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5 things to know about Nebraska football vs. Northwestern

Five things to watch for the Nebraska football team against the Northwestern Wildcats.

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Nebraska football
Dylan Widger-USA TODAY Sports

It’s been a tumultuous week for the Nebraska football program. Rumors persist about head coach Matt Rhule and Penn State, while the Huskers were embarrassed on the road last week.

Nebraska needs a win. Matt Rhule needs a win, and the 5-2 Huskers will host 5-2 Northwestern in maybe the most important game of Rhule’s career, up to this point.

Football is a crazy sport. You’re never as good or as bad as you seem. The Huskers were beaten by Indiana last week, 56-7, and then nearly beat Ohio State in Columbus the next week.

Rhule guaranteed that his Nebraska football team would show up this week. It better. Here are five things to know about Nebraska vs. Northwestern, including the odds and how to watch.

Nebraska vs. Northwestern Odds

Nebraska football is a 7.5-point favorite against the Wildcats this Saturday. The over/under is 43.5. The moneyline is -285 for the Huskers and +230 for Northwestern.

Nebraska vs. Northwestern: How to watch

The game will be broadcast on Fox Sports 1. Kickoff time is set for 11 a.m. CST. You can stream through the Fox One App or Fubo TV. Huskers.com will also have the radio broadcast streaming for free.

Another test for the run defense

Nebraska’s run defense has been a failure. Nebraska has allowed 202 rushing yards to Cincinnati, 286 to Michigan, 130 to Maryland, and 186 to Minnesota. The Huskers are 14th in the Big Ten in rushing yards allowed.

Minnesota and Maryland each struggled to run the ball this season. Minnesota was averaging 59 rushing yards per game against Power-4 opponents.

Northwestern averages 190.1 yards per game. The Wildcats average 4.8 yards per attempt. They also have three backs who have rushed for over 222 yards this season.

Caleb Komolafe (4.5 average, 483 yards) and Joseph Himon (360 yards, 4.9 average) are the top ball-carriers. However, Dashun Reeder is another name to know. He’s averaging over 10 yards per attempt.

Reeder had a 79-yard run against Oregon. Last week, he had five runs for 51 yards against Purdue, so he’s a running back to keep an eye on this week.

And if Nebraska is going to win this game, the run defense has to stand up.

Another average pass rush

Northwestern has 11 sacks through seven games, which is tied with Nebraska for 15th in the Big Ten. The Huskers haven’t just allowed Dylan Raiola to get sacked; they haven’t sacked the opposing quarterback much.

Nebraska had four sacks against Michigan State. The Huskers have seven in the other six games. Beyond that, the offense is dead last in the Big Ten in sacks allowed (25). In fact, only two programs, South Carolina and Auburn, have allowed more sacks in college football this season (tied for 131st overall).

Aidan Hubbard has had 15.5 career sacks. He has 2.5 sacks this season. Anto Saka has 12.5 sacks in his career, so the Wildcats have pass rushers. They haven’t been great about getting to the quarterback this season. They also haven’t played Nebraska either, which is allowing 3.7 sacks per game.

Emmett Johnson’s time to shine

Johnson had 14 carries for 63 yards last week. He was effective. Nebraska averaged more than five yards per attempt on first-down runs. Johnson got just two touches after his first down attempts.

Nebraska passed the ball twice as many times as it ran (38-16). For a team that allowed nine sacks and couldn’t pass protect, it’s hard to understand why Johnson didn’t get 30 carries.

The game was close until the fourth quarter. Northwestern averages 4.5 yards per attempt. If you want to protect the quarterback, one of the best ways is to run the ball.

Rocco Spindler should be back this week. Elijah Pritchett, too. There is no excuse not to run the ball. Nebraska has to win the rushing battle, and if the Huskers are going to be victorious, a 100-yard game from Johnson would go a long way.

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Chris has worked in sports journalism since 2005 writing for multiple newspapers and websites such as the Bleacher Report and Fansided before starting Husker Big Red, A fan site for hardcore followers of the #Huskers offering articles, podcasts, videos and more exclusive content on all things Nebraska

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