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Greg Sharpe
Voice of the Huskers
Husker Sports Network
In an era of spread offenses and wide open football, Saturday’s Nebraska-Virginia Tech matchup is a throwback game.
It’s a throwback to big games that are won in the trenches. Whoever wins the battles in the offensive and defensive lines will decide this one.
Virginia Tech, of course, likes to run the ball and puts a premium on stopping the other team from running it.
Therefore, the key for Nebraska is to slow down Tech’s ability to run and to force quarterback Tyrod Taylor to throw. As simple as that sounds, this matchup should come down to just that.
Last season, Virginia Tech held the Big Red to only 55 yards rushing and, at one point, had total control of the game in Lincoln, 28-10. Nebraska sliced that lead by seven and then got a punt return for a touchdown from Nate Swift to give itself a chance to win in the fourth quarter.
The Huskers will need to be more balanced on offense this year to pull off an upset against a Top 20 team on the road.
Defensively, you can’t help but notice that opponents have rushed for more than 130 yards in each of the Huskers’ first two games.
Blackshirt pride is at stake, especially when you see that the Hokies rushed for more than 400 yards last week against Marshall. If Tech produces even half of that total on Saturday, it will be tough for the Huskers to win.
Blacksburg is a lot like Lincoln, and it’s important to win up front to keep the crowd out of the game.
So, bottom line, this will be a game for the traditionalists who love to watch the battles at the point of attack. Given the profiles of these two proud programs, it seems only fitting that the trenches will dictate tempo, determine momentum and decide the outcome.
Yes, this one should be fun, and isn’t it great that the Huskers are playing in the biggest matchup in the country this weekend?
I love it.
Go Big Red!