Nebraska bye weekend: Mid-season awards and Week 7 picks
As Nebraska football sits in its bye weekend, here are HuskerOnline’s mid-season awards and our expert game picks for Week 7.
NU takes the field next week against Northwestern for a 2:30 p.m. CT game in Memorial Stadium.
RELATED – Bye week intel and other news and notes in Tunnel Talk
Nebraska bye weekend: Mid-season awards
Offensive MVP: QB Heinrich Haarberg
This is a tough call because there isn’t a true MVP of Nebraska’s offense right now. We went with quarterback Heinrich Haarberg because his ability to create and not turn the football over is a big reason why the Huskers are 3-1 over its last four games.
Offensive surprise player: OL Bryce Benhart
Regarding starters, right tackle Bryce Benhart is the highest-graded player for Nebraska on PFF. He’s a 69.1 overall on 375 snaps. A year ago, Benhart graded a 60.6; he was 50.2 in 2021 and 54.0 in 2020. It’s safe to say he’s the most improved player on NU’s offense thus far.
Biggest offensive moment: Haarberg’s 39-yard pass to Marcus Washington at Illinois
You can argue that a few plays have been the best offensive moments for Nebraska’s offense in 2023. We went with Haarberg’s 39-yard pass to wide receiver Marcus Washington, backed up at the Husker goal line at Illinois. This offensive play helped spark the Nebraska offense and put them in a position to win at Illinois as an underdog.
Defensive MVP: DL Nash Hutmacher
To be successful in the 3-3-5 defense, you must have solid play at the line of scrimmage. Nose tackle Nash Hutmacher has given Tony White that, leading Nebraska with 12 impact STOP tackles on PFF and an overall grade of 72.4. Hutmacher has played 252 defensive snaps already. His previous career high was 204 snaps in 2022.
Defensive surprise players: LBs Javin Wright and Mikai Gbayor
The two biggest surprises on Nebraka’s defense through six games have been linebackers Javin Wright and Mikai Gbayor. Wright has played 202 snaps and carries a PFF grade of 76.2, while Gbayor has seen 131 snaps and has a grade of 61.1. Wright played just 111 snaps a year ago on defense, while Gbayor has never seen the field at NU until this season. Both players have made impact plays and provided valuable depth at the linebacker position.
Biggest defensive moment: Goal line stand at Illinois
We’ve seen Nebraka’s defense come up big more than once through six games in 2023. Arguably, its best moment came against Illinois at the goal line. The Blackshirts stopped the Illini on back-to-back plays inside the 1-yard line. That goal line stand set the tone for the remainder of the game and helped lead the Huskers to victory in Champaign.
HuskerOnline Week 7 Score Predictions
| Week 7 | Sean Callahan | Steven Sipple | Robin Washut | Andy Kendeigh | Jim Rose | Mike’l Severe |
| Iowa at Wisconsin | 17-6 Wisconsin | 17-12 Wisconsin | 14-13 Iowa | 24-10 Wisconsin | 17-7 Wisconsin | 24-20 Wisconsin |
| Mich. State at Rutgers | 24-17 Rutgers | 27-21 Rutgers | 21-10 Rutgers | 21-10 Rutgers | 24-17 Rutgers | 17-14 Rutgers |
| Texas A&M at Tenn. | 38-34 Tenn. | 31-21 Tenn. | 27-24 Tenn. | 37-31 Tenn. | 35-31 Tenn. | 30-28 Texas A&M |
| Oregon at Washington | 41-38 Wash. | 35-28 Wash. | 38-35 Oregon | 34-31 Wash. | 38-31 Wash. | 24-20 Oregon |
| USC at Notre Dame | 38-31 USC | 34-31 USC | 31-28 USC | 31-28 USC | 31-20 USC | 40-37 N. Dame |
| UCLA at Oregon State | 31-28 OSU | 28-22 OSU | 20-17 OSU | 38-28 OSU | 35-28 OSU | 30-20 OSU |
HuskerOnline Pick Standings
| Picker | Straight Up | Vs. Spread | Cumulative |
| Jim Rose | 27-9 | 23-13 | 50 |
| Sean Callahan | 28-8 | 22-14 | 50 |
| Andy Kendeigh | 26-10 | 21-15 | 47 |
| Robin Washut | 26-10 | 19-17 | 45 |
| Mike’l Severe | 26-10 | 19-17 | 45 |
| Steven Sipple | 24-12 | 20-16 | 44 |
Sean Callahan can be reached at [email protected] and is heard daily at 6:45 am and 5:05 pm on Big Red Radio 1110 KFAB in Omaha during the football season. He can also be seen on KETV Channel 7 in Omaha during the fall, and each week, he appears on Nebraska Public Media’s Big Red Wrap-Up Tuesdays at 7 pm.
