Purdue @ Nebraska Prediction
Boy was I wrong
But its okay because I will take a loss if that means Purdue wins a game. And to be honest, I pretty much had what Purdue needed to do to win down to a T. And that was a much needed win as we head on over to Lincoln to face a Nebraska team that is 0-3 for the first time since WWII and has had our number for the last two seasons.
Nebraska
2018 Record: 0-3 (Lost to #19 Michigan)
Nebraska is shaping to be a more run centered offense but neither the run or the passing game has taken off as they're both shy of the 200 mark (185 yds/gm on the ground and 168 yds/gm through the air) Adrian Martinez will be the starter for this game and is sitting comfortably at a modest 62% passing. That's not great but it can be worse, as well as averaging 69 yds/gm and 1 TD. Overall not many touches as he has also been sharing the ball with Andrew Bunch so there's that.
So now I will shed some light on this Nebraska offense as Purdue has improved on the pass rush allowing 275 yds/gm its still a lot so the boilermakers are at least giving them some room to work with. But it doesn't get better with the run game as Purdue is allowing 138 yds/gm which is not much of a difference with how many yards Nebraska is putting up. The glaring weakness I see is pressure. If Purdue's defense can keep the performance I saw against BC. It will be a long game for not just Nebraska, but for Martinez as well
Purdue
2018 Record: 1-3 (Won against #23 Boston College)
Purdue's offense is shaping to be more balanced with a emphasis on the passing game and Its showing as Purdue is averaging 318 yd/gm through the air and 165 yds/gm on the ground. Blough will be the starter as Sindelar is still out with a undisclosed injury. But Blough has really step up and is making big plays as he is averaging 247.5 yds/gm with 71% passing to go with 6 TD's. Rondale Moore has been HOT this last couple of games averaging 126 yds/gm with 5 TD's 2 of them are 70+ yards. He will be a test for the Huskers for sure.
While Nebraska is not good on offense they are good on defense as they allow 222 yds/gm through the air and 157 yds/gm on the ground. I don't see the run game changing as since the numbers are so close, I'm going to say that they cancel out. Now there may be an issue on passing but with the way the O-line has looked against Mizzou and BC, two teams that are way better than Nebraska, I would say that Blough should be fine.
Verdict
While it looks like on paper a easy game for us, I would say that we should not count out the Huskers as they have shown in the past that they can rally back from a deficit and win. (I'm looking at you 25-24 loss) And this will be the first time that our young defense will be on the road especially at Lincoln where it will be a tough environment as Frost is 0-3 so they will really be looking for a win here. But I'm gonna go with the Boilermakers as we have now seen what this team is capable of doing. And yes both teams are young, but I believe that Purdue has played more competitive, and more experienced teams and have grown up in a way.
Boiler UP
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