Northwestern vs Nebraska
Saturday 12:30pm Eastern Time TV: Fox
Current Line: Nebraska -12.5
Northwestern has the pieces to make the ball control strategy work in Dublin on Saturday with a strong running back corps led by junior Evan Hull. Hull rushed for 1,000 yards last season and is poised for a strong 2022 behind a Wildcats offensive line that returns 4 starters from last year.
Nebraska’s defense is highly touted among Big 10 squads for 2022, however the Cornhuskers averaged 173 rushing yards allowed in games away from Lincoln last season with pretty much the same defensive line that will line up on the ball on Saturday. The matchup between a strong Northwestern offensive line and a talented Nebraska defensive line will be one of the keys in this game.
Nebraska’s offense has loaded up for 2022 as the Cornhuskers were very active in the transfer portal adding pieces – especially in the aerial attack. I’m of the opinion that Nebraska’s enhanced passing game will materialize, but not necessarily in this spot away from home in game one of their season. Northwestern will have to exert some level of pressure on Texas transfer QB Casey Thompson, who showed flashes for the Longhorns last season. One thing to note is that Thompson has always underperformed away from home in his college career….and Dublin is a long ways from Memorial Stadium in Lincoln (or Austin) .
Nebraska was a top 20 scoring offense last year and Northwestern head coach Pat Fitzgerald is well aware of this. Expect Northwestern to assert their run game in order to keep the Nebraska offense off the field as much as possible, which may translate into a closer game than what the oddsmakers think.
The Play: Northwestern +12.5
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