2024 Game 6 "Expert" Picks: Rutgers at Nebraska

What is your prediction for the game?

  • Nebraska wins and covers

    Votes: 12 33.3%

  • Nebraska wins but doesn't cover

    Votes: 17 47.2%

  • Rutgers wins a close one

    Votes: 6 16.7%

  • Rutgers wins by multiple scores

    Votes: 1 2.8%
  • Total voters
    36
  • Poll closed .
Saunders

Saunders

Administrator
2024 Game 6 “Expert” Picks: Rutgers @ Nebraska (-7)
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CollegeFootballNews.com

Nebraska was an overtime loss against Illinois away from being 5-0, and after the layup against Purdue, it’s time to pull off a really big win … or else. You’ll have to forgive Husker fans for being a tad concerned - they’ve been hurt before. After this is a trip to Indiana and a date at Ohio State. That, and with dates against USC and Iowa on the road looming, and in need of two more wins to go bowling … They’ll be fine. UCLA and Wisconsin are more than winnable home games, but beating the Scarlet Knights would allow everyone to exhale. With wins over Virginia Tech and Washington, Rutgers is doing what it’s supposed to under Greg Schiano and be on the right side of close games. Three of the next four games are at home, so win this, and with Washington and UCLA to follow, there’s a shot at starting 7-0 before going to USC.

Why Rutgers Will Win
Embrace the grind. Rutgers might not be pretty, and it doesn’t do anything easy, but it continues to do just about everything right. It’s among the best teams in the nation in fewest penalties, the running game continues to pound away, and the O has turned it over just twice so far. All of that, and the Scarlet Knights are No. 1 in the Big Ten and eighth in the nation in time of possession. Nebraska’s defense might be statistically strong against the run, but it hasn’t faced anyone who pounds away. However …
Why Nebraska Will Win
The Huskers have to get that pass rush rolling to stop Rutgers on third downs.The defense is great at getting into the backfield with a pass rush that should stall the pedestrian Scarlet Knight passing attack. Dylan Raiola and the midrange Husker passing attack have to take over. Nebraska is used to controlling the clock and tempo. It might be able to take Rutgers’ big advantage off the table.
Nebraska vs Rutgers: Who Will Win
Rutgers is about to pound and pound and pound. Nebraska lost the one game against a team that could sort of run - the Husker run D gave up a season-high 166 yards in the loss to Illinois - and Rutgers is averaging 5.4 yards per carry. The game will always seem within Nebraska’s reach, and it won’t be able to get there in a maddening loss.

Rutgers 23 - Nebraska 20
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CFN Experts
Big Game Ben, CFN: Nebraska*
E, CFN: Nebraska*
Jackson Caudell: Nebraska
Nathan Erbach, ND on SI: Nebraska
Pete Fiutak, CFN: Rutgers
John Kennedy, ND on SI: Nebraska
Andrew Margolick, CFN: Nebraska
Jeremy Mauss: Nebraska
Doug Millen, CFN: Nebraska*
Johnny Rosenstein: Nebraska*
Nick Shepkowski: Rutgers
Joe Vitale: Nebraska
CONSENSUS PICK: Nebraska
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ESPN FPI
Nebraska - 66.0% Win
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DRatings
Nebraska 24 - Rutgers 16
Nebraska - 76.1% Win
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ESPN Bill Connelly SP+
Nebraska 25 - Rutgers 18
Nebraska - 66% Win
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Big Red Wrap Up
Mike'l Severe: Nebraska 24 - Rutgers 17
Jay Moore: Nebraska 21 - Rutgers 17
Damon Benning: Nebraska 26 - Rutgers 17

More to come!!!

 
This will be a huge test. Watching every game to date, I’d say Illinois and UNI standout when thinking of Rutgers. The former with good athletes, they’re physical, the QB position is playing better than previous years by a margin, and they come to Lincoln confident and undefeated.
 

The latter wanted to pound the ball but didn’t have the juice to finish with scores. If you look at the drive summaries for UNI, they were hard for us to get off the field many times. 
 

Big test for the Huskers this Saturday. 

 
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This game sort of play out like the Illini game.

But hopefully not with the lameness of the D, a fake Int and a lot of flags.

NU needs to get the ball first, go down the field and score a TD.  Once NU gets up, this game is over.  Rutgers is horrible.  Most of their rushing yards came against two lame teams.  

Washington out gained them 500-300.

Their wins have all been the same.  They get up early and have to hold on for dear life.  

NU just needs to score first.  

 
Rutgers is good on the penalty side - Nebraska needs to lower the penalty total and be disciplined.  We can win but we need the D to do better than they did against Ill in stopping the run. 

 
Sounds like many feel the same as me. 
 

This game is going to come down to how well the D plays. If we can limit their RB timeless than 120 yards, I think we win. If he’s just running all day getting 5-10 yards with an occasional big play, we probably lose. 

 
Against iLLinois, our defense was full of themselves, and Bielema and Staff called a pretty good game (game plan).  

We then saw the Blackshirts really upset with the loss and how they played.  Took it out on Purdue.  Gave up just one TD in late game mop-up duty (Huskers up 28-3).  

I think we will see the intensity pick up again against Rutgers.  Esp as a home game and learning their lesson. 

But they will have to do their best to shut down the running game (be better at it), keep Rutgers in 3rd and long (7 yards or more) and put pressure on their QB when they are consistently forced to throw more.  

Offensively for the Huskers, the sky is almost the limit.  Rutgers is struggling with tackling all year and with DB coverage.  Our Tight Ends will be open a lot, and we should be able to run the ball better.

 
It isn't just the players who are having trouble with consistency, it's also the coaches.  There is a thread of effort through all of them, but something keeps happening to this team that reminds me of previous coaching regimes here.  Great effort that should, in a good program, be apparent throughout the game.  But it's not.  It's either isolated in the first or the second half, leaving the other half to the other team. 

Just how much we do in our good half has been the difference between winning or losing, and proof that we've improved significantly is that we're 4-1 at this point, so those good halfs of football have carried us rather well compared to previous seasons.

Coach does address this publicly, telling the mics and cameras that we need to play complete games. He must be going crazy over there watching us play whole quarters of football that looks half-hearted and mistake ridden, not just a play or two or a drive or two.

 
teachercd said:
This game sort of play out like the Illini game.

But hopefully not with the lameness of the D, a fake Int and a lot of flags.

NU needs to get the ball first, go down the field and score a TD.  Once NU gets up, this game is over.  Rutgers is horrible.  Most of their rushing yards came against two lame teams.  

Washington out gained them 500-300.

Their wins have all been the same.  They get up early and have to hold on for dear life.  

NU just needs to score first.  
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I wouldn't say they are horrible.  Nebraska has more athletic talent but Rutgers doesn't beat themselves.  I agree with scoring first and getting up by two scores.  The key to beating Rutgers IMO is avoiding turnovers, dumb penalties and matching them as fundamentally sound.  If Nebraska gets up two scores and Rutgers has to go to the air, they are in trouble.  The Scarlet Knights have struggled with a downfield passing game this season so far.  Plus Nebraska fans should remember the inconsistency with the QB at Minnesota.

 
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DrinkinwitTerrellFarley said:
I wouldn't say they are horrible.  Nebraska has more athletic talent but Rutgers doesn't beat themselves.  I agree with scoring first and getting up by two scores.  The key to beating Rutgers IMO is avoiding turnovers, dumb penalties and matching them as fundamentally sound.  If Nebraska gets up two scores and Rutgers has to go to the air, they are in trouble.  The Scarlet Knights have struggled with a downfield passing game this season so far.  Plus Nebraska fans should remember the inconsistency with the QB at Minnesota.
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Just like a better version of UNI. Sound football. They’re going to run. We know they’re going to run. Can we stop the run and avoid “guessing” on downs where play action might come. 
 

They have a big back and look pretty physical. Can we get some 3 and outs and consistent 3rd and 6’s to get off the field?

I’d love for us to be 60/40 run/pass this game to show we can smash mouth with efficacy while stopping opponents’ attempts to do so. 

 
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