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

Defensive Coordinator John Papuchis addressed the media after practice, noting that the Husker defense will have their hands full this weekend trying to slow down Penn State’s pro-style offense.

The Huskers will especially have to keep their eyes on true freshman starting quarterback Christian Hackenberg. Hackenberg, the No. 1 rated high school quarterback prospect in 2013, has been lighting up the stat sheets so far in his freshman campaign, recording 2,399 yards and 14 touchdowns, while completing 59 percent of his passes.

“He is a good player, he is a pro-style, old school quarterback that makes good decisions with a big strong arm,” Papuchis said. “You can tell he is a student of the game, I have been impressed with him so far.”

Hackenberg’s favorite target to throw the football to is junior wide receiver Allen Robinson. Robinson, a likely first-team All-Big Ten performer has recorded 81 catches for 1,204 yards with six touchdowns as well.

“When you look at his (Robinson) statistical numbers over the year, he is a guy that is averaging around 120 yards a game,” Papuchis said. “He is a good player. Obviously, we’ve got to be aware of where he is at all times and make sure we are matched up correctly.”

Not only is Robinson a tremendous deep threat, standing at 6-3, he poses as an offensive threat toward the Huskers in many ways, according to Papuchis.

“They feature him in their screen game, they will give it to him on a reverse. Obviously he is their feature guy on a lot of their routes. He is a big part of their offense and we need to do our best to try and take him out of the game.”

With Penn State running a pro-style offense, Papuchis noted that he was not sure how many times you will see three linebackers on the field at the same time versus the Nittany Lions.  Papuchis mentioned that you will likely see a lot of personnel matchups during the game.

Nebraska will hit the practice field again on Thursday as the team moves closer to its final road game of the season. The Huskers will travel to Happy Valley to face off with the Penn State Nittany Lions on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. CT. The game will be broadcast nationally on Big Ten Network.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — No. 14 Michigan State converted five Nebraska turnovers into 24 points and took a big step toward winning the Big Ten Legends Division with a 41-28 victory on Saturday.

Jeremy Langford ran 32 times for 151 yards and scored two touchdowns, and Keith Mumphrey caught a 27-yard touchdown from Connor Cook in the fourth quarter after the Cornhuskers pulled within six points.

The Spartans (9-1, 6-0) beat the Huskers (7-3, 4-2) for the first time in eight all-time meetings.

They would clinch the division with a win at Northwestern next week or a loss by Minnesota in either of its last two games. Michigan State plays Minnesota to end the regular season.

Big Ten leading rusher Ameer Abdullah ran 22 times for 123 yards for Nebraska. He went over 100 yards for the seventh straight game and eighth time this season and is the first player to do it against the Spartans.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Michigan State has defeated every Big Ten opponent it’s faced since 2011 except Nebraska. The Spartans, in fact, have never beaten the Cornhuskers.

Saturday’s game at Memorial Stadium marks the eighth Michigan State-Nebraska meeting, and the stakes have never been higher for the 14th-ranked Spartans.

If they win, they are all but assured of claiming the Legends Division. If they lose, Nebraska gains the inside track to the Big Ten championship game.

Michigan State (8-1) is 5-0 in Big Ten play for the first time in coach Mark Dantonio’s seven seasons. The Huskers (7-2, 4-1) have put themselves in contention to win the division despite the loss of quarterback Taylor Martinez, an injury-riddled offensive line and a road loss to Minnesota.

Lincoln, Neb.-  The Nebraska football team finished up its week of preparation for Saturday’s Big Ten Legends Division showdown with Michigan State on Thursday evening. The team practiced in helmets for just over 90 minutes inside the Hawks Center and outside on a beautiful Lincoln fall afternoon at the Ed and Joyanne Gass Practice Fields.

Nebraska Head Coach Bo Pelini met with media members after practice, noting that the team is excited to get out on the field against the Spartans.

“I think our guys are looking forward to playing the football game, we prepared well and now we have to put it to the test on Saturday.” Pelini said, “It is going to be a heck of a challenge for our kids.”

In the last few weeks, the high-powered Husker offense has been struck with the injury bug, especially on the offensive line. Even though Pelini wasn’t sure who would be available Saturday, he did assure Husker fans that NU will have five offensive lineman to start versus MSU.

“We have had some guys iffy and we will see come game time who is available.” Pelini said, “I promise you this, we will have five guys lined up on the offensive line, it is going to be their job and their challenge to step up to the task.”

Junior standout receiver Jamal Turner has a 50-50 shot at playing this weekend according to Pelini, as the receiver tries to recover from minor injuries that have plagued him during the past few weeks.

Even with first place in the Legends Division on the line for the Huskers this Saturday, Pelini believes the team is still taking the same approach to this game.

“I think our guys are always locked in, it is the same ‘business as usual,’ as far is that is concerned.” Pelini said, “Every game has great magnitude, it is the same, no different for us.”

Nebraska will have a walkthrough Friday as the team moves closer to its sixth conference game of the season. The Huskers will host the Michigan State Spartans on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. CT. The game will be broadcast nationally on ABC.