The Nebraska Football team has a lot of work to do in order to impress the national pundits. This is despite the fact the team is coming off a 9-4 campaign that saw it streak out to a 7-0 record. Part of the reason the work still needs to be done is because the Huskers' defense, especially in the second half of the season still leaves quite a bit to be desired. The defensive line, in particular, has been a rather large disappointment for the last several seasons. A new report by ESPN underlines the ongoing problems there.
Not the best of the best
This new preview and report by ESPN heaps a ton of praise on Ohio State, Michigan, and Wisconsin while obviously leaving out the Nebraska football team when talking about the best of the best in the Big Ten. The sports giant singled out no less than eight Buckeyes players that are standouts at the defensive line position, talking mostly about how hard it's going to be to find a way to get all those bodies on the field at one time.
Like the Nebraska football team, Wisconsin runs a 3-4 defense, but that hasn't stopped the school from garnering some big kudos from ESPN. The big difference between Wisconsin and the Huskers is that the Badgers have been running their brand of defense for a few years now.
The upside for the Cornhuskers is, Wisconsin sported one of the best defenses in the country a year ago.
Still got some love
The ESPN article wasn't all bad when it came to the potential of the Nebraska football team. It appears there is some talk around the country that a resurgence could be coming at some point. The hiring of Diaco and a fresh approach could be what the Huskers need.
ESPN specifically pointed out the Davis Twins (Carlos and Alex) as two players who could pitch in this year.
The article also mentioned Freedom Akinmoladun as someone who could have a bigger impact in the new defensive scheme. Still, the Nebraska football team gets lumped in with Michigan State as two schools that are going to need to "step up," if they want to succeed in 2017.
