Oregon Football: Preseason game-by-game predictions for 2017 season
By Zach Bigalke
Last year Nebraska managed to come back against Oregon when the two teams met in Lincoln. That game, which involved continuing to go for two points after every touchdown despite an inability to convert consistently, spelled the beginning of the end for Mark Helfrich.
This season the Cornhuskers come to Eugene for the return game. But the Nebraska team that visits Autzen Stadium looks very different from the squad that survived the Ducks in 2016. Three quarters of the offensive production from last season is no longer on the Nebraska roster. The defense likewise lost half of its starters from last season’s squad.
Nebraska has had Oregon’s number throughout the course of their sporadic lifetime series. The two teams have met seven times overall, with the Cornhuskers winning six of the seven games. Oregon’s only win in the series came back in 1953, when Len Casanova’s Webfoot team knocked off Bill Glassford’s Nebraska squad.
Oregon, conversely, is among the most intact teams from last season. With the experience factor flipped, the Ducks should have no trouble taking down Nebraska this year. The Huskers defense could keep things close through the first half, but look for Oregon to pull away after the intermission.
FINAL: Oregon 41, Nebraska 24 (2-0)