Keys to Victory: Nebraska vs. Purdue

Nebraska goes on the road for the first time this year, playing the Purdue Boilermakers in an early 11am CT kickoff on Saturday. The Huskers, who fell out of the top 25 after their disappointing loss to Illinois, are looking to bounce back with their first conference win of the season. Purdue enters the game with a 1-2 record, having most recently lost to Oregon State 38-21. 

On behalf of the Common Fan podcast, here are three keys to victory for the Huskers, and three keys to victory for all the fellow Common Fans. 

Nebraska’s Keys to Victory

Handle the Moment. Heading into their first road game of the season, how does the team respond after Saturday’s disappointing loss? Nebraska is better than Purdue on paper. The Huskers are favored by around 10 points according to most betting lines. But this is a team still learning how to win. How do they handle their first road game? Dylan Raiola has been up to the task in each game so far this season; playing on the road in the Big Ten will be another first for the standout true freshman. 

In our Illinois game recap on the Common Fan Podcast, co-host MattyO suggested that perhaps getting out of town would be good for Nebraska. The home crowd at Memorial Stadium has been incredible so far this season, but going into hostile territory can have a unifying effect for the boys in red. In theory, if this team is taking the next step under Matt Rhule, we’ll see a renewed focus on details and solid execution on Saturday. More than anything, it would be great to see Nebraska play clean, penalty-free football. 

Get the Defense Back on Track. What seemed to be minor red flags about the defense after the Northern Iowa game blossomed into much bigger concerns when the Huskers made Luke Altmyer and the Illinois offense look like Marcus Mariota leading a high powered Oregon team from days gone by. Illinois averaged 5.5 yards on first down plays. The Illini were 7-for-13 on 3rd down (and 2-for-3 on 4th down), with Altmyer completing 78% of his passes on the night. More than that, Nebraska’s defensive performance just didn’t pass the eye test. Illinois receivers were wide open all night. On some running plays, there seemed to be no Blackshirts in sight. In overtime, when the Huskers could least afford it, it took the Illini two plays to go 25 yards for a touchdown. 

The Nebraska defense must tighten things up against Purdue. The Boilermaker offense has been underwhelming this year, but they did run for 263 yards against Oregon State, to go along with 248 rushing yards in their season opener against Indiana State. Although offensive coordinator Graham Harrell comes from the Mike Leach coaching tree and is considered a disciple of the Air Raid offense, Purdue quarterback Hudson Card looked rather pedestrian in two games against Power 5 opponents. I’d love to see the Blackshirts suffocate the run game, and force Card to try and beat them. 

Please….RUN THE BALL! Coach Rhule said during his weekly press conference…

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