The Nebraska Cornhuskers and the UCLA Bruins are set to play each other for the first time since the 2016 Foster Farms Bowl, where Nebraska took home a 37-29 victory to finish out first year head coach Mike Riley’s season.
The last time these two teams met in Lincoln was in 2013, and that was a far different ending.
The 23rd ranked Huskers jumped out to a 21-3 lead over the 16th ranked Bruins, vibes were high and Memorial Stadium was loud as the Huskers were wearing their blackshirt themed alternate uniforms.
The Bruins proceeded to score 38 straight points from that point on to cruise to a 41-21 victory, leaving all husker fans in complete shock.
Led by Brett Hundley, who went on to play three seasons in the NFL, UCLAs spread offense torched the blackshirts for 504 total yards of offense.
UCLA is being lead by first year head coach DeShaun Foster, who is no stranger to that program, as he had been the teams running backs coach since 2017.
They have long gone away from that spread style offense, and is currently running a pro-style type offense, run by former Super Bowl Champion offensive coordinator from the Kansas City Chiefs, Eric Bieniemy.
It has been a rough go for the Bruins so far this season, mostly due to their gauntlet of a schedule, which included four ranked teams if you count Indiana, and numerous miles in the air as they’ve played games in Hawaii, Louisiana, Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
After starting off the season with a 16-13 win against Hawaii, the Bruins would lose five straight games before they pulled off a 35-32 win against Rutgers, a team that was just beat by Nebraska two weeks before.
What to Expect on Offense:
The Bruins offense is lead by senior quarterback Ethan Garbers, and outside of his last performance against Rutgers, where he threw for 383 yards and 4 touchdowns on 84% completion percentage, he hasn’t really been consistent all year.
Considering the Bruins hired Foster, I would have anticipated UCLA to be led by a really solid run game, but the Bruins don’t have a back on the roster that has ran for over 200 yards, and as a team they haven’t reached 500.
The blackshirts defense really shouldn’t have a problem against this offense, the Bruins rank as the 125th offense in the country.
Running back T.J. Harden has not put a stamp on this offense as expected, coming off a season where he ran for 827 yards and 8 touchdowns, he is second on the team in receiving, but has not been involved as much as he should in the ground game.
Key Players:
QB Ethan Garbers: 1,484 yards 8 TD 9 INT
RB T.J. Harden: 431 total yards 2 touchdowns
TE Moliki Matavao: 20 rec 251 yards
What to Expect on Defense:
Like DeShaun Foster, first year defensive coordinator Ikaika Malloe was already on the UCLA staff when he was hired by now Ohio State offensive coordinator Chip Kelly, before his resignation from the Bruins last February.
Malloe, who coached the defensive line in 2023, has the Bruins ranked as the 13th ranked rushing defense in the country, one spot below the Huskers.
The Bruins passing defense on the other hand is very subpar, ranking 118th in the country, allowing 269 yards per game through the air.
By no means has Nebraska’s passing game succeeded much in the last three games, but outside of Purdue, the Bruins are the worst passing defense the Huskers will have faced all season.
They’ve only accounted for 10 sacks on the season as well, so this is a huge opportunity for the Huskers in both aspects on offense.
Key Players:
LB Carson Schwesinger: 45 tackles 2 sacks 1 FF
DB Bryan Addison: 23 tackles 2 INT
The Huskers have a chance at reaching six wins for the first time since 2016, and despite the rainy conditions predicted, Memorial Stadium will be packed and loud as it always is, and maybe a bit more with this on the line.