5 things to know about Nebraska football’s matchup with Oregon

Nebraska football could get its biggest win in years on Saturday night, but the ranked losing streak still wouldn’t come to an end.

That’s because Oregon fell out of the Top 25 after its second loss of the season, a two-point loss to UCLA. The Ducks are still a quality team, though. They won on the road at USC with Dylan Raiola playing quarterback.

Raiola was terrible against UCLA. He got benched after three turnovers and completing 6 of 19 passes for 43 yards. It was the worst game of his career. If only the Nebraska-Oregon game had been last week.

The game is on the West Coast. Winning after these road trips hasn’t been easy for Big Ten teams. The 10 PM (Central) kickoff is also a tough break. Matt Rhule said it’s the latest kickoff of his career.

You have to find a way, though. No one cares about the excuses or the hardships. Just the wins and losses. Looking ahead to another massive game for Nebraska football, here are five things to know.

Nebraska vs. Oregon odds

The Ducks are a 7.5-point favorite. The over/under is 52.5, with the moneyline at +200. Oregon is -275.

How to watch/listen to Nebraska vs. Oregon

Fox will carry the game. Kickoff is set for 10 p.m. Central Time. Huskers.com will have the radio broadcast for free.

We don’t know who the Oregon quarterback is going to be

Dan Lanning didn’t want to tell the media if he was making changes to the offensive staff this week, as far as who is calling the plays. Remember, Oregon lost its offensive coordinator to Kentucky as Will Stein left the head job.

Lanning didn’t name a starting quarterback. I don’t know if he will. He might want Nebraska to have to prepare for Brock Thomas and Raiola. We also don’t know the status of Dante Moore, so Rhule said the Huskers were preparing for all three. Lanning praised Raiola for how he responded. 

Neither quarterback is really a threat to run. Once the injury report comes out, we will learn whether or not there is a chance of Dante Moore returning this week.

Outside of that, it might be a guessing game. Oregon might even play both quarterbacks.

Nebraska has been the better rushing team

Part of that has to do with the Ducks not having a running quarterback. Dante Moore can run, but he’s more of a passer. The Ducks have talented backs. Their running game is solid, averaging 4.3 yards per attempt in Big Ten play.

Nebraska football is third in rushing yards and fifth in rushing yards allowed. The Huskers are rushing for 213 yards per game and giving up 94 (3.2 per carry). That’s been one of the most improved aspects of the defense.

Colandrea is a huge reason why the running game has been as productive as it has been. However, the backs got 73 yards on 19 carries against a stout Indiana defense. It feels like there will be opportunities on the ground in this game, and regardless of who is playing quarterback for the Ducks, the job will be more difficult without a reliable running game.

Matt Rhule’s road woes

The Huskers have struggled in November under Matt Rhule. They have also struggled on the road. 4-1 Maryland from last season was the only team Rhule has beaten on the road with a winning record as the Nebraska football head coach.

Oregon might not be ranked anymore, but this would be a breakthrough win nonetheless.

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