9/19/09
This weekend of college football is full of great matchups, but the most intriguing one very well could be in Blacksburg, VA where the Nebraska Huskers will take on the Virginia Tech Hokies. The current betting line has Nebraska favored by 5. SECond year Coach Bo Pelini brings his Cornhuskers into Blacksburg off of two wins over Sun Belt teams. A win this Saturday will go a long way in Bo Pelinis fight to get Nebraska back to the glory days, but Coach Frank Beamer would love nothing more than to give Pelini and Nebraska their first loss of the season, and show the country that they are still the favorite to win the ACC title.
NEBRAKSAS KEY TO VICTORY
This isnt your typical smash mouth football Nebraska team that they were back with Coach Tom Osborne. This Nebraska team is much more pass happy. Nebraska is averaging 198 yards a Game rushing, 295 yards through the air, and is averaging 44 points per Game. However, that was against two overmatched Sun Belt Conference teams. Nebraska will find out how good their offense really is when they go up against an always tough Virginia Tech defense. Quarterback Zac Lee has completed 73.6% (42 for 57) of his passes in two Games for 553 yards and 6 touchdowns and just 1 interception. Nebraska has shown an ability to move the ball through the air, but they can also be effective running the ball and controlling the clock. Their leading rusher Roy Helu has carried the ball 30 times for 212 yards and 3 touchdowns this season. Nebraska will need a balanced attack this Saturday to get the victory and Roy Helu will have to play a big role in their ability to keep Virginia Techs defense guessing. While the matchup up of Nebraskas defense against QB Tyrod Taylor will have a large role in deciding who wins the Game, I think it will come down to the effectiveness of the Nebraska offense.
VIRGINIA TECHS KEY TO VICTORY
I believe the number one key to a Virginia Tech victory is their ability to rush the ball and keep moving the chains so that this potent Nebraska offense spends as much time on the sidelines as possible. Virginia Tech was only able to squeeze out 151 yards of offense in their opening Game loss to Alabama. If Virginia Tech is going to be victorious, then the offense and Tyrod Taylor have to do a much better job of getting points on the board. In Virginia Techs second Game against Marshall their offense showed signs of life against overmatched Marshall. Virginia Tech racked up 605 yards of offense iNCluding nearly 450 yards on the ground. The big question is which Virginia Tech offense will show up? Its no secret that Virginia Tech is never going to lead the league in passing yards, but Tyrod Taylor has to atleast be efficient when throwing the ball. It will be up to him to keep the Nebraska defense honest and on their toes for the whole Game.
When I find myself torn between both teams in a football Game the tiebreaker that I always use to determine the winner is DEFENSE. There is a reason why the cliché Defense wins Championships is so often used. A good defense takes the pressure of the offense and allows them to play much more loose which usually results in more points. Nebraska hasnt seen a defense as good as Virginia Techs all season, and it is going to give them hell. I also believe Virginia Techs rushing attack led by Tyrod Taylor will be able to sustain long scoring drives and keep Nebraskas offense off the field. Look for them to take this Game at -5.