Purdue opponent early outlook: Nebraska
As the 2023 football season nears closer, GoldandBlack.com will provide a mid-summer outlook of each of Purdue’s opponents. Today, it’s Nebraska, who hit the reset button following a disappointing stretch under Scott Frost.
2022 RECORD: 4-8 (3-6 Big Ten)
HEAD COACH: Matt Rhule (first year at Nebraska, 47-43 in nine career seasons)
KEY PLAYERS: QB Jeff Sims, LB Luke Reimer, CB Malcolm Hartzog
HISTORY VS. PURDUE: Meeting every season since 2013, Purdue owns a 6-5 all-time advantage over Nebraska, with one win coming back in 1958. After Nebraska won three of four from 2013 to 2016, Jeff Brohm’s squad took four of the six meetings during his tenure at Purdue. Purdue took both matchups in Lincoln under Brohm, leaving Memorial Stadium victorious in 2018 and 2021. The two teams will meet for the final time as Big Ten West rivals this season.
ABOUT THE CORNHUSKERS: It’s now Matt Rhule’s turn to try revitalizing the once-great Nebraska program, which sits amid a six-season bowl drought. First and foremost, the offense will undergo a transition from Scott Frost’s read option-heavy approach to a more physical attack.
Georgia Tech transfer quarterback Jeff Sims will lead the offense with dual-threat ability. The former highly-touted recruit will receive help from an experienced backfield, highlighted by Anthony Grant, who ran for just shy of 1,000 yards last season.
The Cornhuskers likely will lean on the run game partly due to inexperience at receiver, where Marcus Washington stands out as the lone key returner. Transfer tight end Arik Gilbert enters with high-end talent but no production due to off-the-field concerns. Sims may not inherit a loaded group, but it still could be an upgrade from what he worked with at Georgia Tech.
Former Syracuse defensive coordinator Tony White comes to Lincoln to install the 3-3-5 defense. White helped rejuvenate the Orange over the past few seasons, and he’ll look to get Nebraska’s defense back to the Blackshirt days of old. Though the defensive line doesn’t bring much back, veteran linebacker Luke Reimer will remain the vocal leader of the defense in the middle.
The secondary brings back the vast majority of production, including four starters. The defense may need to lead the Cornhuskers if they hope to earn bowl eligibility in 2023, but the returning production makes it possible. Nebraska also hopes to eliminate the plethora of special teams errors that plagued the team during the Frost years.
National championship contention might not remain a realistic goal for Nebraska, but it can surely win more than the last decade indicates. Rhule’s builds at Temple and Baylor didn’t happen overnight, but the Cornhuskers will hope for notable progress in year one.
More: Athlon on Nebraska; HuskerOnline
Previous previews: Fresno State, Virginia Tech, Syracuse, Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa, Ohio State
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