McMaster's Keys to the Game: Nebraska Football at Purdue

Matt McMaster offers his three keys for the Huskers to see success Saturday at Purdue.

The Blackshirts take the field for overtime against Illinois. / Kenny Larabee, KLIN

The Nebraska Cornhuskers go on the road for the first time this season when they take on the Purdue Boilermakers in West Lafayette, Indiana, on Saturday. The Big Red will look to bounce after a tough, overtime loss to now No. 18 Illinois against a floundering Purdue squad.  

Block No. 4

Kydran Jenkins is the best player on Purdue’s defense and one of the best defenders in the Big Ten. The 6-1 senior linebacker is top five in the Big Ten in total tackles, solo tackles, tackles for loss, and sacks. 

Jenkins is a game-wrecker who can single-handedly turn the Huskers’ offensive game plan on its head. In my Big Ten power rankings earlier in the week, I wrote that there aren’t any bright spots on this Boilermaker team. Jenkins is the exception to that statement. 

Nebraska must account for No. 4 at every pre-snap and use wing packages to chip and help out when Jenkins lines up on the edge. With starting left tackle Turner Corcoran out with a hamstring injury, redshirt freshman Gunnar Gottula will need all the help he can get. Running back blocking will also be vital when Purdue blitzes the gaps with Jenkins. 

All this to say, the offensive game plan must revolve around stopping the Boilermakers’ wrecking ball of a linebacker and protecting Dylan Raiola.

Embrace the Weather

Game day weather calls for 15-mph winds with a chance of rain. Of course, that can change overnight and into kickoff, but all signs point to Mother Nature playing a factor in this one. 

I expect this to be a factor in the Huskers' offensive play calling. I wouldn’t bet on Raiola throwing the ball more than 30 times in this contest, and I expect a heavy dose of running backs Dante Dowdell and Rahmir Johnson. Coach Matt Rhule even said earlier this week he wanted to use Emmett Johnson and Heinrich Haarberg more.

But truth be told, I’m not worried about the offense when it comes to the effects the elements will have on the game so much as the special teams. The Cornhuskers’ kicking to start the year has been suspect, at best. Backup kicker John Hohl is set to get the start for the Big Red for the second week after starter Tristan Alvano continues to rehab a lingering injury. Hohl went 1-for-2 last week, including a missed go-ahead 39-yard field goal late in the fourth quarter. 

When it comes to kicking against the wind, I don’t trust Hohl, and even if Alvano were starting, I wouldn’t trust him either. The Huskers need to be aggressive when going into the wind. If you can’t trust your kicker to knock one in from 40 in good weather, how can you trust him in bad weather? 

Once Nebraska gets the ball across midfield when going toward the wind, offensive coordinator Marcus Satterfield needs to call plays with the attitude the team is going for it on fourth down, no matter what. 

Pass Rush, Pass Rush, Pass Rush

For the first time this season, the Nebraska pass rush was shut down last weekend against Illinois. The Nebraska defensive line amassed no sacks and no tackles for loss. The Illini did what it seemed no one would do this season: they contained Nash Hutmacher and Ty Robinson. Illinois proved to the rest of the Big Ten that it could be done.

Give the Illini the credit they deserve. They’re physical and well-coached up front. I don’t think they gave a blueprint on how to gash the Blackshirt defense's strong interior, but they proved they aren’t invincible. 

This is a get-back game for the big uglies. Robinson, Hutmacher, Cameron Lenhardt, Jimari Butler, and James Williams all have a point to prove Saturday. They have to reassert their dominance and show that last week was a fluke. 

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