Penn State-Nebraska: Who Wants it More?

Penn State and Nebraska, winless teams with similar issues, meet Saturday in Lincoln. At this point, victory will hinge on who's more motivated to play.

That seems incomprensible, considering both programs were at the forefront of the summer fight for Big Ten football to return. Yet here we are, asking the coachspeak question, "Who wants it more?"

Let's try to answer that.

Penn State (0-3) vs. Nebraska (0-2)

When: Noon ET Saturday

Where: Memorial Stadium, Lincoln, Neb.

TV: FS1

Radio: Penn State Sports Network

Series History: Nebraska leads 9-8

Last Meeting: Penn State 56-44 in 2017

Betting Line: Penn State is a 3-point favorite

About the Lions: "We forgot how to have fun," running backs coach Ja'Juan Seider said this week, a telling admission of the toll this season has taken on Penn State. Coach James Franklin has called the season "challenging" but showed some optimism after holding his first in-person team meeting of the season Tuesday. The news regarding Journey Brown's medical retirement was another blow, but Penn State just might find strength from it. Twenty years ago, the 1-4 Lions defeated No. 22 Purdue, quarterbacked by Drew Brees, 22-20 a week after freshman Adam Taliaferro sustained a career-ending injury. The Lions have plenty to correct, from their big-play pass defense to their offensive line to their inconsistencies at quarterback. Perhaps, as Seider suggested, finding the fun in the game again will be the first step.

About the Cornhuskers: Nebraska hasn't fared any better than Penn State, with an 0-2 record that likely would be 0-3 had it played Wisconsin. The Cornhuskers have their own questions at quarterback, where starter Adrian Martinez is likely to cede more time to redshirt freshman Luke McCaffrey. Last week running back Dedrick Mills told the Lincoln Journal Star that McCaffrey "can move the ball more productively and faster" in Nebraska's tempo offense, something that bears watching Saturday. Nebraska hasn't scored more than 17 points in a game yet this season and doesn't have a passing touchdown (Penn State has allowed eight). One defensive point of note: Nebraska has allowed just one opponent to throw for more than 170 yards over the last five games. That, of course, was Ohio State, whose quarterback Justin Fields went 20 of 21 for 276 yards.

The Prediction: This is how Penn State begins to emerge from its 2020 stagnation. Quarterback Sean Clifford makes some short, smart, easy throws to start, leads a touchdown drive, gets some confidence and then turns to his running game. Devyn Ford is delivered running lanes from an offensive line that looks more assertive. And the defense puts the clamps on Nebraska's quarterback combo by allowing no big plays. Even for 0-3 Penn State, this is a very winnable game. Time to take advantage.

Penn State 24, Nebraska 20

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