3 reasons North Dakota won’t keep it close against Nebraska

Nebraska football fans should be wary of North Dakota. As Matt Rhule said this week, the Fighting Hawks are coming to Lincoln to win.

This is a team that is ranked 6th in the FCS. The Fighting Hawks average over 500 yards of total offense. They have also scored at least 42 points in each game.

That being said, Nebraska has some impressive offensive numbers in its own right. Anthony Colandrea was the Big Ten Player of the Week, and the Huskers are averaging 256 rushing yards per game and 52 points.

With that in mind, and more, here are three reasons why the Huskers will win in convincing fashion on Saturday night.

No defense

North Dakota is allowing 23.23 points per game. They haven’t played a very strong schedule either, so expect the Huskers to move the ball up and down the field.

There are some standouts on that side of the ball, but their best pass rusher is injured. North Dakota will get pushed around in the trenches, and Anthony Colandrea will have another near-perfect performance.

North Dakota gives up just 78 rushing yards per game. I expect some resistance there, but if the Fighting Hawks load to stop the run, they will be exposed on the back end. If they are light in the box, Nebraska will run all over them.

Good defenses will have trouble stopping Nebraska. That’s my prediction at least, and North Dakota will have a tough time keeping the Huskers under 50.

No letdown

Matt Rhule has been very clear that North Dakota is a team to respect. Players might not always buy that message, but one thing that should help is the fact that Rob Aurich was an FCS defensive coordinator. He understands how good the Dakota programs are.

Aurich will have a healthy respect for the Fighting Hawks and their dynamic quarterback Jerry Kaminsky, too. His players should, too. The focus will be right where it should be, and it will help that Nebraska football has a veteran team, instead of one of the youngest in the Big Ten.

That will help a letdown.

The Blackshirts

Beyond his experience facing FCS teams, this defense will be fun to watch against Kaminsky, who has 11 touchdown passes in three games. The Fighting Hawks average 540 yards of total offense, with 288 coming through the air. The QB can run, too, averaging 25 yards per game on the ground.

It’s a really balanced offense, one that has a Big Ten-caliber quarterback. I think the Huskers keep them around 20 points. The Blackshirts have allowed one explosive play this season.

North Dakota might change that, but Rob Aurich will win more than he loses on Saturday night, and the pass rush, which had 14 pressures last week, will have the chance to pin its ears back, as long as the run defense holds up.

With a healthy Owen Chambliss and a D-line on the rise, my guess is it will.

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