This weekend, the Huskers are set to host Northwestern when they take on the Wildcats at Memorial Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 4. Both teams were victorious in their respective matchups last week. Nebraska beat Purdue 25-24, thanks to a late touchdown, and Northwestern took down No. 16 Michigan State 39-31 in a triple-overtime thriller.
The last time Nebraska faced Northwestern, the Huskers won the matchup 24-13 last year in Evanston, Illinois.
The Huskers and Wildcats look nearly identical on paper. Nebraska is averaging 396 yards of offense per game while Northwestern averages 398 yards. The Husker offense puts up 26 points per game while the Wildcats are averaging 28 points per game. On the defensive side of the ball, the Wildcats are surrendering 389 yards per game, while the Blackshirts give up 391 yards on average.
Northwestern is lead by 12th-year head coach Pat Fitzgerald. He has an 82-64 career record at the school and a 33-27 record on the road. During Fitzgerald’s tenure, the Wildcats have qualified for bowl games seven times and have only missed a postseason appearance twice since 2008.
Northwestern is led on offense by junior quarterback Clayton Thorson and running back Justin Jackson. In 2017, Thorson has thrown for 2,044 yards, 10 touchdowns and nine interceptions. Thorson likes to spread the ball around to his receivers. This season, six wide receivers have at least 200 yards receiving for the Wildcats. Thorson is also good with his legs, as he has run for five touchdowns this season. Jackson leads Northwestern with 644 rushing yards and seven touchdowns in 2017.
The strength of the Wildcats is their front seven. Northwestern ranks No. 17 in the nation in rush defense. The Wildcats haven’t allowed an opposing player to rush for 100 yards all season. They held Penn State’s Saquon Barkley to just 75 yards and Wisconsin’s Jonathan Taylor to 80 yards on the ground. With Nebraska’s struggles on the ground this season, it is going to be quite hard for the Huskers to gain yards on the ground this Saturday.
Northwestern’s defense is led by redshirt freshman linebacker Paddy Fisher and sophomore defensive end Joe Gaziano. Fisher leads the team with 73 tackles, and last week against Michigan State, he recorded 14 tackles. Fisher also has 5 1/2 tackles for loss and three forced fumbles this season.
Gaziano has wreaked havoc in opposing teams’ backfields this season. He has six of the Wildcats’ 16 sacks on the season and 7 1/2 tackles for loss this year.
Northwestern’s front seven is dominant, but the Wildcats’ secondary has been pushed around by opposing offenses this season. Northwestern ranks No. 119 in pass defense in the country, allowing 271 yards-per-game through the air. Huskers quarterback Tanner Lee threw for a career-high 431 yards against Purdue last week, and if he can have a repeat performance, it will give Nebraska a good chance in the game.
The Huskers’ red zone struggles against Purdue could carry over into this week’s matchup. Northwestern ranks No. 25 in red zone defense and Nebraska ranks No. 100 in red zone offense. Last week versus the Boilermakers, Nebraska had to settle for field goals the first three times it made it to the red zone. If the Huskers cannot punch it into the endzone when they get the opportunity, a win will be hard to come by.
Saturday’s game should be a close one. Both teams come in with records of 4-4 (3-2) on the season. On the stat sheet, Nebraska and Northwestern are evenly matched. This game will most likely come down to who has the ball last. Husker fans will be in for a good game this weekend.
Kickoff is set for 2:30 p.m. and the game will be aired live on BTN and BTN2Go.
Source: dailynebraskan
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