Game Day Guide: Nebraska at Penn State
Saturday’s matchup against Penn State marks Nebraska's last road test of the regular season. It's going to be an interesting one too.
Nebraska was on the west coast two Saturdays ago. Now it’s on the east.
Ah, the Big Ten footprint.
Saturday’s matchup against Penn State marks the Huskers’ last road test of the regular season. It’s also a night kickoff against a Penn State team that looks far better on film than its record. Add Beaver Stadium to it and it’s not a matchup Nebraska can look past.
Nebraska at Penn State
When: Saturday, Nov. 22 | 6 p.m. CT
Where: Beaver Stadium, State College, Pennsylvania
TV: NBC (Noah Eagle, Todd Blackledge, Kathryn Tappen)
Radio: Huskers Radio Network (Kyle Crooks, Damon Benning, Jessica Coody)
Streaming audio: Huskers.com / Official Huskers App
Records: Nebraska 7-3 (4-3 B1G); Penn State 4-6 (1-6 B1G)
Series: Nebraska leads 10-8 (4-1 as Big Ten foes)
Last meeting: Nebraska 30-23 (2020)
Setting the scene
Nebraska rolls into its final road trip with momentum, rest and a quarterback who now has one start — and one win — under his belt. The 28–21 victory at UCLA brought out the best in the Huskers: four straight scoring drives, Emmett Johnson’s historic two-way performance and TJ Lateef’s composed debut.
Now the venue changes.
Penn State hasn’t had the season it expected but that’s not reason to take this one ligthly. The Nittany Lions pushed No. 2 Indiana to the wire two weeks ago and handled Michigan State last weekend. Their defense ranks top-15 nationally against the pass and their run game — led by Kaytron Allen — hasn’t slowed down.
Nebraska will need to find its rhythm quickly. It’ll need patience too. It needs the same clean start it had in Pasadena. Do that and the path to 8-3 is there.
Matt Rhule on the moment
On the week of preparation:
“It’s been a great week of practice. I think with the bye we were able to get a little bit of a jumpstart on the game but at the same time recover from the stretch that we have had. They’ve been enthusiastic this week.”
On Lateef settling in as QB1:
“When you’re the one you have to execute and you have to go out there and produce and everyone is watching you and counting on you… Having another week of hearing play calls and being the first guy up has certainly helped him.”
On emotions returning to his alma mater:
“I don’t have very many (emotions) at all… I want this week to be 100% about our players.”
On the schedule grind:
“They want us to play on national TV. I love it… Will it put us under a little duress? OK. We’ll be good.”
Storylines to remember
A true freshman, Part II
The Rose Bowl was almost too perfect: clean pockets, decisive throws and a calmness beyond his age. Penn State will test all of that. Lateef faces a defense that lives in passing lanes and sends pressure. His ability to “play free,” as Rhule has said, will define how Nebraska handles third down, field position and tempo.
Nebraska doesn’t need Lateef to win the game on his own. It needs him to handle the noise, use his legs when windows close and keep the offense on schedule.
Emmett vs. a real run front
Johnson is on a historic tear and Penn State knows it. The Nittany Lions allow fewer than 320 yards per game and have the kind of edge athletes who force cutbacks and punish hesitation. Johnson’s patience and contact balance matter even more in this matchup, especially if the QB run game loosens the front early.
If Nebraska finds 2nd-and-4 consistently, it controls this game.
Defensive reinforcements
Dasan McCullough is “full go.” Dawson Merritt is practicing again. Vincent Shavers and Rocco Spindler are both playing through casts. Add in Dylan Rogers’ rise at UCLA and suddenly Nebraska has more flexibility against a Penn State run game that will test every gap.
Nebraska hasn’t given up 400 yards to anyone this season. That streak matters in a game built around patience and field position.
Containing Kaytron Allen
Allen is the centerpiece of Penn State’s offense (917 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns). Add in Nick Singleton’s red-zone ability and Nebraska’s linebackers will be living inside the box all night.
The assignment is simple (but also unforgiving): no leaky edges and no explosive runs.
Managing the environment
Every road game so far has been a night game. This one will be louder, colder and a little more intense. Nebraska has pumped crowd noise into practices but the real test is how Lateef and the offensive line handle communication when Beaver Stadium hits full volume.
It’s also expected to be a chilly night, with temperatures dipping into the upper 30s by kickoff. There’s even a slight chance for a sprinkle or flurry during the game.
A chance to do or dare
The ideal offseason version of this Nebraska-Penn State game looked something like a surging Husker team, bouncing around the back half of the CFP rankings, traveled to Matt Rhule’s alma mater to take on a top-five Nittany Lion team that looked every bit the part of a national championship contender. It was easy to look at the schedule in August and know this was the toughest game on NU’s schedule, but if that was inevitable, what if the Huskers were good, too? A team with outside CFP hopes and nothing to lose?
What the numbers say
1 — Emmett Johnson is the first Husker ever with 100 rushing and 100 receiving yards in the same game.
10 — Nebraska has held all 10 opponents under 400 total yards.
14 — Johnson’s 14 touchdowns are the most by a Husker since 2014.
5 — Lateef became just the fifth true freshman to start at QB since 1950.
36th — Penn State’s national ranking in defensive yards per play.
50 — Rushing attempts for PSU last week at Michigan State.
So, here we are. One last road hurdle before Iowa week and one more chance to let a young quarterback grow and a star running back make his case for all of the postseason awards. Penn State’s record may say one thing but the game film says another. This will take discipline, balance and composure.
Talk to you tonight.
While the overall game is not as high profile on a national scale, I argue that it has the potential to be a legendary Husker story going forward. If TJ and EJ have great individual performances, and if the black shirts are Real Dawgs, this will be a catalyst game.