PISCATAWAY – The last time Rutgers football quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis played at Nebraska, he led his team to a comeback victory.
But that was when Kaliakmanis was playing for Minnesota.
On Saturday he’ll be back on the field at Memorial Stadium , this time in a Scarlet Knights uniform, hoping for the same end result that would extend Rutgers’ season winning streak to five games.
How much has Kaliakmanis thought back to his last performance in Lincoln?
“I haven’t really thought about it, to be honest,” Kaliakmanis said Tuesday. “That was a whole different team. I just remember the environment.”
That game in 2022 – which Kaliakmanis entered in the third quarter after starting QB Tanner Morgan suffered an injury – was actually the first of two wins that Kaliakmanis earned against the Cornhuskers . The Golden Gophers also beat them 13-10 at home last season – Kaliakmanis went 24-of-44 for 196 yards with one touchdown and one interception.
While Kaliakmanis has a whole different offense to lead on Saturday, that experience of going up against Nebraska’s defense (it ranks 19th nationally in total defense yielding 274.2 yards per game), led by coordinator Tony White, can only help.
“They’re big,” Kaliakmanis said of Nebraska’s defense. “They do a lot to try and confuse the quarterback. They’re very good at holding their shells. They’re very athletic. They’ve got some veterans back, they’re disciplined and they’re ready to go.”
Here's key information to know and a scouting report:
Rutgers football vs Nebraska
Date: Saturday, Oct. 5
Time: 4 p.m. ET
TV: FS1
Watch Rutgers vs Nebraska on Fubo (free trial)
Alex Faust will be on play-by-play alongside analyst Robert Smith.
Streaming: Fubo (free trial) , FOX Sports App
Radio: The game will be broadcast on WFAN 660 AM/101.9 FM, FOX Sports New Jersey (93.5 FM/1450 AM), SiriusXM 384, SXM app, Audacy app, Scarlet Knights app).
Chris Carlin will be on play-by-play alongside analyst Julian Pinnix-Odrick with Anthony Fucilli reporting from the sidelines.
Series history: Nebraska leads the all-time series, 6-0, including both meetings in Lincoln. The teams last met on Oct. 7, 2022 and the Cornhuskers won, 14-13, in Piscataway. Nebraska won 27-17 the last time the teams played at Memorial Stadium, which was Sept. 23, 2017.
Weather: It’s going to be a hot day in Lincoln. Forecasts are predicting a high temperature of 98 degrees with wind gusts reaching 46 mph. There is an 8 percent probability of precipitation, according to AccuWeather.
MORE At 4-0, Rutgers football is building an identity that should look familiar
Nebraska players to watch vs Rutgers
Dylan Raiola, quarterback
It all starts with Raiola, the true freshman who earned the starting job and so far this season has looked good. The 6-foot-3, 230-pound Georgia native is 100-of-142 passing (70.4 percent) for 1,224 yards and nine touchdowns with two interceptions. Raiola plays with a poise that’s not typical of a true freshman. He has good mobility and can throw on the run. As Schiano said on Monday, “He’s grown up in a football family. I think he’s kind of made to do this."
Isaiah Neyor, wide receiver
Neyor is one of Raiola’s top targets. At 6-foot-4, 220-pounds, Neyor’s a big, athletic receiver who’s going to present a good challenge for Rutgers’ secondary. Neyor through five games has caught 17 passes for 291 yards with four touchdowns, which leads the team’s receivers. Neyor previously played at Wyoming and Texas.
John Bullock, linebacker
The 6-foot, 230-pound Bullock, a native of Omaha, has had a productive start to the season. Bullock leads Nebraska with 29 tackles (five for loss) with two sacks, one interception, three pass breakups and a forced fumble.
Rutgers players to watch vs Nebraska
Sam Brown, running back
Brown has been running more and more like his old self, forming a formidable 1-2 punch with lead running back Kyle Monangai. That’s going to be especially important on a hot day like the one expected Saturday in Lincoln. Nebraska’s run defense has been allowing 85.4 yards on the ground per game. But Rutgers will present arguably the toughest test the Cornhuskers have faced with Monangai and Brown. The Scarlet Knights need to take advantage of that and wear the defense down.
Eric Rogers, cornerback
Rogers’ availability right now is unclear – Rogers suffered an injury late in the Scarlet Knights’ game against Washington. Schiano on Monday reiterated that he would leave any status questions to the availability report that will be released two hours prior to kickoff. But Rutgers has to hope it has Rogers available. He’s had a solid season with 18 tackles and one interception. Nebraska has a good receiving corps that’s going to challenge for the Scarlet Knights’ secondary, which is going to have to be careful to avoid pass interference calls, something the Cornhuskers have drawn a lot of − including six last week against Purdue.
Staying on that theme…
Bo Mascoe/Al-Shadee Salaam, cornerbacks
We’ll group these players together because Schiano indicated on Monday he’d like to have a deeper rotation at cornerback. Mascoe is a second-year player who didn’t play most of last season because of eligibility issues, but the Florida native has a lot of talent. Salaam moved to cornerback from running back last season – his speed and athleticism translates well to the secondary.
"He really did a good job last season when he made the move and then he did a great job with his preparation," Schiano said. "Then he got dinged up in camp. It was a shame because I really think he'd have been playing a lot. But now he's been healthy for a few weeks. He just has really good skills, and he's a tough guy. You'll see more of him playing every week as long as he continues to do what he's doing."
Three questions facing Rutgers football vs Nebraska?
1. Can Rutgers improve its tackling?
The Scarlet Knights’ tackling has been pretty inconsistent this season. They had 14 missed tackles against Washington, the second time this season they had double-digit missed tackles (11 against Howard). It’s an issue that needs to be cleaned up. That’s not going to be easy against Nebraska because of the size and athleticism of some of its playmakers.
2. Can Rutgers’ defense play better overall?
The Scarlet Knights’ defense was expected to be a strength coming into the season, but so far the unit hasn’t fully lived up to expectations. It’s hard to nitpick considering Rutgers is 4-0 – the defense has done its job to allow the Scarlet Knights to stay undefeated. But the competition is going to continue to get tougher. Rutgers has allowed 352.2 total yards per game (fourth-worst in the Big Ten) and has given up 172.8 rushing yards per game (second worst in the conference). The Scarlet Knights have played some younger players – particularly at linebacker and in the secondary – so there could be some growing pains in spots. Regardless, those numbers must improve. The Scarlet Knights on Saturday have to keep Raiola and the Nebraska offense from connecting on big plays.
3. How will Rutgers handle the heat?
It’s obviously going to be an issue for both teams – though the Cornhuskers might have the advantage since it’ll be hotter out in Lincoln all week. Schiano said on Monday that Nebraska also flipped the sidelines after Matt Rhule took over as head coach, “So sun will be beating on us. We've got a lot of things that we're up against.”
Rutgers likes to rotate a lot of players through, especially on defense. In this type of weather, that's going to become even more important to keep players fresh.
Rutgers vs Nebraska prediction
I think this will be another relatively low scoring, grind-it-out type of game. But I think the home-field advantage will help Nebraska and Dylan Raiola will make a big play late to lead the Cornhuskers past Rutgers in a close one. Nebraska 21, Rutgers 17.
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This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Rutgers football vs Nebraska scouting report, preview, prediction as Scarlet Knights seek 5th win
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