Winless Nebraska football hosts a tough Group of Five team from the Sun Belt this week. Can Troy pull off an upset at Memorial Stadium on Saturday?
The start to the new year has hardly been kind to Nebraska. Under new head coach Scott Frost, a former national-champion quarterback at the school in the 1990s, the Cornhuskers saw their season opener against Akron canceled. Instead of the Zips, Nebraska opened the year against former Big 8 and Big 12 rival Colorado.
The Buffaloes, now a member of the Pac-12, took down the Huskers in Lincoln in a tight 33-28 contest. Now 0-1 on the season, Nebraska turns its attention to a Group of Five opponent in hopes of righting the ship at this juncture of the year.
Troy opened the season with a blowout loss at home against Boise State. The contest, far less close than last year’s meeting between the two schools, effectively eliminated Troy from the Group of Five race for a New Year’s Six bid before it could really even get started. But the Trojans still have the potential to make life difficult for Frost’s charges on Saturday.
Troy ranks in the top 10 nationally after two games in tackles for loss, stopping opponents behind the line of scrimmage an average of 9.5 times per contest. They have also been one of the best teams in the country at generating turnovers, with three fumble recoveries and four interceptions in two games. That defense will help decide whether the Trojans can pull off an upset of the Huskers in Week 3.
Last year Troy took down LSU in Baton Rouge. Can they pull off another upset of a blueblood program on its home field? You won’t want to miss this showdown between a sleeping giant in the Big Ten and a mid-major in Troy that has made major waves in recent years. Here’s how you can watch the Saturday game between Nebraska and Troy:
Date: Saturday, Sept. 15
Time: 12:00 p.m. ET
Location: Lincoln, Neb.
Venue: Memorial Stadium
TV: Big Ten Network
Live Stream: BTN2GO | FuboTV
Keys to Victory
To get their first win of the Scott Frost era in Lincoln, Nebraska needs Adrian Martinez to be healthy and able to take the field. The dual-threat quarterback went 15-of-20 for 187 yards with a touchdown and an interception against the Buffaloes. Martinez also led the team in rushing, with 117 yards and two scores on 15 carries.
But a leg injury in the fourth quarter against Colorado has his status in question. Losing Martinez makes Nebraska’s offense much less dynamic, especially since Martinez’s backup Andrew Bunch is a walk-on sophomore.
On the other side of the field, Kaleb Barker has been solid at quarterback for Troy after taking over for Brandon Silvers. Barker has thrown for 351 yards and five touchdowns with an interception on 34-of-52 passing. He will be the key for Troy as the try to upset Nebraska on the road. If the defense holds firm against Nebraska’s offense, it will come down to whether Barker can make enough plays to win the game for Troy.
Betting Odds
Odds courtesy of oddsshark.com
Point Spread: Nebraska -12
Over/Under: 58
Prediction
Here is guessing that Martinez won’t be 100 percent by Saturday for the showdown against Troy. Even if he is able to take the field, Martinez will be nowhere near as mobile as he was in the Colorado game. Against a front seven that loves parties in the backfield, that won’t bode well for the hosts. Troy will pull away late, leaving Nebraska running out of time as they try to claw back into this contest.
Final Score: Troy 31, Nebraska 24