Ivan Maisel reveals how much Week 0 really means for Nebraska

Nebraska and Northwestern’s Week 0 showdown in Ireland is one of the marquee events of the first weekend of college football action, but On3’s Ivan Maisel is not planning on making much of Huskers performance so early in the season. Speaking with On3’s J.D. PicKell, Maisel explained that win or lose, one game — especially one played a week before the traditional opening weekend — is not going to be very representative.

What Maisel is looking out for is the play of new Nebraska quarterback Casey Thompson — a transfer from Texas — under new offensive coordinator Mark Whipple. Whipple has a track record of getting quarterbacks to play their best and the opener against the Wildcats will be the first real indication as to whether the Nebraska and head coach Scott Frost, surely on a hot seat, have got the goods on offense and at quarterback.

“J.D., you know, we’re all so anxious to see football,” Maisel said, “but I’m trying not to put too much on game one. Let’s see. I’m really curious as to how Mark Whipple, the new OC, does with Casey Thompson, the new quarterback. One number that really struck me is, in Whipple’s two years at Pitt, Kenny Pickett averaged 306 passing yards a game. That’s a number Adrian Martinez hit only once in the last two years. So, the Nebraska offense will get a shot of adrenaline. Mark Whipple’s got an impeccable record as a quarterback whisperer. And the Northwestern defense struggled last year.”

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In 2021 at Pitt, with Pickett running the show, the Panthers threw for nearly 340 yards a game — one of the 10 best in the country last year. While Whipple doesn’t have Pickett this time around (or Jordan Addison), Thompson is a very capable quarterback.

Thompson passed for 2442 yards during his Longhorns career, adding 30 touchdowns and nine interceptions. Most of that production came last season when he played in 12 games, throwing for 2113 yards and 24 touchdowns — and all nine of his career picks.

And, as Maisel noted, Nebraska faces a Northwestern team that did not have a stout defense a year ago. The Wildcats had the 89th-ranked scoring defense in 2021, allowing 29 points a contest.

There will be a lot to watch for and a lot to learn come Saturday at 12:30 p.m., but Maisel doesn’t think the result in Dublin will be definitive for Nebraska.

“So, I hesitate to put too much emphasis on Week 1 for anybody,” Maisel said, “But I’m really trying to put the brakes on with the Huskers.”