vailhusker said:

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Pepe Silvia said:

If the ISU AD is being truthful, the big 12 schools are struggling to pay for the revenue sharing, so they might be just that desperate

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vailhusker said:

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Kazman5k said:

Whoever wrote this article should be shot

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Tonkasker said:

Never seen a more disinterested fanbase than Cincy. If we win there will be nobody to dunk on. If we lose nobody will gloat

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Kaladin said:

1 day 12 hours

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Carm said:

The wait is almost over. Nebraska and Cincinnati square off on Thursday to open the 2025 season. A packed house at Arrowhead Stadium will get the first look at two vastly improved rosters.

HuskerOnline spoke with Scott Springer of The Cincinnati Enquirer to get his thoughts on the matchup. Springer broke down Brendan Sorsby’s skill set, the Bearcats’ defensive improvements and gave his score prediction for the game.

Here’s an expert view on Cincinnati:

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How dangerous is QB Brendan Sorsby with his legs?​

They do run him by design a lot, but if it’s a pass play, he has the ability to turn a nothing play into something just with his leg skills. He’s faster and stronger and just a tough kid that doesn’t mind running the football. If they can contain him and keep Sorsby out of the end zone, then they’ve really done something. That’s where he was pretty strong last year, and that’s where a lot of the running plays went.

He’s tough running the ball, and he’ll admit to a fault sometimes that maybe he should slide. But he’s 6-foot-3 and 235 pounds himself. It’s just not his MO to slide. So he’ll try to take it into the end zone. He’s a definite running threat when there’s no one open. If you follow Scott Satterfield’s offenses over the years, they do run the quarterback. They are designed runs at times so it’s not just a guy running for his life.

What makes Dontay Corleone so dominant?​

His emotional leadership, his physical ability, he’s tough to describe. They list him at 6-foot-1, and that might be pushing it. I’m about 6-foot, and look him straight in the eye. But beyond that, that’s the end of our comparisons, because he’s 330 pounds and has massive hands and a size 18 shoe. It’s like looking at the Incredible Hulk in front of you. He’s not maybe as tall as you might think, but he gets a push. He’s typically double-teamed, sometimes triple-teamed.

The upside of this year’s defensive line is that they got some pretty good transfers. There are two guys that probably were slated to start last year, Jalen Huntand Mikah Coleman, who were injured and missed the season. Cincinnati took some big hits on the defensive line last year, and they were playing a lot of guys, so those guys are all healthy for now. That’s an upside.

What can Dylan Raiola and company expect from Cincinnati’s defense?​

In the 3-3-5 defense, you’re not going to see a ton of quarterback pressure from the D-linemen. One of them may slip through, but most of your sacks are probably going to come from a blitzing linebacker or someone from the backfield. The other part about the Cincinnati defense, it’s the first time some of these guys have had the same defensive coordinator in back-to-back years. Tyson Veidt came from Cockeye State, so it’s the second year with Veidt running this and they’re more in tune with it.

They definitely have more skilled players, particularly in the secondary. They just need to make some plays and not get torched. The linebackers are pretty strong. But this is a tough test for your opening game.

How will Cincinnati handle the Nebraska-heavy crowd at Arrowhead?​

They did play some big night games last year. They went to Texas Tech, which is not the size of Arrowhead, but it was a packed house and they were throwing their tortillas. It was a 44-41 score fest and they more than held their own there. And that was actually one of Sorsby’s better games throwing the ball.

I think Sorsby will be fine. What remains to be seen is with some of these guys that came from smaller schools. How will Jeff Caldwell from Lindenwood react to that? The Big 12 stadiums are decently sized, but I think everyone is fascinated with the fact that it’s Arrowhead. The Super Bowl champs. Patrick Mahomes and Raiola have a relationship. Travis Kelce is a Bearcat. So the whole thing is interesting. But yeah, it’s going to be tough sledding for the Bearcats. I think they have a chance. Would I be shocked if they won? No. Am I picking them to win? No. It doesn’t make any sense to.

What is your score prediction for Nebraska vs. Cincinnati?​

I’ve heard some people think it might be high-scoring. I’m not so sure. I’m leaning more toward 24-21 Nebraska with Cincinnati covering the spread. I think -6.5 was a fair spread based on where it’s at. I mean, Nebraska fans have a little over three hours to drive. If you’re coming from Cincinnati in your car it’s nine. Big difference there, and Nebraska would travel anyway.

There’s a lot we don’t know about either team right now. Based on all those factors, I just think Nebraska by a field goal.

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nscottie said:

That score prediction is going to trigger some people here

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