Casey Thompson, Scott Frost reveal Nebraska offense's confidence level vs Northwestern

With Nebraska set to kick off the college football season against Northwestern on Saturday, coach Scott Frost can already notice a difference in his offense.

The Cornhuskers retooled their roster this offseason, bringing in several players from the transfer portal. Frost believes those additions have not only improved the talent of the offense, but also the group’s overall mindset heading into 2022.

“It’s a confident group right now and I point to some of the new guys for that,” the coach said Sunday. “I think one of the best things about the changes that have been made is we’ve added a lot of really confident guys. I’d point to Trey Palmer, Marcus Washington. Some of those guys are almost confident to a fault. Our offense needed a little injection of that. I think the coaches have done a good job with that, too. It has a little bit of a different feel to it. I wouldn’t say the Xs and Os identity has changed a lot, but maybe the overall attitude has.”

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One of those transfers is quarterback Casey Thompson, who arrives in Lincoln after starting 10 games at Texas in 2021. He’ll have a familiar face to throw to in Washington, his teammate on the Longhorns the past three seasons. Palmer, an LSU transfer, totaled 30 catches for 344 yards and three touchdowns with the Tigers this past season.

Much of the Cornuskers’ extra confidence this season comes from Thompson, who has exuded nothing but throughout fall camp. The Nebraska quarterback explained Sunday where that belief comes from while also addressing his mindset heading into game week against Northwestern.

“I think the confidence comes from our training,” he said. “There’s a saying that says, ‘You don’t rise to the level of the occasion, you fall back on your training.’ Today is Sunday. We’re six days out and I have complete confidence in this game plan, the offense and the coaching staff. Just trying to keep everybody positive and relaxed. We had a really good practice today. Almost no mistakes on the whole day. Whether that was against the defense or the scouts, the game plan is really good and solid right now. We had a practice yesterday where we went over 90-100 plays and we didn’t have many repeats or mistakes. I think the guys have a lot of confidence right now.

“Me as a quarterback, I just try to keep them positive and encourage them. After practice today, just trying to talk to the receivers and letting them know we had a good practice. Talk to the O-line and let them know we had a good practice. Encouraging the guys when we have to do sprints after practice that this is gonna help us for the game and ultimately the season. When we get over there, the main thing on game day is my confidence and poise and body language. Just showing the rest of the team and the offense that we’ve been here before. We practiced. We’re all prepared. Just go out there and have fun and play the game.”

The Cornhuskers have yet to enjoy a winning record in four years under Frost, making this year especially pivotal for the coach’s future with the program. But with the added confidence and talent, they feel up to the challenge.

Nebraska is set to kick off against Northwestern at 12:30 p.m. ET Saturday in Dublin, Ireland.