They are facing off with a Northwestern Wildcats (5-2, 1-2) team coming off two straight losses. A win at Nebraska would make them bowl-eligible and revive hopes of making this a special season. Granted, the stats look good because everyone is throwing, but everyone is throwing on Nebraska because they can’t run. Iowa drops to 7-9-1 and 1-8-1 in the Big Ten. Instead, Riley explained why last week’s breakthrough finally occurred, and what Nebraska must do to maintain momentum heading into Saturday’s home game with Northwestern. Moore has caught a touchdown in 5 out of the 7 games this season.
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And Riley, who’s good friends with the Wildcats’ coach, Pat Fitzgerald, knows they can’t afford to take it lightly.
This is a huge game for both teams. Nebraska will wear alternate Husker Bold uniforms for Saturday’s game.
The Huskers didn’t start like a house of fire, only to then get ambushed in consecutive blowout losses which have caused pundits to recalibrate how they view a team.
Junior quarterback Tommy Armstrong directed a balanced Husker attack that ran for 203 yards and passed for 261 against the Gophers.
No, it’s not because the two teams meet this weekend in Lincoln, returning to the site of Nebraska’s Hail Mary victory in 2013. Meanwhile, Nebraska has a awful pass defense. Nebraska is the only team in the Big Ten and one of 11 teams in FBS to rank in the top 40 nationally in rushing and passing offense.2. Defensively, they’re one of the best (teams) in the league. On the flip side, Northwestern ran for over 100 yards in five games this year – all five of the wins – and ran for 38 against Michigan and 51 against Iowa. Currently, he leads the Huskers with 35 catches and 443 yards. Their pass defense has been allowing an average of 341.7 yards through the air on a weekly basis and with quarterback Clayton Thorson running things, the Wildcats should be able to take advantage of the weak Cornhusker defense. Northwestern has thrown five interceptions this season (tied for 6th in the Big Ten), but two have come in the past two games. He’s accumulated 1,761 yards and a 15/6 touchdown/interception ratio. The players returning from injury include Freedom Akinmoladun, Michael Rose-Ivey, Nick Gates, Daniel Davie and David Sutton. It wouldn’t be the first time, Westerkamp tormented the Wildcats’ defense. With four tough losses on the resume that all could’ve easily have gone the other way, it’s been a rough season that hasn’t been anywhere near as strong as it might have been had the Huskers pulled out just one of those games.
Coach Riley also touched on two things that the team wants to do well on Saturday.
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-Starting DT Kevin Williams, who’ also battling a groin injury, has missed Nebraska’s last three games and is “doubtful” to play Saturday.
