Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas

Note: Due to there being 12 teams in the Big Ten and 10 teams in the Big 12, this week’s preview will feature two teams from the Big Ten.

Nebraska Cornhuskers

2010 Record: 10-4 (6-2), Tied for 1st in the Big 12 North

Returning Starters: Offense (8), Defense (8)

Bowl Result: Lost to Washington in the Holiday Bowl 19-7

Overview: The Cornhuskers exited the Big 12 in 2010 atop the North Division, losing to longtime rival Oklahoma in the Big 12 Championship game. Nebraska’s only two regular season losses were to Texas and Texas A&M, but they finished the season with defeats to the Sooners in Dallas and to a Washington team they had beaten 56-21 during the regular season. Quarterback Taylor Martinez returns after being on the Heisman watch list for most of the season before suffering a number of injuries towards the end of the year. Martinez had a couple of eye opening games in the first half of the season, rushing for 241 yards and four touchdowns against Kansas State and throwing for 323 yards and five touchdowns against Oklahoma State. Leading rusher Roy Helu Jr. graduated, but junior Rex Burkhead returns to pick up where Helu Jr. left off. The former high school quarterback saw plenty of playing time last year, running for 951 yards and seven touchdowns while spending much of the second half of the season as the primary ball-carrier in Nebraska’s Wildcat formation.

After taking a brief leave of absence during the middle of the decade, the famed “Blackshirts” were back in 2010. Despite losing Ndamukong Suh, who was the NFL’s Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2010, Nebraska still finished 11th in the country in total defense. Returning to lead the defense this year are defensive tackle Jared Crick and linebacker Lavonte David, two of ten conference players who were named to the Big Ten’s preseason Players to Watch list. Both players were also 2nd Team All Americans in 2010. Crick finished last year with 9.5 sacks and 17 tackles for a loss and is projected as a first round draft pick by almost every scouting service. David’s 152 tackles in 2010 were the most ever recorded in a single season at Nebraska, especially impressive considering how productive Husker linebackers have been throughout the years.

Key Matchup: Nebraska at Wisconsin, October 1st: Nebraska’s first ever Big Ten game will be a challenge, traveling to Wisconsin to face the 2010 Big Ten Champions. Nebraska’s switch back to a 4-3 defense should be a key factor in this physical matchup, as Wisconsin is known throughout college football for their smash-mouth, run heavy offensive philosophy. In last year’s matchup against Michigan, Wisconsin struggled to control athletic quarterback Denard Robinson. Although the Badgers pulled out the win, Robinson accounted for 121 rushing yards and four total touchdowns. Martinez is arguably just as athletic as Robinson, so Wisconsin could have trouble containing the dynamic quarterback.

Impact Newcomer: Jamal Turner, WR: Turner was a four star recruit and one of the top dual-threat quarterbacks coming out of high school. After enrolling early in the spring, Turner switched to wide receiver and excelled in his new role. In the spring game, Turner had a kick return of 54 yards and a punt return of 59 yards, while also catching four passes for 93 yards and a touchdown. If his first game against college level competition is any indication, Turner will be a difference maker in the Big Ten for years to come.   

Coach’s Quotes: “He [Jamal Turner] makes big plays. You saw that. He can take a short pass and make it into a big play. And that causes a lot of problems.” – Offensive Coordinator Tim Beck

Iowa Hawkeyes

2010 Record: 8-5 (4-4), Tied for 4th in the Big Ten

Returning Starters:  Offense (4), Defense (5)

Bowl Result: Beat Missouri in the Insight Bowl 27-24

Overview: The Hawkeyes 2010 season was filled with close losses; every one of their five losses was by a touchdown or less. On top of that, the Hawkeyes four Big Ten losses were by a total of 11 points. If any of those had gone the other way, Iowa would have been in the mix with Wisconsin, Ohio State and Michigan State for the Big Ten title. The Hawkeyes will need to replace a number of starters from last year, including steady quarterback Ricky Stanzi, who was drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs in the 5th round of the 2011 NFL Draft. Redshirt junior James Vandenberg now sits atop the depth chart at quarterback. Vandenberg has seen some playing time during his college career, most notably in 2009 when he led the Hawkeyes to a near overtime upset of Ohio State.

Defensively the Hawkeyes lost star defensive end Adrian Clayborn to the NFL Draft after he was picked by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with the 20th overall pick. Along with Clayborn, Iowa lost two other starters on the defensive line and two out of their three starting linebackers. The only returning position of strength is the defensive backfield, where Shaun Prater and Micah Hyde return. Prater was named to the 1st Team All Big Ten in 2010, and Hyde finished second on the team with 82 tackles. Hyde could end up moving to safety, but his playmaking ability should still help anchor the back end of a young defense.

Key Matchup: Iowa at Nebraska, November 26th: The Hawkeyes season finale will be against their new division rivals and could possibly be for the Leaders Division crown. Both teams are working towards establishing this as an ongoing rivalry, even creating a trophy for the matchup. The two neighboring schools have already met 41 times, with Nebraska holding the overall series lead at 26-12-3. This year’s game finishes out the Big Ten schedule for both teams and could leave the winner with a ticket to Indianapolis for the inaugural Big Ten Championship Game.

Impact Newcomer: James Vandenberg, QB: After a redshirt year in 2008, Vandenberg was second on the depth chart for most of 2009 before an injury to starting quarterback Ricky Stanzi left Vandenberg as the starter for a showdown with the 10th ranked Buckeyes in Columbus. Vandenberg nearly helped the Hawkeyes pull an upset, leading them back from a 24-10 deficit with 11 minutes left to force overtime.  Although Iowa fell in overtime, it was obvious that Vandenberg had the talent to compete in the Big Ten. After throwing for 7,709 yards and 93 touchdowns in high school, Vandenberg will finally have his turn at the head of the Hawkeyes offense.

Coach’s Quotes: “Everyone respects him [Quarterback James Vandenberg]. Now, he has to go out there this fall and have some success in game conditions and I think he will.”
– Head Coach Kirk Ferentz

Previous Team Previews:
Missouri and Penn State
Texas Tech and Michigan
Kansas State and Northwestern
Iowa State and Purdue
Texas and Minnesota
Kansas and Indiana
Baylor and Illinois