NEBRASKA (4-1) vs RUTGERS (4-0) – The Blackshirts Mid-Term Is Here: HOW TO WATCH Huskers Matt Rhule Dylan Raiola

I don’t bring up the Illinois game again to continue harping, I swear.

But if you’re looking for a benchmark in improvement, there’s simply not a better test to be found than the Rutgers game tomorrow in which the Huskers will face off against the #12 rushing offense in the country. The face of that attack is Kyle Monangai and his 147 yards per game and 6.1 yards per carry averages.

If Rutgers sticks to script, and why would they not, he will carry the ball around 24-25 times. This type of offense, with far less talent than Monangai, has proved troublesome for the Blackshirts thus far and resulted in an inability to get their much more potent offense on the field as often as would be desired. However, against Purdue, they did manage stuff the 1-2 punch of Devon Mackobee and Reggie Love holding the duo to less than half their average yards per carry up till that game.

The Rutgers defense is another matter. Their run defense is only ranked 98th and they just surrendered 306 yards passing to Will Rogers of Washington in their last contest. Yes, Rogers is a talented and experienced QB, but Dylan Raiola won’t exactly be a steep drop-off.

So, it really comes down to this – get some quick out from the Blackshirts, get our offense on the field for multiple drives throughout the game and the outlook is good. We can score on this team.

However, let Rutgers march it down the field and eat up huge chunks of clock repeatedly again and we will find ourselves in a tight one struggling to maintain offensive rhythm and possibly seeing the defense tire in the fourth quarter again.

Don’t expect 70%+ three-and-outs and turnovers again as against Purdue, but 2-3 quick stops per half should be enough. Yeah, yeah, easy to say and not exactly rocket science – stop their run and we win, AMAZING INSIGHT – but we’ve known it before. The goal is simple, can the execution get there when we need it the most?

Stephen Bruce

HOW TO WATCH

Time: 3:00PM CST

Location: Memorial Stadium, Lincoln, NE

Surface: Fieldturf as the Bobfather intended.

Wagering Info: Huskers -6 ¹⁄₂ . O/U – 40 ¹⁄₂ (From ESPN, game is not currently on the board with Draft Kings)

Series Record: Nebraska leads the series 6-0 with the Huskers up 5-0 since joining the Big 10. The only other meeting was in 1920 with NU winning 28-0 at the Polo Grounds in New York City.

TV: The game can be viewed on FS1 with – Play-by-Play: Alex Faust. Analyst: Robert Smith. Sidelines: None listed. It is also streaming on the Fox Sports App.

Radio: . The audio can also be streamed live for free at Huskers.com or the Huskers App. The crew will be: Play-by-Play: Greg Sharpe. Analysis: Damon Benning. Sidelines: Jessica Coody. Pre/Post-Game: Matt Coatney, Jessica Coody, Ben McLaughlin & Josh Banderas.

Weather: Squeezed between a couple of mild days in the high 70’s, for one day only it should be clear with 20mph winds and temps around 94 at kickoff dropping to the low 80’s or so by game’s end.

Stephen Bruce

NOTES & THOUGHTS FROM THIS WEEK (Thoughts in bold)

• Saturday’s game marks the first matchup between the schools in Lincoln since 2017. The past two meetings between Nebraska and Rutgers have been in Piscataway with the Huskers winning in both 2020 and 2022. Bout time you chickens. Get ready to hear people with New Yawk accents affecting feigned surprise over the presence of the internet and indoor plumbing.
• Saturday’s game is the only scheduled college game this season matching head coaches with NFL head coaching experience. Nebraska Coach Matt Rhule led the Carolina Panthers for three seasons, and Rutgers Coach Greg Schiano was the head coach of the Tampa Buccaneers for two seasons.
• Nebraska has scored at least 24 points in each of its five games. It marks the first time Nebraska has scored at least 24 points in its first five games since 2016 when NU scored at least 24 in the first seven games. It marks Nebraska’s first five-game streak with at least 24 points at any point since a five-game span between the 2018 and 2019 seasons. Amazing the difference a QB can make, amirite?

Stephen Bruce

• Saturday is homecoming and I have those numbers but refuse to print them the same way I’m not walking under ladders dicking about with black cats. Also, it didn’t work out for the 400th sellout.
• The Huskers have outscored their opponents 31-0 off of turnovers with the defense itself providing 14 in the form of pick-sixes by Tommi Hill and John Bullock.
• When the Huskers started the season 3-0 in non-conference play, it marked the first time since 2016 they were undefeated in non-con play and opened the season 3-0.
• They have continued to receive votes in the polls the last two weeks.
• Matt Rhule on Javin Wright returning to the field against Purdue: “When this first happened we never thought he’d be able to play at this point. Dr. (Tabatha) Matthias and our team doctor and the work he’s done with our specialists. We were hoping for maybe USC. The hard part about my job is that I only get called in when it’s the heartbreaking conversations. I’m not the position coach, I’m not there for the day-to-day good ones. I was there for that one with Javin (Wright) and his father, just like I was with Rahmir (Johnson) last year when his season was over. Those things are heartbreaking, so just to see the joy on Javin’s face to play was a moment that will stay with me for a while. How he played doesn’t necessarily even matter to be quite honest, but I think he played well. He’ll play more this week. He hasn’t been able to do a thing. It wasn’t like he was coming back from an ankle, he was dealing with blood clots so he hasn’t done a thing.” You’d be surprised how many coaches aren’t there for the bad convos.
• On addressing the Micah Mazzccua issue: “I wouldn’t start him. He was a back up before this happened. When he came out of the Colorado game, Tossy was put ahead of him. I love Micah (Mazzccua). I’m working with him to make him the best that he can be. You guys talk a lot about him, but he’s a backup player for us. Micah (Mazzccua) was suspended last week, so he was reinstituted this week. That was the middle of the week that it happened, so that wasn’t something I was anticipating to be quite honest.” If he plays his way back, great. But at this point, I’ll consider that bonus if it happens.

Stephen Bruce

Nebraska Cornhuskers

Rutgers

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