Nebraska Cornhuskers vs. Rutgers – Who has the EDGE? by Brent Craig

Rutgers hails from New Brunswick, NJ and will make the 1,285 mile trip to Lincoln for this Saturday’s first Big Ten meeting between the Nebraska Cornhuskers and the Scarlet Knights. The Huskers currently lead the series 1-0, but it has been awhile since these two teams have met

. The first ever game between Nebraska and Rutgers had the Huskers traveling to Manhattan, NY to play in front of 15,000 fans at the old Polo Grounds (which in itself has a storied history). Nebraska won the game easily against Rutgers on November 2, 1920; the final score was 28-0.+

Jump ahead 94 years. This time the game is in Lincoln and in front of 91,000 fans, which is almost 40,000 more fans than at High Point Solutions Stadium where Rutgers currently plays.

Back in 1920 it was the visiting Huskers who had to play in front of a large Rutgers crowd (yes, back then 15,000 was a large crowd); now it is Rutgers turn.

Will having home field advantage give the Huskers the EDGE they need to defeat the Scarlet Knights, or do the Huskers currently possess the EDGE no matter what?

Putting it on paper, let’s see how they match up:

Nebraska ranks 9th in total offense – Rutgers ranks 88th in total defense

Edge: Nebraska

Rutgers ranks 65th in total offense – Nebraska ranks 36th in total defense

Edge: Nebraska

Nebraska ranks 7th in rushing and has the nations 3rd leading rusher – Rutgers ranks 70th in defending the run.

Edge: Nebraska

Rutgers ranks 76th in rushing – Nebraska ranks 33rd in defending the run

Edge: Nebraska

Nebraska ranks 67th in passing – Rutgers ranks 101st in defending the pass

Edge: Nebraska

Rutgers ranks 48th in passing – Nebraska ranks 55th in defending the pass

Edge: Rutgers

Nebraska ranks 8th in special teams efficiency – Rutgers ranks 26th in special teams efficiency

Edge: Nebraska

Nebraska ranks 53rd in turnover margin with +0.2 – Rutgers ranks 108th in turnover margin with -0.2

Edge: Nebraska

Clearly on paper the Huskers look to be the better team. It would seem having home field is nice, but not necessary to come out with a Husker victory. Vegas odds opened with the Huskers favored by 15, but we all know that number will change. (as of publish date Vegas has Huskers -17.5)

The Scarlet Knights will most likely test the Husker Defensive Backs as most of Rutgers’ total yards earned have come by way of the air. Rutgers Senior QB,  Gary Nova has thrown for 1,783 total yards with a 61.8 completion percentage.

His favorite target is Junior WR, Leonte Carroo, who has 648 yards on 34 receptions, averaging 19.1 yards per catch, and 5 touchdowns so far this season.

Rutgers QB, Gary Nova also has 8 interceptions on the season so far. This could play right into the hands of the Nebraska BLACKSHIRTS (which were handed out Tuesday)  who have already intercepted the ball 8 times this year and have 16 sacks on the season, resulting in 126 yards lost by opponents.

Gary Nova, meet Randy Gregory! Gregory currently has 4.5 sacks, 9 QB hurries, 1 forced fumble, and 1 interception this season.

Mandatory Credit: Mike Carter-USA TODAY Sports

Oct 4, 2014; East Lansing, MI, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers wide receiver De’Mornay Pierson-El

It will be hard to pick the Nebraska Player of the Game as I expect Senior RB, Ameer Abdullah, Freshman WR, De’Mornay Pierson-El, and Junior DE, Randy Gregory to have a stellar day.

The Scarlet Knights of Rutgers will be no match for the home team Scarlet and Cream. Huskers win this one decisively.

The game will be televised on ESPN2 at 11:00 CST. You can also listen to the Husker broadcast over the Husker Sports Network affiliates, Huskers.com, and Sirius XM Satellite Radio.

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