The great teams adjust and this week’s showdown for the Nebraska football team will answer the question of whether this Husker squad can undo the wrongs of last week’s 31-24 overtime loss to No. 24 Illinois, who now has moved up to No. 19 in the AP Poll.
Freshman phenom Dylan Raiola balled out on the national stage, with a 24-for-35 showing for 297 yards, three touchdowns and with his lone interception being a touchdown catch that was ripped away by an Illinois defender. However, despite the fourth quarter physicality that coach Matt Rhule has instilled into the program, it was the Illini and coach Bret Bielema who wore down NU.
Looking to bounce back after its first loss of the season, it’s the Purdue Boilermakers who await Nebraska in West Lafayette on Saturday for the Huskers’ first road game. For a Purdue team that’s allowed 104 points since a season-opening shutout, there’s a recipe for Nebraska to respond in winning fashion after a heartbreaking loss – which has become a common occurrence in the last half decade.
Here’s all you need to know ahead of Nebraska’s first road game of the 2024 season.
How to Follow Along
Matchup: Nebraska (3-1) at Purdue (1-2)
Line: Nebraska (-10), 47.5 O/U (BetMGM)
Where: Ross-Ade Stadium, West Lafayette, IN.
Time: 11 a.m. CDT
TV (Streaming): Peacock
Broadcast Crew: Jac Collinsworth (PxP), Michael Robinson (Color) and Caroline Pineda (Sideline)
Radio: Huskers Radio Network and Affiliates
Purdue Scout
Head Coach: Ryan Walters | 2nd Career Season | 5-10 overall at Purdue | 247Sports Defensive Coordinator of the Year (2022) & 2022 On3 Coordinator of the Year
2023 Record: 4-8 (3-6 B1G West, T-4th) | B1G Freshman of the Year, Three All-B1G Second-Team selections (Coaches & Media), One All-B1G Third Team selection (Media), nine All-B1G Honorable Mentions | Did not qualify for the postseason.
2024 Record: 1-2 (0-0 B1G)
All-Time Record Against Nebraska: 6-6 (2023 last meeting, 31-14 (Nebraska)
Fun Fact: Nebraska’s last five Big Ten games have all been decided by seven or fewer points, including two in overtime. The last time a Husker Big Ten game was decided by more than seven points was a 31-14 win over Purdue in Lincoln last season.
Key Returners: Hudson Card, QB, Sr. | Devin Mockobee, RB, Jr. | Dillon Thieneman, DB, Soph. | Kydran Jenkins, LB, Sr. | Yanni Karlaftis, LB, Jr. | Markevious Brown, DB, Sr. | Mahamane Moussa, OL, Jr. | Gus Hartwig, OL, Sr.
Key Additions: Reggie Love III, RB, Sr. (Illinois) | Max Klare, TE, Fr. (Recruit) | Jahmal Edrine, WR, Jr. (FAU) | Kam Brown, WR, Sr. (UCLA) | Kyndrich Breedlove, DB, Jr. (Colorado) | Corey Stewart, OL, Sr. (Ball State) | DJ Wingfield, OL, Sr. (New Mexico).
Key Departures: Tyrone Tracy, RB (New York Giants, 5th Rd.) | Sanoussi Kane, DB (Baltimore Ravens, 7th Rd.) | Deion Burks, WR (Oklahoma) | TJ Sheffield, WR (UConn) | Abdur-Rahmaan Yaseen, WR (USF) | Garrett Miller, TE (Texas A&M) | Nic Scourton, DL (Texas A&M).
Outlook: A homecoming sellout crowd awaits Nebraska as Purdue looks to open up conference play with a win despite being a 10-point underdog. Ryan Walters will soon face questions if he can’t build any momentum in his second season as a head coach.
Coming off of a 4-8 debut season, the Boilermakers were hit hard in the portal as All-Big Ten player Nic Scourton left town to go to the SEC and Texas A&M while leading receiver Deion Burks headed south to Oklahoma and Brent Venables. In fact, Purdue lost its top four receivers from last season and had to rebuild that room in the offseason.
Texas transfer and returning starting quarterback Hudson Card returns to West Lafayette for his senior season and is completing 63% of his passes for only 453 yards, six touchdowns and three interceptions. Another returning starter, Devin Mockobee is the leader in the backfield as a physical back rushing for 276 yards and one touchdown in three games. Tyrone Tracy was drafted by the Giants in last season’s draft, so Walters went out and grabbed Reggie Love III from his former school Illinois to complete the backfield. Card has distributed the ball all across the board as 14 different players have recorded receptions with freshman tight end Max Klare leading the way with 153 yards on 10 catches and a pair of scores.
Purdue will lean on its running game more often than not as they’ve averaged 183 yards per game which is top 50 nationally and seventh in the conference. Passing has been suspect as the Boilermakers rank 110th nationally in passing yards per game (171.7) with its scoring offense 95th overall.
Walters is more known for his defense, but that hasn’t shown up in his second season. Led by returning DB star Dillon Thieneman (25 tackles, 1.0 sack, 1.0 TFL) and linebacker Kydran Jenkins (team-high 27 tackles, 5.5 TFL, 3.5 sacks) Purdue is stout against the pass allowing only 123.3 yards per contest which is ninth in the country. Everything else has been a struggle with the rushing defense ranked 131st, scoring defense 118th and the total defense 95th. A 66-7 beatdown by Notre Dame has skewed the numbers by quite a margin, so the stats probably don’t reflect the full story about this team, but it still hints at the strengths and weaknesses of Walter’s second Boilermaker team.
With everything considered, it’s a prime opportunity for Nebraska to bounce back and establish some confidence. Getting blasted off the ball by Illinois last week left a sour taste in the Huskers’ mouth, but Purdue’s struggle at the lines, specifically against the run, could allow NU to run wild with Dante Dowdell, Gabe Ervin, Rahmir Johnson and Emmett Johnson.
MORE: I-80 Club: What if Nebraska Loses to Purdue?
MORE: Nebraska Football’s Running Game Must Bounce Back Against Purdue
MORE: Nebraska Football: How Will the Huskers Fare This Saturday Against Purdue?
MORE: Behind the Point Spread: Georgia-Alabama, Nebraska-Purdue and Three More
MORE: Nebrasketball to Hold Red-White Scrimmage in Devaney Center
Stay up to date on all things Huskers by bookmarking Nebraska Cornhuskers On SI, subscribing to HuskerMax on YouTube, and visiting HuskerMax.com daily.
You must be logged in to post a comment Login