Purdue hosts an improved Nebraska Team.
Nebraska Cornhuskers: 3-1
Series Record: 6-8
Last Purdue Win: October 15th, 2022, 43-37
Last Oregon State Win: October 28th, 2023, 14-31
Nebraska Head Coach: Matt Rhule
Offensive Player to Watch:
The obvious answer here is standout true freshman quarterback, Dylan Raiola, the Patrick Mahomes look-a-like, or wanna-be, or both?
He has lit it up to start the 2024 season, averaging 242 yards per game, tossing 8 touchdown passes, and having a QBR of 162.3. Thus far, the highly touted High School product has been all that and more for Matt Rhule, who is working on a resurgence of Nebraska Football.
The other player I am worried about is standout Running Back, Dante Dowdell, who is 6-2, 225 pounds and is a monster of a tailback. Purdue has shown no ability to stop the run this season, and Dowdell has been pretty consistent on the ground through four games.
Defensive Player to Watch:
John Bullock is the man to watch on the defensive side of the ball for Nebraska. The senior linebacker leads the team in tackles with 25 but also leads the team in sacks with two and tackles for a loss with 4.5, he is a sideline-to-sideline linebacker that may make running the ball difficult for the newly found rushing attack of the Purdue Air Raid Offense.
Super Super Senior Ty Pearson may give the offensive line fits, as the 6-6, 310-pound defensive lineman may be a mismatch just about anywhere across the board for Purdue.
He is tied with Bullock for the team lead in sacks, and has played more football for Nebraska than anyone else, as he stated his career during the 2019 season there.
Game Outlook:
It is looking like a cold, wet day, in West Lafayette. Perhaps that helps Purdue as they cannot do much of anything on offense other than give it to Love III and Mockobee.
Way Too Early Prediction:
Nebraska 34 Purdue 17