Nebraska wide receiver Samori Toure scores a touchdown against Buffalo in the second quarter Saturday at Memorial Stadium.
Here’s a look at some key talking points heading into Saturday’s Nebraska-Buffalo game at Memorial Stadium:
Running back productivity
Entering Saturday: Nebraska got its running game on track against Fordham, but, hey, it was Fordham. Could the Huskers continue to show improvement on yards per rush, especially from the running backs?
Saturday: Gabe Ervin got loose for gains of 11 and 22 yards in the third quarter, but otherwise, NU’s tailbacks were bottled up. Markese Stepp, who went 18 for 101 against Fordham, was quiet, rushing for 17 yards on nine carries through three quarters.
NU’s rushing total of 193 yards through three quarters looked good, but a big part of that came on Adrian Martinez scrambles, including a shake-them-out-of-their shoes 71-yarder in the second quarter.
Run defense
Entering Saturday: The Blackshirts were set to face a Buffalo team that likes to run the ball. The Bulls rushed for 312 yards against FCS Wagner and had a legit back in Kevin Marks.
Saturday: When Buffalo seemed like it was on the verge of getting the run game on track, the Blackshirts came up with a stuff. At one point, Buffalo had just 56 yards on 19 carries for an average of 2.9 per attempt, ultimately finishing with 135 yards on the ground (4.1 yards per carry). By the fourth quarter, the Bulls had to rely heavily on the passing game to play catch-up.
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