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While Illinois coach Bret Bielema seemed relaxed in talking
about his team ahead of its season and Big Ten Conference opener
Saturday against visiting Nebraska, Cornhuskers coach Scott
Frost appeared to have taken a page from the Bill Belichick book
of media relations.
After three years at Nebraska, Frost is 12-20. That's not going
to work in many places, and particularly so in Lincoln, where
most fans still believe the Cornhuskers are an elite program
even though they haven't been one for more than a decade.
Asked about his team's depth chart for the season opener,
Frost's response was, "We are just getting ready for that first
game. No depth chart."
On the other side of that matchup, Bielema was downright
expansive when asked about his quarterback, Brandon Peters.
"I've been in the NFL for three years, and I would say he has
that caliber of arm," Bielema said in affirming Peters would get
the call. "Just as far as a 10-yard out route to a 60-yard post,
he has all of the throws.
"It's just whether or not he can make them to the right person
at the right time in the right situation."
More often than not, the answer last year was no. Peters
connected on just 39 of 80 passes during the Fighting Illini's
truncated 2-6 season. He missed three games due to COVID-19
protocol in what turned into a lost season for the program,
leading to the departure of Lovie Smith and the arrival of
Bielema just before Christmas.
Bielema piloted Wisconsin to a 68-24 record from 2006-12,
winning three straight Big Ten titles and the conference's first
two championship games. While he didn't experience that kind of
success from 2013-17 at Arkansas, his hiring by Illinois was
mostly seen as a good fit.
Then again, Frost's hiring at Nebraska after taking UCF to a
perfect season in 2017 was also viewed as a home run hire by
some. However, the Cornhuskers have mixed in more strikeouts
than long balls during his tenure.
One of the more embarrassing whiffs came last November in
Lincoln, when the Illini came into town and never trailed in a
41-23 blowout that wasn't all that close. And now Nebraska has
to figure out just what Illinois might do with a new coaching
staff.
"All we can do is guess, so we are just doing the best we can to
prepare for the game," Frost said.
One known quantity with the Cornhuskers is quarterback Adrian
Martinez, who at his best can bedevil a defense with his arm and
feet. Martinez has compiled 842 total yards, including 661 in
the air, in three career starts against the Illini.
--Field Level Media
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