Pelini era to begin with a Husker win

Nebraska begins the Bo Pelini era in earnest with a 6 p.m. kickoff Saturday night at Memorial Stadium against Western Michigan.

The game will be televised on a pay-per view basis. The Broncos were 5-7 last season. The Huskers were also 5-7 a year ago resulting in a coaching change. Nebraska has never played Western Michigan before. Bo Pelini is 1-0 as Nebraska’s coach, including a win over a Michigan school (Michigan State in the 2003 Alamo Bowl).

The Broncos are coached by Jim Cubit, 20-16 as he begins his fourth season as head coach of Western Michigan. The Broncos are members of the Mid-American Conference.

The Broncos have a solid offensive attack. This will be a good opening test for a Husker defensive unit that took a major step back in 2007. The offensive catalyst for the Broncos is quarterback Tim Hiller (6-foot-5, 228 pounds, Junior), who possesses all the tools to be a big-time college player. In addition to his great size, he is an accurate passer with big play ability. In 2007, Hiller completed 63.4 percent (267 of 421) of his passes with 20 touchdowns, 15 interceptions and averaged nearly 252 yards passing per game a year ago. He has not proven to be a running threat in the past, which will mean the Blackshirts can bring the pressure and not expect him to hurt them outside of the pocket.

Western Michigan also has a solid running game. The Broncos are paced by Brandon West (5-10, 188, Jr.), who ran for 848 yards in 2007 and the Broncos averaged 130 yards per contest on the ground. He also had 45 catches out of the backfield s a dual threat. The Husker defense will need to keep Western Michigan below 100 yards rushing to make this game a Nebraska victory.

The receivers are the most talented unit on the Bronco offense. The leader in the receiving corps is Jamarko Simmons (6-2, 234, Sr.). he had 84 receptions for 980 yards (81.4 ypg) and six touchdowns last season. The other key man in the passing game is tight end Branden Ledbetter (6-5, 230, Sr.), who had 38 catches for 550 yards and six scores in 2007.

The Broncos have an offensive line that can keep the Husker pass rush away from Hiller. The leader is senior right tackle Rob Johnson (6-5, 338). The key for Western Michigan is to get a solid effort from redshirt freshman Anthony Parker (6-5, 305). As a unit, the Broncos average 6-4 and 309 pounds per man from tackle to tackle. This unit needs to have a big game for them to stay in the game.

Defensively, the Broncos employs a 4-3 scheme and are a veteran team with nine senior starters. Across the front defensive end, Zach Davidson (6-2, 239, Sr.) is the key man, who had 51 total tackles and 6.5 sacks in 2007.

The linebackers are a group the Huskers may be able to take advantage of. Weakside linebacker Boston McCornell (6-1, 233, Sr.) led the team with 99 total tackles a year ago. Sophomore Harrison Porter (6-0, 220) has never seen the athleticism of the Husker offense. The Broncos are truly untested in the middle at linebacker.

Western Michigan has a veteran secondary. Cornerback Londen Fryar (5-11, 192, Sr.) is the son of former Husker star receiver Irving Fryar. The Broncos only allowed an average of 220 yards passing in the wide open Mid-American Conference. This group will be a good matchup for Joe Ganz and the Nebraska offense.

On special teams, the Broncos are completely untested. According to the depth chart, Western Michigan will have all freshmen handling punting and kicking duties. Nebraska should have a major advantage in this part of the game. In the return game, West and wide receiver Schneider Julien (5-10, 175, Sr.) could give the Broncos the talent to make a big play.

Nebraska will be a drastically different team under Bo Pelini than under the former regime. The defense will fly to the football and will force more turnovers than the underachievers a year ago. The Huskers will move the ball against Western Michigan with both the running and passing game. The Broncos have talent on offense and experience on defense. This should be an entertaining game. Look for the Big Red to topple Western Michigan 38-20.

Jim Dolezal is a local Husker football fanatic as well as a part-time sports writer for the Telegram. He will analyze the Huskers’ opposition from a hometown perspective every Thursday throughout the season.