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McMaster's Keys to the Game: Nebraska vs. Purdue
A football game is a long, 60-minute grind. It is truly a game of inches that comes down to hours of practice and tedious preparation. Games in college football are not just won by talent on the field but by strategy and weeks of game planning.
Nebraska football hasn't won three games in a row since defeating Purdue 27-14 at Memorial Stadium in 2016. The Huskers look to repeat history seven years later and put themselves fully in the race to win the Big Ten West.
Tackling in space
We heard head coach Matt Rhule earlier in the week call this Purdue offense “scary.” He’s not wrong. The Boilermakers have a talented quarterback in Hudson Card who poses a threat through the air and on his feet. Card is in the top half in most Big Ten statistics and is a former four-star recruit.
The Boilermakers have three wide receivers with over 300 receiving yards: Deon Burks, Yaseen Abdur-Rahmaan and TJ Sheffield. Burks leads the group with 418 yards and five touchdowns. He has blazing speed and great agility, and he is a consistent homerun threat.
Purdue will find ways to get the ball to all of these playmakers and Nebraska defenders must ensure that when they make contact with the ball carrier they end up on the ground. It takes just one mistake against these receivers to turn a three-yard gain into a game-changing play.
Get to the quarterback
Despite the weather, the Boilermakers are going to throw the football. It's what they do best, and while the conditions are not ideal for their style of play, they will have more success through the air than on the ground against this stout Blackshirt run defense. Card’s season has been solid. The Texas transfer is averaging 231 passing yards a game with a solid quarterback efficiency rating of 121.
Card does have some turnover issues, throwing five interceptions in seven games, and is coming off a rough performance against Ohio State where he completed 13-of-32 passes for 126 yards. Part of Card’s struggle was handling the Buckeye pass rush. Card took three sacks, the most he’s taken all year.
The easiest way to stop a passing offense is by putting the QB on the ground. Purdue’s O-line ranks in the bottom half of the country in sacks allowed while the Huskers sit in the top 10 in sacks recorded with 28. Getting to Card in the backfield while also containing him in the pocket will be a focal point for an elite Nebraska defense.
Field position battle
The weather will be brutal on Saturday. Forecasts call for cloudy 35-degree weather, with light rain and a chance of snow.
This is setting up to be a classic Big Ten West matchup full of runs, punts, and happy gamblers who bet the under. Special teams and field position will be crucial in a game that features two teams in the bottom half of points per game in the country.
I wouldn’t be shocked if we see a fake punt or field goal in this game. With these two offenses and the weather limiting Purdue in the throwing game, this is a matchup where the kicking game could have a massive influence and a fake could generate the spark that either side needs.
