Nebraska is 0-2 and on Saturday hosts winless Penn State in the first game of the year at Memorial Stadium. Let's take a closer look at how the Huskers and Nittany Lions compare.
How the Huskers light up the scoreboard
1. Finishing touches. Not changing the top spot from last week. The Huskers were brutal in the red zone last week and can’t afford a repeat performance. Moving the ball hasn’t been the problem. Scoring has been.
2. Penalty box. Part of what has caused Nebraska to stall out on too many drives is offensive penalties. The occasional hold is going to happen, but NU cannot afford the same level of procedure penalties at this stage in the season.
3. Pinpoints, please. The Huskers have to be more efficient in the passing game regardless of who’s throwing the ball. Adrian Martinez was just 12-of-27 against Northwestern. That won’t work, especially with the limited success down the field so far for NU.
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4. Account for athletes. Penn State has struggled defensively, but it has several high-end athletes in Jayson Oweh, Brandon Smith, Shaka Toney and others. The Huskers will have to not let that group get going.
How the Blackshirts shut ’em down
1. Air defense. PSU quarterback Sean Clifford threw the ball 57 times last week against Maryland and had a whopping 30 incompletions. The Nittany Lions are capable, though, led by receiver Jahan Dotson and tight end Pat Freiermuth.
2. Stops, stops, stops. Nebraska is allowing foes to convert on third down more than 50% of the time so far this year and opponents have picked up all three fourth-down tries. PSU so far? 45.7%. Third downs will be critical.
3. Eyes on the QB. Penn State has really struggled to run the ball efficiently so far and Clifford is actually the leading rusher. NU can’t let him get too much going on the ground, and that will take discipline.
4. Ciarrocca Effect. Nittany Lions offensive coordinator Kirk Ciarrocca was at Minnesota before moving this offseason. A year ago, the Gophers rushed 48 times for 322 yards against Nebraska in an dominating performance. Can NU slow down his scheme this time around?
Three numbers to know
812: Offensive yards for Nebraska this season, compared with 808 for its opponents.
3: Touchdowns for Nebraska this season, compared with 10 for its opponents.
0: Touchdowns from outside the red zone for Nebraska. The Huskers’ scoring plays are from 3, 3 and 10 yards.
Under the radar
Zavier Betts
WR| No. 15 | Fr.: Betts isn’t under-the-radar in the sense that he was a heralded recruit from Bellevue West, but perhaps his role will be coming more into view in the near future. The physical receiver saw his first two targets and first two catches of his career against Northwestern and could be in line for more work going forward.
Ben Stille
DL | No. 95 | Sr.: Husker fans know all about Stille considering this is his fourth straight year of earning regular playing time. However, his level of play so far in 2020 probably hasn’t been fully appreciated. The Ashland native is really playing well and has shown the ability to line up all up and down the front line for Tony Tuioti. He’s generating pressure on the quarterback, is getting separation from offensive linemen and has held up well against the run. Impressive work so far.
Marquee matchup
Penn State defensive end Shaka Toney vs. Nebraska left tackle Brenden Jaimes
This should be a fun one when the two line up across from each other. Toney had two sacks against Indiana in PSU’s opener and hasn’t recorded one since, but he’s clearly dangerous. Jaimes has been solid so far, though he probably played better against Ohio State than Northwestern. A couple of guys with professional futures.
Biggest mismatch
Nebraska’s front seven against Penn State’s offensive line
When was the last time we called the NU front seven a big favorite in a matchup? That’s no guarantee, of course, but the numbers favor the Huskers. They’re allowing a workable 4.2 yards per carry and have four sacks through two games, not outstanding but solid, especially given that the pressure ramped up last week against the Wildcats. PSU is averaging 3.4 yards per rush and has surrendered 13 sacks through three games.
Prediction
Penn State 31, Nebraska 28
Last week’s pick for Nebraska against the Wildcats was based on a hunch that the Huskers would play a clean game and come out on top in a close one.
NU certainly looked capable of winning, but that prediction about clean play went out the window by the end of the Huskers’ first drive, which looked promising but stalled out after two penalties.
Maybe this is an overreaction, then, but it seems like the prudent move at this stage of the proceedings. The Huskers are capable of beating Penn State, particularly if they get off to a fast start against a team that has to be reeling to some degree. Will they? And can they keep it up through 60 minutes? Let’s see it before we predict it.