Is Nebraska ready for a high-stakes, bounce-back opportunity?

The Huskers, a double-digit favorite at Purdue, have a chance to get their season back on track. Now they have to go do it.

Courtesy Nebraska Athletics

It’s possible that Nebraska’s loss to Illinois is more palatable with additional context. If the Huskers are good, however you want to define that, and the Illini remain good come November, maybe it’s just an overtime loss to a top-25 team.

Of course, it’s also possible that loss exposed some specific weaknesses that could make life difficult in the Big Ten. We don’t know yet. It’s all about how the Huskers respond to their first setback of the season, and Saturday’s trip to Purdue should offer good laboratory conditions for assessing what Nebraska’s made of.

An 11 a.m. kick in West Lafayette under gray and possibly rainy skies isn’t exactly a setting that radiates energy. Nebraska (3-1) must bring its own for the first road trip of the season, and the Huskers should have every incentive after last week to treat this like a business trip. Get in, do the job, get out.

The Boilermakers (1-2) smashed Indiana State to open the season but allowed 1,023 yards, 703 of them on the ground, and 104 points in back-to-back losses to Notre Dame and at Oregon State. I’m not a big body language person, but second-year head coach Ryan Walters looked like he was going through it at his Monday press conference.

Both teams can play the wounded-animal card in this one.

Despite the overall struggles, Purdue does pose some problems for Nebraska. How do the Huskers get back on track? Let’s break it down.