First Look: Nebraska
Nebraska at Minnesota: Oct. 16, 2021
Nebraska at Purdue: Dec. 5, 2020
Purdue's last trip to Lincoln
Here's an early look at Purdue's eighth opponent of 2021, the Nebraska Cornhuskers:
Date/Time: Saturday, Oct. 30, 3:30 p.m. ET, 2:30 p.m. CT
Location: Memorial Stadium
Surface: FieldTurf
Capacity: 85,458 (record attendance 91,585, NCAA-record 379 consecutive sellouts -- Ticket Information)
Schedule/Results: Nebraska 3-5 overall, 1-4 Big Ten; Purdue 4-3, 2-2
Series notes: Nebraska leads the series 5-4 and has won five of eight games in a series with Purdue that has been played every year since 2013. The first meeting was a 28-0 Purdue victory in Ross-Ade Stadium on Sept. 27, 1958. Nebraska has won two of the three meetings played in Lincoln, 35-14 in 2014 and 27-14 in 2016, with Purdue winning 38-28 in 2018. The Cornhuskers were ranked No. 17, and No. 8 in the 2014 and '16 contests, respectively. Last year, Nebraska entered the game as a two-point underdog but rolled to a wire-to-wire 37-27 victory after building an early 20-3 lead.
TV: ESPN 2
Early line: Nebraska -7
Some early storylines?
Is Nebraska getting better?
On paper, Nebraska should be better than its 3-5 record. The played No. 3 Oklahoma tough in Norman, had Michigan State beat in East Lansing, but a fourth quarter punt return for a TD helped Sparty escape. It also had Michigan on the ropes, but the Wolverines escaped Lincoln with a 32-29 win.
Statistically, Nebraska's numbers are helped by lopsided wins over FCS Fordham and Buffalo early in the season. But the Cornhuskers average 479 yards, and give up just 340. Senior quarterback Adrian Martinez has been productive all season, leading the team in passing (1,995 yds, 10 TDs, two INTs) and rushing (433 yards). But Martinez has been sacked 21 times.
A lot on the line for Nebraska coach Scott Frost on Saturday
It is if Nebraska has any hopes for the postseason in 2021. With five losses to date in 2021, and its last three opponents (Ohio State, @Wisconsin, Iowa) being some of the better teams in the league, there is no margin for the Cornhuskers.
His 15-25 overall record (10-21 in the Big Ten) isn't up to what the Nebraska program had hoped when it hired its favorite son in 2018.
Purdue's margin for error for making the postseason is getting tight, too. A victory in Lincoln would go a long ways toward securing the necessary six wins, especially when the Boilermakers face top-10 foes Michigan State and Ohio State the next two weeks.
Brohm on Nebraska
"Nebraska's offense will be a challenge for our guys to go against. Our defenders have to have their eyes open.
"We will have to try to get a lead and make them throw it more than they want to. Martinez has been there a long time. He has great ability on the zone read and he basically gives them an extra blocker when he runs.
"They are a very physical team, and that will be a challenge."
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