Northwestern @ Nebraska preview
Memorial Stadium (Lincoln, NE)
Last Meeting ( Oct 20, 2012 ) Nebraska 29, Northwestern 28
Nebraska is coming off a surprising loss while Northwestern has yet to find the win column in Big Ten play, but the two schools haven’t lacked for drama when they have met recently. The Cornhuskers, who host the Wildcats on Saturday, were ranked ninth two years ago before a 28-25 setback at home against Northwestern ruined their hopes to compete in the inaugural Big Ten Championship game. Last season, Nebraska rallied from 12-point fourth-quarter deficit to win 29-28 at Northwestern.
The Cornhuskers are reeling after surrendering a season-high 271 rushing yards in last Saturday’s 34-23 setback at Minnesota, dealing an unexpected blow to the defending Leaders Division champion. Northwestern, which went 4-0 during its non-conference schedule, has found the Big Ten to be much more treacherous despite losing three of its four league games by 10 points or fewer. The last defeat was perhaps its most difficult – a 17-10 overtime decision in Iowa last weekend.
TV: 3:30 p.m. ET, Big Ten Network. LINE: Nebraska -7
ABOUT NORTHWESTERN (4-4, 0-4 Big Ten): Kain Colter returned to the Wildcats’ lineup after a one-game absence and became the ninth quarterback in conference history to rush for 2,000 yards and pass for 2,000 in his career. Northwestern has scored on 30 of its 31 trips inside the 20, with the resulting 96.8 percent success rate ranking second in the country behind Florida State. Coach Pat Fitzgerald suggested earlier in the week that all-purpose threat Venric Mark, who has appeared in only one full game this season due to injuries, may opt to redshirt.
ABOUT NEBRASKA (5-2, 2-1): The Cornhuskers have allowed 44 runs of more than 10 yards and opponents are rushing for an average of 5.3 yards on first down — both Big Ten-worst marks. In an effort to shore up the nation’s 75th-ranked rush defense, middle linebacker David Santos will move back to his natural weakside spot while freshmen Michael Rose and Josh Banderas will compete for snaps to fill the void left behind. Quarterback Taylor Martinez suffered a hip pointer in the loss to Minnesota and admitted the left foot injury that sidelined him for three games still has not healed.
EXTRA POINTS
1. Nebraska RB Ameer Abdullah needs only 19 rushing yards to crack the 1,000-yard barrier and become the first Cornhusker to reach that mark in eight or fewer games since Ahman Green in 1997.
2. Northwestern’s first five conference opponents all rank in the top half of the Big Ten in rushing.
3. The Cornhuskers sport the second-worst red-zone defense in the conference (tied for 107th in the country), allowing opponents to score 90 percent of the time they drive inside the 20.
PREDICTION: Nebraska 34, Northwestern 30