Southern Miss had a record-breaking season in 2011. The Golden Eagles went 12-2, which was the school record for most wins in a season. Nebraska went 9-4 in what was a somewhat disappointing first year for the Cornhuskers in the Big Ten. <\/p>\n
Southern Miss Golden Eagles vs. Nebraska Cornhuskers<\/strong> Matchup<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Preview<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n The Cornhuskers hope to accomplish bigger things in 2012. Can they take care of business at home against a power \u201cmid-major\u201d team from Conference USA?<\/p>\n Larry Fedora did a ton for this program, but he left for North Carolina at the end of last season. Unfortunately for the Golden Eagles, many of the team\u2019s best players also graduated at the end of 2011. Southern Miss must try to reload with quite a few new faces in 2012.<\/p>\n Austin Davis was a multi-year starter for the Golden Eagles, and he set all kinds of records at the school. Without him under center, the team will certainly experience a severe drop in production. Chris Campbell was just named the team\u2019s starting quarterback for this weekend\u2019s game. No quarterback on this roster has much experience, and that will be an issue. The good news is Southern Miss is very good at the running back spot. Kendrick Hardy, Desmond Johnson, and Jeremy Lester are all talented backs who should pile up the yardage this season.<\/p>\n The primary reason Southern Miss excelled last year was their defense, which was much better than other defenses in Conference USA. The bad news is only four starters remain from that defense. The defensive line should be the strength of this unit. Jeremy Collins and Khyri Thornton are two stars on the line. The rest of the defense will have lots of new faces, and I expect a drop in production from the defense as a whole in 2012.<\/p>\n Nebraska fired Frank Solich a few years ago for finishing with 8 or 9 wins every year, so Bo Pelini may start to feel some heat if he doesn\u2019t start winning some more games in the next year or two. At Nebraska, a 9-4 record isn\u2019t good enough.\u00a0[soliloquy id=”82219″]<\/p>\n Few players have been critiqued the way Taylor Martinez has in the past couple years. Martinez is one of the best running quarterbacks in the nation, but his accuracy issues in the passing game have really slowed the team down. Nebraska actually has some of the best pass receivers they have had in several years, but Martinez has been unable to get them the ball. There is no doubt that Martinez is the X-Factor for this Cornhuskers team. If he gets much better this season, the Cornhuskers could be very dangerous. If he continues to struggle throwing the ball, Nebraska will likely disappoint. Rex Burkhead is a hard-nosed runner who does it all out of the backfield. The offensive front should be good again this year for Nebraska.<\/p>\n Nebraska\u2019s defense was a major disappointment in 2011. The Cornhuskers ranked in the bottom half of the Big Ten in several defensive categories. If this team is going to get back to being a national title contender, the defense must pick up its level of play. Baker Steinkuhler should have a great year, but the team lost some key parts from last year\u2019s defense. Crick, Dennard, and David were probably the team\u2019s top three defenders a year ago; but they are all in the NFL now. Can this unit step up?<\/p>\n Southern Miss doesn\u2019t have the defense to stop Nebraska anymore. Look for the Cornhuskers to do just about whatever they want in this one. On the other side, Southern Miss might find more running room than most expect.<\/p>\n
\n Memorial Stadium<\/strong>
\n Saturday September 1, 3:30 PM EST<\/strong>
\n College Football Betting Odds from Bovada<\/strong>
\n Moneyline: Nebraska (-1,000) Southern Miss (+750)<\/strong>
\n College Football Spread: Nebraska -20 (-110) vs. Southern Miss +20 (-110)<\/strong>
\n Over\/Under: 52.5<\/strong><\/p>\nSouthern Miss<\/h3>\n
Nebraska<\/h3>\n