Wisconsin Badgers post-spring review: A look at Nebraska

As players, coaches, fans and, yes, even the media await the start of fall camp to arrive for the Wisconsin Badgers in less than two months, BadgerBlitz.com takes a look at UW's 2019 opponents.

In starting to wind down the regular season, Wisconsin travels to Lincoln to take on Scott Frost and his Nebraska Cornhuskers for a potentially key Nov. 16 divisional matchup.

We caught up with Robin Washut of HuskerOnline.com to answer some questions we had about Nebraska before it heads into fall camp.

Nebraska finished its first season under Scott Frost with a 4-8 record but finished with a 4-2 mark in its final six games. Looking ahead to 2019 fall camp and the campaign ahead, what are expectations for this program?

Robin Washut: Nebraska is a trendy pick right now to win the Big Ten West, and there are plenty of reasons to buy into that hype. Most expect the offense to take a big jump in Year 2 under Scott Frost, especially with one of the best quarterbacks in the country in Adrian Martinez at the helm.

There’s also the schedule, which is about as favorable as it’s been since the Huskers joined the Big Ten. The only relatively tough non-conference game is at Colorado, and then NU gets Ohio State, Northwestern, Purdue, Wisconsin and Iowa all at home.

Right now Vegas has the projected win total for Nebraska at eight, which seems reasonable if not a little low. Assuming the Huskers can defend home field and find a way to get a couple on the road between Minnesota, Purdue, and Maryland, I think nine wins is certainly attainable.

Given how murky the West is this year, that could be enough to get them back to Indianapolis for the first time since 2012.

Adrian Martinez and JD Spielman are two names Badgers fans know from their respective performances inside Camp Randall Stadium last season. What will they bring to the team this fall, and which one or two other returners on either side of the ball could be critical to Nebraska's success?

Robin Washut: As you would expect, those two are going to be the faces of the program, particularly Martinez. Martinez is regarded not only as arguably the best quarterback in the Big Ten entering the season, but he’s also one of the favorites in the early Heisman Trophy odds. Nebraska will go as far as he takes them this year.

As for Spielman, he’s got a chance to end his Husker career as the most productive wide receiver in program history. As he showed last year in Madison, he’s got the ability to put up huge numbers, and he will undoubtedly be the go-to target in the passing game.

The question with him is how he’s going to fare as the No. 1 receiver now that Stanley Morgan Jr. - who currently holds pretty much every NU receiving record - has moved on to the NFL?

Other returners to watch on offense are tackles Brenden Jaimes and Matt Farniok, who will anchor the offensive line, and tight end Jack Stoll could be in for a big jump in production in 2019.

On defense, inside linebacker Mohamed Barry is the heart and soul of the unit, and the defensive line returns the majority of its two-deep. The secondary should also be better, as cornerbacks Lamar Jackson and Dicaprio Bootle return and a strong group of young talent looks ready to make an immediate impact.

Gone is Devine Ozigbo, who is now with the New Orleans Saints. Which other key contributors departed the program from last season, and who will have to step up to pick up the slack? Are there any areas of concern heading into fall camp?

Robin Washut: Replacing Ozigbo is a big task, but Nebraska does return running back Maurice Washington, who showed impressive flashes as a true freshman last year. However, Washington was essentially held out of spring ball (he got very limited work) while he deals with an on-going court case in California involving a felony charge. That issue remains unresolved, so it’s hard to say what Washington’s football future holds right now.

After Washington, Nebraska returns just two other scholarship running backs from last season in sophomore Jaylin Bradley and former walk-on Wyatt Mazour, neither of whom have played any noteworthy snaps.

However, the Huskers did bring in some help this offseason, most notably former Georgia Tech and JUCO transfer Dedrick Mills, who many expect to compete for a starting spot this fall. Incoming freshmen Rahmir Johnson and Ronald Thompkins will also join the mix in fall camp. Had it not been for a season-ending knee injury last year, some think Thompkins could have been one of the nation’s top running back recruits.

Nebraska will probably also have to get creative with its carry distribution, meaning Adrian Martinez (the team’s second-leading rusher last year) could remain a big part of the run game and receivers like JD Spielman, Wan’Dale Robinson, and Miles Jones could also be more involved as runners.

Which one or two players were surprises during spring ball and could find themselves with extended fall camp reps or a role on this team once the season starts?

Robin Washut: On offense, I’ll go with offensive lineman Trent Hixson. He’s a walk-on who started opening some eyes last season in practice but never played, and that carried over into the spring where he’s now being viewed as the projected starter at left guard. I expect him to earn a scholarship by the end of fall camp and be a key piece on Nebraska’s offensive line this season.

On defense, safety Marquel Dismuke looks primed to take over as one of the starters at a position that lost both No. 1 players from last season. He’s a guy that was recruited by the previous staff who was the first piece of NU’s “Calibraska” recruiting movement that ended up being a major flop.

To his credit, while most of his California buddies jumped ship after the coaching change, Dismuke stuck with it and is now set to be a fixture in the Huskers’ secondary.

What is your seasonal prediction for Nebraska? Can they compete in the Big Ten West for a chance to go to Indianapolis for the first time since 2012?

I think winning the Big Ten West is definitely in the cards because of the aforementioned reasons above. They have the coach, the quarterback, and the schedule for this to be a big year.

The key is going to be how a team that’s fallen so far short of expectations for so many years can handle that level of pressure to succeed? There are still some important questions left to answer before Aug. 31, but assuming everything goes the way they hope, the Huskers should be a top contender in the West.