Colorado at Nebraska

Written by Steve Janus

This Friday the No.15 Nebraska Cornhuskers will look to lock up the Big 12 North when they host the Colorado Buffaloes. The Cornhuskers were unable to get the offense going in a 9-6 loss at Texas A&M, and may have loss starting quarterback Taylor Martinez for the game this week with another foot injury. The Buffaloes stunned the Kansas State Wildcats 44-36 for their second straight win, and are now just a win away from becoming bowl eligible. The Buffaloes have lost the last two against Nebraska, but really played well in a 28-20 loss at home last season. If you are thinking about betting on the game this weekend, the current college football odds have the Cornhuskers favored by 17.5-points over the Buffaloes at home.

Colorado (5-6, 2-5 Big 12): The Buffaloes have really responded to head coach Dan Hawkins firing, as they have now won two straight under interim head coach Brian Cabral, but is this team good enough to go on the road, where they are 0-5, and beat a very good Nebraska team.

The offense has really came alive over the last few weeks, scoring at least 34 points in each of the last three games, but those three games were against the three worst teams in the Big 12 not named Colorado. In the last three games quarterback Cody Hawkins has thrown for at least three touchdowns and 200 yards in each game, and has 12 touchdowns to just two interceptions in his last five games. The Buffaloes are also getting it done on the ground behind junior running back Rodney Stewart, who rushed for 195 yards and two touchdowns last week against Kansas State, and has 495 yards and five touchdowns over the last three games.

The Cornhuskers have had some trouble stopping the run this season, allowing 151 yards a game, but have been outstanding against the pass, giving up just 143 yards a game. It’s unlikely Hawkins and company carve up the secondary, but if they can get the ground game going and keep the Nebraska offense off the field, they have a shot at pulling off the upset. The Buffaloes offense racked up 403 yards of total offense and 269 passing yards on the Cornhuskers last season, the most they gave up in any game all year.

Nebraska (9-2, 5-2 Big 12): With Missouri taking on a Kansas team that has just one win in conference play, the Cornhuskers know that they have to win this game if they want to be the ones playing in the Big 12 Championship Game, but if Martinez is unable to go, the Cornhuskers could be in trouble. Cody Green would start in place of Martinez.

Even if Martinez takes the field this Friday, it’s unlikely that he will be able to be a big factor in the running game, and that is where he has been of the most value this season. With uncertainty surrounding the quarterback position, its likely the Cornhuskers will turn to running backs Roy Helu Jr and Rex Burkhead. The duo combined for 126 yards on just 22 carries last week, but getting yards on the ground could be a challenge, as the Buffaloes come in 27th in the country, allowing just 129 yards a game.

On the other hand the Buffaloes have really struggled to stop the pass, giving up and average of 270.5 yards a game, but the Cornhuskers come in averaging just 156 yards a game through the air, making things very interesting for a Nebraska offense that hasn’t been all that impressive in their last two games.

Looking at the Odds: I think your money has to be on Colorado at +17.5, as I think they have a decent shot at winning this game. Colorado is playing at a whole different level these past two games, and the Cornhuskers could be without their best player on offense. Defensively Nebraska will likely bring the Buffaloes offense back to life, but I still think Colorado puts some points on the board, as they just have a history of playing well against the Cornhuskers. My final score prediction is Nebraska 24, Colorado 17.

Comments

One Response to “Colorado at Nebraska”

Matthew Smith on November 24th, 2010 11:08 AM

The Colorado Buffaloes are going to win on Friday 31 to 24!!!!!

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