3 keys for Nebraska football against Northern Iowa

Nebraska football is a media darling this week after a 28-10 win over Colorado but the only thing that matters is what happens on Saturday.

The Huskers can’t afford to overlook Northern Iowa, a team that, as Matt Rhule pointed out, is used to having success. Northern Iowa is a perennial playoff contender in the FCS and they have plenty of experience playing Big Ten teams.

They are also ranked in the FCS Top 25 this season. For Nebraska, this game should be over by halftime. It should be another chance to clear the bench but nothing is guaranteed and here are three keys for the Huskers against Northern Iowa.

Handle success and don’t look ahead

That might sound like two things and maybe it is, but they fit. Nebraska needs to handle the success of starting 2-0, being ranked in the top 25, and everyone saying they are going to be a playoff contender.

The fact of the matter is that Nebraska didn’t handle success well in 2023. The Huskers won three in a row, only to lose four straight to end the season.

Part of that is focusing on Northern Iowa. Don’t look ahead to Illinois. Don’t look back to the win over Colorado. That’s over and Nebraska needs to be in the present on Saturday.

The standard is the standard and they need to meet it for 60 minutes.

Keep the run defense solid

I’ve been saying that Northern Iowa will probably present a bigger challenge in the running game than either UTEP or Colorado.

Colorado just doesn’t want to run the ball. Of course, if the Buffs could play flag football, I think they would prefer that too.

Still, Northern Iowa has a running back in Tye Edwards who is averaging 10.5 yards per attempt. Amauri Pesek-Hickson is getting over six yards pop.

I’m confident that Nebraska football will overwhelm Northern Iowa’s offensive line and swallow up the running game. Still, it’s something to watch on Saturday against a team that averages 298 yards per game on the ground.

Nothing stupid

The easiest way to get upset is by turning the ball over and making mistakes on special teams. Nebraska needs to avoid turnovers, which they have done in the first two games (one giveaway).

Nebraska did have a punt blocked against Colorado that wasn’t returned, but something like a blocked punt or a kickoff return for a touchdown can give an underdog life.

As long as Nebraska avoids that and isn’t -2 in turnover margin, this should be a runaway. The last thing you want to do is let a team like Northern Iowa hang until the fourth quarter.

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