3 things Nebraska football must do to beat an undefeated Rutgers

Nebraska football squares off against stingy Rutgers this Saturday. The forecast is looking awfully steamy for the first Saturday in October. Can the Huskers take advantage of the Scarlet Knights cooking on the east sideline?

NU will need more than hot weather to get their second Big Ten win of the season. Nebraska is the more talented team on paper. But they don't play games on paper. Here are my three keys to victory for the Nebraska Cornhuskers this week.

1. Make Rutgers one dimensional on offense

Rutgers has an all-Big Ten running back in Kyle Monangai. He's had three big games this year, but struggled on the road against Virginia Tech (26 carries for 84 yards). Athan Kaliakmanis is a serviceable quarterback and he's having a good year, but he struggled against Washington (only 115 yards passing).

Which Monangai and Kaliakmanis will show up Saturday? If Tony White had to choose which player would beat them, I guarantee you it would be Kaliakmanis.

Nebraska needs to take away Rutgers' running game because that is Rutgers' bread and butter. It's what Greg Schiano wants to do. Keep the other team's offense off the field. It's what I call "Big Ten-ing" you to death. Make Kaliakmanis beat you through the air. If he does, then you tip your cap.

2. Nebraska football needs to go +1 in turnover margin

We've been saying this all year, haven't we? And for good reason. It's literally written on the walls of the Nebraska football facility because of how horrible they were in this category last year.

This year is quite a different story. Nebraska is ninth in the country with a +1.3 turnover margin per game. Rutgers sits at 26th (+0.7). Both teams take care of the ball. Nebraska doesn't need to force four turnovers to win (though that never hurts).

If the Husker offense takes care of the ball like they have all year and force a turnover at a key moment, it should be enough in a close game to push them toward victory. If Rutgers struggles to run the ball and they get into obvious passing downs, look for Nebraska's defensive backs to jump routes to make plays.

3. Nebraska football must score touchdowns on explosive plays

In Rutgers last game against Washington, they gave up 521 yards of offense and 7.9 yards per play to the Huskies. Washington seemed to get explosive plays at will, but only scored on one: a 51-yard touchdown pass in the third quarter.

Rutgers' defense bowed up in the red zone and forced Washington to attempt four field goals. The Huskies were 1/4 on field goal tries.

Though Schiano's defenses are generally stout, they have definitely been a bit bend-but-don't-break this year. They are very good on third down and in the red zone. Chunk plays will be available for Nebraska between the 40s. So, when those chunk plays happen, the Huskers need to get into the end zone (or at least get within five yards of the goal line to make it easier on themselves). No more settling for field goals.

Nebraska football takes advantage of the heat and beats the Scarlet Knights

With the expected temperature in the upper 90s, this game will come down to conditioning. But even the best conditioning can't prepare for that kind of heat in early October. I think the baking sun on the east sideline will wear down Rutgers and the splendid shade of the west sideline will keep Nebraska feeling fresh.

I see a close game going into the middle part of the second half, with Nebraska pulling away in the early fourth quarter. We've had a couple 28-10 games already, and I like that score again for this one.

Nebraska 28, Rutgers 10.