The Cornhuskers blew a chance to go 4-0 and beat a ranked opponent for the first time in almost a decade last week, but that’s over with. The season is still young, and we have another test coming this week. The Huskers will play their first game on the road this season, against conference opponent Purdue. The Huskers need to bounce back to keep positive momentum and progress in year two under Matt Rhule.
Kickoff: 11 am CST
Channel: Peacock
What to look out for (Purdue):
To say Purdue has struggled this year would be an understatement. Their lone win came against FCS Indiana State. Besides that, they have been blown out by Norte Dame (66-7) and Oregon State (38-21). They are led by Texas transfer QB Hudson Card. Although not a true dual threat, he has the ability to get outside the pocket and create plays with his legs. Just like Luke Altmeyer in Illinois. They have two talented running backs, Illinois transfer Reggie Love III and Devin Mockobee. Fortunately for the struggling Nebraska defense, these are the two smallest backs they have seen in the last two weeks both weighing around 200 pounds versus Illinois back at 250 and Northern Iowa’s back at 235. TE Max Klare is their leading receiver, but Card has been pretty good at spreading the ball around. On defense, look out for DE Will Heldt, who seems to be their biggest playmaker on that side of the ball. Purdue gave up over 300 yards on the ground to both Norte Dame and Oregon State, although a lot of that can be attributed to both those teams having mobile QB’s that Purdue could not stop. Purdue didn’t do much of anything on offense against Norte Dame. hey ran for over 200 yards against Oregon State but only passed for 55. Look for them to try and mimic the Illinois game plan from last week, both with Hudson card extending plays with his legs, running the ball on the perimeter against our defense and trying to use the run to set up the pass. Lastly, Purdue has sold out this game (its homecoming) so it’ll be interesting to see how this team performs on their first morning game and first road test.
What to look for (Nebraska)
Nebraska must get a stop on the first defensive drive against Purdue. On the opening series against Northern Iowa and Illinois, Nebraska gave up points. It needs to get its moxie back, and fast. A three and out to start the game would be huge. Nebraska’s defense should be able to find its mojo again, as it returned most of its starters from last year. Tony White said last week the team didn’t play with that chip on its shoulder, and MJ Sherman remarked that some guys started winning and essentially started slacking off (paraphrasing). Those are correctable. On offense, Nebraska needs to get the run going early against a team that has outright struggled in that category. Nebraska’s rushing offense was totally absent in the second half last week versus Illinois. Look for that to get back on track here. Lastly, special teams needs to get going. Tristian Alvano sounds like another no go for this week, so John Hohl needs to be ready to step it up on the road.
Prediction
The Huskers will bounce back. The edginess was evident in the coaches and players who met with the media this week. It’s not going to be a blow out, and the Huskers are favored by 9.5. I am not convinced they can cover, but what the heck, give me the Huskers 24-14.
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