College football can be a numbers game. Up next in BadgerBlitz.com's preseason analysis of the 2018 Wisconsin football program are the Nebraska Cornhuskers , who visit Camp Randall on Oct. 6.
Miss a preview? Catch up below:
Western Kentucky: Beat Writer Preview / 5 Numbers To Know
New Mexico: Beat Writer Preview/ 5 Numbers to Know
BYU: Beat Writer Preview/5 Numbers to Know
Iowa: Beat Writer Preview/ 5 Numbers to Know
Nebraska: Beat Writer Preview
Number to Know: $35 million
That's how much Nebraska's new head coach will be making after agreeing to a seven-year contract with the Huskers in early December. Previously, Scott Frost was the head coach at Central Florida since 2015 but started his head coaching career in 2002, when he was a graduate assistant at Nebraska. Various stops at Kansas State, Oregon and a track record that speaks volumes ultimately prompted the university to pursue his talents.
In fact, Frost's contract makes him the highest-paid coach in Nebraska history and his annual salary ranks third in the BIG Ten behind Jim Harbaugh (Michigan) and Urban Meyer (Ohio State).
It has become a full-circle journey for Frost, who was a quarterback at Nebraska and led his team to a share of the 1997 National Championship. In 2018 and beyond, Frost has the opportunity to lead the Huskers - without a helmet on.
Number to Know: -40
That number represents Nebraska's collective turnover margin since it joined the BIG Ten in 2011. Last season, the Huskers tied for last in the conference with a turnover margin of -7, sharing the accolade with Indiana and Illinois. This trend has been far from pleasant for the Huskers and it will be up to the entire roster to improve its ball control. However, Nebraska did finish with a positive turnover margin (+5) in 2016. Additionally, Husker fans should be relieved to know that Frost's UCF squad boasted an AAC-best +17 turnover margin in 2017 and a +8 in 2016.
Number to Know: 14
Since the team's appearance in the 2002 Rose Bowl, that number is the highest Nebraska has ever ranked in the AP Poll. This season, the program hopes to recreate its glory days. Specifically, from 1970 to 1999, the Huskers appeared in all but three AP polls.
Since then, the Huskers have yet to capture the same extent of recognition. The last time NU was ranked in the AP Poll was near the end of the 2014 season, when it had the 15th-best mark. Yet, with the amount of excitement and change occurring in Lincoln - the team sold 85,000 tickets for its 2018 Spring Game in just over 24 hours - perhaps the program's turnaround isn't that far around the bend.
Number to Know: 3,330
That's the total number of passing yards Nebraska accumulated last season. Although it wasn't the highest total in the conference, the team did record the second-best passing offense (277.5 yards/game) in the BIG Ten. This was in spite of the Huskers receiving corps being bombarded with injuries in 2017. However, thanks to an efficient 2018 recruiting period, the depth at the position could shape to be some of the best NU has ever seen.
Many names return in 2018, but the most important is senior Stanley Morgan Jr. (61 receptions, 986 yards, 10 TD). Not only will he have to help carry an offense without quarterback Tanner Lee, he will be called upon to take a new group of signees under his belt.
Number to Know: 6.3
That's the average number of yards opponents tallied per play against Nebraska last season, which helped shape NU's total defense to be the lowest rank in the conference. As a whole, the Husker defense gave up 2,577 rush yards and 2,657 passing yards on just 826 plays. Additionally, the team owned a conference-worst 436.2 yards/game and tied Maryland for the most touchdowns allowed (57).
In the spring practices, various coaches harped the importance of a culture change, a more aggressive mindset and playing without pressure. That is yet to be seen in real games, but practice makes perfect-or so some might claim.
Jonathan Mills covers Wisconsin football and basketball for BadgerBlitz.com on the Rivals.com network. Follow him on Twitter at @therealJMlLLS.
