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Rob Zatechka, M.D. |
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Chad Kelsay and Lisa Runco |
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Jeff Hill, M.D. |
But all three picked NU wins and with the Huskers’ 35-12 victory, the team and our panel members all moved to 2-0 on the season.
This week Nebraska hosts the Aggies of New Mexico State. It will be New Mexico State’s season opener.
Below, our panel members — NU superfan Lisa Runco of the internal medicine department (with her teammate, former Husker football star Chad Kelsay), Jeffrey Hill, M.D., associate dean for admissions and student affairs (an NU split end in the 1970s), and anesthesiology professor Rob Zatechka, M.D. (an offensive lineman for the Huskers in the 1990s) — weigh on this week’s match up.
Dr. Zatechka says: “Hopefully the first three quarters of last week’s game represented a ‘post-first game’ letdown. I think the Huskers will shore up the mental mistakes that plagued them for much of the San Jose State game. Their performance in the fourth quarter should be more representative of them as a team. New Mexico State is not a bad team but lacks some of the athleticism possessed by San Jose. . Look for Nebraska’s defense to give up some yards again this week as they try to work out the final kinks in their starting lineup now that (starting defensive end) Barry Turner is out for the season. I do think they will keep the Aggies out of the end zone, however. On offense, look for a slow start as the Huskers feel out the Aggies 3-3-5 style of defense, which is a bit unconventional. The ever-developing running game will hopefully feature (I-back Roy) Helu more and continue to improve this week against a defense designed to stop wide open passing offenses.” NU 42, New Mexico State 10
Runco and Kelsay say: “Let’s go with a good old fashioned butt-whoopin’! NU’s 2-0, although people like to complain about how the team has looked so far. Look for the Huskers to put up a lot of points. We believe the running game will continue to progress and we’d love to see Helu get more carries. He has the intangibles to be a star. We believe (quarterback Joe) Ganz will bounce back from a down week last week and put up big numbers this week against a poor defense. The NMS offense can play well. Their quarterback passed for more than 3,800 yards last year and had 26 touchdowns. While public opinion may vary, our D actually played pretty well last week outside of the initial drive. We only gave up 12 points, and played outstanding in the red-zone. All in all, this should be, and really needs to be, a big win for NU. Then it’s a week off to prepare for a true test in VA Tech on Sept 27.” NU 51, New Mexico State 13
Dr. Hill says: “This is the last week of easy picks. The Huskers should put four quarters together. They will not be looking ahead to their Sept. 27 game against Virginia Tech.” NU 38, New Mexico State 14
We’ll check back with our panel in two weeks to get their predictions on NU’s Sept. 27 game against Virginia Tech.