Northwestern (4-4, 0-4) at Nebraska (5-2, 2-1), 2:30 p.m. CT (Big Ten Network)

Line: Nebraska by 7.

Series Record: Nebraska leads 4-2.

WHAT’S AT STAKE

Four straight losses have turned a promising season for Northwestern into one in which bowl eligibility is in doubt for the Wildcats. Nebraska will continue to control its destiny in the Legends Division if it can protect its home field.

KEY MATCHUP

Northwestern RB Stephen Buckley vs. Nebraska defense: The sophomore is listed third on the Wildcats’ depth chart, but that means nothing. He’s emerged as the best running back in Venric Mark’s absence. Buckley had a career-high 99 yards against Iowa last week, and he’ll be the go-to guy as the Wildcats attack Nebraska’sstruggling run defense.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Northwestern: QB Kain Colter, who missed the Minnesota game two weeks ago because of an ankle problem, was sharp in his return against Iowa and will need to be again. The mobile Colter gives the Wildcats their best chance to win.

Nebraska: LB Michael Rose, who has bumped David Santos out of the middle linebacker’s spot. The 5-foot-11, 230-pound Rose’s strength is supposed to be his run-stopping ability. We’ll find out.

FACTS & FIGURES:

Northwestern and Nebraska split meetings in 2011 and 2012, with the games decided by a combined four points … The Wildcats are 12-6 in November since 2008, with five victories over top-20 opponents … Northwestern leads the Big Ten in red-zone efficiency, coming away with points on 30 of 31 trips inside the 20 … Nebraska hasn’t entered a November out of the Top 25 since 2009 … QB Tommy Armstrong Jr. will make his fourth start of the season in place of the injured Taylor Martinez … Nebraska RB Ameer Abdullah needs 19 yards for his second straight 1,000-yard season.

Lincoln, Neb.-  The Nebraska football team continued its week of preparation for Saturday’s Big Ten conference home showdown with Northwestern on a rainy Wednesday afternoon. The team practiced in full pads for just over two hours inside the Hawks Center and outside at the Ed and Joyanne Gass Practice Fields.

Nebraska Defensive Coordinator John Papuchis met with the media after practice, noting that it was good for both the Husker coaches and players to get back on the practice field this week.

“I think the best thing is sometimes just getting back out there and start going again,” Papuchis said, “There is not a lot of time to waste licking your wounds and feeling sorry for yourself. You got to learn from your mistakes, but you’ve got to move on, because the reality is we play again on Saturday.”

After last Saturday’s loss at Minnesota, the Nebraska football coaching staff decided that it was time to take away the coveted Blackshirts from the players who wore them during practice so far this season. Papuchis noted that it was the coaches’ decision, and that the defense knows they need to play at a higher standard to wear the Blackshirts.

“I think if you ask them man for man, we have a standard that we want to live up to here. Certainly what we put on the fieldSaturday wasn’t up to that Blackshirt standard,” Papuchis said. “I don’t wear a Blackshirt, but if I wore a Blackshirt I would take mine off too. We didn’t play good enough and we didn’t do anything well enough to warrant them.”

With Saturday’s matchup between the Huskers and the Wildcats being the third in three years, the NU coaching staff is now starting to know going into game week what to expect from a Big Ten opponent on offense.

“Being the third time we have played them, we have a pretty good feel for who they are and how they try impact us with the pass,” Papuchis said. “I don’t see them changing a whole lot from what they have done and who they have been.”

A Northwestern player to watch Saturday is senior quarterback Kain Colter. Colter, a Colorado native has been lighting up stat sheets throughout the season, even though Colter has fought the injury bug some of this season. Colter has thrown for 500 yards, competing almost 82 percent of his passes with four touchdowns and three interceptions. Not only is he a threat to pass, Colter also is a dynamic runner, accounting for 323 yards with four touchdowns this season.

“Obviously Kain Colter is a vital part of their offense. He is a dynamic playmaker and him coming back into the game vs. Iowa you could see that,” Papuchis said. “They looked revitalized a little bit and a little bit more of a big play threat with him in there.”

Nebraska will continue practice on Thursday as the team moves closer to its fourth conference game of the season. The Huskers will face the Northwestern Wildcats on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. CT. The game will be broadcast regionally on BTN/BTN2Go.com.

Lincoln, Neb.-  The Nebraska football team continued its week of preparation for Saturday’s Big Ten conference home matchup with Northwestern on Tuesday afternoon. The team practiced in full pads for just over two hours inside the Hawks Center and outside at the Ed and Joyanne Gass Practice Fields.

Offensive Coordinator Tim Beck addressed the media after practice, beginning with the status of junior running back Ameer Abdullah, who did not practice on Tuesday.

“He’ll be fine,” Beck said. “He’s been playing great for us, but he’s just beat up a little bit. He’ll be ready to roll. Playing the way he is, as long as he’s getting his reps mentally, I know physically he’ll be ready.”

Abdullah is having a tremendous 2013 season, accumulating 981 yards and six touchdowns on the ground for the Huskers. The junior is averaging 7.4 yards per carry, which is almost two and a half yards more than he did in his 1,137-yard effort a season ago.

An even bigger question mark for the Huskers is the status of senior quarterback Taylor Martinez. However, according to Coach Beck, quarterbacks Tommy Armstrong and Ron Kellogg are both ready to step up if needed.

“Both Tommy (Armstrong) and Ron (Kellogg) have done a good job this week,” Beck said. “They’ve had to be here before with Taylor Martinez’s injury. They know they have to get themselves ready. Both their work habits and their study of the game are really good, and we’ll just have to see how it plays out.”

Injuries have been a problem for Nebraska this season. In addition to seeing limited playing time from Martinez, the Huskers lost senior offensive lineman Spencer Long for the season against Purdue. On Tuesday Coach Beck commented on the impact Long’s absence has had on the squad.

“It’s tough losing an All-American and three-year starter,” Beck said. “It’s tough losing that guy, not only for him, but also for (Andrew Rodriguez). It’s like losing your partner. You hate for that to happen, but sometimes it does.”

Despite the shifting and redefining of players’ roles due to injuries, Coach Beck still expects a high level of performance. Beck expressed that on Tuesday, noting the areas he thinks the Huskers will need to improve the most in order to get a victory against Northwestern on Saturday.

“We need to execute,” Beck said. “We have to throw the ball on time better, we have to protect better and we have to be more consistent in the running game.”

Nebraska will hit the practice field again on Wednesday as the team moves closer to its fourth conference game of the season. The Huskers will face the Northwestern Wildcats on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. CT. The game will be broadcast regionally on BTN/BTN2Go.com.

The Big Ten Conference announced on Monday that Nebraska’s Nov. 9 game at Michigan will kick off at 2:30 p.m. CT (3:30 p.m. ET in Ann Arbor) and will be televised on either ABC or ESPN. The network determination will be made following this weekend’s games.

This will mark the third consecutive year the Nebraska-Michigan game has been carried on the ESPN family of networks. In 2011, Nebraska and Michigan were televised on ESPN, and last year Nebraska’s win in Lincoln was on ESPN2.

Nebraska will play host to Northwestern this Saturday at Memorial Stadium. The game will be televised by BTN with kickoff set for shortly after 2:30 p.m.

Game times for Nebraska’s matchups against Michigan State (Nov. 16) and Penn State (Nov. 23) will be announced six to 12 days in advance of kickoff. The Nov. 29 regular-season finale against Iowa is set for an 11 a.m. CT kickoff with television coverage provided by ABC.

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Philip Nelson rushed for two touchdowns and passed for another, guiding Minnesota to a 34-23 upset Saturday of 25th-ranked Nebraska, the first win by the Gophers since 1960 against the Cornhuskers.

Nelson made all of his seven completions count, totaling 152 yards, and carried the ball eight times for 55 yards. He spun across the goal line from the 1 with 48 seconds left to seal the victory for the Gophers (6-2, 2-2 Big Ten), who became bowl-game eligible and stopped a 16-game losing streak to the Huskers.

Taylor Martinez returned from a toe injury that kept him out of the last three games for the Huskers (5-2, 2-1), but he had only 16 yards rushing on eight attempts and 139 yards on 16-for-30 passing, plus one touchdown and one interception.

David Cobb gained 138 yards on 31 rushes for the Gophers, who outgained the Huskers 271-189 on the ground.