Nebraska Preview: Cornhuskers Host Purdue
These are trying times for Nebraska football.
The Cornhuskers (0-3) are off to their worst start since 1945 and haven't won a game at home in more than a year as they prepare to host Purdue, Saturday (September 29) afternoon at Memorial Stadium.
The Boilermakers (1-3) are almost as frustrated as Nebraska coming into this game. Their three losses have come by a combined eight points, with all three games decided on a last-second field goal.
Purdue did bounce back last week with an upset of #23 Boston College at home.
Senior quarterback David Blough is completing 68 percent of his passes so far this season and threw for 572 yards in a loss to Missouri. Blough has had great success against Nebraska defenses in his career with seven touchdown passes and only one interception.
In 2018, Blough has one of the top new weapons in the Big Ten. Freshman receiver Rondale Moore leads the league with an average of eight catches and 93 yards per game. Moore will also factor into the Purdue running game and will return kickoffs.
The Boilermakers also have a pair of talented running backs in DJ Knox and Markell Jones, who both went over 100 yards in a loss to Eastern Michigan.
On defense, Purdue has a trio of disruptive linebackers (Cornel Jones, Derrick Barnes, Markus Bailey) who have combined for eight sacks in four games. Jones is in the top ten in the nation in tackles for loss.
Kickoff in Lincoln is 2:30 PM, Saturday. You can listen to the game live on ESPN 99.1.
Purdue was the last team Nebraska beat.
The Huskers used a late score to pull out a 25-24 win, October 28, 2017, in West Lafayette, Indiana.
Since then, Nebraska has lost seven straight.
In the Big Ten opener last week, Nebraska was severely overmatched in a 56-10 loss at Michigan.
The Huskers first eight offensive drives resulted in five punts, two turnovers, and a safety, as the Wolverines scored the first 46 points of the game and never looked back.
Nebraska was flagged for ten penalties in the loss, upping their season total to 31 in three games. The Big Red are minus-five in turnovers in 2018.
I talked with the 'Voice of the Huskers' Greg Sharpe about Michigan loss and the match-up with Purdue: