CFN's Fearless Prediction

[adc7236]

I will not speculate on who wins or by how many points. I will say this though....our D has me VERY nervous going into this game.

[admo]

Sorry. Saying there is "NO WAY" they beat us by 14 is ridiculous. I'm not saying it WILL happen, but it is certainly in the realm of possibility.

 

I agree. I thought there was no way we would lose by 17 in '03 and '05 and that happened. It could be a 2 td game either way, who knows. If the Huskers start the game asleep like they did 2 years ago, or fall flat in the 4th like they did 4 years ago, it is possible. It is going to take a strong game, start to finish to win.

I agree with both of you. Will the Huskers score some points in the first half for once? The two minute drill has been successfull, but it seems like there's only 7 points on the board until that happens. I believe it actually did happen against Wake, Ball State and ISU.

 

First half scoring:

21 against Nevada

13 against WF

10 against USC

14 against Ball State

14 against ISU

[HuskerfaninOkieland]

Sorry. Saying there is "NO WAY" they beat us by 14 is ridiculous. I'm not saying it WILL happen, but it is certainly in the realm of possibility.

 

I agree. No way did anyone think Ball St would take us to the wire either. This game is going to be a shoot-out IMO and the winner will be decided by whatever defense doesn't make the most mistakes.

[melscott62]

Sorry. Saying there is "NO WAY" they beat us by 14 is ridiculous. I'm not saying it WILL happen, but it is certainly in the realm of possibility.

 

sure it is. what if we have 3 1st havlf turnovers like last game?

[melscott62]

I think it is going to be very difficult to predict the game considering how bad th 2 D's are. I am much more encouraged to hear that daniel has been turning the ball over more.

[captain obvious]

Nebraska has had two very close games that were determined in the last minute of the game already this season, plus has already been through the big game environment with USC. Mizzou's only real gut check thus far was to hold off the late comeback by Illinois in the first game of the season. I think this plays to NU's favor if it is close going into the fourth quarter.

 

I think the main thing is to not get physically dominated in the first half. Missouri has gotten a lot of early season hype the last few years, only to end up fizzling mid-season. They aren't used to grinding out wins. I think if Nebraska just executes and keeps it close, Mizzou will fold under pressure just like they have done for the last 40 years. Furthermore, I think that if Nebraska beats them soundly, Mizzou will go on to lose to Kansas and Kansas State.

 

Still, though, I could see their offense clicking and doing ugly things to us. I'm hoping the Nebraska O line moves some bodies and gets Lucky enough rushing yards to keep our defense fresh going into the fourth quarter.

[alairguard]

Nebraska (4-1) at Missouri (4-0) 9:15 PM ESPN

 

Why to Watch: What was originally considered a showdown for the North title, has now lost a little of its luster, but it's still a great matchup that'll go a long way to determining the final Big 12 pecking order. Missouri finally gets a chance to show the world it's for real, or at least, it's not that bad, while Nebraska can turn around its quickly nosediving reputation. The Huskers have only lost one game and that was to USC, no shame there, but the last two weeks have been a struggle against Ball State and Iowa State. Meanwhile, the Tigers beat Illinois in the opening weekend, didn't get any love for easily beating Ole Miss in Oxford, and then throttled Western Michigan and Illinois State. This is a respect game, but it's more about survival. The Big 12 North has suddenly become nasty, and there's no margin for error for these two, with Mizzou going to Oklahoma next week, and Nebraska still having to go on the road to face Texas, Kansas and Colorado. Missouri has beaten the Huskers the last two times in Columbia, but before that, 1973 was the last time over the Big Red.

 

Why Nebraska Might Win: Marlon Lucky. Missouri has been decent at times against the run, but it was ripped apart by Mississippi's BenJarvus Green-Ellis for 226 yards. Mostly the Tiger secondary has been the issue, especially in the second half when teams start chucking it around in comeback mode, but the Huskers can come out and start blasting away with Lucky on the ground, take the the Mizzou crowd out of the game, and keep the Tiger attack off the field. Lucky started out the season with a sensational opener against Nevada, tearing off 233 yards and three touchdowns, and has rushed for over 100 yards in the last two games. If he gets rolling early and keeps things close, the Tigers might get tighter and tighter, having to deal with their first tough test this year.

 

Why Missouri Might Win: Something's missing from the Nebraska defense: production. It's looked fine at times, and a blowout loss to USC is hardly the proper indication of how good a D is, but the Huskers have struggled mightily against the run, getting pushed off the ball way too easily, with too many runners getting to the second level without a problem. Missouri has a balanced attack that does a little of everything well, but it all stems from QB Chase Daniel. He'll get plenty of time against the anemic Husker pass rush, he'll pick apart the defensive back seven with ten-yard passes, and Tony Temple will find plenty of open running lanes as the game goes on. In other words, the offense should hum on all cylinders.

 

Who to Watch: This needs to be the national showcase game for Daniel. An unknown by most fans, and non-existent in the Heisman chase, he's currently fifth in the nation in total offense as the ringleader for the high-octane attack. He's been fine over the last few weeks, but he threw two interceptions against both Western Michigan and Illinois State, and needs to keep the turnovers to a minimum, if not be perfectly clean. Missouri has the better team, is at home, and should win without a problem. But if it starts screwing around, and if Daniel isn't on, the Huskers will pull it off.

 

What Will Happen: America, welcome to Missouri. Nebraska will have its moments, and Missouri's defense will give up just enough points to keep this interesting, but the Tiger machine will get rolling for good early in the second half on the way to a stunning victory.

 

CFN Prediction: Missouri 41 ... Nebraska 27 ... Line: Missouri -7

 

Must See Rating: (5 Paris on Letterman - 1 Singing Bee) ... 4

 

Aren't these the same guys who predicted we beat USC? What do their predictions really mean? :asshat

 

Husker Power will be alive and well at Mizzou!

 

[robsker]

Sorry. Saying there is "NO WAY" they beat us by 14 is ridiculous. I'm not saying it WILL happen, but it is certainly in the realm of possibility.

 

 

All it takes is 2 missed tackles and that can be a 14 point spread. Literally. Now, NU has missed a half dozen or more open field tackles per game --- ususlly someone catches up to the guy with the ball and it is a big gainer -- or not --- and it is a score.

 

My point is this, the difference of 14 points between two teams can be 2 plays out of 75.

 

Can MU reasonably beat NU by 14. Yes. Can they beat NU by 28 or 35? Yes. Will it happen? Maybe. My prediction is MU 42 NU 24 --- so I guess, yes, I'd predict a 18 point spread. But it is only a guess. This game can be anywhere from a close NU win to an MU blow-out. It depends on how well NU plays --- will they be focused, will they be in the right position defensively, and will they have learned to tackle since last week? If the answer to any of those questions is No, MU wins. If the answer to all those questions are No, MU blows us out. If the answer to all of these are Yes, NU wins.

 

My point, the outcome of this game will depend on NU and how well the coaches have them prepared. MU is simply there. If the NU coaches have the team ready then they should beat MU. But if they play disorganized, confused, and w/o intensity like they have been, then NU loses. My prediction is that they will not be well prepared. MU wins and wins fairly big.

 

Of course, I hope I am wrong.

[HuskerfaninOkieland]

Aren't these the same guys who predicted we beat USC? What do their predictions really mean? :asshat

 

Husker Power will be alive and well at Mizzou!

 

 

We were never expected to win against USC...keep it close maybe...but not win.

[BIGREDIOWAN]

No way does Missery beat us by 14 points. If we have a decent defense they will lose this game. Their offense isn't that damn good. Our offense is much better IMO.

[I Bleed RED]

Missouri has gotten a lot of early season hype the last few years, only to end up fizzling mid-season.

 

 

Sound familiar????

 

Also, everyone FYI, don't go banging on Daniels throwing picks.

 

Daniels 13TDs-4INTs 1 INT per 44 attempts

Keller 9TDs-7INTs 1 INT per 26.5 attempts

 

Also, FYI we each average 1.5 INTs per game on defense so there is no statistical advantage there.

[BIGREDIOWAN]

Missouri has gotten a lot of early season hype the last few years, only to end up fizzling mid-season.

 

 

Sound familiar????

 

Also, everyone FYI, don't go banging on Daniels throwing picks.

 

Daniels 13TDs-4INTs 1 INT per 44 attempts

Keller 9TDs-7INTs 1 INT per 26.5 attempts

 

Also, FYI we each average 1.5 INTs per game on defense so there is no statistical advantage there.

Great points..................this is the area where I miss Zac Taylor at.

[NEHUSKERS311]

The way I see it is no one gave us a chance against USC, Wake was one of those wake up games to get everyone geling and they did win the ACC last year plus they out coached us IMO, Ball st was suppose to be a blow out an ball st came to play more then anyone thought they would, so we had to work our asses off to win that game I dont think the players were really over the ass kicking we got from USC and didnt expect to play that hard with Ball st, ISU I didnt see so I am only going on what people have said, that it was a good game and our defense played alot during the game some may say that is a bad thing, but I dont see it as it is.. I mean we needed our defense to work together and work on the problems we have, so I am glad they were out there minus the injurys but good let these guys go out there sweat there butts off come together an play blackshirt defense.

 

Mizzu is known for chokeing an they will. There not that good imo, they havent been in any close games as we have. Have faith in the Huskers cause I feel they will surprise all of us. Neb knows whats on the line and they know if they play there game we are going to win. Let Mizzu talk all they want we will let our pads speak for us!

[I am I]

i really think a little disruption goes a long way this week.

 

chase has been able to sit back and pick his targets this year, but still has managed to throw some picks and look inefficient at times.

 

if we can get just a smidge of pressure and keep the game close into halftime, then he will start pressing and try to do it all himself, which plays right into our hands.

 

i mean this with all sincerity: i really am not too worried about winning this game. missouri has had 2 weeks off and will blow their wad in the first quarter. meanwhile, we have been scraping out wins in tough situations, getting more and more battle tested. if we can get daniels the least bit rattled to where he tries too hard, it will be pretty easy for us to win. NU-31 UM-17

[HuskerfaninOkieland]

Great points..................this is the area where I miss Zac Taylor at.

 

True, but remember his ability to throw INT's in 05?