Nebraska Cornhuskers head coach Scott Frost has said his players are excited to be coming to Ireland for an Aer Lingus College Football Classic against Northwestern at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday week (August 27).

Nebraska were initially due to face the Illinois Fighting Illini in the south Dublin venue on virtually the same weekend last year, only for it to ultimately be switched to the Memorial Stadium in Illinois owing to the Covid-19 pandemic. This will be a unique trip for the majority of Nebraska’s playing roster and Frost is eager for them to make the very most of being taken out of their comfort zone.

“Our players are excited, most of them have never travelled overseas. What a wonderful place to start their travelling lives out, going to Ireland. A lot of people are putting in a lot of work to make sure we have all our i’s dotted and t’s crossed, to make sure it’s a successful trip,” Coach Frost remarked in a Zoom call to the Irish media.

“Our players are most excited to play in the game, but they’re going to get a little taste of another country and I think that’s really exciting for a lot of the guys. We’re glad that things are more normal.

“I’m sure in Ireland people were anxious to get to the pubs and in Nebraska they’re anxious to play football! It’s good that we’re able to do both again now. We felt terrible that the game wasn’t able to be played last year, we were excited about coming over and we’re lucky to get another chance this year.”

While many neutral Irish spectators will likely be on the fence when it comes to choosing a side to rally behind in this forthcoming football classic, Coach Frost is confident his troops will enjoy a strong following on the day.

“I think the Irish people are going to love Nebraska fans. I’m sure we’re going to show up in force over there. Nebraska people are unbelievable. Every Irish person I’ve ever met is one of the most funny, friendly and endearing people I’ve ever met and I think the two groups are going to hit it off really well.”

Rather than staying in the heart of Dublin city, Nebraska will be basing themselves out of Powerscourt in Enniskerry, Wicklow for the duration of their stay in Ireland. After departing their home state next Monday night, they are set to land in Dublin Airport at 10am on the following morning before heading straight for the Aviva to get a sense of what will be awaiting them four days later.

Given this game also doubles up as a Big Ten Conference game, Frost will be looking to hit the ground running in his fifth season as head coach of his alma mater. When you consider his charges had just one win from nine conference outings in 2021, the importance of their showdown with Northwestern in Dublin can’t be understated.

“It’s important to get off to a good start. Particularly as this is a league game for us. It’s a Big 10 game and starting with a Conference game, it means a little more than a non-Conference game. It’s an important game for both teams,” added Coach Frost, who also revealed that he has an Irish grandmother who grew up near Cork.

“The challenge for us this year has been incorporating new people and trying to get everyone on the same page. That goes for the coaching staff and the new players on our team. It’s a tough job to make sure that everybody becomes one team and it’s not just a collection of individuals.

“I think we’ve done a good job of that so far, we’re hitting our stride and finding our way working with each other. Hopefully it’s a good product come next Saturday.”