The Nebraska Cornhuskers host the Southern Miss Golden Eagles at Tom Osborne Field at Memorial Stadium this week. The game will begin Saturday, Sep 26 at 12:00 p.m. ET and can be seen on the ESNN.
Nebraska lost a close one to Miami (FL) 36-33 last week. Jordan Westerkamp had a big game in the loss, registering five receptions for 95 yards and one TD. Brandon Reilly had a big game as well, totaling 83 yards and a TD on four receptions. Southern Miss is hoping for a similar result to last week’s performance when they beat Texas State 56-50 in its matchup. Jalen Richard had an outstanding performance on the ground for the Golden Eagles, gaining 230 yards and four TDs on 27 carries. Nick Mullens also had a big day, contributing 333 yards and four TDs through the air.
The Cornhuskers are a substantial 24-point favorite and the Over/Under (O/U) for the matchup is 67 points.
The Cornhuskers enter the game with records of 1-2 Straight Up (SU) and 2-1 Against The Spread (ATS) this season. Nebraska have America’s 25th-ranked passing attack, averaging 310.3 yards per game. Southern Miss might put Nebraska away early because the Cornhuskers are one of the top teams in scoring offense during the fourth quarter. So far this year, they’ve averaged 13.3 fourth-quarter points. Based on an average time of possession of 33:41 per game that ranks 20th in the nation, look for Nebraska to control the clock.
On the other side, it’s hard to argue Southern Miss’s success ATS. The Golden Eagles are doing something right with a 3-0 record ATS to go along with a 2-1 record SU so far this season. If Nebraska’s earlier games are any indication, the Golden Eagles might throw the ball more on offense. The Cornhuskers allow 357 passing yards per game, 127th in Division I.
Predictions: SU Winner – Nebraska, ATS Winner – Nebraska, O/U – Over
Notes
Nebraska is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games.
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Nebraska’s last 5 games.
Nebraska is 1-3-1 ATS in its last 5 games at home.
Nebraska is 20-5 SU in its last 25 games at home.
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Nebraska’s last 7 games at home.
Each team is 1-0 SU when leading at halftime this season.
Among all FBS teams, the Nebraska offensive passing game is ranked 25th in the country, while the Southern Miss pass defense is only ranked 65th. The Golden Eagles passing attack is ranked 26th, compared to the 127th-ranked pass defense of the Cornhuskers.
Nebraska has allowed 26.0 points per contest this year, which is ranked only 34th in the nation. Southern Miss has scored 41.3 points per game this year and is ranked 19th in all of FBS.
