Game Day Guide: What you need to know for Nebraska-Louisiana Tech
Nebraska is home once again on Saturday for its matchup with Louisiana Tech. The Huskers look to improve to 2-2 on the season.
Saturday’s matchup marks only the third meeting between Nebraska (1-2, 0-1 B1G) and Louisiana Tech (2-2, 1-0 CUSA), with the Huskers winning the two previous meetings (1998 and 2006).
Because we’re all about fun facts at Counter Read, here are two to know:
Nebraska’s 1998 meeting with Louisiana Tech was the Huskers’ first game under head coach Frank Solich.
The 2006 meeting featured Memorial Stadium’s first crowd of more than 80,000 people.
Share those fun facts with your friends and family. You’re sure to impress.
Anyway, Nebraska is home once again on Saturday for the matchup with the Bulldogs. The Huskers — who defeated Northern Illinois, 35-11, last Saturday — look to improve to 2-2 on the season. The Blackshirts are poised for another big game, with the offensive side of the ball presenting more question marks as the season goes. One of the questions is the quarterback position, where either Jeff Sims will return to start following a high ankle sprain or Heinrich Haarberg will get the nod for the second week in a row.
Coach Matt Rhule said on Thursday that Sims had been moving around and throwing the ball well through the week, but he wasn’t yet ready to say he’d be the one to go against Louisiana Tech.
“Coming off an injury like that, I can't say that he's maybe 100 percent, but you don't notice that there's anything wrong with him when he plays,” Rhule said.
Louisiana Tech comes to Memorial Stadium following a 40-37 loss to North Texas last Saturday. Despite trailing by 17 points to start the fourth quarter, the Bulldogs rallied late and tied the game in the final three minutes. North Texas ultimately kicked the game-winning field goal.
What else do you need to know for Saturday’s matchup at Memorial Stadium? Let’s dive in.
Nebraska versus Louisiana Tech: Everything you need to know for game day
TV Channel: Big Ten Network (Mark Followill, Matt Millen, Meghan McKeown)
Date: Saturday, Sept. 23
Time: 2:30 p.m. CT
Live Stream: FoxSports.com (with TV provider)
Radio: Nebraska fans can listen to the game on the Huskers Radio Network. Internet radio, as well as a Spanish broadcast, will be available at Huskers.com.
Location: Memorial Stadium, Lincoln, Nebraska
Weather: Scattered thunderstorms in the morning, then partly cloudy later in the day. High of 83 degrees. Winds SSW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 40%.
Line: Nebraska -20
Over/Under: 47
Notable quotes
Coach Matt Rhule on key injuries:
“In injury news, we had some guys’ seasons end early, unfortunately, on Saturday. Rahmir Johnson will have surgery; he dislocated his shoulder. It’s serious enough that he’ll miss the year. Gabe Ervin dislocated his hip and will have surgery on his hip, so he’ll be done for the year. And Dwight Bootle hurt his shoulder in the game and will have to have surgery, so he’ll be done for the year. Football impact aside, especially for Rahmir, who’s a senior, I can just tell you it’s heartbreaking on this end. He’s an unbelievable young man and just a leader. Gabe has done a great job for us – excellent leader, excellent teammate. My heart really hurts for those two guys. Dwight is a young player, had the shoulder before, so hopefully we can get him healthy. This could be one of the best things that happens to him. We’ll try to get him playing a little bit. He’ll redshirt now and come back better than ever.”
Offensive coordinator Marcus Satterfield on the possible return of quarterback Jeff Sims and what that means for Heinrich Haarberg:
“There are going to be certain times when both quarterbacks are playing. There are going to be times when they're going to be asked to go out there and help us move the ball because they’re too good of athletes to be standing over there with me."
What else to read pre-game:
Other games we’re watching today:
(All games in CT)
Erin
Morning - Auburn at Texas A&M, 11 a.m., ESPN
Sometimes I forget that Hugh Freeze is now at Auburn, and then I’m left to Google Auburn and I’m reminded all over again. I also sometimes forget that Jimbo Fisher is still at Texas A&M. Back to my Googling though. I spent some time looking at what the beat writers for Auburn and A&M were saying about this matchup, and most seem to think this one will go the Aggies’ way. However, some added that Texas A&M might not cover the spread.
Afternoon - No. 15 Ole Miss at No. 13 Alabama, 2:30 p.m., CBS
You thought one of us would take Colorado at Oregon, didn’t you? Well, here’s the thing: the interest is already there for that matchup. Let’s add to some intrigue elsewhere. Have you heard about Ole Miss and Alabama? My favorite thing about this matchup is Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin trolling Alabama coach Nick Saban, and Saban playing the PR game in such a way that sets him up to look OK win or lose. Anyway, Kiffin started trolling Saban with a Taylor Swift song on Tuesday, which took the whole thing to a new level. I’d say Saban should “Shake It Off,” but we’ll see what he does on Saturday in response.
Evening - No. 6 Ohio State at No. 9 Notre Dame, 6:30 p.m., NBC
This one is going to be fun. It also sounds like a good number of Buckeyes fans made the trip to South Bend, Indiana, so we could see a lot of red in the stadium on Saturday. It makes sense too, with it being a top-10 matchup. Not just that, it’s the first time Ohio State has visited Notre Dame since 1996. The Buckeyes and the Irish are in the second leg of a home-and-home series, with Ohio State taking the 2022 matchup 21-10 in Columbus.
Brandon
Morning - Rutgers at No. 2 Michigan, 11 a.m., BTN
There’s only one 11 a.m. Big Ten game? What kind of conference is this? The morning slate as a whole only features 10 games this week, and if you’re an advanced-scouting-type watcher, this is the only future Nebraska opponent playing early Saturday. Might as well get an extended look at the Wolverines. They visit Lincoln next week.
Afternoon - No. 22 UCLA at No. 11 Utah, 2:30 p.m., FOX
Most eyes will be on that other Pac-12 game in this time slot as it’s flashier. I’m going with grittier in this instance. Both teams are fairly run-heavy. The Utes have a well-earned reputation for being rough and ready, while Chip Kelly has somewhat quietly been building the Bruins into a fairly old-school football team. It’s a bit wild, given Kelly is given a ton of credit for revolutionizing the college game at Oregon.
Evening - Appalachian State at Wyoming, 6:00 p.m., CBSSN
Yes, I know there’s a huge game in Indiana kicking off 30 minutes after this one. (Ohio State also visits Notre Dame this evening.) But Mountain Football is my brand, whether anyone else knows it or not, and this is a meeting between two G5 schools I admire quite a bit. They both might be pretty good, too. Texas wasn’t just sleepwalking last week, Wyoming had a lot to do with that game being close for three quarters. App State, meanwhile, is looking like it’s typically solid self, which is a big deal because the Mountaineers had a ton to replace off last year’s team. This was supposed to be an angsty year in Boone, and it still might be, but so far App State is showing a return to form.