Washington vs. Nebraska: Keys to Victory, Score Predictions

Nebraska (5-2, 2-2) returns home Saturday for a Big Ten showdown on Halloween night against Washington (4-3, 1-3). Both teams are coming off a bye week, as the Huskers look to bounce back from heartbreaking losses to Indiana and Oregon and get back on track.

As kickoff approaches, here are the keys to the Huskers’ victory over Washington, plus our HuskerOnline score predictions for Week 9.

NU enters Saturday’s game as a 7.5-point favorite against Washington. The game starts at 7 p.m. CT on BTNmarking the first meeting between the two programs since 2011 and their first as Big Ten opponents.

***SIGN UP FOR HUSKERONLINE TODAY AND GET 60% OFF YOUR FIRST YEAR***

KEYS TO VICTORY: Washington vs. Nebraska

KEY 1: Establish the running game

Nebraska needs to get back to running the football like they did earlier in the season. Getting more production from his running backs will relieve the pressure Anthony Colandréa and open things up in the passing game.

KEY 2: Pressure the Washington Quarterback

Whether Demond Williams Jr. Or Elie BrunNebraska needs to make life uncomfortable for Washington’s quarterback. The Huskies have a dangerous passing attack, but the Blackshirts can’t allow either quarterback to sit back and pick apart the secondary.

KEY 3: Eliminate explosive plays

Washington averages over 280 passing yards per game and has the ability to stretch the field. Nebraska must keep everything in front of them and force the Huskies to organize long and sustained practices.

KEY 4: Get started quickly

With a Halloween night crowd and Nebraska wearing its blackout uniforms, Memorial Stadium should provide a great atmosphere. The Huskers need to take advantage of that energy early and put Washington in a position where they have to play from behind.

KEY 5: Complete the game

Nebraska blew its fourth-quarter lead in back-to-back losses to Indiana and Oregon. The Huskers need to play four full quarters and find a way to close out a game when they have the chance.

The expert takes

Sean Callahan – HuskerOnline Publisher

Nebraska will pounce on Washington early, but the Huskies will mount a late charge. The Husker offense should go for about 200 yards after the pass, and NU will hold on in the fourth quarter to earn its sixth win of the season.

Nebraska 27, Washington 20

Steven Sipple – HuskerOnline Columnist

I’m sticking with a theme as it applies to the Huskers: confident but angry. I felt the theme applied to Nebraska’s overall mindset heading into its game against Oregon. But I’m mostly talking about Nebraska’s defense at this point. Rob Aurich gave off that vibe this week. Confident but angry. On the other hand, Nebraska’s offense may be angry, but I wonder about its confidence. Matt Rhule’s team can lean on defense in this one and continue to try to get their offense going down the stretch.

Nebraska 24, Washington 20

Robin Washut – HuskerOnline Senior Editor

Coming into the season, most expected Nebraska to start 5-2. Almost everyone also considered Washington to be perhaps the biggest swing game on the schedule. That’s exactly the case tonight, as the Huskers could change the entire tenor of the second half of the year, one way or another. I see NU feeding off an electric “Black Out” crowd and playing like the most desperate team from start to finish.

Nebraska 35, Washington 21

Andy Kenleigh – KETV ABC-Omaha

Second year of the University-supported blackout game, but what would actually keep this tradition going? A victory. Nebraska has a three-game lead to prepare them for a finish unlike any other in the Matt Rhule era, and it starts with Washington. Run the ball, stop the run and dominate the fourth quarter. Easier said than done.

Nebraska 27, Washington 17

Jim Rose – 1110 KFAB Radio-Omaha

The Mojo at U-Dub has been gone since the jump. When you should pursue your starting QB to get him to STAY (rather than moving to LSU), the atmosphere in the locker room cannot be good. And he’s probably out for the Husker game anyway. Washington is only down to its 6^th-string RB, probably a transfer from the Sigma Chi house. The Huskers are hungry after two fourth-quarter losses and will eat all of the Huskies’ Halloween candy.

Nebraska 42, Washington 20

Microphone’I Severe – Big Red Wrap-Up

I have argued all week that this gap should be significantly higher, and the metrics support this thesis. Power ratings across the board show a line closer to 11.5 than 8, with Nebraska holding a pretty significant advantage in efficiency measures in almost every category outside of special teams.

Washington has allowed the most sacks per game in the Big Ten. Combined with Nebraska’s advantage in damage creation rate, the Blackshirts should constantly harass anyone in the Huskies’ center. Additionally, Nebraska has the best third-down defense in the country against the lowest-ranked third-down offense in the Big Ten. If Nebraska truly turned a corner, they should win and cover.

Nebraska 30, Washington 20

HuskerOnline Week 9 Predictions

Updated ranking

Past winners

Sean Callahan can be contacted at (email protected) and is heard daily at 6:45 a.m. and 5:05 p.m. on Big Red Radio 1110 KFAB in Omaha during football season. It can also be seen on KETV Channel 7 in Omaha in the fall, and each week he appears on the Nebraska Public Media show Big red abstract Tuesday at 7 p.m..

Never miss the latest news or another article from HuskerOnline again. Click HERE to sign up for HuskerOnline’s daily and breaking news newsletters.