Following what would’ve been an absolute disaster against McNeese State, the Husker football team gets a chance to see how they fare on the road against a team that’s taken two beatings. The Fresno State Bulldogs opened the season with a 52-13 whooping by USC before getting clobbered by Utah, 59-27.
They return home to find a mentally fragile Husker team trying to find some momentum.
Fresno State hasn’t had much going for it in terms of production, but it does have a major edge in the Bulldog Stadium crowd.
The structure doesn’t feature 91,000-plus, but what the stadium lacks in seats, the Fresno State fans make up for in noise.
Head Coach: Tim DeRuyter – second year (20–8)
2013 Record: 11–2 (7-1); first place Mountain West Conference East; MWC Champions
Home stadium: Bulldog Stadium
Stadium capacity: 41,031
Stadium surface: FieldTurf
Location: Fresno, CA
Returning Starters: 13 (5 offense, 8 defense)
Series History: Nebraska leads 1-0 (9-10-11: W 42-29)
Standout Players:
Running Back Marteze Waller
| Rushing | Receiving | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Class | Pos | G | Att | Yds | Avg | TD | Rec | Yds | Avg | TD |
| 2014 | JR | RB | 2 | 31 | 158 | 5.1 | 2 | 6 | 31 | 5.2 | 0 |
Provided by Sports-Reference.com/CFB: View Original Table
Wide Receiver Josh Harper
| Receiving | Rushing | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Class | G | Rec | Yds | Avg | TD | Att | Yds | Avg | TD |
| 2014 | SR | 1 | 3 | 62 | 20.7 | 2 | ||||
| Career | 33 | 445 | 13.5 | 3 | 25 | 63 | 2.5 | 3 |
Provided by Sports-Reference.com/CFB: View Original Table
Linebacker Ejiro Ederaine
12 tackles (7 solo), 4 tackles for loss
2014 National Rankings:
Scoring Offense: No. 112 (20.0 points per game)
Scoring Defense: No. 127 (55.5 points per game)
Rushing Offense: No. 111 (106.0) yards per game)
Rushing Defense: No. 122 (267.50 yards per game)
Passing Offense: No. 76 (221.5 yards per game)
Passing Defense: No. 118 (346.0 yards per game)
Turnover Margin: No. T-107 (-1.5)
Notes:
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– The Bulldogs are currently trying to solidify a starting quarterback. Junior Brian Burrell understands the system better, but hasn’t performed anywhere near up to par.
While statistics don’t favor Brandon Connette nor does his overall understanding of the playbook, he has athleticism that can’t be denied.
– Fresno State head coach Tim DeRuyter praised the Huskers and commented on what they bring to the table in terms of offense:
"“It’s gonna be a challenge just like every week. Their passing game is not as sophisticated as a ‘past-first’ thought, it’s a lot more playaction stuff than what we’ve seen in the first two weeks.” He continued, “They’re clearly a run first football team and that sets up all your passes, so you’ve got to play some man coverage to have numbers in the run. One on one, they’ve got guys that can beat you. It’s going to be a challenge. A different type of challenge, but it’s going to be a challenge.”"
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