Northwestern still mum about its starting quarterback for the season opener against Nebraska on Saturday in Ireland

DUBLIN — Nebraska’s defense knows Ryan Hilinski from last season but also is preparing for a surprise or two at quarterback against Northwestern in the Irish capital Saturday.

Wildcats coach Pat Fitzgerald hasn’t named a starter for the season opener and this week refused to talk quarterbacks: “I’m not going to tell you anything.”

The Huskers say they will be ready.

“We know they’re going to have some surprises for us, some different personnel groupings, might be two quarterbacks playing, might be a surprise starter, we don’t know, but we’re ready for all of them,” defensive coordinator Erik Chinander said Wednesday after practice.

The Big Ten matchup (11:30 a.m., Fox-32) is the first regular-season international college football game in five years.

Coaches won’t admit it, but “the craic” (Irish for friendly chatter) among the 13,000 U.S. fans who made the trip is that the game is practically must-win territory already, especially for the Huskers and coach Scott Frost.

Both teams were 3-9 last year. Nebraska hasn’t won since its 56-7 rout of Northwestern in Lincoln in October. Six consecutive losses. The Wildcats also have dropped six straight, but Fitzgerald has a long-term deal and full support from his alma mater.

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Hilinski made five starts last season as a sophomore and threw for 978 yards but completed just 54% of his passes. In nine appearances, he threw three touchdowns and four interceptions. He also had a costly fumble in the loss to the Huskers.

Redshirt freshman Brendan Sullivan also is a possibility, though neither he nor Hilinski are run threats.

“We’ve worked very hard on a lot of the unbalanced stuff from the last couple of years from (Northwestern), a lot of the quarterback runs,” Chinander said. “Are they going to put someone else in for the quarterback runs? Are they going to do it with wildcat? We’ve worked very hard on both.”

Evan Hull rushed for 1,009 yards last season, averaging 5.1 yards per carry, so keeping him involved will be vital for Northwestern’s chances. He boasted about the entire running backs room.

“We all have our different strengths, for sure, and I think that’s what makes our group so dangerous,” Hull said. Andrew Clair “runs with an attitude to him. He can bring the boom too.”

The Wildcats defense couldn’t stop anybody on the ground last season. They allowed a Big Ten-worst 213 rushing yards per game, including 427 to Nebraska.

Gabe Ervin Jr. said Huskers running backs are raring to go: “We’re here to run the ball downhill, down their throat, each and every play we get the ball.”

Nebraska quarterback Casey Thompson, a transfer from Texas, was Frost’s choice to take the first snap in Dublin because of his experience and ability to protect the ball. Thompson threw for 24 touchdowns and nine interceptions last season, completing 63.2% of his passes for 2,113 yards.

Frost said he wants to “let it rip” and reiterated that point Thursday at Aviva Stadium, saying his message is to “go out and attack.”

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“I really want to see that kind of mindset (of) not playing tight, not worrying about anything, just going out and getting after it,” Frost said.

Now in his fifth year as Huskers coach, Frost is not calling plays for the first time. New offensive coordinator Mark Whipple will be doing so from the sideline.

“It will be a different experience for me,” Frost said.

Efficiency and speed have been the buzzwords for Nebraska’s offense, which added wide receivers Trey Palmer (LSU) and Marcus Washington (Texas) from the transfer portal.

“They’ve got playmakers all over the field,” Northwestern linebacker Bryce Gallagher said.

The Huskers played abroad once before. They beat Kansas State 38-24 in the 1992 Coca-Cola Classic in Tokyo. Athletic director Trev Alberts was on that team. This one is dubbed the Aer Lingus College Football Classic and, at 4,000 miles away, is much closer than Tokyo. It is Northwestern’s first international game.

Saturday’s game will be Fitzgerald’s 200th as Northwestern coach. His record is 109-90. The former Wildcats linebacker estimated that 40 family members from the Chicago area made the trip, and he plans to meet up with some relatives living in Ireland.