First Look: Nebraska
Here’s an early look at Purdue’s eighth opponent of the 2023 season, the Nebraska Cornhuskers.
Date/Time: Saturday, October 28, Time 3:30 PM ET
Location: Memorial Stadium
Surface: FieldTurf
Capacity: 85,458
2023 schedules/records: Purdue 2-5 (1-3 Big Ten), Nebraska 4-3 (2-2 Big Ten)
Series notes: Purdue will aim to keep the good times rolling against Nebraska when it heads to Lincoln. The Boilermakers hold a 6-5 all-time series lead, but they have won four of the previous five meetings, including last season’s high-scoring affair in West Lafayette. In each of Purdue’s last two trips to Lincoln, the flight home has been cheerful, as Purdue took down Nebraska in Scott Frost’s debut 2018 season and capitalized on several Cornhusker turnovers in 2021 to take the victory. This will mark the final meeting as members of the Big Ten West, which allowed Purdue and Nebraska to play annually from 2014-2023.
TV: FS1
Early line: Nebraska -1
STORYLINES TO WATCH
Finish strong?
Purdue certainly hoped for a stronger start than the 2-5 record it takes into its bye week. The Boilermakers last held a 2-5 record in 2019 when they started 2-6 before finishing 4-8. Purdue will hope that the latter part of the season can ignite a bit of a comeback, as bowl eligibility remains possible.
In order for Purdue to go bowling, it must win four of its remaining five contests, one of which is a trip to undefeated and back-to-back league champion Michigan. The other four games appear more winnable, though, including the trip to Lincoln.
First-year coaches
While Ryan Walters and Matt Rhule are each in their first season with their respective programs, the difference in head coaching experience jumps off the page. While Walters had never been a head coach before arriving in West Lafayette, Rhule turned around the programs of Temple and Baylor before jumping to the NFL, where he coached the Carolina Panthers.
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Rhule will hope to restore the glory of the once-proud Nebraska program, which fell on hard times following the retirement of Tom Osborne. Though Frank Solich and Bo Pelini each brought varying levels of success to Lincoln, the Cornhuskers hope to become a national power again under Rhule.
Banged up Boilermakers
Purdue added two more significant injuries to its already-long list on Saturday when offensive linemen Luke Griffin and Mahamane Moussa each left the game. The severity of each injury remains unknown, but the Boilermakers can ill-afford further depletion of depth.
With right tackle Marcus Mbow out for the season, a potential loss of Moussa would mean Purdue is down both its starting offensive tackles. The Boilermakers lacked depth at tackle coming into the season, but perhaps the bye comes at a good time for Purdue to work on developing a cohesive unit. Elsewhere, Purdue will hope for Salim Turner-Muhammad to make his season debut to help bolster the defensive backfield.
Pro Football Focus on the Cornhuskers
- Nebraska’s assortment of quarterbacks have not graded well all season. The Cornhuskers prefer to run the ball to limit the risk of throwing the ball.
- The defense of Nebraska is legitimately good, as many of the Huskers’ regulars grade as above-average.
- Nebraska rushes the passer well, as several starters rate as above-average players there
- The safety position is one of strength for Nebraska, particularly in the pass game
