Nebraska vs. Colorado: Keys to victory, HuskerOnline score predictions for Saturday
BOULDER, Colo. – The eyes of college football will be on Nebraska for a second week. Last week, the Huskers lost 13-10 in a nationally televised game on FOX.
Today, NU will take on Colorado in another nationally televised contest that might be the most-watched Nebraska football game since the 2009 Big 12 championship against Texas.
Here are today’s keys to victory for the Huskers against the Buffaloes. NU enters today’s nationally televised game on FOX as a 3-point underdog.
KEYS TO VICTORY: Nebraska vs. Colorado
KEY 1: Finish early drives
Nebraska’s offense will make plays today against Colorado and put up yards. The key is they need to finish drives, especially early in the game.
KEY 2: Tackling in space
CU will test the Huskers on the perimeter. They are going to force NU to tackle in space. TCU missed around 20 tackles. The Huskers had just six missed tackles at Minnesota. That type of tackling consistency needs to be there again today.
KEY 3: Survive Colorado’s deep shots
You heard head coach Matt Rhule say this all week. Colorado will test Nebraska deep. They will probably try around 10 deep shots in this game. NU has to be ready for these and not get beat deep.
KEY 4: Don’t back down from Travis Hunter
There’s a reason why Travis Hunter was a five-star athlete so highly ranked coming out of high school. He played well over 100 snaps a week ago on offense and defense. There is no way for an athlete at this level to do that every week. NU can’t back down from Hunter. They need to make him run and tire him out, especially if he will play every snap both ways.
KEY 5: Make this a Big Ten-style football game
Colorado will want to make this a game of seven-on-seven. Nebraska wants to make it a possession-style Big Ten game. The Huskers need to dictate the pace in Boulder if they want to come out of Folsom Field with a victory.
EXPERT TAKE
Sean Callahan – HuskerOnline Pubisher
The game went from 0 to 60 overnight. What a stage and scene it’s going to be in Boulder. A few things about Colorado in their game against TCU jumped out to me. No. 1, their defense didn’t force a sack and had just two QB hurries. That’s good news for Nebraska. They also gave up over 7 yards per carry on the ground. I expect some big plays from Nebraska. The Huskers will leave Boulder with a close win.
Nebraska 31, Colorado 30
Steven Sipple – HuskerOnline columnist
You know what’s going to happen here. Colorado is going to devise a defensive game plan to make Jeff Sims beat the Buffs through the air. Bottom line, he’ll have to make some critical completions and avoid turnovers. Is Sims ready to do all that? I actually think he might be ready, or close to ready. But I want to see it first. So, look for the Buffs to prevail in the final minutes.
Colorado 34, Nebraska 28
Robin Washut – HuskerOnline senior writer
National college football pundits are already ordaining Deion Sanders and Colorado. Make no mistake, CU’s upset of TCU was impressive. That said, I think Nebraska has the personnel and game plan to make things much more difficult on the Buffs. Not only do the Huskers cover, they get their first top-25 win since 2016.
Nebraska 27, Colorado 24
Andy Kendeigh – KETV ABC-Omaha
This is a battle of tempo. If the Huskers can control the ball, they will win. If Colorado turns this game into a track meet, look out. Nebraska has the better lines up front and that will be the difference in the game. Yes, the Buffs will have its share of highlight plays but in the end the Big Red spoils Coach Prime’s party.
Nebraska 31, Colorado 28
Jim Rose – 1110 KFAB Radio-Omaha
A week ago, this game had the national interest of a garage sale. Then the Buffs look like the Chiefs in a stunning win at TCU. Now everybody wants a front-row seat in Boulder. Here’s the thing: TCU averaged 7.1 yards per RUSH against Colorado. If they stick with the ground game, CU has one or two fewer possessions. I think that’s the Husker game plan. And if NU goes a +1 or +2 in takeaways, it’s golden.
Nebraska 28, Colorado 21
Mike’l Severe – Big Red Wrap-Up
The skill players for CU are a daunting challenge but at the same time, the OL & DL struggled vs. TCU. Nebraska should be able to establish its run game and do it on early downs. The Hornfrogs averaged 6.5 yards on 1at down and more than 7 yards a play overall. The TCU defense had 7 TFLs with 5 sacks. NU also has an advantage on special teams. Obviously, the Huskers can’t turn the ball over but if they play clean and lean on the Buff’s lines a win will be in the cards
Nebraska 31, Colorado 20
HuskerOnline Week 2 Score Predictions
Week 2Sean CallahanSteven SippleRobin WashutAndy KendeighJim RoseMike’l SevereNebraska at
Colorado31-30
Nebraska34-28
Colorado 27-24
Nebraska31-28
Nebraska28-21
Nebraska31-20
NebraskaPurdue at
Virginia Tech27-20
Va. Tech35-20
Va. Tech21-17
Va. Tech27-21
Purdue35-28
Va. Tech38-30
Va. TechIowa at
Iowa State27-17
Iowa21-18
Iowa17-14
Iowa27-21
Iowa21-13
Iowa27-17
IowaWisconsin at
Wash. State27-23
Wisc. 31-28
Wisc.28-21
Wisc.34-24
Wisc.31-24
Wisc.30-20
Wisc.Texas A&M at
Miami34-31
Miami28-24
TAMU31-30
Miami31-28
TAMU31-20
TAMU34-31
MiamiTexas at
Alabama34-24
Alabama 28-21
Alabama35-26
Alabama37-27
Alabama31-27
Alabama27-20
Alabama
HuskerOnline pick standings
PickerStraight UpVs. SpreadCumulativeRobin Washut6-05-111Sean Callahan6-04-210Steven Sipple5-14-29Jim Rose5-14-29Andy Kendeigh5-13-38Mike’l Severe5-13-38
Sean Callahan can be reached at sean@huskeronline.com and is heard daily at 6:45 am and 5:05 pm on Big Red Radio 1110 KFAB in Omaha during the football season. He can also be seen on KETV Channel 7 in Omaha during the fall, and each week, he appears on Nebraska Public Media’s Big Red Wrap-Up Tuesdays at 7 pm.
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