Husker Runner
Starter
Texas A&M Aggies
5-2 (2-1 in Big 12)
Sat, Sep 1 Montana State W 38-7
Sat, Sep 8 Fresno State W 47-45
Sat, Sep 15 Louisiana-Monroe W 54-14
Thu, Sep 20 at Miami (FL) L 17-34
Sat, Sep 29 Baylor W 34-10
Sat, Oct 6 Oklahoma State W 24-23
Sat, Oct 13 at Texas Tech L 7-35
Sat, Oct 20 at Nebraska 1:05 pm
Sat, Oct 27 (15) Kansas 6:00 pm
Sat, Nov 3 at (4) Oklahoma TBA
Sat, Nov 10 at (15) Missouri TBA
Fri, Nov 23 (19) Texas 2:30 pm
Team Defense
Rushing 135.4 yards per game (40th)
Passing 264.3 yards per game (99th)
TOTAL 399.7 yards per game (74th)
Team Offense
Rushing 246.0 yards per game (7th)
Passing 162.6 yards per game (109th)
TOTAL 408.6 yards per game (43rd)
Top 3 Rushers
Stephen McGee
85 attempts, 544 yards, 77.7 yards/game, 6.4 yards/attempt, 65 yards (longest run), 4 TDs
Jorvorskie Lane
102 attempts, 445 yards, 63.6 yards/game, 4.4 yards/attempt, 18 yards (longest run), 11 TDs
Mike Goodson
88 attempts, 433 yards, 61.9 yards/game, 4.9 yards/attempt, 34 yards (longest run), 2 TDs
Passing
Stephen McGee
97/175, 1039 yards, 148.4 yards per game, 5.9 yards/attempt, 4 TDs, 4 INTs
A short Aggie video (this is the video they show at the stadium before home games):
This game could be called the Buyout Bowl. With both coaches on the hotseat and this game being probably both teams' best chance at a win for the rest of the season, the loser is going to be under even more pressure. A win here won't amount to much unless Franchione or Callahan seriously turn things around the rest of the way...and even that may not be enough for either coach.
Both teams have had their fair share of distractions recently--Texas A&M with Fran's VIP Connection newsletter controversy and I think there have been a couple of small distractions for Nebraska, too, if I'm not mistaken.
When the Aggies have the ball:
It says a lot about the Aggie offensive philosophy that QB McGee is the leading rusher on the team. The triple threat of McGee, Lane (power) and Goodson (speed) makes the Aggies one of the top ten rushing teams in the country, and they should find continued success against a porous Nebraska defense that has shown little ability to stop the run, ranking 106th in the country.
Despite their comeback from 17-0 against Oklahoma State, the Aggies are not a great come-from-behind team, with a dreadful national ranking of 109th in pass offense. McGee is averaging 25 attempts per game and has a tendency to play it safe with his throws. They would be better served by opening up the passing game more and getting the ball into the hands of Martellus Bennett and Kerry Franks, who have gamebreaking abilities but are underutilized.
Still, considering Nebraska's inability to stop the run this year, expect to see A&M pound it out on the ground.
When the Cornhuskers have the ball:
Nebraska should be able to throw effectively against the Aggie pass defense. The Aggies have not shown much ability to get pressure on the QB, averaging only 1 sack per game (109th nationally). Keller is at his best when he has time to throw. Look for a big game from him on Saturday, unless Nebraska comes out with a baffling gameplan that focuses on the run. However, with Nebraska's disappearing act in the run game recently, and a weak Aggie pass defense, don't expect to see Nebraska spend too much time running the ball. (Of course, Keller was supposed to light up the Missouri defense, too...)
SUMMARY:
Both teams are having troubled seasons, and both coaches have a tendency to provide their fans with several "WTH?" moments every game. With all of the off-the-field distractions, the team that maintains better focus on the game and plays with the most intensity--something lacking at times from both teams this year--will walk away with the win.