Nebraska QB Tommy Armstrong Jr. Showcasing Abilities Despite Cornhuskers' Record

The Nebraska Cornhuskers had preseason aspirations of a Big Ten championship, and though their chances of a conference title haven’t been harmed yet, their 1-2 start in the out-of-conference slate makes you wonder how they’ll stack up against premier competition.

The Huskers dropped their opener against BYU and following a Week 1 blowout win over South Alabama, they came up short on Saturday with a 36-33 overtime heartbreaker at Miami.

It’s easy to dismiss Nebraska as a contender in a conference that includes the defending national champions, but that would be premature. If you’re trying to find positives as the team moves forward, look no further than Tommy Armstrong Jr. The junior quarterback is off to a great start to the campaign with nine touchdowns compared to four interceptions. He had an up and down game against Miami but brought the team back from a 27-3 deficit and made huge throws in the process.

Armstrong is second in the conference with 299 passing yards per game through three weeks and is showing that he may be the most dynamic quarterback in the Big Ten. At the very least, he’ll keep the Huskers in every game. Nebraska also has one of the most talented overall rosters in the conference and will make Armstrong’s job a lot easier.

Nebraska may be off to a shaky start to the season, but they should also be commended for playing a non-conference schedule that can actually challenge them and expose their weaknesses. There’s only so much you can gain from playing a soft schedule, and the Huskers will be better prepared for the conference slate than most of the Big Ten.

Jason Shawley is a Featured Writer for www.RantSports.com covering Big Ten Football. Follow him on Twitter @jshawls.