3 biggest keys to a bounce-back win for Nebraska vs. Northwestern

Nebraska football head coach Matt Rhule faces one of the most important games of his tenure on Saturday as the Northwestern Wildcats come to Lincoln Memorial Stadium for a battle of 5-2 teams.

The Wildcats are 3-1 in the Big Ten, one game ahead of Nebraska. So this game will be a litmus test. The next two weeks will be, but first the Huskers have to beat the Wildcats and avoid another loss to an old Big Ten West opponent.

Husker Nation needs a win. The players and coaches need a win. Hell, the entire state of Nebraska needs a win. Here are the three biggest keys to a victory for Nebraska football.

Protect the passer

We all know Nebraska football needs to do a better job of protecting Dylan Raiola. That being said, when a program is 131st in sacks allowed out of 134, it’s more about than the offensive line, or the quarterback holding the ball too long. It’s about everything.

Dana Holgorsen needs to help out his offensive line by running the ball more and offering more help in terms of tight ends and running backs. Raiola needs to make quicker decisions — even throw the ball away more. But last week, Nebraska allowed a sack on nine of 10 possessions.

You can’t win games like that, and Northwestern has three capable pass rushers — Aidan Hubbard, Michael Kilbane, and Anto Saka, who have combined for 58 pressures. Saka and Hubbard have 28 career sacks combined. Northwestern has just 11 sacks a team (same as Nebraska), but the Huskers’ offensive tackles will be tested.

The entire pass protection operation will be, and it has to be better for Nebraska to win.

Run the damn ball

Nebraska’s Emmett Johnson is leading the Big Ten in rushing yards. Last week, Johnson ran the ball 14 times for 63 yards. That’s not enough carries.

I understand that Johnson has to make it through the season. There are five games to go, and there isn’t a reliable RB2. It’s desperation time. It’s must-win time, and Johnson is still the best player on this offense.

Nebraska football doesn’t beat Maryland without Johnson rushing for 176 yards and getting 196 total. He needs a similar effort on Saturday. Northwestern allows 4.5 yards per attempt. They are 13th in the Big Ten in rushing yards allowed.

So lean into the running game, Dana. It will help the Nebraska offensive line, the quarterback, and the defense. It will also help the Huskers win the damn game, which they desperately need to do.

Offer some resistance against the run

This is another obvious key. Nebraska has only held one Power-4 opponent to less than 130 rushing yards (Michigan State). Three teams have rushed for over 186 yards.

Northwestern is also a team that embraces the run-the-damn-ball mentality as much as any team in the Big Ten, probably outside of Michigan.

The Wildcats average 190 rushing yards per game. They have three backs averaging over 4.5 yards per attempt, and as a team, they average 4.8 per rushing attempt. Caleb Komolafe (483 yards, 4.5 average) is their leading rusher. Joseph Hinton (360, 4.9) is also dangerous, as is Dashun Reeder. He had five carries for 51 yards last week. He also had a 79-yard touchdown run against Oregon.

Make no mistake, Northwestern will test Nebraska’s run defense (14th in the Big Ten) early and often. The Wildcats have won three in a row, and in each of those wins, they have had a minimum of 41 rushing attempts.

They will run the ball. Nebraska’s ability to stop it, to protect the quarterback, and run the ball on its own will determine the outcome on Saturday.

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