Nebraska Football: Four keys to victory vs Northwestern Wildcats

Passing the ball more effectively

Nebraska had two different quarterbacks take the field in the loss to Ohio State and while neither guy played poorly, the passing game wasn’t where it could have been. Both guys relied on their legs to make plays, as Adrian Martinez had 85 yards rushing and Luke McCaffrey had 80. The two also each broke off huge key runs with Martinez having a 39-yard scramble and McCaffrey gaining 47 yards on the ground on that first possession to set up 1st and Goal.

Running the ball is obviously important, but if the Cornhuskers want to take their offense to the next level, these two quarterbacks are going to have to pass the ball more effectively. That’s never really been Nebraska’s M.O., but that’s a big part of football is throwing the ball. Martinez went 12 of 15 for 105 yards in Columbus while McCaffrey completed four of five passes for 55 yards.

If Martinez and McCaffrey can become better passers, this offense has a lot of potential moving forward. Oh and for what it’s worth, Northwestern surrendered 216 yards through the air to Iowa, but picked off Spencer Petras three times.

Speaking of which…

Hold onto the dang ball!

Anyone who’s followed Nebraska football in recent years knows that this team struggles with turnovers. We saw that showcased once again two weeks ago when Martinez and McCaffrey both coughed up the football and the Buckeyes came up with it both times.

Northwestern picked off Iowa’s quarterback three times last week, so while I want to see Martinez and McCaffrey air it out a little more in this match-up, they need to be careful and not just throw the ball to throw it. If nothing’s there, throw it away.

Northwestern struggled with turnovers themselves last week, losing two fumbles, so hopefully Nebraska’s defense is able to take advantage there.