Nebraska Cornhuskers vs UCLA: Five Things To Watch For
By John Ackeren
Bruce Thorson-USA TODAY Sports
When the Nebraska Cornhuskers and UCLA Bruins face off Saturday at Memorial Stadium there will be plenty of interesting story lines. Here are five things to watch for when the two storied programs battle each other this weekend.
Nebraska vs UCLA: Five Things to Watch For
1) Nebraska will attack UCLA’s young defensive backs: Nebraska’s receiving core is going to be a huge factor in this football game. We know that the running backs can move the football, but the passing attack will be needed to set that up on Saturday. UCLA has a few young pieces in their secondary and The Huskers should look to exploit them. Big catches from Kenny Bell, Quincy Enunwa, and Jamal Turner will help keep the Bruin defense on their heels, which will open up lanes for Nebraska’s trio of stud running backs.
2) UCLA will attack Nebraska’s defensive line: The Huskers d line looked better in their second game of the season last week, but UCLA is a completely different animal than Southern Miss. When these teams met a year ago the Bruins ran the ball without resistance. Quarterback Brett Hundley is a duel threat and running back Jordan James looks capable of putting up big numbers. Expect UCLA to try to gash the interior before opening up a passing attack.
3) UCLA will be playing with a lot of emotion: The tragic loss of walk on wide receiver Nick Pasquale will be on the minds of everyone on the Bruins sideline. It’s hard to tell how the team will respond. Either way they will come out with a lot of passion and emotion. These guys will be amped ounce they take the field.
4) Nebraska will go for UCLA’s throat: While none of the coaches or players have been very outspoken when it comes to a revenge factor, this team should be looking to put the hammer down on UCLA. If Nebraska grabs an early lead expect them to go for the jugular.
5) Both teams will try to create turnovers: Nebraska is coming off of a game where they did a great job of forcing Southern Miss to throw into traffic. UCLA knows that Nebraska turns the ball over like Walter White cooks meth. These teams will be waiting for the opportunity to capitalize on the others mistakes. Let’s just hope the effort is not at the expense of good tackling.