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Nebraska football vs. Colorado: 3 keys to a Huskers win

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Matt Krohn-USA TODAY Sports

Nebraska football faces No. 21 Colorado on Saturday and here are three keys to a win for the Huskers.

The rivalry between Nebraska football and Colorado is back on this week. Really, it’s been back on all summer.

Colorado head coach Deion Sanders told the media it was “personal” this week. He also said he spent the week teaching his players about the Nebraska-Colorado rivalry.

It used to be one of the best in college football until Nebraska left for the Big Ten and Colorado left for the Pac-12, which it has just left to return to the Big 12 next season.

What goes around, comes around. I guess.

Regardless, the Huskers face a big challenge. Colorado looked damn good in its 45-42 win over TCU last weekend. The Buffs are ranked No. 21 and they’ll be at home with their Heisman Trophy candidates Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter.

Colorado looked impressive. But I’d argue that Nebraska matches up better with Colorado than TCU did. The Huskers are more physical and they don’t run an air-raid offense.

At any rate, this is a winnable game. Nebraska is a 3-point underdog, on the road, and if they follow these keys, they’ll beat the Buffaloes on Saturday.

Don’t lose the turnover battle

This was a key in Week 1 and Nebraska failed in that area, turning the ball over four times. One of those turnovers was in the red zone — the others were in the last five minutes of the game near midfield.

Each led to points for Minnesota or took points off the board for Nebraska. I’d say don’t turn the ball over, but that’s not necessarily realistic.

Being even in the turnover battle is probably required to win this game. At the very least, Nebraska football can’t be plus three in the turnover ratio. Otherwise, it will have zero shot of winning at Folsom Field.

Shorten the game

The goal should be to give Colorado as few possessions as possible. Long drives are a win for Nebraska and there will be plenty of running plays. I’m guessing we’ll see more of Jeff Sims running the ball too.

TCU was happy to go up and down with the Buffaloes and play fast. That’s what they do. But the Huskers can’t get caught up in that kind of game.

This needs to be an NFL-style game in terms of plays and possessions. Use the clock, pound the rock, and get this thing to the fourth quarter as quickly as possible.

If the Buffs only get eight possessions or so, you really only need a few stops to keep them in the 20s and that’s where Nebraska needs the score in order to win.

And since Colorado allowed 262 rushing yards last week and didn’t get a single sack, it’s safe to say the Huskers will have a decent shot of being able to establish the run.

Hit the quarterback

Another important thing for Nebraska in this game is pressuring Shedeur Sanders. Colorado has too many weapons for him to sit back and read the defense.

The defensive line needs to win and needs to get home. Having Ty Robinson suspended for the first half of the game will make that harder, but the Huskers had 17 pressures total against Minnesota.

I’d guess that Minnesota is better upfront than the Buffs. So there should be some opportunities and if the game is close at half, watch out for Robinson who wil have fresh legs in the third quarter.

Flat out, if the Huskers don’t find a way to hit Sanders often, it’s probably going to be a long day for the defense.

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Nebraska Football: Matt Rhule not afraid to play two quarterbacks

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Mandatory Credit: Dylan Widger-USA TODAY Sports

Nebraska football head coach Matt Rhule addressed the possibility of playing two quarterbacks for Saturday’s game against Louisiana Tech. It doesn’t exactly sound like he is opposed to doing that.

Jeff Sims was the starter for Nebraska for the first two games of the season. An ankle injury kept him out of last Saturday’s contest against Northern Illinois. Heinrich Haarberg filled in for Sims and played well, tallying three total touchdowns for the game.

There is little doubt that Sims was brought in to be the starting quarterback for Nebraska, especially with Casey Thompson’s departure. However, Sims struggles and Haarberg’s emergence last Saturday have certainly made things interesting. Haarberg looked in control of the offense. It didn’t always look the smoothest at times, but he made it work.

Rhule addressed the possibility of playing two quarterbacks when he met with the media on Thursday, as reported by KLNTV’s Lauren Michelson.

A positive development for Nebraska Football

This undoubtedly has to be music to the ears of the fans. It certainly is for me. Playing multiple guys was not something the previous coaching staff did, and it undoubtedly hurt everybody involved, including quarterback Adrian Martinez.

One of the biggest mistakes Scott Frost made on the field was hitching his proverbial wagon to Martinez. It doesn’t sound like Rhule is going to do that with Sims.

Of course, we will have to wait until Saturday to see if the headman is true to his word. It’s one thing to say it in a press conference. We saw Scott Frost do that for multiple seasons. It’s another thing to actually follow through and do it in a game, or looking at the bigger picture, throughout the course of the season.

It will be interesting to see what happens under center on Saturday. Will Nebraska football go with Sims? Alternatively, will they go with Haarberg, who led them to victory last Saturday? Time will tell, but at least Matt Rhule is keeping his options open.

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Nebraska Football: Matt Rhule has health update on Jeff Sims

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Nebraska football head coach Matt Rhule gave a positive prognosis on quarterback Jeff Sims Thursday afternoon. Rhule indicated that Sims had a good week of practice and that he was moving and throwing the football well.

Sims has had a difficult start to the 2023 season. He has tallied one touchdown and four interceptions, and has 220 passing yards in total. Fumbling has been an issue for him through the first two games as well. He has had difficulty handling snaps.

Quarterback Heinrich Haarberg played on Saturday, as Sims was dealing with an ankle injury. Haarberg threw for 198 yards and two touchdowns on 14-of-24 passes. He also rushed for 98 yards and a touchdown. He brought a dual-threat element to the table, similar to that of Sims.

A positive development for Nebraska football

It’s certainly good to hear that Sims is healthy and has practiced well throughout the week. Whatever your opinion is of his play throughout the season, Nebraska football needs him to be healthy. Depth is a problem at the quarterback spot. Experience is lacking there as well.

Although Sims is struggling as a quarterback, there is no doubt he is a solid athlete. His ability to run the football has been his biggest strength so far this season. He has 158 rushing yards so far on the year, and has averaged 5.4 yards per carry. A 57-yard rush has been his longest of the season to this point. Nebraska has certainly made him a focal point of their running attack, as he has 29 carries on the year so far.

Nebraska football is in a welcome predicament with two quarterbacks who have the ability to start. The health of Sims is a positive, as Nebraska begins to enter the meat of their schedule. It will be interesting to see how the situation plays out.

 

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3 keys to a victory for Nebraska football vs. Louisiana Tech

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Sep 16, 2023; Lincoln, Nebraska, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers head coach Matt Rhule during the third quarter against the Northern Illinois Huskies at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dylan Widger-USA TODAY Sports

Nebraska football will be looking for a second straight win on Saturday and here are three keys against Louisiana Tech.

For the second week in a row, Nebraska football will be at home. It’s the second of three straight home games and the Huskers will be looking to take advantage of their incredible home-field advantage once again.

Before big bad Michigan comes to Lincoln on Sept. 30, Nebraska football will have a final non-conference game against Louisiana Tech. The Bulldogs are 2-2 but have been really up and down in the second season under head coach Sonny Cumbie.

Louisiana Tech runs an air-raid offense but does have a couple of talented running backs. Quarterback Hank Bachmeier is a Boise State transfer but is questionable for the game on Saturday due to a shoulder injury.

The defense ranks 100th in scoring defense. Louisiana Tech is 63rd in scoring offense and while Nebraska football has its own question marks, such as who will start at quarterback? The Huskers are a 19-point favorite and here are three keys to a win on Saturday.

Keep stuffing the run

When you think of Louisiana Tech, you don’t necessarily think of a running team, but the Bulldogs average 5.1 yards per attempt and 181 yards per game on the ground. True freshman Keith Willis has 240 rushing yards and averages 7.3 yards per attempt. Tyre Shelton averages 10.2 yards per attempt and is also over 200 yards for the season.

But if there is one thing Nebraska football has excelled at it is run defense. The Huskers have held each of their opponents to fewer than 60 yards rushing. They also rank among college football’s top five in rushing yards per game (46.3) and rushing yards allowed per attempt (1.7).

If that continues on Saturday, I feel really good about Nebraska’s chances of winning without incident. Yet, if the Bulldogs can find success on the ground, things could get interesting.

Hit the quarterback, whoever it is

Whether it’s Bachmeier or Jack Turner who has thrown for 146 yards and a touchdown this season, as well as an interception, Nebraska football needs to hit the quarterback and it should have an easy time getting home.

Louisiana Tech ranks 110th in the FBS in terms of sacks allowed per game. The Bulldogs have allowed 11 total and that’s an average of 2.75 sacks per game. Nebraska football is in the top five in college football with 14 sacks total and 4.6 per game.

The Huskers have done a great job of getting pressure from different levels. Tony White has done a great job of creating blitzes and the defensive line is also winning one-on-ones.

This feels like a game where the Huskers shouldn’t have a problem getting four or five sacks, especially if Nebraska football is able to build a double-digit lead and pin its ears back.

Run the damn ball

It’s not ideal that Nebraska football lost two of its top three running backs to season-ending injuries, but the Huskers should be licking their chops this week.

Louisiana Tech is allowing 4.9 yards per rushing attempt which doesn’t bode well against a Nebraska ground game that is second in the Big Ten, ranked in the top 25 nationally, and averages 5.1 per rush.

Nebraska is getting 209 yards per game and the quarterbacks have been a big part of it. Whether Jeff Sims gets the start of Heinrich Haarberg, I expect plenty of quarterback runs again.

With Anthony Grant taking over as the bell cow, Nebraska is going to need to lean on its quarterbacks and even if Haarberg isn’t the starter, I want to see both utilized in the running game, because it has been one of the most effective parts of the offense through three games.

For More Nebraska content, follow us on Twitter, like our Facebook Page, and Subscribe to the Husker Big Red YouTube Channel. You can also find our podcast on Apple or Spotify.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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