UNI can’t afford to make a tough game even tougher with pre-snap penalties, misalignments or controllable fouls

CEDAR FALLS — Northern Iowa’s strength of schedule skyrockets with a game against No. 23 Nebraska Saturday night — the first ever meeting against the Cornhuskers.

Nebraska (2-0) is led by head coach Matt Rhule, whose rebuilding program appears to be making significant strides in his second season with comfortable wins over UTEP and Colorado.

The Cornhuskers finished 5-7 overall last season, with five of their losses by just one score. In their two wins this season, they have outscored their opponents 68-17. Freshman quarterback Dylan Raiola, who has thrown for 211.5 yards per game, three touchdowns and no interceptions in his short career.

Nebraska’s offense has been balanced so far this season, with running backs Dante Dowdell and Rahmir Johnson combining for 105 yards rushing per game.

Defensively, the Cornhuskers are led by junior linebacker Mikai Gbayor, who has a team-leading 11 tackles this season. Meanwhile, Nebraska’s defense has recorded eight sacks in its two games, which ranks second among all Big Ten teams.

3 Keys to UNI in Nebraska

1. Optimized operations

UNI cannot afford to make a tough game even tougher with pre-snap penalties, misalignments or controllable fouls.

While first-year starting quarterback Aidan Dunne hasn’t exactly impressed with his numbers, coach Mark Farley has praised his work in limiting penalties, putting players in the right positions and generally keeping the operation running smoothly.

With an expected crowd of more than 80,000 at Memorial Stadium Saturday night, UNI will need to optimize its operations in all three phases if it wants to be competitive against the Cornhuskers.

2. ‘Air Raid’ Progression

Progress with the ‘Air Raid’ attacking game is again of great importance this week, moving up a spot after an uninspiring passing game in last Saturday’s win over St. Thomas.

Dunne could benefit from defensive speed that is far beyond anything he has seen so far this season. It’s possible that the Cornhuskers’ speed will get something out of Dunne after his slow start to the season, and even if it doesn’t, he’ll likely be better for the experience against such a formidable opponent.

3. Multiple defense

One thing UNI can certainly do against Nebraska that won’t overwhelm its own team is put together a different defensive front on Saturday night.

While the Panthers have played almost exclusively with four-man defensive fronts this season, Farley has always had an odd-man lineup in his playbook, which he practices regularly, even if it isn’t used on game day.

Now that Nebraska has likely prepared its offense for a 4-2-5 UNI defense, it could benefit the Panthers to have their 3-3-5 defense ready Saturday night.

How to Watch UNI at Nebraska (September 14, 2024)

Kick-off time: 6:30 PM (CT)

TV: Big Ten Network

Radio: 93.5 The Mix (App available), Panther Sports Radio Network (via TuneIn)

Line: UNIT +29.5

Prediction: Nebraska 41, UNI 10