Nebraska vs Purdue: Keys, predictions, and X-factors

Hey, Oscar fans

Welcome back to the Husker Big Red YouTube channel. I'm Chris Peterson, and joining me as always is Danny Gillette

We're back here for another episode on a Friday, one day later than usual. But we're going to preview Nebraska and Purdue in another key matchup for the Huskers

their first road game of the season. So we're going to break it down with some keys to victory, some bold predictions

some X factors, and then a score prediction here at the end. So before we get into that, please make sure that you guys hit the like button

hit the subscribe button if you haven't already. comment with your score predictions or bold predictions or whatever keys to victory

whatever thoughts that you have about the game on Saturday. And Danny, we're about 24 hours away from kickoff here as we're recording this

And how are you feeling? What's kind of your temperature gauge here for the Huskers tomorrow

I just can't wait until we play another damn game. All these people complaining about Illinois, like, God, it's nauseating

You know, obviously people have opinions about the Illinois game, but I can't wait until we can talk about something else, to be honest with you

and that is Purdue. And so I'm optimistic about this game. It's the first road test

You know, I think Nebraska will come out stronger defensively, and I think that they will, you know, have less, you know

kind of mental lapses. I think going away on the road will be good for them

You know, sometimes it's easy to get too comfortable at home for one game, never mind, you know, however many it was, what, three games in a row

four games in a row. So I think it's good that they're going on the road. And unfortunately

Purdue had to be the first road test. And it's never easy to play there, no matter how good or bad

the boy that makers are. But I'm looking forward to the game. It should be a really good one, I think

Yeah, I think that it will be a good game. Yeah, there's been a lot of, you know, banter. It's

it's been a lot of the, you know, Nebraska fan base fighting amongst themselves this week

which that's what happens when you lose. I mean, that's part of college football. But I've been, you know

obviously looking ahead of this game, I think it's a chance for them to, you know, get back on track

I think it's going to tell us a lot one way or the other, you know, because Nebraska is a 10-point favorite going into this matchup

And I know that Purdue looks like one of the worst teams in the Big Ten, but, you know, looks can be deceiving at times

Sometimes you're not as good as you think you are, and sometimes you're not as bad as you think you are. I do think through the first three games, Nebraska's not as good as we all thought that they were

And so maybe Purdue is not as bad as we think they are either. And, you know, they're going to be desperate for a win

Big Ten play. It's always tough, especially when you play on the road. A freshman quarterback, the weather may be rainy and all that type of thing

So there could be lots of different factors that could make this a close game. So what are some of the keys that kind of stick out to you for Nebraska

And like I said, 10-point favorite going into this one, Huskers 3 and 1, Purdue 1 and 2

But their last two games, they lost 66 to 7 and I think 38 to 21 to Oregon State

You know, I think for me, oh, I thought you froze for a second

I think for me, getting pressure to Hudson Card is going to be important

They did it pretty well in last year's matchup. You know, he threw for just 100 yards, and they were able to kind of confuse him a bit

But continuing to get pressure on the quarterback is going to be important

That's something that we haven't really seen a ton from, you know, the likes of Ty Robinson and Nash Hudmacher over the past couple games

it seems to me like they may be a little bit tired or whatever, but the pressure just hasn't been there

So for me, getting pressure and getting sacks on the quarterback is going to be important

You know, Hudson Card is a good quarterback. I know he struggled, like I said, against us last year

but this year, you know, he's off to another strong start, 453 passing yards, six touchdowns, three interceptions

He has been sacked five times. But, you know, I think for me one of the first things is getting pressure on Card

Yeah, so for me, I guess the biggest, key, I think the most important thing for Nebraska in this game is they have to be successful

running the ball. And if they aren't, I don't think they're going to win this game because

if you look at Purdue's, you know, what they've done through the first three games, they've been

terrible against the run. They've averaged a lot 5.6 yards per carry. But if you look at the

flip side of it, their past rush, you know, was like Purdue of old. They're very dynamic in the

past rush. And they have eight sacks. And what makes that crazy is that teams are only throwing the

ball an average of 18 times per game. They've only played three games. So they've only seen 50

four passes, 54 pass attempts this season. They've got sacks on eight plays. So basically every

six point, yeah, six point seven five dropbacks, Purdue's getting a sack. So, and that's with a

defense that's allowing five point six yards per carry. So basically, you know, they're an OLA run

defense, just no run defense at all. So if Nebraska, you know, runs the football like they did against

Illinois, you know, 3.3 yards per carry and somewhere in that range, it's going to be a long day for

this offensive line, which has struggled to pass protect. And I think, Purdue's past rush is probably just as good, if not better, than Illinois

And if they're able to pin their ears back at home, I don't know. That's not going to be a great situation for Nebraska

So I do think that they have to be able to run the football offensively if they're going to win this one

Making field goals, making extra points, that's going to be a key for me in this game

John Hall is going to take over the kicking duties. For Saturday, I'm not nervous about hole

It's hard to kick well when you can't even get the snap down right. So I'd like to see him redeem himself

he had a rough outing last weekend, but I'm not too worried

I just hope that he can provide some consistency to the kicking game. And you have to wonder how bad Tristan Albano's injury is and if he can kind of either play

through the season or if we're going to see more of hole in the future. I can definitely agree with that

No special teams gaffs this week. You know, you can't, I mean, it's one thing to miss like a 50-yard field goal

That's not money in the bank, but a 39-yard or like at this level, you have to make that

That has to be a very high percentage kick. they can't afford to leave points on the board this week

So, yeah, hopefully he can deliver. You know, you can't miss kick a ball to the wrong side of the field on a punt to allow a 40-yard return

Like, you just can't do those. That's almost like giving up a turnover. You know, if you want to talk about, that's like a Kirk Ferrence, like

hidden yardage play. And coaches like Kirk Ferrence love to talk about hidden yardage, but it matters

And Nebraska gave way too much up last week. So, you know, they can't do that this week

They've got to be better on the special teams. and if not, that's another way that you let a team like Purdue hang around

You know, you have a chance. Maybe you like upset and nothing you know and then you go to maybe kick a field goal to make it 10 nothing You miss it You know it those types of things that snowball and take a game that should be you know a two three win and turn it into a one game in the fourth quarter

And as we know, since like 2018, I mean, for the last decade, essentially since, you know

both Bolini left and probably earlier, like, that's not a good place. You know, if you get Nebraska in a one-score game in the fourth quarter, like, that's exactly

where you want to be as the opponent, not Nebraska. I mean, you know, it's like, you're like, okay, man, just wait, just get it

to the fourth quarter and see if they'll fall apart because they have been. You know, they have for years. So at some point, you know, you got to stop that from happening. But the other side of that

too is make the plays that you need to make to make sure it's not a close game because last week's

game should not have come down to that final possession or whatever, that final field goal

Nebraska should have had it in hand. You know, if Neyer, you know, secures that touchdown catch

It's a completely different game. I mean, just if, if Ramir Johnson doesn't step out of bounds and

Nebraska doesn't have to settle for a field goal there instead of getting a touch, you know, settling for a field goal instead of a touchdown

that's four points. So, I mean, those two plays right there, that's 11 points they left on the board with two plays

So, I mean, those are just, they've got to start, you know, putting those things down, putting, you know, stepping on the throat of teams

And I guess that'll be another key because I do feel like they're going to get the chance

in this game, you know, whether it's in the second quarter, early in the third quarter, I do think they're going to get a chance whether they're up, you know, 10 points, 14 points

to put it away. You know, they had a couple of drives last week in the third quarter, I think, where it was

a seven point lead for Nebraska and they could not get it to 10. and so will they be able to get it to a two, three score lead tomorrow

I think that's going to be a big key. Because like I said, when it gets to the fourth quarter, one score game

it gets a little scary, especially on the road. Yeah, absolutely, and especially at Purdue

And I guess, you know, talking about putting games away and, you know, making plays

being aggressive is one of my keys for Saturday's game, particularly at the wide receiver position

Marcus Satterfeld talked this week about, you know, having his receivers be more aggressive

and, you know, he talked about, or he referenced the Jalen Lloyd interception against northern Iowa

and also the overturned touchdown against Illinois, where, you know, Neyer could have perhaps jumped to get that football

So I think, you know, fighting for footballs and being aggressive at the wide receiver position is going to be a key for me in this game

And I guess in the running department, you want to run, run hard, run aggressively, get to that second level

play with a little bit more physicality. Don't play stupid, but play like you're fighting for the football

Play like you want to grab the extra touchdown. Don't kind of let it come to you

You have to go fight for it. So kind of bringing that aggressive mentality is going to be a key for me on Saturday

especially against the Purdue team that has always kind of been scrappy and gritty

The last one, last key for me, I think, is going to be on the flip side of things

Slowing down this Nebraska, or I mean, this Purdue rushing attack. You know, Devin Mock will be averaging seven yards of carry

they're rushing for 183 yards per game. And you reference the pass rush

You know, if you're not slowing down the running game, if Purdue's able to, you know, have second and, you know, five, third and three

you know, Nebraska's pass rush just is not very dynamic right now. And I just, I think if they can get to third and long, you know

they can scheme up some things. But if they're in those third and medium situations, I think that's going to be tough for Nebraska to get pressure

So again, defensively, they have to be better running with the run defense

setting the edge and the tackling has to improve. And I don't know how to necessarily fix the pass rush, but it's becoming a concern

So that's something to watch for sure, you know, kind of that run defense because we've gotten gashed the past couple of games on run defense

And it's been, you know, drive extenders and, you know, plays that where the rest of the unit down

So stopping the run is going to be very important. All right

So let's make a switch over. What's going to be your X factor? I mean, you can pick one or two if you want, but we can start out with picking one

What's the next factor? There could be a player, could be a certain element

could be a different element of the game, but we're not going to restrict you here

Okay. X factor in terms of player. I'll go one player, one element of the game, Ty Robinson

I mean, he needs to show up on Saturday. He needs to be able to play at a high level

and I'm not saying he's not trying, but I just need him to get, you know, a sack

or something that shows me that he is going to be, that dynamic pass rusher, not only for this game, but also set the tone for the rest of the season

He's struggling a little bit right now, so I'd love to see him get back to what he does best

My X Factor is going to be Sayre Wright, because we don't know right now if Tommy Hill's going to play

I mean, it seems like he might not, but I really don't know. It sounds like it's kind of up to his pain threshold, and that's a hard thing to gauge

So we'll see, but either way, Sayer Wright looked good last week, and I think he could come in

And, you know, he has the tools. He started like 12 games in his college career

He's played really well. He was a top 100 recruit. So if he can come in and play like he did last week

in a limited kind of spot regardless of the penalties and all that, I'd be very happy

And I think that's another X factor for Nebraska. And it could be one of those situations where, you know

getting him on the field here might benefit them later in the season when they have Hill, healthy, and say, are right

And then maybe they could, you know, bump Marcus Buford down to, you know

more of a slot corner safety role. Well, I think Marcus Buford is better at the safety role

because last week he got burned pretty badly on a couple of occasions. So that's not his natural position

So ideally, if we moved him down to safety, I think that would be better for everybody involved

And then so I guess an X-factor just in general, control the tempo of the game

You know, try to don't let Purdue have as many offensive opportunities

You know, try to create long, you know, point scoring drives and kind of remain balanced

let Purdue kind of just, you know, get into a rhythm offensively

And one way you can do that is by having long offensive drives. And I think sometimes with this offense, you know, Satterfield gets caught up and, you know

Dylan Ryola and his ability to pass the football and the wide receivers, which is fair

because Raola is a dynamic quarterback. He's a tremendous freshman quarterback. We all know that

But, you know, kind of evening out the offense, balancing the offense

trying the football, having that nice mix of plays is going to be important

Saturday and you know I think you know I don't care if it's a 12 minute drive as long as

they get seven you know that's that works for me so just being balanced offensively is going

to be important for me on Saturday my other X factor I stick with another player here I going to say Emmett Johnson I think the coaching staff is going to realize that they probably made a mistake not giving him more touches last week You look at this Purdue team they averaging they getting run against like 48 times a game as opposed to pass

Like it's a 1 to 3 ratio. So I think we're going to see, you know, a few guys get carries, Ramir Johnson, Emmett Johnson

And I think Emmett Johnson is going to make a case to get more touches on Saturday like he did a couple weeks ago and gets Northern Iowa

and then inexplicably was kind of left off the field. But part of it, you're right, was the fact that, you know

it's easy to fall in love with, you know, Dylan Ryola quarterback, and Nebraska only ended up running it 20-something times last week

and it didn't really follow the script. So I'm hoping to see, I'd love to see Nebraska throw like 40 times

I mean, run like 40 times and throw it like 20, to be honest with you. I think that would be an ideal formula to win this game by like 17 points

But you've got to be productive running it, and then you have to be efficient. If you're only going to throw it that much

you have to be efficient play action, creating explosive plays. But it would be nice to be able to actually get a nice play action fake

and throw kind of a bomb. And the protection has struggled a little bit

But Emmett Johnson helping establish that run game is going to be a next factor for me

Also doesn't help when you lose three starters within the first four weeks of the season on the line

So again, we're having line issues. Not all based off of talent, just injuries again

Like, damn, we always get the injury bug on the line. but we'll see how it goes

We'll see how it goes. Yeah, so I think, like you said, kind of getting Emmett Johnson involved

I love the role that they're creating for Amir, kind of that past catching back, not necessarily between the tackles back, but, you know, a safety valve for Dylan Ryola

So I'm hoping they keep him, you know, in that role because I think that fits him really well

And, yeah, I'd love to see Emma Johnson get more touches. I'm not sure why he's not seeing the field, you know, as much or, you know, seeing, you know

any sort of kind of uptick and carries, but so far the running game hasn't been terrible

so I'm not necessarily complaining about that. Yeah, we'll see what happens this week

And then before we move into our bold predictions, I guess we should say, Mike Mazuka, we know that he's not going to play

I mean, we don't know much more than that. He's not going to travel with the team, so that's where that's at

Obviously, no Turner and Corcoran who suffered what Matt Ruhul called a significant injury

So Gunnar Gatula are going to start at left tackle, I assume, according to Rule

this week, Henry Lovtoski will start. I'm in place of Corkren. So that's what you're starting five is going to be

It did Sean Callahan did write this morning that none of the freshman offensive

linemen were going to make the travel roster. So, I mean, if you look at, if you're looking for like Grant Bricks or or somebody

like that to, you know, be a backup, not going to see that happen this week. So at least, at least if that hasn't changed now, Michael Mizuka was a guy that was talked

about as maybe a potential backup at left tackle. So Nebraska is very thin at that spot

So Gunnar Gatula, you know, is going to be kind of under the microscope

But here's my, I guess I'll throw it in as my bold prediction, but I'm going to say that

Gunnar Gatula pitches a shutout, no sacks allowed, maybe like a pressure or two

But I think a week of practice is going to do a lot, him a lot of good, settling in, getting

more comfortable. I think that will allow the coaching staff to figure out, like, hey, when do we have a linebacker

when do we chip, you know, do we roll away? I think they can plan and scheme around one guy

And he's not that. He's a pretty solid player. So I think with a full week of practice and, you know, a little more leading into the run game from the coaching staff, I think Gunnar Gatula will go no sacks allowed on Saturday

So defense will allow less than 20 points on Saturday. I'm going to say, go ahead if you want to expand on that

Oh, no, I was just saying like I think they're going to bounce back this week. Tony White was not happy this week, so I think we're going to see an improved defense

I think the offensive line is going to bounce back. I think we're going to see a physical presence on both sides of the ball

and am I predicted it last week? I was wrong, but I'm going to go back to the well this week

Dante Dowdell gets 100 yards hopefully this week because I think they need that kind of performance

That would be awesome. And, you know, I'm predicting that Isaiah Naird gets a touchdown this week

He's been a dynamic target, a dynamic playmaker. Dylan Ryola seems to love him

You know, we talk about all these dynamic players on offense. Ryola loves Banks and Neyer

So they've been heavily involved in the offense. predicting there gets another touchdown catch on Saturday

And let's see, my last bold prediction. I'm going to say that Dylan Rayola gets a rushing touchdown

That it just kind of works out in the red zone that he gets a rushing touchdown this week

Two touchdowns total. I think Nebraska as a team is going to get like three rushing touchdowns

So that kind of gives you an indication of where I'm thinking that this might be going. Okay

I like that. I don't know if I love Raola running out of the pocket, but we'll take that

I mean, but every once in a while. I'm not saying a lot, but you know, Shoney can do it. And, you know, sometimes you just

everything's accounted for. And I could see him just kind of, you know, like on one of those rollout plays and just kind of being like

oh, the end zone's open and running to that corner and kind of sneaking in before anybody hits him

I know. Like, yeah, no, like that would be ideal. I mean, nobody touches him

He just gets in. Like, that would be perfect. And then I guess for my last full prediction

um, I'm predicting that Thomas Fidoni has opened. over 50 yards this week

He had 46 last week, and we haven't really seen him involved in the offense a ton

in terms of, like, catches, blocking, absolutely, but offensive production in terms of

catches, not yet. So we'll see what he does on Saturday, but I'm predicting over 50 yards for Fadoni

Yeah, definitely. It's good. I think it would be good to see him get a little bit more involved, some more matchup guys

I just think he's a mismatch type of guy, and, yeah, it would be fun to see, like

premier get some attempts this week, but I'm hoping that Nebraska is really efficient in the passing

game, and that, like I said, I just really hope that they can come out and control the line

and scrimmage, because if not, I mean, I definitely could see Dylan Raola winning this game by

himself, you know, with like a 300-yard game. I definitely think he's got that ability, but that's just a lot to ask of a, even though I don't really treat him like a freshman quarterback

because he's not like a normal freshman quarterback, but that's still a lot to ask, especially

with their pass rush and our offensive lines. So, you know, if we had our full, you know

like compliment of offensive linemen. I feel a lot better about it, but their pass rush is a little worrisome, I think

Yeah, and, you know, I think it'll be a good test for the offensive line

I not sure how it going to go but quick throws you know simple throws nothing too complicated I think will help rail and protect his body because you know as we saw in overtime against Illinois he got hit hard last week

Yeah, he did, and I think that's going to be kind of a key thing not this week is hopefully to avoid him getting hits

So, all right, man, let's throw down our predictions here. So Purdue, like I said, 10 point underdog at home

The game is 11 a.m. Central time on Saturday. Should be, I think there's a strong chance of participation

precipitation, excuse me. So there's going to be some rain and whether that could impact things

But overall, what's your prediction for the score tomorrow? Well, I'm hoping the Nebraska defense participates and less than 20 points is my prediction

so 3117 scurs. I'm hoping that John Hull has to participate on a limited basis in the sense that he only

has to kick extra points and not field goals. But I do think that he'll kick one field goal, and I'm going to say Nebraska wins 3117

Is that what you said? Yeah, yeah, we can have the same thing

I did not mean, yeah, that's what I was going to say. I did not mean to have the same prediction. But yeah, I think 31-17, you know, I just think that they're going to run for over 200 yards

I think Dante Dowdell is going to have a hundred-yard game. A lot of rushing yards. I really think this is going to be one of those games where, you know, we don't question

hopefully the physicality of this team on the offensive side. And, you know, you've got Gunnar Gatula, so lean into that run game a little bit more against this defense

And these guys that probably, you know, want a pass rush. You know what pass rushers don't want to do

They don't want to defend 40 run plays. So that's what I think Nebraska should and we'll make them do tomorrow

That would be nice. I mean, just offensive consistency in general would be nice

especially in the second half. We're still having trouble scoring the second half. But hopefully that can turn around tomorrow

And getting that fourth win would be big, especially with the schedule coming up. And then quickly here before we wrap up

just a little bit of recruiting news. Nebraska has been projected this week to get Camori more

or at least to land his commitment. He was committed to Oklahoma until recently

He's been projected to Nebraska. Now he's six foot and a half, 300 pounds

There's a few different measurements there. I don't know exactly what it was

But overall, I think this was a good get. And you look at, you know, they've got Tyson Terry

who's about 275 pounds. I'm sure he'll be, you know, close to that 300-pound range

But, you know, I've been asking for them to get more 300-pounders. So, you know that I'm in favor of this commitment if it happens

You wonder what this means from Malcolm Simpson? I know he visited Texas. He's still committed, you know, obviously right now

but I'm wondering what his future is with this Nebraska program or if Nebraska just wants to continue to load up on defensive linemen

Either way, it would be a nice get for Nebraska. I mean, I do think that there's some concern about Simpson

but, I mean, he, to me, is a little bit of a different player, you know

and I think he could maybe eventually grow into, you know, one knows, but I see him more as the Ty Robinson type, you know

and I kind of see Tyson Terry as that, too, you know, he really grows into, like, I don't know if neither of those guys is going to be, you know, Nash Hutmaker

I mean, maybe, you know, Steph, I think Tyson Terry has a better chance, but he's going to have to put on like 50 pounds, which is possible

I mean, but I feel like this guy maybe could be more in that nose roll, not saying that he's going to be Nash because he's definitely a lot shorter and, you know, it's not ideal to have

And that's tall ask, too. Well, that's true, yeah, but just even have that 300 pound body or the guy, you know, they could also seem as a guy that could be, you know, a backup to both because that's valuable too

You know, when you don't have that, like you don't have that many guys in your travel roster

I mean, it is valuable to have a guy that can give, you know, Ty Robinson a break, give Nash Hutmaker a break

So I feel like they maybe view him in that way. And I don't know. I just think that, you know, get as many 300-pound guys that can actually play on your team as possible

Not just because they're 300 pounds. But if they can play in the 300 pounds, get them on your team, I don't think that's a bad investment

Either way, that's a strong defensive line group for the 2025 class. So, I mean, Terry Moore

in theory, Simpson, and then Cade Patrizak? Like, that's a solid group right there

Yeah, hopefully we get everybody to signing day because I know that people, yeah

I'm surprised that, you know, schools haven't tried to go harder after Petrizzac

Maybe they have in the background. But at any rate, our blue chip percentage right now is 36%

So, you know, I said it would be great to get it up to 50 someday. Well, we're at 36% already

So things are definitely trending up and hopefully they can keep it going

It would definitely help to, you know, get some more wins. on the field, get back to a bowl game, and I feel like Saturday is a big step in that process

I'll feel much better about their prospects of making a bowl game if they win Saturday than if they lose

I hope they win because I can't take another week of people complaining. Yeah, it's going to be a long week if people complain

I mean, if they lose this week, yeah, it's going to be a long week because. But you know what

I truly do feel confident about this week. It'll take the Nebraska out of their comfort zone playing on the road

It'll give them a chance to refocus. they've had, you know, eight days to prepare

Well, not really eight days, but eight days since their last game. And I feel good about this one. I think not being ranked will also help too because I feel like, you know

that put a lot of pressure on the team as well. Yeah, the thing that worries me about this one with Purdue is almost like

like, you know, the anything can happen type rule because, you know, you look at

just in the things that happened to Nebraska. It just worries me because, you know, looking at Purdue, studying Purdue

and I'm like, oh, they have zero take. takeaways so far this season. That's interesting, you know, because Nebraska, that's a

and I'm like, turnovers, when turnovers happen, they come in bunches, you know, so I'm like

is Purdue going to, you know, get like three takeaways in the game Saturday because they haven't

got any and they've played terrible, you know, so like, is Nebraska going to overlook these guys

I don't think so. I'd be more worried about that if they were coming off a win than a loss

but those are just the things I worry about, like is Purdue finally, like, going to just put it

together and, like, pull out these crazy trick legs, like, I don't know. I do think Nebraska should win, but maybe, I don't know, maybe we're just

maybe we're just existing in an alternate universe where Nebraska's not good at football anymore

So I don't know, man, we'll see what happens on Saturday. I think it could be anything. I don't know. Just listening to all the press conferences, I felt a different sense of urgency than I have in the past

couple weeks. You know, Isaac Gifford talked about it. Tony White talked about it

Marcus Satterfield taught about me, talked about being more aggressive. So I feel like we'll see a different type of energy this week and a good type of energy

And hopefully that will help them get back on track. track hopefully all right well here's to a positive thoughts about getting back on track so uh thanks

for joining us for another episode we'll be back sometime after the Purdue game to wrap it up and

offer some thoughts so um if you haven't already hit the subscribe button hit the like button

and as always go big red go big red