Nebraska (0-2) and Penn State (0-3) are both looking for the first win of the 2020 season. The Huskers—who are attempting their second home opener of the season after the first with Wisconsin was canceled—hope to turn things around after a 21-13 loss at Northwestern on Saturday. Penn State comes to Lincoln after a 35-19 loss to Maryland.
The Huskers lead the all-time series with the Nittany Lions, 9-8. Nebraska is also 3-1 against Penn State since joining the Big Ten Conference. Saturday’s game will be on the fifth meeting between the two programs as members of the Big Ten, and only the second at Memorial Stadium.
The two last met in 2017, with Penn State winning 56-44. The Huskers’ last win in the series was in 2013, taking a 23-20 overtime victory at Penn State.
Nebraska-Penn State football TV channel, time, live stream
TV Channel: FS1 (Brian Custer, Robert Smith)
Time: 11 a.m. CT
Date: Saturday, November 14
Live stream: Fox Sports app with cable or dish log in
Radio: Nebraska fans can listen to the game on IMG Husker Sports Network, as well as on XM 196 and Sirius 119. Internet radio will be available at Huskers.com.
Location: Memorial Stadium, Lincoln, NE
Weather: Nebraska’s home opener is Saturday and while we’re usually concerned about the heat and humidity in the first game of the year, this year will have none of that. It will, however, be relatively mild.
Full forecast and updates brought to you by Rusty Dawkins of Husker Weather. More here.
Nebraska-Penn State football picks, odds
The line: Penn State -3
Over/under: 56
(per the VI Consensus)
Nebraska-Penn State preview
Nebraska and Penn State come into Saturday’s matchup both looking for the first win of the 2020 season. Who saw that being the case when the new schedule was released?
Whatever the case, there are a number of questions to be answered for the Huskers. First, who is starting at quarterback? That’s been the major topic over the last week and all eyes will be on Adrian Martinez and Luke McCaffrey ahead of kickoff. Excluding sacks, the two Husker QBs have combined for 305 rushing yards on 39 attempts, an average of 7.8 yards per carry.
For Penn State, James Franklin brings a strong passing offense to Lincoln on Saturday. The Nittany Lions are averaging 286.3 yards per game through the air. Keep an eye on the matchup between Penn State’s Jahan Dotson and Nebraska’s Dicaprio Bootle. Dotson is the Big Ten’s leading receiver with 361 yards through three games so far this season. With Nebraska’s pass defense ranking in the top five—admittedly only over two games—it will be interesting to see how Dotson matches up with a player like Bootle.
On the defensive side of things, the Penn State defense is strong against the run. The Nittany Lions have only allowed opponents just 124.0 yards per game on the ground. Coach Scott Frost did say it’s “possible” to see Wan’Dale Robinson in the backfield for Nebraska against Penn State, which could make things interesting.
“We’ve had a lot of things designed for Wan’Dale and the ball hasn’t found him in the first couple weeks,” Frost said. “We need to do a better job as coaches and we’re going to do whatever it takes to get him the rock.”
Beyond that, keep an eye on Nebraska’s offensive line against Penn State’s defensive line. The game really could be determined on the line, so that’ll be an area of focus on Saturday.
Either way, both teams are looking for a crucial win in a weird season. Here goes nothing.
For more on the matchup, don’t miss the latest I-80 Preview Podcast.
