The Nebraska football team takes on the Northern Illinois Huskies for the Huskers home opener. Here’s everything you need to know about the game.
The new era of Nebraska football didn’t start anywhere close to what Husker fans hoped it would. After a devastating last-second loss to Minnesota, Matt Rhule’s crew went out and got clobbered by Colorado.
The Huskers can hit a bit of a reset button on Saturday evening since the game against Northern Illinois is the home opener. Who doesn’t like a little home cooking? Here’s hoping the Nebraska football team does.
Nebraska football vs. Northern Illinois odds, spread and total
Depending on the Sportsbook, the Huskers opened as 12 or 13-point favorites. If you’re someone who thought NIU might be able to cover, you might be sad to see that line has gone down and Nebraska football is just -10.5 according to FanDuel and -11 according to DraftKings.
If you’re a Husker fan who is hoping they can put up a better showing, then that spread might actually be attractive.
If you’re looking to play the under (and you should be at this juncture in Nebraska football history) then the best bet is going to be FanDuel’s 43.5 total.
Nebraska football vs. Northern Illinois betting trends
- Nebraska has hit the Game Total Under in 9 of their last 11 games. That includes both games so far this season.
- Northern Illinois has hit the Game Total Over in 8 of their last 12 games. However, against Southern Illinois, the O/U was 58.5 and the total was 25.
- Nebraska has only hit the Game Total Over in 2 of their last 11 games.
- Northern Illinois has hit the Team Total Under in 3 of their last 4 games.
Nebraska football vs. Northern Illinois how to watch
Date: September 16
Game Time: 6:00pm
TV Channel: FS1
How to Watch: You can always watch on FS1, or the Fox Sports app if cable isn’t your thing. You can also use fuboTV in order to catch this and many other games over the long weekend.
Nebraska Football Record: 0-2
Northern Illinois Huskies Record: 1-1
Nebraska football vs. Northern Illinois key players to watch
This week’s players to watch are going to be very heavy on the “what in the world will they do this week?” Likely more than any other post of this type this season.
Nebraska football
Heinrich Haarberg/Jeff Sims: I could have used two spots here but that wouldn’t be fair. At the moment, it’s not entirely clear who will be the starting quarterback for the Huskers on Saturday. If it’s Sims, then all eyes will be on his turnover problems. If its Haarberg because of Sims’ ankle injury, the fact that he has almost no history taking snaps in college makes him the ultimate wild card.
Malachi Coleman: Coleman found himself on the depth chart for the first time this season heading into Week 3. He was a much-hyped recruit and people are anxious to see what he can do. He’ll get a chance against a MAC squad that lost to Southern Illinois.
Cameron Lenhardt: The freshman defensive end got his first start last Saturday. He recorded two sacks against Colorado. It will be interesting to see what he does now that Ty Robinson is back.
Northern Illinois
Rocky Lombardi: The sixth-year quarterback (no that is not a typo) is the guy with the keys to the Huskies’ offense. Considering he’s completed just 54.5 percent of his passes and has just 1 TD to 3 INTs, it’s not surprising that offense has struggled. What will a Nebraska football defense that was all over Shedeur Sanders last week do to the former Michigan State quarterback? Here’s hoping it gets ugly.
NIU’s Secondary: Jeff Sims threw four interpcetions in his first two games as a Husker. NIU’s secondary only has one interception this season. Should Sims start, it will be a clash between the moveable object and the stoppable force.
Kacper Rutkiewicz: Northern Illinois’ offense is bad enough that there aren’t any real stars that emerged just yet. Kacper Rutkiewicz is the closest as he’s clearly the go-to receiver when the offense is clicking. He leads the Huskies with 11 catches for 185 yards and the team’s only receiving touchdown. It will certainly be interesting to see if he can get loose.
Nebraska football vs. Northern Illinois prediction and pick
There really might not be a better team to help the Huskers open Memorial stadium this season. NIU’s offense struggled mightily against an FCS opponent. While the defense has been decent in its two games, there isn’t a standout guy on that side of the ball just yet.
The smartest play seems to be on the under, by a lot. But I’m taking Nebraska football to cover the spread, 23-7.