The 2022 Big Ten football season kicks off in Ireland on Saturday when Nebraska takes on Northwestern. Kickoff is scheduled for 12:30 pm ET.
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Both teams enter the season with 3-9 records. The Huskers will have a new quarterback in former Texas quarterback Casey Thompson, who played in 12 games and threw for 2,113 yards and 24 touchdowns.
Who: Nebraska vs. Northwest.
When: Saturday, August 27, 2022.
Weather: 12:30 p.m. Eastern time.
Where: Aviva Stadium, Dublin, Ireland (51,700).
TV: FOX.
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last line: Nebraska-12.
announcers: Jason Benetti and Brock Huard.
Read some of what the Associated Press’s Ken Maguire wrote about the Huskers preparing for a Northwestern team that has yet to name its starting quarterback.
Nebraska’s defense knows Ryan Hilinski from last season, but is also preparing for an upset or two at quarterback against Northwestern in the Irish capital on Saturday.
Wildcats coach Pat Fitzgerald hasn’t named a starter for the season opener and this week declined to talk about quarterbacks: “I’m not going to tell them anything.”
The Huskers say they will be ready.
“We know they’re going to have some surprises in store for us, some different personnel groupings, it could be two quarterbacks playing, it could be a surprise starter, we don’t know, but we’re ready for everyone,” defensive coordinator. Erik Chinander said Wednesday after practice.
The Big Ten showdown is the first regular season international college football game in five years.
The coaches won’t admit it, but “the craic” (friendly talk in Irish) among the 13,000 American fans who made the trip is that the game is practically win-win territory already, especially for the Huskers and coach scott frost.
Both teams went 3-9 last year. Nebraska hasn’t won since beating Northwestern 56-7 at Lincoln last October. Six consecutive losses. The Wildcats have also lost six straight games, but Fitzgerald has a long-term contract and the full support of his alma mater.
Hilinski made five starts last season as a sophomore and threw for 978 yards but completed just 54% of his passes. In nine appearances, he threw for three touchdowns and four interceptions. He also had a costly fumble in the loss to the Huskers.
Redshirt freshman Brendan Sullivan is also a possibility, though neither he nor Hilinski are threats.
“We’ve worked really hard on a lot of the lopsided stuff from the last two (Northwestern) years, a lot of the quarterback runs,” Chinander said. “We’ll see, are they going to put someone else in for the quarterback runs? Are they going to do it with wildcat? We have worked very hard on both.”
RUN DOWNHILL
Evan Hull rushed for 1,009 yards last season at 5.1 yards per carry, so keeping him involved will be vital to Northwestern’s chances. He was boasting to the entire corridor room.
“We all have our different strengths, for sure, and I think that’s what makes our group so dangerous,” Hull said. Andrew Clair “runs with attitude towards him. He can also bring the boom.”
Northwestern’s defense couldn’t stop anyone on the ground last season. The Wildcats allowed 213 rushing yards per game, worst in the Big Ten, including 427 to Nebraska.
Gabe Ervin Jr. said the Huskers’ running backs are eager to get started: “We’re here to run the ball downhill, down the throat, on each and every play we get the ball on.”
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