Nebraska Football: 3 questions going into the Purdue game

The Nebraska football team will play its arguably toughest opponent of the season when it takes on Purdue on Saturday night. There was a time when that slot was filled by Oklahoma, but the Sooners are a directionless program right now. They have been ever since they beat the Huskers 49-14.

So now, the Nebraska football program squares off against a Purdue team that has wins against Maryland and Minnesota in the conference, as well as a near victory over undefeated Penn State to open the season.

Considering how impressive Purdue has been against some of the best teams in the Big Ten, it’s no surprise that the Cornhuskers are 13.5-point dogs, according to WynnBet and FanDuel. If Mickey Joseph’s squad wants to make some noise and pull off the upset, it’s going to have to answer some big questions during the game.

Can the Nebraska football offensive line find a way to keep Casey Thompson upright?

One of the most consistent aspect of the Huskers’ season so far this year has been that quarterback Casey Thompson has taken a ton of hits. But the rushing offense has also suffered quite a bit because the line has had any kind of problems opening holes.

This week, offensive coordinator Mark Whipple made it clear that the offensive line struggles are why he called a pass play on 4th and 1 that could have been disastrous in the game against Rutgers.

Purdue’s defense is a middle-of-the-road squad that’s allowed 22 points per game. But they also have 12 sacks in just six games. Their passrush is going to be something that the Nebraska football team is going to find a solution for if it wants to win.

Whipple has claimed they’ve found a solution before and it’s turned out that’s not the case. Can the Huskers find a solution? If they can’t they don’t have a shot.