Nebraska-Penn State Preview Capsule – North Platte Post Archive

Nebraska (7-3, 4-2 Big Ten) at Penn State (6-4, 3-3), 3:30 p.m. EST (Big Ten Network)

Line: Penn State by 2.

Series Record: Nebraska leads 8-7.

WHAT’S AT STAKE

Nebraska is out of the Big Ten race after losing to Michigan State last week and is now jockeying for the best possible bowl. For Penn State, it’s Senior Day, and the Nittany Lions can assure themselves a winning record before they go to Wisconsin to finish the season next week.

KEY MATCHUP

Penn State WR Allen Robinson vs. Nebraska secondary. The semifinalist for the Biletnikoff Award leads the Big Ten with a school-record 81 catches and better than 120 yards a game. CB Stanley Jean-Baptist, who matches Robinson’s height of 6-foot-3, probably will spend most of the afternoon assigned to Robinson. This should be fun to watch.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Nebraska: QB Tommy Armstrong Jr. The question is how the redshirt freshman will respond after he committed three of his team’s five turnovers in the loss to Michigan State. He was able to survive at Michigan Stadium two weeks ago, so the atmosphere at 106,000-seat Beaver Stadium will be nothing new.

Penn State: The duo of RBs Bill Belton and Zach Zwinak will challenge the Huskers’ front seven. Each has run for more than 700 yards this season. Zwinak carried 21 times for 141 yards in a 32-23 loss to the Huskers in Lincoln last year.

FACTS & FIGURES

Nebraska and Penn State were designated as crossover opponents when the Huskers joined the Big Ten in 2011. With the conference growing to 14 teams next year and splitting into West and East divisions, Nebraskaand Penn State aren’t scheduled to meet again until 2017 … Christian Hackenberg has a Penn State freshman-record seven 200-yard passing games. He’ll be facing a Nebraska pass rush that is fourth nationally with 32 sacks … Penn State’s 31 first downs against Purdue last week were its most in a game since 2005 …Nebraska’s punt return average of 3.6 yards is on track to be the Huskers’ lowest in the post-World War II era. The 1979 team averaged a school-record low of 5.7.