Seven things to watch out for when Colorado plays Nebraska

 

It’s finally here.

The Huskers are in Boulder for the first time in 10 years.

If you’d rather have a ticket than $300, we’ll see you at Folsom. If not, you can watch the game on FOX at 1:30 MT.

Here are the key storylines:

How does Nebraska defend Laviska Shenault?

That’s the big question.

Colorado State was not going to let star wide receiver Laviska Shenault win Colorado the game. They double-teamed him. They held him. They ground him out of the game.

But Colorado still won.

Senior wide receiver Tony Brown stepped up with three receptions for 71 yards. Tight ends contributed 68 more, after adding virtually nothing in the passing game in the 2018 season. The running game was effective as well.

Shenault only spent half of the offensive snaps on the field.

Colorado’s offense proved it has the weapons to produce even when their star is on the sideline or when he is taken out of the game by multiple defenders. At least against a middling-at-best Mountain West squad.

On Saturday we’ll see whether Nebraska saw enough from the rest of Colorado’s skill position players to give Shenault a little more room to breathe than the Rams did.

This will be one of the major storylines through the first half of the Buffs schedule. Teams will commit different levels of attention to Shenault to find the right defensive balance against the Colorado offense.

I expect Nebraska to give one-on-one matchups to the skill position players who aren’t Shenault. The other seven defenders will be split between Shenault and the pass rush.

Does Adrian Martinez step up?

Adrian Martinez didn’t live up to the hype in Week 1.

The sophomore dual-threat quarterback saw his Heisman odds drop from +1200 to +4100 after completing just 13 of 22 passes for 178 yards. He threw an interception but no touchdowns.

Martinez’s calling card is his running ability, but South Alabama largely kept the second-year starter under wraps. His longest run was 10 yards.

Now Martinez will face a Pac-12 program rather than a Sun Belt school.

Colorado struggled to defend the edges in its season-opener, which is what Nebraska will try to attack. The defensive line needs to bottle Martinez up in the pocket otherwise he’ll wreak havoc and that will open up passing lanes.

If the Buffs can stay disciplined and keep Martinez behind the line of scrimmage, they’ll be taking a huge step toward a second-straight win over the Huskers.

Is Alex Fontenot for real?

We didn’t know what the Buffs’ running back rotation would look like entering the season.

Now we have some semblance of an idea.

Everything that happened in the Rocky Mountain Showdown should be taken with a grain of salt. Colorado will likely use the star and money positions more than they did Week 1. Who knows if it’ll rely on two-tight end sets moving forward?

Alex Fontenot took the lion’s share of the reps at running back, including 19 of the group’s 32 carries. And he showed why.

Fontenot, a sophomore, averaged 6.6 yards per attempt on his way to 125 yards and three touchdowns. If he bounces off Nebraska’s tacklers the way he did Colorado State’s, he could be moving toward a bell-cow role.

But that’s a big if.

Fontenot is more speed than power, so the rise in level of competition could limit his ability to out-muscle his opponents.

That’s far from a guarantee though.

What’s the difference between the fourth quarter and the first?

Neither team has put much on tape.

Nebraska played a cupcake in Week 1 and Colorado had a severe talent advantage as well. That meant both could keep their gameplans vanilla and still run away with victories.

Now, neither knows what to expect from the other.

Colorado may have an advantage since this is year two of the Scott Frost tenure in Lincoln, but even that may not mean too much.

Mel Tucker called the Rocky Mountain Showdown a “rules game,” meaning his defense was going to go by the book. They were going to match personnel, call coverages based on how the offense lined up and just go by what their rules dictate in the given situation. All science, no art.

The same will likely be true this week since Nebraska will show looks they haven’t yet put on tape.

That means, as the game goes on, both teams will need to adjust to what they see out of the other on the fly. The coaches don’t have a full week of meetings and practices to break down for their players what the other team is trying to do. They’ll have to digest what they see on the sideline and come up with a way to stop it.

And don’t forget they’ll have to communicate those adjustments to a bunch of 20-year-olds.

Saturday will be a chess match between Scott Frost and Mel Tucker.

What happens with Jacob Callier?

Nebraska fans have been loud this week and nobody has gotten more hate than sophomore outside linebacker Jacob Callier.

Last year, Nebraska quarterback Adrian Martinez left the game against Colorado with a leg injury. Callier made first contact with Martinez, and Nebraska fans say he twisted Martinez’s leg at the end of the play.

Take a look for yourself:

Whether you think there was an intentional twist or not doesn’t matter; Nebraska sees one.

Husker fans have been calling for cheap shots on Callier on social media this week and the Huskers themselves say they haven’t forgotten the play.

“There’s a target on their head,” Nebraska defensive back Cam Taylor-Britt said.

Callier didn’t see the field much in the Rocky Mountain Showdown, so his safety may not actually be in jeopardy. He’s still listed second on the depth chart behind Alex Tchangham at outside linebacker.

But whenever Callier sees the field, make sure to keep an eye on him.

How many Husker fans are at Folsom?

The Buffs don’t want to see red at Folsom.

CU spent extra time on the ticketing process to ensure they wouldn’t end up in Huskers’ hands. That’s the main reason the game didn’t actually sell out until Friday night.

The school is optimistic they’ll keep Nebraska to 15,000 fans or fewer, but don’t be surprised if the number creeps toward half of the 53,000 seats. Outside of the stadium, expect to see red everywhere.

Does the Havoc Belt make an appearance?

Last week, Colorado’s defense debuted the “Turnover Robe.”

After every turnover, whoever forced it is draped in a custom boxing robe and a strength coach holds a punching bag in front of him. The turnover-forcer throws a few jabs at the bag and hypes up the squad.

But the Buffs also have a “Havoc Belt.”

The belt is given to a defender who forces a “havoc play,” like a tackle for loss or a sack. Colorado may have debuted it during the Rocky Mountain Showdown but I never saw it.

Expect to see them break out the belt at some point in their game against Nebraska.

Bonus: The BSN-BST Tailgate

BSN Denver is partnering with Blake Street Tavern to host an on-campus tailgate before every home Buffs game this season.

The tailgate will be located on the west side of Franklin Field. Come hang out with the BSN and BST crews starting at 8 a.m.