Nebraska will look to improve on an impressive start to Big Ten play when they travel to face Purdue Saturday afternoon. Television coverage starts at 12 p.m. ET on the Big Ten Network.
How to watch Nebraska vs. Purdue: Preview, TV schedule, odds and more
Can the Boilermakers pull off the big home upset to put their season right?
Eric Francis
After a 37-34 win over Wyoming to start the year, Nebraska blew out Southern Miss to get back on track. A home blowout loss to UCLA sent the Cornhusker faithful panicking, but the team has responded nicely with blowout wins over San Diego State and Illinois. Nebraska has one of the top rushing offenses in the nation, averaging 42.4 points per game. It looks like quarterback Taylor Martinez will not play again.
Darrell Hazell’s first year at Purdue has been a disastrous one. The Boilermakers lost their opener at Cincinnati and eked out their only win of the year against FCS opponent Indiana State. They played very well in a one-touchdown loss to Notre Dame, but were blown out by Wisconsin and Northern Illinois in their last two games. Purdue has only scored 17 points per game, hosting one of the most anemic offenses in the country.
The Boilermakers have made a more-than-surprising change to their depth chart for this game -- Danny Etling is the new starting quarterback, and former starter Rob Henry has moved to safety.
The numbers
Rankings and records: Nebraska is 4-1 with a 1-0 record in Big Ten play while Purdue is 1-4 and 0-1 in conference play. Nebraska received votes in the AP Poll and is ranked No. 24 in the Coaches’ Poll. Purdue won the only previous contest between the two schools, defeating the Huskers 28-0 in 1958.
Vegas: Nebraska is a 14-point favorite, with an over/under of 57 points. OddsShark has more.
Weather: A high of 79 and partly cloudy.
Three names to know
Ameer Abdullah. Nebraska's running back is having a career year, averaging over seven yards per carry and being the definition of reliable for the 'Huskers.
Stanley Jean-Baptiste. Purdue has a very suspect passing game so expect Nebraska's corner to pick off at least one pass. He's got four through five games so far.
Akeem Hunt. Purdue's seemingly only reliable weapon, he's been much better as a pass-catcher out of the backfield (10.4 yards per catch) than as a runner (3.2 yards per rush).
Two things at stake
Nebraska thinks it can contend in a fairly wide open Legends Division, but will not be able to do so if they can’t beat Purdue.
Purdue just wants one Big Ten win this year. Just one. That’s not asking for much, is it?
How to witness
TV: 12 p.m. ET on Big Ten Network.
Online streaming: BTN2Go. Comcast XFINITY subscribers can watch the game here.
Further reading
For more on Nebraska, head over to Corn Nation. For the Purdue perspective, check out Hammer and Rails.
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