The 2022 Big Ten football season begins Saturday in Ireland when Nebraska takes on Northwestern. Kickoff is set for 12:30 p.m. Eastern.
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Both teams enter the season coming off of 3-9 records. The Huskers will have a new quarterback in former Texas quarterback Casey Thompson, who played in 12 games and threw for 2,113 yards and 24 touchdowns.
Who: Nebraska vs. Northwestern.
When: Saturday, Aug. 27, 2022.
Time: 12:30 p.m. Eastern.
Where: Aviva Stadium, Dublin, Ireland (51,700).
TV: FOX.
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Latest line: Nebraska -12.
Announcers: Jason Benetti and Brock Huard.
Read some of what Ken Maguire of the Associated Press wrote about the Huskers preparing for a Northwestern team that has yet to name its starting quarterback.
Nebraska’s defense knows Ryan Hilinski from last season but it is also preparing for a surprise or two at quarterback against Northwestern in the Irish capital on Saturday.
Wildcats coach Pat Fitzgerald hasn’t named a starter for the season opener and this week refused to talk quarterbacks: “I’m not going to tell you anything.”
The Huskers say they will be ready.
“We know they’re going to have some surprises for us, some different personnel groupings, might be two quarterbacks playing, might be a surprise starter, we don’t know, but we’re ready for all of them,” defensive coordinator Erik Chinander said Wednesday after practice.
The Big Ten matchup is the first regular-season international college football game in five years.
Coaches won’t admit it, but “the craic” (Irish for friendly chatter) among the 13,000 U.S. fans who made the trip is that the game is practically must-win territory already, especially for the Huskers and coach Scott Frost.
Both teams were 3-9 last year. Nebraska hasn’t won since its 56-7 rout of Northwestern in Lincoln last October. Six consecutive losses. The Wildcats have also dropped six straight games, but Fitzgerald has a long-term deal and full support from his alma mater.
Hilinski made five starts last season as a sophomore and threw for 978 yards but completed just 54% of his passes. In nine appearances, he threw for three touchdowns and four interceptions. He also had a costly fumble in the loss to the Huskers.
Redshirt freshman Brendan Sullivan is also a possibility, though neither he or Hilinski are run threats.
“We’ve worked very hard on a lot of the unbalanced stuff from the last couple of years from (Northwestern), a lot of the quarterback runs,” Chinander said. “We’ll see, are they going to put someone else in for the quarterback runs? Are they going to do it with wildcat? We’ve worked very hard on both.”
DOWNHILL RUNNING
Evan Hull rushed for 1,009 yards last season on 5.1 yards per carry, so keeping him involved will be vital for Northwestern’s chances. He boasted about the whole running backs room.
“We all have our different strengths, for sure, and I think that’s what makes our group so dangerous,” Hull said. Andrew Clair “runs with an attitude to him. He can bring the boom, too.”
Northwestern’s defense couldn’t stop anybody on the ground last season. The Wildcats allowed a Big Ten-worst 213 rushing yards per game, including 427 to Nebraska.
Gabe Ervin Jr. said the Huskers running backs are raring to go: “We’re here to run the ball downhill, down their throat, each and every play we get the ball.”
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