Rutgers vs. Nebraska: Keys to victory, HuskerOnline score predictions for Saturday
By Sean Callahan,
1 days ago
The Nebraska (4-1, 1-1) football team will host Rutgers (4-0, 1-0) on Saturday. The Huskers look to stay unbeaten against the Scarlet Knights, who last met in 2022. NU holds a 5-0 lead in the series, as this will be Greg Schiano’s first trip to Lincoln.
As things get closer to kickoff, here are today’s keys to victory for NU vs. RU.
It’s no secret what the recipe is for Rutgers on offense. Feed the ball to All-Big Ten running back Kyle Manangai around 25 times and control the clock by staying on schedule. NU needs to win on early run downs to get the Scarlet Knights off the field.
KEY 2: Red zone efficiency
Another key for the Husker offense will be being efficient and maximizing opportunities in the red zone. Although they weren’t efficient in the first half at Purdue, they turned it on with 28 second-half points. Despite giving up over 500 yards last week, Rutgers beat Washington because of its red zone defense.
KEY 3: Hidden points
Rutgers has a history of scoring non-offensive touchdowns and blocking kicks under Schiano. In fact, over his 15-year career at Rutgers, the Scarlet Knights have blocked 71 kicks and scored 63 non-offensive touchdowns. Those numbers should get your attention.
KEY 4: Find a running identity on offense
Nebraska needs to figure out what it wants its running identity to be in this game. We’ve seen so many flashes of what it can be, and it will be interesting to see how they attack the Knights on the ground.
KEY 5: Make the crowd a factor
My complaint about the Northern Iowa and Illinois games was for chunks of the game, the crowd was not a factor. The Huskers need to play to the crowd. It starts with getting off the field on defense and not allowing Rutgers to have 6 to 8-minute type drives to suck the life out of Memorial Stadium.
4-0 Rutgers will have Nebraska’s full attention. This is the best Scarlet Knight team we’ve seen since they joined the Big Ten in 2014. With that said, this is a good match-up for the Blackshirts. NU will win this game up front and keep Kyle Monangai in check.
Let’s be clear, Nebraska is the more talented team in this matchup. Rutgers, though, is good at being patient and waiting for a team to beat itself. Look for the Huskers to play well enough on special teams (and elsewhere) to avoid the traps that Rutgers sets.
Today is a significant opportunity for Nebraska. A 4-0 Rutgers team comes to town and gives the Huskers a chance to pick up another notable victory and improve to 5-1 going into the bye week. It’s been a long time since NU has carried that type of momentum into mid-October, and that could be critical entering a daunting second half of the schedule. I think Nebraska gets it done today and keeps the good vibes rolling.
Rutgers does not beat themselves. The Scarlet Knights are 15-1 since 2020 when they do not commit a turnover in a game. Tough task for the Blackshirts to stop the run (again) and force turnovers against a team that’s turned it over just twice in four games. It won’t be pretty, it won’t be fancy but Nebraska grinds out a win after winning the turnover battle in the heat at Memorial Stadium.
Nebraska can’t have a worse half of football than what was displayed at Purdue last week. That said, from where did it come? The Scarlet Knights are headed toward a good season. They play good, sound football. But they don’t have enough athletes to win in Lincoln (didn’t I say the same thing about Illinois?) I think the Blackshirts have figured out how to stop the run, which is all RU has on offense. Kaliakmanis is a solid QB but doesn’t have what Luke Alt at U of I had around him—tough game. Hard-fought win. But a few big plays will decide it
I really like the matchup with Rutgers coming to town. I know they are battle-tested with two close wins vs VA Tech and Washington, but watching both games, I think this team sets up well vs the Huskers. Rutgers is the 17th-worst rush defense in the B1G and has gotten some real breaks along the way this season. You combine Rutgers’s luck regression with a NU offense that is very similar in skill to a Washington team that put up 500+ yards, and I think Nebraska survives an unseasonably hot Saturday in Lincoln.
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