The Fresno State Bulldogs open their 2016 season with a non-conference road tilt. The team travels to the Land of Lincoln to battle the Nebraska Cornhuskers Saturday night. The game kicks off at 8:00 pm ET from Memorial Stadium in Lincoln, Nebraska with national television coverage brought to you by the Big Ten Network. The week 1 odds show Nebraska currently as a 28.5 point favorite with the over/under set at 62.5 points.
Fresno State slumped in the last two seasons under coach Tim DeRuyter. After going 11-2 in 2013, the Bulldogs dropped to 6-8 in 2014 and fell to 3-9 in 2015. The school hasn’t won a bowl game since 2007 when they were still in the WAC. Nebraska struggled in their first season under coach Mike Riley. The Cornhuskers finished 6-7, the first losing season in Lincoln since Bill Callahan’s last year back in 2007. The school did get a bowl bid due to the lack of qualifying teams. Nebraska took advantage, winning 37-29 over UCLA in the Foster Farms Bowl.
This is the third all-time meeting between the schools. Nebraska won the first two meetings, including a 55-19 triumph at Fresno State in 2014.
To catch up on our other selections in week 1’s action, check here for all the games!
If Nebraska had any success in close games last season, they easily could have rung up double digit victories. The Cornhuskers had six losses by eight points or less with five of those coming by five or fewer points. The worst loss the Cornhuskers had was a 10 point defeat at the hands of Purdue. Nebraska was 41st in the nation in scoring offense last season by putting up an average of 32.8 points per game.
Tommy Armstrong Jr. is back under center for his senior year. He completed 55.2 percent of his throws for 3,030 yards with 22 touchdowns and 16 interceptions while adding 400 yards and seven scores on the ground. Nebraska brings back nine starters on offense, including one of the deepest receiving corps in the nation. Jordan Westerkamp (65 grabs, 918 yards, 7 TD) and Brandon Reilly (40 catches, 754 yards, 4 TD) are a solid 1-2 pairing. Alonzo Moore (24 receptions, 395 yards, six TD) is a solid third option. The offensive line has to find some replacements as they bring back just two starters from a year ago.
Nebraska has seven starters back on defense as they look to get on track. The Cornhuskers were tops in the Big Ten and 9th in FBS as far as rushing defense goes, giving up 109.8 yards a game. The passing defense was shredded as the Cornhuskers gave up an average of 290.5 yards per game. That included 12.9 yards per completion, which was 89th in the nation. Nebraska took some hits on their defensive line, which could test their run defense. Nathan Gerry and Joshua Kalu were the top two tacklers last season for Nebraska out of the secondary. They combined for seven interceptions last season.
Fresno State’s offense was pretty much nonexistent last season as they failed to move the sticks or generate much on the scoreboard. The Bulldogs were ranked 107th in the nation in scoring offense with 22.3 points per game. They didn’t move the ball with much success as the team was 121st in total offense with 315.2 yards per game. Four quarterbacks combined to complete 50.1 percent of their pass attempts with 20 touchdowns and 16 interceptions. Kilton Anderson is in line to be the starter after last year’s most successful QB, Zack Greenlee, left the program. Someone has to develop some sort of chemistry and create excitement in the Bulldogs’ offense.
The defense didn’t have a lot of success either, mainly from being worn out thanks to the subpar offensive attack. Fresno State finished the year 119th in FBS in scoring defense by giving up 38.1 points per game. The Bulldogs have just five starters coming back on the defensive side of the ball. Fresno State was gashed on the ground, ranking 116th in rushing yards per game (234.7) and 115th in rushing TDs (32) last year. The Bulldogs gave up five yards a carry last season; that number jumped to 5.3 yards per carry on the road. Fresno State allowed 269.8 yards and three scores a game on the ground as the visiting team. Those numbers are sustainable if the Bulldogs look to have success.
Nebraska is 9-3 ATS in their last 12 non-conference games and 5-2 ATS in their last seven in September. Fresno State is 3-8 ATS in their last 11 in September, 2-8 ATS in their last 10 non-conference games and 1-6 ATS in their last seven on the road.