The Scott Frost era in Nebraska officially kicks off with a home game in primetime against the Akron Zips. Kickoff between the Cornhuskers and Zips is set for 8:00 EST on Saturday, September 1, at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln, Nebraska. The game will be broadcast nationally on Fox.
If we check out the Week 1 odds in college football, the Cornhuskers are 23.5-point favorites over Akron. That number has grown significantly since Nebraska opened as a 17-point favorite. The over/under for the game is 55 points.
The excitement in Nebraska is at a fever pitch with Frost’s return. Frost was the starting quarterback on the 1997 Nebraska team that won a national championship, so Cornhuskers are happy to have their native son back in Lincoln. It also doesn’t hurt that Frost coached Central Florida to a 13-0 record last season, just two years after UCF went winless. Of course, Nebraska fans may have to be a little patient. The Cornhuskers finished last season 4-8, losing six of their last seven games, so Frost definitely has some work to do to get Nebraska moving in the right direction.
Akron, meanwhile, is hoping they have found some consistency with veteran coach Terry Bowden. The Zips reached the MAC title game last season, a huge accomplishment considering the team went 1-11 in Bowden’s first season in 2012. Of course, after losing the MAC Championship Game and the Boca Raton Bowl, the Zips finished the 2017 campaign just 7-7, so there is still plenty of room for improvement. However, the Zips feel as if they will be contenders in the MAC East division once again.
Not since 2008 has Akron beaten a team from a power conference. However, Nebraska may be vulnerable enough for the Zips to have a chance at the upset if everything goes their way. Despite the names on the jerseys, this game has some intrigue to it.
The more this line grows, the more I feel comfortable leaning toward Akron. The hype surrounding Frost’s return to Nebraska is not unfounded. However, that doesn’t mean the Cornhuskers will hit the ground running. They have a lot of problems to address, and Akron is an above-average MAC team, so I don’t necessarily see Nebraska winning this game going away. With the line greater than three touchdowns, I’ll take my chances with the Zips.
Akron has some experience coming back at quarterback in sophomore Kato Nelson. He took the reigns late last season for the injured Thomas Woodson and helped the Zips solidify the MAC East division title. His accuracy was downright dreadful at times, as he completed just 50% of his passes. However, Nelson threw eight touchdowns to just two interceptions and was also a viable rushing threat, so he can create some problems for the Nebraska defense.
The Zips also have some promising skill players. Running backs Van Edwards and Deltron Sands are both a little undersized but potentially dangerous if they get loose. Wide receiver Kwadarrius Smith is also back after amassing over 700 yards and seven touchdowns in 2017. Senior Mykel Traylor-Bennett could also be an x-factor after missing all of last year due to injury to derail an otherwise productive career.
Keep in mind that the Cornhuskers have a world of problems defensively. Nebraska gave up over 50 points in each of their final three games last season. That includes games against Minnesota and Iowa, two teams that aren’t exactly prolific offensively. Nebraska welcomes back a lot of the same players from last year’s defense, so the added experience and a new coaching staff should help. But it’s tough to guarantee they’ll be able to perform at a high level, even against a MAC team.
Questions also linger for the Nebraska offense, despite the promise of Frost installing his high-tempo offense. True freshman Adrian Martinez won the quarterback battle, beating out redshirt freshman Tristan Gebbia. Obviously, Martinez has some talent, but not every true freshman is ready to play, so we’ll have to wait and see on him.
On the plus side, the Cornhuskers have a wide receiver duo in Stanley Morgan Jr. and J.D. Spielman that will give a lot of teams problems this year, even with an inexperienced quarterback. However, it could take some time to rebuild the offensive line and establish a viable rushing attack after Nebraska gained just 3.5 yards per carry a year ago.
Meanwhile, Akron has a defense that could be among the best in the MAC this year. The Akron secondary is in excellent shape and the defensive line may even have enough size to match up against their Big Ten opponents this week. With Nebraska’s running game a huge question mark, the Zips have the kind of defense that can go on the attack against a one-dimensional team with a true freshman at quarterback.
If this game were scheduled at the end of the season, I might feel differently. But I don’t think Nebraska is going to be that impressive early in the year. There’s not a lot making me think that the Cornhuskers can win this game by more than a touchdown or two. With a spread that’s way too big, I’ll take Akron and the points in this one.