The Nothern Illinois Huskies are nearly a two touchdown underdog against the Huskers on Saturday. Bob Diaco’s defense is probably the story again after the game. Either his defensive will start out with their foot off the gas in the first half, or they will finally start playing aggressively on the edges. While an Oregon-like first half burst is not likely from the Huskies, it is very possible that this team hangs around Nebraska in the first half.

There is really not much to look for in this type of game other than avoiding injury and coming away with the “W”. If the offense performs well, there are only a few pieces of improvement to look for. Watch quarterback Tanner Lee’s touch on his passes and look out for the overthrows. With Tre Bryant’s status still in question, the ground game is a small question mark. We have seen flashes of talent and this is an opportunity for Mikale Wilbon to show what he can do. Finally we will also get a chance to see Devine Ozibgbo as well this season who proved his value in the rotation based running back scheme last year.

I predict that this is probably the most satisfying of non-conference wins, but the defense still frustrates with the tentative response to short range passes and makes a few mistakes without injured Joshua Kalu to help out. 48-31 Huskers with some garbage points in the 4th quarter, meaning the score will not represent that this game is not going to feel that close.