On Saturday, Matt Rhule’s 2-2 Cornhuskers take on Jim Harbaugh’s 4-0 Michigan Wolverines football team in Memorial Stadium. What do Tony White and the rest of the staff have to do to secure an upset? Let’s take a look.
Stop The Wolverine’s Run Game By Attacking Blake Corum
As the main contributor to the Michigan Wolverine’s rushing attack, Blake Corum has proved that he is a big play waiting to happen. And there’s a good reason for this. In only four games, the Maryland native has dominated on the ground, rushing for 358 yards on only 58 carries in Sherrone Moore’s offense. For Tony White and the rest of the Cornhuskers defense, this poses a significant challenge. But there should be plenty of reasons that they can corral him. In Boulder, Dylan Edwards only ran for 55 yards, and the next week left Antario Brown completely ineffective for the Huskies. The Big Red’s dominant efforts continued as the unit only allowed one touchdown run from Jacob Fields in the first half. But the stakes are a bit bigger this time, as the Michigan Wolverines come into this matchup ranked second in the nation. And they have a veteran offensive line led by left guard Trevor Keegan. Because of this, it will be interesting to see if White can get creative in stopping the run.
Nebraska’s Linebackers Have to Stop JJ McCarthy
In only four games, Michigan quarterback JJ McCarthy has made himself into a dependable option for the yellow and blue. This is because he’s passed for 915 yards along with eight touchdowns. And there is no doubt that he will keep up his elite production against NU’s defense by leaning on his experienced receivers in Cornelius Johnson and Roman Wilson. But, the Huskers do have veterans at the linebacker position that can help stop him. Look no further than Omaha native John Bullock. He had three solo tackles against Louisiana Tech, while also contributing five assists throughout the contest. Another player on the rise is safety DeShon Singleton. In four games, he has shown his prowess with his eight solo tackles and eleven assists. Can these two Blackshirts play a critical role in shutting down McCarthy and the Michigan Wolverines? If so, Nebraska has a much better chance of making this game competitive.
Read more about Nebraska’s linebackers here: Nebraska Over Louisiana Tech
Cam Lenhardt’s Return Should Make The Defensive Line Play Better
Throughout the first three games, Terrance Knighton’s defensive line unit was ranked first in the nation with a total of eleven sacks. This strong start proved that White’s defense was working. But against Louisiana Tech, the Cornhuskers struggled to get pressure on quarterback Jack Turner. The drop-off in production should be concerning for the Cornhuskers, but they have plenty of time to rectify their mistakes by getting Cam Lenhardt back from injury. Against Colorado, the talented freshman made an impact by getting in on quarterback hurries and sacking quarterback Shedeur Sanders twice. But after that performance, things went downhill for the New York native. This is because he suffered an injury early in the Northern Illinois matchup, forcing him to sit out two games. Now that he has returned, Knighton will hopefully have more firepower to develop an effective pass rush against the Michigan Wolverines.
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