Northern Iowa at Nebraska Game Preview, Prediction
by Pete Fiutak, CollegeFootballNews.com
It's great to be a Nebraska Cornhusker.
The team easily blew past Colorado last week, and now there's a shot at the program's first 3-0 start to the season.
Northern Iowa won't be a layup, though. It's 2-0 with strong wins over Valparaiso and St. Thomas, and ......it's great to be a UNI Panther. And why?
After this the team goes to Honolulu to play Hawaii.
Northern Iowa (2-0) at Nebraska (2-0)
Saturday, September 14 - 7:30 PM (ET) - BTN
Why Northern Iowa Will Win
The lines have been wonderful so far.
The offensive front isn't allowing sacks for an attack averaging 300 yards per game on the ground, the pass rush has been strong, and the defense is getting to the quarterback enough to matter.
There haven't been any takeaways, but there's been just one turnover so far. Play clean, hold up on the lines, at least provide a little pressure to Dylan Raiola, and ......
Why Nebraska Will Win
He's still just a freshman.
The hype and expectations and pressure on Raiola couldn't have been bigger -- hey kid, just save an entire university and football program.
He's hitting 74% of his throws, he has yet to throw a pick, he's poised, mature and he's doing everything the team needed.
Combine the strong quarterback play with a defense that's crushing so far up front -- that's what happens when you play Colorado -- and there's a good mix to keep all the success going.
Who Will Win
Northern Iowa won't be a total pushover, but the Nebraska offense will be balanced and solid, it'll get up quickly, and will roll from there.
Don't expect a blasting -- the score will be worse than the game. The Panthers won't let this get totally out of hand, but they won't capitalize on their opportunities, either.
Prediction
Nebraska 41, Northern Iowa 10
Spread
Nebraska is favored at home by 27.5 points. The O/U is set at 47.5 points.
