Georgia Southern vs. Nebraska: Keys to victory, HuskerOnline score predictions for Saturday
Nebraska (1-1) will try to take another step forward on Saturday with Georgia Southern (1-0) coming into Memorial Stadium. The Eagles are led by former USC head coach Clay Helton, who is in his first season with GSU.
Before that, Helton carried a 46-24 record with the Trojans and won the 2016 Rose Bowl. He’ll be transitioning his team this year into an air-raid system on offense. Last week, Georgia Southern beat Morgan State 59-7 in the Eagles’ opener.
As kickoff nears, here are today’s keys to victory for Nebraska vs. Georgia Southern. The Huskers enter Saturday’s game as 23-point favorites. Saturday’s game kicks off at 6:30 p.m. CST and it will be televised on FS1.
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KEYS TO VICTORY: Georgia Southern at Nebraska
KEY 1: Ball security
Conditions could be wet in Memorial Stadium. Ball security is going to be a big emphasis for the Huskers. However, rain conditions could possibly stop by the evening.
KEY 2: Disrupt QB Kyle Vantrease
Nebraska’s defense already has a good evaluation of Georgia Southern quarterback Kyle Vantrease One thing the Huskers already know is he doesn’t take very many sacks despite his lack of mobility. The Huskers need to find ways to disrupt Vantrease and make him uncomfortable in the pocket.
KEY 3: Rush for over 200 yards again
We saw what the formula was last week for Nebraska in the second half. The Huskers came out and handed the ball off to running backs Anthony Grant and Ajay Allen and found good rhythm. NU again needs to find similar success on the ground with Grant and Allen.
KEY 4: Create a play on special teams
Special teams play continues to be somewhat of a liability for the Huskers. We saw a dropped kickoff and a punt touched downfield after it was partially blocked. Nebraska needs to find a way on Saturday to make a play on special teams. As head coach Scott Frost said, one play on special teams can change an entire game.
KEY 5: Start fast
Last week’s first half was rough for Nebraska. We only saw 23 offensive plays run by the Huskers and seven points scored. Defensively, the Blackshirts could not get off the field, allowing a 16-play scoring drive. NU needs to start faster and figure out ways to win on third down defensively.
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EXPERT TAKE: Georgia Southern at Nebraska
Sean Callahan – HuskerOnline Pubisher
Clay Helton is a good offensive mind, and he has a veteran quarterback to run his offense in Kyle Vantrease. Georgia Southern will put together a few nice drives, but in the end they will not have enough firepower to match the Huskers.
Nebraska 45, Georgia Southern 24
Steven Sipple – HuskerOnline columnist
Georgia Southern’s passing game will have a bit too much success against Nebraska’s vulnerable pass defense, especially in the middle of the field. As was the case last week against North Dakota, it’ll be an uncomfortable atmosphere for much of the game in Memorial Stadium. The Clay Helton versus Erik Chinander matchup really intrigues me. This will be a good learning experience for Chinander. But it’ll be a challenging day at the office for the fifth-year Husker defensive coordinator. NU fans can take comfort in having a veteran QB who won’t flinch.
Nebraska 38, Georgia Southern 27
Robin Washut – HuskerOnline senior writer
The weather could be a factor here, but I think Nebraska tries to pick up where it left off at the end of the North Dakota win and control the game on the ground. I see another strong outing from Anthony Grant, with Casey Thompson hitting a couple of big shots through the air.
Nebraska 41, Georgia Southern 21
Andy Kendeigh – KETV ABC-Omaha
Who’s calling the plays? If they work, who cares. It’s a simple game. Block, hand the ball to No. 10, mix in some high-percentage passes to your playmakers, get some stops on defense and play mistake-free special teams. Easy right? It should be this week.
Nebraska 41, Georgia Southern 14
Jim Rose – 1110 KFAB Radio-Omaha
Suddenly, the weather is a factor in this one (doesn’t it always boil down to weather in Nebraska?). Rain is in the forecast all Saturday and into the night which could ground both team’s passing games. For GSU that’s a big deal. That is pretty much all they do. But Nebraska found a running game in the second half against NDU and I think they’ll keep using it. Shorter game, not as many points but a win which at this stage of the season, needs to be good enough.
Nebraska 31, Georgia Southern 17
Mike’l Severe – Big Red Wrap-Up
I know this should not be a look-ahead spot for a struggling Nebraska team, but I wouldn’t be surprised if thoughts of the Oklahoma game are dominant in the players’ and maybe some of the coaches’ minds. This game reminds me of South Alabama from 2019. Nebraska won by 14 that day on a 4th-quarter defensive TD to put away the Jags. I could see a similar ending on Saturday.
Nebraska 34, Georgia Southern 27
HuskerOnline Week 2 Score Predictions
| Week 2 | Sean Callahan | Steven Sipple | Robin Washut | Andy Kendeigh | Jim Rose | Mike’l Severe |
| Georgia Southern at Nebraska | 45-24 Nebraska | 38-27 Nebraska | 41-21 Nebraska | 41-14 Nebraska | 31-17 Nebraska | 34-27 Nebraska |
| Iowa State at Iowa | 17-13 Iowa | 17-14 Iowa | 11-5 Iowa | 9-3 Iowa | 20-10 Iowa | 23-20 Iowa State |
| Tennessee at Pittsburgh | 38-27 Tennessee | 45-34 Tennessee | 21-20 Pittsburgh | 38-35 Tennessee | 30-20 Pittsburgh | 35-28 Tennessee |
| Missouri at K-State | 34-30 K-State | 34-31 Missouri | 30-17 K-State | 27-17 K-State | 28-17 K-State | 31-20 K-State |
| Baylor at BYU | 31-24 BYU | 24-21 BYU | 38-35 Baylor | 27-26 Baylor | 35-31 BYU | 27-23 BYU |
| Alabama at Texas | 45-17 Alabama | 45-21 Alabama | 41-10 Alabama | 35-17 Alabama | 38-17 Alabama | 42-24 Alabama |
HuskerOnline Score Prediction Standings
| Expert Picker | Straight Up | vs. the Spread | Cumulative Total |
| Robin Washut HuskerOnline | 5-2 | 5-2 | 10 |
| Jim Rose KFAB Radio | 5-2 | 4-3 | 9 |
| Steven Sipple HuskerOnline | 4-3 | 4-3 | 8 |
| Andy Kendeigh KETV-ABC Omaha | 4-3 | 4-3 | 8 |
| Mike’l Severe Big Red Wrap-Up | 4-3 | 2-5 | 6 |
| Sean Callahan HuskerOnline | 3-4 | 1-6 | 4 |
