Keys to Victory: Nebraska vs. UCLA

Author

TJ Birkel
October 31, 2024

T.J. Birkel

Nebraska welcomes UCLA to Lincoln on Saturday. The Huskers are playing to become bowl eligible for the first time in nearly a decade. The Bruins, who will be coming off a bye week, started off with a bear of a schedule that included Indiana, LSU, Oregon, and Penn State. They have seen some success more recently, with a close loss to Minnesota followed by a win over Rutgers. 

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

NEBRASKA’S KEYS TO VICTORY

Don't Lay an Egg. I don't know how else to say this. Nebraska needs to not choke on Saturday. The Huskers are 5-3, one win away from being bowl eligible for the first time since 2016. UCLA is 2-5. UCLA has a first year head coach. While they've shown improvement in recent games, UCLA is not the better team. Conversely, Nebraska is the team with the second year head coach whose culture is firmly established. Nebraska will be playing at home. Nebraska is favored (most betting lines currently have the Huskers favored by around seven points). THERE IS NO REASON NEBRASKA SHOULD LOSE THIS GAME. If we want to point to the tough but competitive loss at Ohio State as a turning point, a moral victory, a valuable lesson, any of those things...they need to show the same championship level effort and take care of business against UCLA.

And while I would have much preferred Nebraska had beat Illinois and/or Indiana and/or Ohio State, it will be pretty cool if the Big Red can get the bowl monkey off their back at Memorial Stadium in a conference game in November, a month that has been a struggle in recent years. The home crowd should be juiced on Saturday. 

Suffocate the Bruins. UCLA holds one distinction coming into this game. They are, in fact, the worst rushing team in the country, sitting dead last among all FBS teams from sea to shining sea. That translates to 134th nationally. The Bruins are averaging an anemic 2.54 yards per carry, and have gained a total of 452 yards on the ground so far this season. The next team on the list (you know, the 133rd ranked team) is more than 150 yards better than that! Somewhere, Johnathan Franklin is weeping. Nebraska on the other hand…

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