The Nebraska Cornhuskers are set for a tough road game inside Penn State’s Beaver Stadium this Saturday night against a Nittany Lion team that is coming off their first victory since September 13th.
It has been a crazy season for Penn State, one that they would certainly like to forget considering that the Nittany Lions started off the season ranked #2 in the AP poll with their sites set on the National Championship.
After starting the season 3-0, the Nittany Lions would go on to lose six straight games, including back to back games where the Nittany Lions were at least a 24 point favorite, resulting in the firing of head coach James Franklin and loss of starting quarterback Drew Allar to a broken left ankle.
Despite the lost season, the 4-6 Nittany Lions have been playing their best football these last two weeks and nearly pulled off an upset of #2 Indiana on November 8th.
For the Huskers, it will be the second straight start for true freshman quarterback TJ Lateef, who looked calm and composed for the Huskers in their 28-21 win against UCLA.
Lateef completed 13 of his 15 pass attempts for 205 yards and three touchdowns against the Bruins while junior running back Emmett Johnson added another stellar performance, totaling 232 yards rushing and receiving with three touchdowns.
Johnson has been playing like one of the best running backs in the country this season, his 1,131 rushing yards ranks fifth in the country and his receiving ability makes him the most valuable and useful weapon on this Huskers offense.
The Huskers are now 7-3, which is their best record this late in a season since 2016 and will look to pick up a valuable win before their Black Friday matchup with the Iowa Hawkeyes.
Key #1: Establish the Run Game:
When you have your true freshman quarterback making his second career start under the lights at Penn State, the best way to take the pressure off him is by getting your star running back involved, which will be a tough task for this Nebraska offensive line.
Despite the 4-6 record, the Nittany Lions defense held their own against the nations #13 ranked rushing offense in Indiana, allowing just 3.5 yards per rush.
Despite the success that Emmett Johnson has had on the ground this season, the Huskers rank 90th in nation in rushing offense, so expect Johnson to once again get the bulk of carries on Saturday night.
Key #2: Kaytron Allen and Nick Singleton:
The running back duo of seniors Kayton Allen and Nick Singleton are among one of the best in the country despite the poor offensive line play from the Nittany Lions this season.
Allen leads the Nittany Lions in rushing with 917 yards and 12 touchdowns and although Singleton has not looked like his normal self this season, he is still a home run waiting to happen on any given handoff.
Nebraska has not been able to stop the run at all this season, ranking 90th in rushing defense, allowing 161.1 rushing yards per game, but the Huskers will get an added boost back to their defensive line as senior Dasan McCullough makes his return to the starting lineup after missing the UCLA game.
Key #3: Beaver Stadium:
I’m not sure how loud Beaver Stadium is going to be on Saturday night, but it certainly doesn’t help the Huskers that this game is being played at night.
It doesn’t matter the record, Penn State and their fan base are known for their large crowds, especially at night and earlier this season against the Oregon Ducks, the Nittany Lions drew a crowd of 111,015 fans, their second highest attendance in Beaver Stadium history.
If you’re Nebraska and head coach Matt Rhule, you don’t want to put your young quarterback in a big third and long situation, or give your defense a short end of the field to defend.
This plays into time and game management for Rhule, which has been very inconsistent from the Huskers head coach so far this season.
Prediction:
I think the Huskers have a legit shot at pulling off what would be seen as an upset win, as the Huskers are currently a 8.5 point underdog in this game.
I like the Huskers chances with a dual threat quarterback in Lateef, the playbook opens up widely when you have a quarterback that is able to pick up third and longs with his legs.
The biggest key for Nebraska will be to get off the field on defense, if you can’t slow down Kaytron Allen or Nick Singleton, then Penn State is going to slowly burn down the Huskers defense with that rotation of running backs.
Nebraska: 24 Penn State: 22