Husker Doc Talk

Everyone in Husker Nation is pumped up because Nebraska is unbeaten and back in the top 10 for the first time since 2011. Have the glory days returned? It's too early to tell, but the ride so far has been a lot of fun.
In this week's Husker DocTalk Podcast presented by the Rimington Trophy, Dr. Rob Zatechka, and Travis Justice both agree Nebraska deserves to be ranked as high as it is. The conversation early in the podcast focuses on the Huskers ranking and the parity in college football, or that lack thereof it. Don't get us wrong; there is a parody but just not at the top and this isn't anything that new.
From here on out, the road gets tougher and the competition stiffer, starting Saturday at Indiana. Yes, the Hoosiers aren't a powerhouse but they can put up points, and their defense is improved. Notice we said improved, not great. As we discuss in depth in this podcast, the line between winning and losing for Nebraska can be very thin. For proof look at Exhibit A which is the 2015 season.
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Follow Dr. Rob on Twitter; his handle is @DocTalkSports. 
Make sure to get all your Husker gear at Husker Hounds, now with three locations in the Omaha area. And for up-to-date Husker news, get it at HuskerMax.com.

The Huskers are limping into the off week. The time off will give the players a little time to heal before the head to Indiana next week. God! Who would have ever thought that Nebraska at Indiana might be a good game? We didn't and we'll talk more about that next week.
In this edition of the Husker Doc Talk Podcast presented by the Rimington Trophy.  Dr. Rob Zatechka and Travis Justice talk about the 5-0 start Nebraska is off to and are the Huskers as good as their record says? 
Dr. Rob will tell you what he likes and does not like about Nebraska at this point in the season. Plus general football talk with some beer mixed in!
Make sure to follow Dr. Rob on Twitter, @DocTalkSports and feel free to leave your comments in the section below. If you would be so kind, rate and review this podcast on iTunes as well as Podbean.  We think it's good, but it would be nice know others do as well.

This Rimington Trophy Doc  Talk podcast goes in a lot of directions so be prepared for the roller coaster.  About halfway through, Dr. Rob got the news that his position coach, Milt Tenopir passed away.  You can't hear in his voice, but Rob is visibly shaken when talking about Milt. It's easy to listen to Dr. Rob (as with many others) and get a feel for how much Milt meant to him, the football program, and the state of Nebraska. At first, Dr. Rob didn't want to talk about Milt's death; I'm so glad he decided to, and I know you will be as well.
We start off the podcast talking about social justice, or injustice depends on how you feel about people and in this case three Huskers not standing for the national anthem.  Now you are probably thinking, what can and two middle-aged white guys offer to the conversation?  Think we go pretty deep into the subject, and we don't' pussyfoot around Michael Rose-Ivey's statement from Monday. We would love to hear your thoughts, (good and bad) however no racists comments will be allowed.
We finally get around to talking about this week's game with Illinois.  Where does Nebraska stack up in the Big 10 West? Are the Huskers in the driver's seat? We try and answer these questions over the course of the hour.
Going to the game on Saturday? Before you head to Lincoln, be sure to buy the best Big Red gear at Husker Hounds. When you are looking for the most up-to-date Husker news 24-hours a day, visit our favorite website, HuskerMax.com.

Nebraska is coming off what could be the biggest win of the Mike Riley era. The Huskers are ranked in the top 25 for the first time since 2014. The fan base is excited; the team has confidence. So it's natural to look at this week's game against Northwestern as a trap!
In this Husker Doc Talk Podcast presented by The Rimington Trophy, Dr. Rob Zatechka, and Travis Justice talk about the trap game which is even worse for Dr. Rob because the Huskers are wearing the "alternative" all-white uniforms. Speaking of the alternative uniform's, make sure to get your gear at Husker Hounds! Now with three locations in Omaha, Husker Hounds is the best place to get your classic and alternative Husker gear.
Historically Nebraska and Northwestern have played very close games. Four of the last five games have been decided by three points or less since Nebraska joined the Big 10 Conference. The Huskers have NEVER lost in Evanston as a member of the Big 10.
If you are wondering how you should bet on the game, we get our information from Nebraska native and now longtime Vegas handicapper Scott Spreitzer who gives us the following nuggets to chew on:
Nebraska 11-3 ATS in last 14 road games.
Mike Riley coached teams:  13-3 ATS against teams that allow opponents to complete at least 62% of their passes.  Northwestern has allowed 83 of 126, 66% completion rate thus far.
Mike Riley coached teams are 9-1 ATS on the road against teams that average no more than 3.25 yards per carry.  Northwestern fits the bill there, also.  Riley's teams outscored the ten opponents by an average of 32-16.
Northwestern 7-16 ATS last 23 home.  In fact, NW is 4-13 ATS at home against teams that outscore their opp's by at least 10 ppg on average.  Nebraska's average margin of victory is 24 ppg.
Trap game? Depends on how you look at it. As the conference season gets started, it's safe to say that the Huskers appear to be in the driver's seat for the Big 10 West Division.
Leave your thoughts in the comments section below and make sure to follow us on Twitter, @doctalksports.

The big question facing the Huskers this week, how to beat Oregon? For this kind of knowledge, it takes a Doctor to figure it out (okay maybe not), and that's why you are listening to this week's Husker DocTalk Podcast presented by the Rimington Trophy.
This week, Dr. Rob Zatechka goes deep into this showdown against the Ducks by stating the obvious. Yes, the obvious!  Sometimes we get caught up in over-analyzing  X's and O's, schemes, personnel, and we forget to look at the basic stuff that wins football games.  The ability to run the football.  Not turning the ball over on offense and creating turnovers on defense.  
Yes, Oregon has speed. Yes, Oregon has athletes.  Yes, Oregon has cool Nike uniforms.  Yes, Oregon will score fast and a lot.  But the Quack attack as flaws and they haven't been tested to this point at this stage in the season. It will be interesting to see how graduate transfer quarterback playing on a HUGE stage in a hostile environment will handle the pressure. 
We know, or at least we think we know that the Huskers will put up points on offense.  The question is, what is the total the Blackshirts have to the Ducks at to get a win?  Dr. Rob tells you what he thinks that point total is.
Also, in this podcast we talk about a great beer we are drinking this week!  Listen to find out and then go out and try it!
Don't forget to pick up you Husker gear at one of three Husker Hounds locations in the Omaha area.  Live out of town? Order online at HuskerHounds.com.
Please follow Dr. Rob on Twitter, @DocTalkSports and remembers to leave comments about this below.
Thanks for listening and we will talk to you next week! 

It's turning into a football cliche'; the most improvement for a team is made between the first game and the second game.
After beating Fresno State 43-10 in the season opener, it may not seem like the Huskers need a lot of improvement. In this week's Husker Doc Talk Podcast presented by the Rimington Trophy, Dr. Rob Zatechka talks about the fine-tuning the Huskers can make as they get ready for Wyoming. 
Speaking of Wyoming, Saturday marks the return to Lincoln for Cowboys Head Coach Craig Bohl.  Bohl is a Lincoln native and a former Nebraska coach; he was fired after the 2002 season.  Bohl is in his third season at Wyoming and has a 7-18 record. The Huskers have never lost to Wyoming in seven previous match-ups. 
This week's Rimington Trophy spotlight shines on Husker center Dylan Utter; the senior captain is anchoring the offensive line. Not bad for a kid who started his career as a walk-on.  
We like to drink beer when we record this podcast. This week we drink a "Big Red" can of brew.  It's the Flanders Red from Destihl Brewing. This craft brew is part of their Wild Sour Series and packs a punch that will leave a mark!
Need Husker gear for the game? Need Husker gear for a gift? Look no further than Husker Hounds, now with three locations in the Omaha area including the new store at 149th and Maple.
Make sure visit HuskerMax.com on a daily basis when you need up-to-date information on the Big Red. 
Please share this podcast with your friends and make sure to follow Dr. Rob on Twitter, @DocTalkSports.
Please leave your comments in the section below, we like to hear what you think about this podcast and the state of the Nebraska program.

We have arrived! Finally, it's game week, and the Huskers kick everything off on Saturday against Fresno State. Thanks for choosing to listen to the Husker Doc Talk Podcast presented by the Rimington Trophy.
Seniors Brandon Reilley and Nate Gerry are suspended for the first game, but that has little effect on the Huskers being a 29-point favorite against the Bulldogs.
There are a lot of unknowns about Fresno State as it has a lot of new players on offense and a new offensive coordinator.  The Bulldogs hope to establish a running game with the return of Dontel James who's back from knee surgery.  Look for a fast paced tempo from  Fresno, last season it had a hard time creating an identity last year and scoring points.
The Blackshirts have been handed out, 13 to start the season and all eyes will be on them. Can Nebraska stop the big play? The answer to that question last year was no.
Offensively all eyes will be on Tommie Armstrong and his ability to make good decisions in the passing game.  If he goes the entire game without throwing an interception, that in itself is a victory! 
Travis Justice and Dr. Rob Zatechka discuss these topics and more in this week's podcast. 
Before you head down to the game, make sure to stop and one three Husker Hounds locations in Omaha including the new store at 149th and Maple. If you can't get to Omaha, order online at HuskerHounds.com and show your Big Red Pride.
Thanks to HuskerMax for distributing the podcast, HuskerMax is THE best place to get up-to-day Husker news. 
Are you on social media? Follow Dr. Rob on Twitter, @DocTalkSports. Feel free to ask questions, give compliments, or fire insults.
Have comments about this weeks podcast? Leave them in the comment box below. 

The last thing the Huskers wanted was injuries on the offensive line before the season even started. Jerald Foster is out for the season, and Corey Whitaker finds himself healing on the sideline as well.
In this week's Husker Doc Talk Podcast presented by the Rimington Trophy, Dr. Rob Zatechka, and Travis Justice discuss the ramifications of the injuries and impact if any they will have on the offensive line. 
Also, Dr. Rob has never been a big fan of the all white uniforms. When Adidas and Nebraska unveiled the alternate uniform for the 2016 season, you can imagine how that went over with him. In a spirited discussion, Travis and Dr. Rob talk about the fashion statement and if the continued emphasis on the way teams "look" really adds up to winning games and winning recruits.
Speaking of the new uniforms the Huskers will wear, the jersey's and helmets will be in all three Husker Hounds stores by the end of August. Husker Hounds is a sponsor of this podcast and now has three locations in the Omaha area. It's THE place to shop for your Husker gear. 
We want to thank HuskerMax for distributing this podcast.  Also, make sure to follow us on Twitter @DocTalkSports.   Feel free to leave your comments below.  We'll be back next week to talk about the season opener against Fresno State.