itself to open the season you saw it last night last night on Wednesday night Tuesday night in Louisville Kentucky Nebraska volleyball going on the road against the top 10 team that's okay they played for the national championship a year ago yep they know how to win and they did yeah not only you feel like all right we can do go and play in these showcase games and win and win those games but also if you lose the season isn't immediately like you know a disaster so that's that's an important piece of this yeah those are two programs that are in vastly different places Nebraska football trying to catch up a little bit it's a thing no doubt about it um like I said Nebraska had AB the ability to win all those and they just they they haven't been able to do so so maybe just maybe they're in a better position going uh into that Colorado game where there will be a lot of pressure and there will be a lot of eyes but you'll have a game underneath your belt all right uh we'll we'll take a quick time out here we'll come back uh after this get into some things that Dylan Rola had to say yesterday and more conversation about Heinrich harburg's role this is the topic that we can't shake um and a reminder if you're watching with us on uh on YouTube today please like And subscribe it helps us uh helps the podcast um leave a comment get those comment sections rolling we even appreciate you Colorado fans who seem to be infiltrating the comments in uh various shows over the last several weeks so do that um you can email us at lockon neb still get questions in for the mailbag show tweeted us um lockon neb we'll uh we'll answer some questions and we'll do that going on thanks for supporting the show and we'll be back after this okay MIT Sherman here to tell you about game time a sponsor of the locked on Nebraska podcast it is college football season it's here it is pennet Race season in baseball oh Connor The Royals are in first place I know we can say it now it might not be true a few hours from now after that Series in Cleveland finishes this afternoon on Wednesday but they might be in first place all by themselves that's the way I'm going to look at it and they're coming home next week after the Royals go to Houston they're coming home they got what the gats coming in um it is an exciting time of year to catch some major league baseball I want to do it and I'm going to use game time when I do it is an authorized ticket Marketplace of Major League Baseball game time makes getting tickets easier and faster because prices on the app go down the closer you get to first pitch you can see views from your seats so take the guesswork out of buying tickets with Game Time download the app create an account use the code locked on college for $20 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from the media on Tuesday he talked about getting emotional when he heard the news last Wednesday from Matt rule that he had been named the starting quarterback as they walked off the practice field rers Nebraska dropped that little little notification on social media um Dylan called everyone in his family called called his mom uh called his dad Dom called his um his brother Dayton down in uh in Georgia um he probably walked over and talked to his sister Taylor in the uh in the recruiting office so um big moment for sure even though we've been talking about this for several months it was a big moment for the Freshman I think it was interesting to hear him kind of put that in perspective just what it what it meant for him um what else what else about Dylan rola's press session on Tuesday his first as the starting quarterback stood out to you Conor I think um you know just generally he's he's still a guy um who's getting comfortable you know talking publicly you know like he not that he doesn't have experience doing this but like as a as a high school recruit in the caliber of high school recruit that he is he um you know a lot of what he's done has been you know one-on-one like you know 30 seconds like you know what's going on in your recruitment right now and so um I'm I'll be interested to see how far he goes on like his thought process and stuff he's clearly a really smart guy and has picked up the system you know very very quickly here for Nebraska and then he has immense Talent as well but I I you could see the kind of Gears turning a little bit but no it was cool story on um you know talking to his family and everything like that first thing I did was called Mom and Dad um that's that's great I wonder what they wonder what their response was like they were different I can tell this I can tell you this his mom Ivonne her response was different than Dad Dom Dominic said all right now you go out there and bleep bleep bleep bleep bleep this I mean that was a different conversation than what he had with his mother I I I would figure so um and then you know we have Dylan Rola here talking about um earning earning the trust of his his teammates a little bit so he's he's definitely taking on a leadership RS we've talked about a little bit let's play this deal in Rola clip Mitch um talking about the process of of being able to earn his teammates trust I'm flip on you I have to earn their trust um you know they can run they run so hard every day in practice and if I can't give them a ball that they can catch and the timing I'm wasting their time so I think it all starts with the quarterback starts with myself and if I can give them an accurate ball how hard it's come in and when it's coming and um you know I think that's how the timing goes if I'm not I'm not doing them justice so he was asked there before that question about how his receivers and his offensive teammates what they would need to do to earn his trust and I liked the answer that he gave um as a freshman with a bunch of seniors um you know banks naor at receiver seniors rir Johnson's a senior Thomas fedon is a fourth year Junior he's got a bunch of seniors on the offensive line he looks at it and I think he I think he really feels this way like no no no I I'm I'm the five-star kid whatever but like now we're playing college football like that doesn't matter I have to earn their trust it's a good attitude for a young guy of course to have going into a season I thought he did a pretty nice job handling the questions that were thrown at him there were some softballs but there were some others where it was like okay he's going to have to think about this he was asked about trading jersey numbers with uh not trading I'm sorry about settling the uh the number 15 jersey number situation with Malachi Coleman who has switched to number 11 they were both wearing 15 um of course Malachi's a returning player and Dylan's a new guy and and Dylan said we're going to keep that inhouse like he's not is not gonna air their laundry maybe Malachi doesn't doesn't want that to to to be aired they haven't discussed it so good answer right there um he was asked about the message that he would deliver to Nebraska fans if he had something that he could say that's kind of a hard thing to answer like um spur of the moment when there's all these TV cameras staring at you and he just said buckle up it's going to be a fun ride so not too you know nothing that's nothing that's like too outlandish but it was also a nice little nice little moment nice little sound bite you could see his confidence on display there so I thought for for well for it doesn't matter that it was his first time I just thought he did a nice job as a as a as a Young quarterback to go up there and and and be in that moment it's not easy he definitely um like no it's not I I remember thinking the same thing um and don't don't take this like I guess the wrong way but I I I remember thinking the same thing right away with with Adrien Martinez like that's a guy who could get up there and um you know has has experienced some things in his life and because of that he um you know he's pretty thoughtful about all this stuff so um he was really good at that piece of it and and Adrian you know his his career didn't turn out the way that we want Dylan's to turn out but I I I don't think it's a bad thing to have that kind of emotional maturity right out of the gate yeah Adrian and Adrien was on another level like he had done media he had when he was injured in high school he had sat in on some broadcasts um on TV out in the Bay Area look he's he was a total natural um at at talking to the media and and Dylan is is is is figuring it out but what we can see he's he's not a total natural at it it's it's but he's good at it because he thinks about it and he's conscientious and he wants to represent the program in a way that makes people proud it makes his coach proud makes his family proud so it means something to him when he's up there um taking taking questions and you can see that um one thing that was interesting to me is he he reiterated uh an anecdote that Matt rule told last week and Rule was asked a question believe on Friday of last week about Dylan's ability to improvise and get outside the pocket and and his athleticism to his tendency to make like throws from different angles and they were talking about his footwork um and Rule said that's all great but I want him to be on platform almost all the time whenever you know we don't want him running around when it's when it's unnecessary like he doesn't need to take that part of Patrick Mahomes game apply it right here because he is 19 years old rule had mentioned a 60 playay cutup of Tom Brady that he showed to riola and then Rola brought up the same thing and said that it was quote mesmerizing for him to to watch that that um that highlight reel um he said once I saw it it made sense to me so you can just kind of see the like the way the wheels turn with Dylan um I think these these interview sessions are a good illustration of that I love football guys I had to stand there and watch Tom Brady sit in the pocket 60 times times and not move at all it's mesmerizing to me it's that's good that's what I want to be mesmerizing to him um because when you when you I mean in high school you can you kind of bail out a little bit and you can make throws that you're not going to be able to make because defensive backs and linebackers have just way better closing speed at the college level you know you're gonna you're gonna create some bad habits and so I think the way to create and to to stay on platform literally is to stay on platform like let's right let's try and keep our feet as calm as we possibly can before we let your athleticism and impro improvisation and playmaking ability takeover it's a really really good habit thing last thing I'll say here and we'll go to break and come back and talk about Hinrich harberg but I wonder if there's a guy now I know of course Glenn Thomas can help him with that I wonder if Jaylen Graham dad can help him with some of that one thing I noticed about Jaylen grah Dad when I watched him at the um postgrad Camp back in June was his were his feet and just just how on platform he stayed in the throws the the drill that they were they were running him through and look yeah he played niia football but niia pass rush is coming at you in a similar way that FBS power five pass rush is because the offensive linemen aren't as good the even so if the defensive they're they're still coming at you you still have to be able to move in the pocket and stay on platform so I wonder if if um if Jaylen has some things to uh to add there we'll we'll ask ask Dylan about that as the season gets uh gets moving uh before the break uh a reminder that college football is back and the locked on college football podcast is your place to find season previews check out our four-part series that cover the power for conferences with discussions on which teams have a shot at the expanded college football playoff check it out on the locked on College 247 YouTube channel or on Amazon Fire TV part of the locked on podcast Network your team every day all right M Sherman here for 5H Hour Energy another sponsor of our show if you are ever tired after lunch let me tell you you're not alone in fact research shows that 70% of us hit the wall after lunch you work hard so let a 5our energy shot help you leap over that wall instead of crashing into it it's got zero sugar it comes in a convenient portable size it's the perfect pickme up for getting stuff done 5H Hour Energy website the website has flavors Galore like watermelon tropical burst grape Berry and more there's a flavor for everyone try them all on the site you can build your own 12 or 24 pack just choose the flavors it can be delivered to your door so go to 5our energy.com that's the number five hour energy.com and get some 5 Hour Energy today use our promo code locked on CFB to receive 20% off your order it's good the or the offer is good until September 30th can be used on one order only not with other promotions not on subscription orders go to 5our energy.com all right welcome back uh we got it was black shirt Day on on Tuesday so we saw U some pictures come out and then the list not really any surprises at all um nine single digigit guys were on defense or what eight no nine singled digigit guys were on defense um and then you throw in maai Bayer and MJ Sherman and cam lenhardt who they all who they always refer to as a starter even though he's the 12th I suppose out of the black shirts every top guy on the depth chart got a black shirt no like drama in there and then cam lenhardt as well so there's 12 of them um we don't have to do the we don't have to pause and do the argument about how many people should get black shirts and anything past that so no that's good 12 is fine can they call Cam like I get how about they call him the 12th man oh take one from Texas A&M that's a great oh do they do they use that I I was unaware I what a what an idea that'd be great you'd prepare yourselves for the inevitable Nebraska Texas A&M bull matchup in uh in December or January this upcoming wait you a wait the phone call from Trev Alberts um are you are you using us our our 12thman moniker uh uh so that would not turn out well for for Nebraska um so we're gonna do our prediction show tomorrow but Mitch I I believe you have the floor here for a predict an early prediction to get us ready for prediction show yeah what's my prediction um oh yes I do have an early prediction um I believe the Nebraska defense will be better than last year and I'm not sure how to quantify that but I watch these guys in practice I see them in their single digits I get um you know kind of uh mystified by like the the one two or zero one two three five six seven eight it's like I can't wait to see yeah I know it's like wow look at the Huddle it's got all of those little numbers in it um it's pretty cool it's too bad that 42 and 48 are out there but you know c c cam blenard wears 11 uh so so you're going to see some some double digit jerseys but no I I think this defense will be better than it was a year ago Nebraska allowed 4.62 yards per play last year that's a stat that i' like to look at it's its best figure since 2010 I don't know if this defense is going to go under 4.62 in 2024 because the schedule is a bit different and there are some better quarterbacks and better offensive teams that Nebraska faces here this year but I think the defense as a whole in what it sets out to do generating turnovers creating chaos getting off the field on third down helping Nebraska win games winning games for Nebraska put putting players into the into position to be in the NFL all of those things are going to be better in year two with Tony white and charge than they were in year one yeah it's it's it's a tough one to quantify because they they've set themselves such a high bar um and and and we might we might think that it's better I think from a Personnel standpoint it's it is better right everybody is a year older uh most of those people are coming back they've plugged holes they have more depth like it it's from that perspective it's going to be better but you need it to be better from an output perspective as well and the problem is there that they were really good so that 462 yards per play was seventh in the country last year um they were 11th in the country in yards per game allowed with just over 300 they were top 10 in the country in rush yards per game allowed they were top in the country in points per game allowed they didn't allow that many explosive plays even though Tony white has talked about how they would like to cut down on the explo explosive plays it's you can really boil it down to a couple important categories and that would be you know where're Nebraska lacked last year and that' be third down conversion rate you know the the opponent's third down conversion rate which Nebraska allowed um almost 37% of third Downs to be converted last year which was 45th in the country and then they didn't force any turnovers they they forced 14 turnovers last year which was you know toward the bottom of the country those are two areas that theyve focused in on quite a bit they've really detailed that part of the game um I agree with you Mitch I I I do think all signs to them you know point to them being better and I think the offense has a has a say in this too um the more comfortable they feel the less they have to be on the field um the more that they can get downhill and attack so that should lead to those those third down stops and those and those defensive turnovers as well I think all signs point to them being better yep that's my prediction an early prediction a preview of the prediction show that we'll have out on Thursday I would think that we're going to have a prediction some kind of a um something about Hinrich harberg in our in our Thursday show how many snaps does uh does Heinrich take how many positions does he play how many touches does he get something along those lines um before we finish this show I want to mention uh what was said about him on Tuesday by Nebraska offensive coordinator Marcus safield he said Hinrich would be on the field a lot with Dylan he just dropped that one in there like he's talking about week one it so it seemed and I wonder like he is like you've had time to put this stuff together like heinrich's gonna be on the field with Dylan Rola a lot in week one against UTP like are is is this a smoke screen are they playing games here you know utep's kind of playing some games a little bit by not naming it starting QB um ahead of this one and and Tony white referenced that like gamesmanship is Nebraska engaging in gamesmanship by giving the minor something to think about like where um Hinrich harberg might be lined up and and so so they're always looking for for number 10 out there you know I've I've thought about this way too much and now we have officially talked about this way too much what what Hinrich haror every day we talk about this every day every single day what's his what's his role what's he going to do I I think he's going to play I think he's not going to play what are you what are you doing with them I I actually think yes I we that they are playing games I don't like what does a lot mean you know he's not gonna be on the field a lot that's just a straight up lie he's not gonna be on the field a lot like he won't be he might be on the field some but he's not gonna be on the field a lot that's for sure so um yes they I I I now believe that they are playing games I I now believe that they are just saying things a lot to me would mean like 20 reps or more and you're right there's no way there's no way I think he gets well we'll save it we'll save it for Thursday I was gonna throw out a number we'll have a we'll do some over under stuff with u with hinrich's reps his the his positions uh Dylan's Dylan's yardage things like that so I can't wait that's going to be a really fun show on Thursday more Hinrich harberg talk on Thursday we'll talk about him again on Friday when we get to the mailbag I'm sure I think there's already a question there about Hinrich harberg that people want to know like this is and Marcus saterfield is just throwing gas onto the fire with his comments yesterday not usually what what SAT does but when the when the uh when the subject of harburg came up I think he walked into that room knowing that he was gonna say that little that little line about on the field a lot with Dylan that didn't seem like like it was um off the cuff so all right thank you as always for making lockon Nebraska your first listen today now go check out the locked on college football podcast with Spencer mcglaflin Spencer get you ready for an exciting season that is under way on the grid iron you can find the link to locked on college football in the description of this show so there is no need to search search the lockon College Football podcast is part of the lockon podcast Network your team every day