Big Ten Preview: Three Keys To Success In The Legends Division

Minnesota QB Philip Nelson survived last season as a true freshman. Now he will try to guide the Gophers to their second consecutive bowl game. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

Minnesota Gophers

1. Sweep the non-conference schedule: With four perfectly winnable games, the Gophers need to take advantage of a fairly easy non-conference schedule. Doing do means Minnesota needs only two conference wins to return to a bowl game.
2. Stand your ground: It’s no surprise to see a team pursue junior college help after getting exposed in the previous season. That’s what happened to Minnesota along the front seven – specifically at linebacker. The Gophers allowed an average of 191.7 rushing yards against Big Ten opponents. LBs De’Vondre Campbell and Damien Wilson will be counted upon to help sure up the defense.
3. Grow up: Minnesota boasts a talented offensive line but needs significant progress from QB Philip Nelson and a run game that, at times, teased a turn toward consistency. Nelson started the season headed toward a redshirt and, after coach Jerry Kill’s midseason change of heart, finished with seven starts, including a bowl game. The maturation process of Nelson will be pivotal. The Gophers leaned heavily upon RBs Donnell Kirkwood and Rodrick Williams while breaking in Nelson. Both are back and would like to take the next step.

Nebraska Cornhuskers

1. Get defensive: Coach Bo Pelini built his reputation as a hard-nosed, fiery defensive type built from the same mold as a Will Muschamp. Big Red fans have grown tired of seeing Pelini’s defenses getting lit up as they did in losses to Wisconsin in the Big Ten Championship Game and Georgia in the Capital One Bowl. Nobody in Lincoln is ready to forget that a once-proud defense – as recently as three years ago behind DT Ndomukong Suh – surrendered 36 points to UCLA, 63 to Ohio State, 70 to Wisconsin and 45 to Georgia. Plenty of talent returns in the secondary, but a woefully inexperienced front seven could pose problems unless defensive coordinator John Papuchis performs a minor miracle.
2. Turn Taylor loose: Perhaps the most encouraging sign from Nebraska’s 2012 season was the significant throwing progress of QB Taylor Martinez. Since he lit up Kansas State’s defense as a true freshman in 2010, nobody has questioned Martinez’ running and playmaking ability. He showed little polish as a passer, though, until last season. The rising senior set career-best marks in passing yardage, passing TDs, completion percentage and quarterback efficiency. The last improvement to make is cutting down on turnovers. Martinez committed 20 last season. A veteran offensive line and 1,000-yard RB Ameer Abdullah return to give Martinez a tremendous supporting cast.
3. Find a new number: Five seasons under Pelini have yielded tremendous consistency. His programs have gone 9-4 or 10-4 each year. Pelini has put the Cornhuskers in position to win championships – they have at least split divisional titles in four of his five seasons and have advanced to three conference championship games. However, success isn’t dictated by close calls at Nebraska. It’s determined by banners. Getting to the 11- or 12-win mark and a BCS game would be a great step to show the fan base that brighter days are yet to come.

Northwestern Wildcats

1. Stick with the hot hand: Coach Pat Fitzgerald shows little interest in breaking away from his two-quarterback system. It worked for him last year to the tune of a 10-win season. So why change things now, right? QBs Kain Colter and Trevor Siemian have made it work by bringing completely different skill sets to the table. Colter is the more athletic of the two, rushing for 12 TDs last season. Siemian gives the Wildcats a polished passing presence. An insistence to continue with the system means having to play hunches and make quick in-game adjustments.
2. Be opportunistic: There are holes in the Northwestern defense, though the secondary is shaping up to be strong in 2013. DE Tyler Scott can help mask some of the weaknesses by continuing his beastly play. Scott tied for the Big Ten lead in sacks last year with nine. That talented secondary took advantage of numerous opponent mistakes, recording 29 takeaways. Duplicating that feat gives the Wildcats their best chance to repeat the 10-win campaign.
3. Hit the Mark: RB Venric Mark proved to be among the league’s top running options in 2012, going for 1,366 yards from a traditionally pass-happy offense. He rushed for at least 100 yards in eight of 13 games and was held to fewer than 70 yards just twice. Coaches must continue to feed Mark the ball. He finished with more than 20 carries just three times last season. Replacing three offensive linemen could pose a challenge both to the offense and Mark. The unit must gel quickly to build off last season’s success.