It’s the first game of the rest of Nebraska’s life. One pass away from getting out of the BYU opener with a win, now the Huskers have to pick up the pieces and try to start making everything work a little bit better. South Alabama struggled to get past Gardner-Webb, but it got the win. Now it’s time for the Jaguars to go big game hunting and try to take advantage of the wounded animal.

Below we dive into the Nebraska vs. South Alabama prediction and game preview.

Nebraska vs. South Alabama Prediction & Preview

Broadcast

Date: Saturday, September 12
Game Time: 8:00 ET2
Network: BTN2

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Why You Need To Care

South Alabama is going through a complete gut job having lost QB Brandon Bridge and almost all the key parts on offense, while the defense needs an overhaul after losing nine starters. That’s what the Gardner-Webb game was for. Was it enough of a tune-up? No, but it was still a chance to figure out what might work – and it’s not the passing game quite yet. Even so, there’s just enough athleticism on both sides of the ball to give Nebraska a really big push. The Jaguars can run the ball a bit, at least they’re expected to, and they might be able to catch the Big Red looking ahead.

Nebraska gets to go to Miami next week, and it was hoping it was going to make the trip with a 2-0 start and with a chance to get really hot with Southern Miss and Illinois to follow. The BYU loss might have been devastating, but it was more than just the Hail Mary. The Cougars exposed the Husker secondary, and the offense didn’t really work like it was supposed to.

Why South Alabama Will Win

UAB transfer Cody Clements threw two picks in his debut, but he’s a good enough passer to keep the problems going for the Nebraska secondary that allowed 379 yards and three scores – it had problems before the pass. The receiving corps might not be explosive, but there’s enough talent and athleticism to stretch the field a bit. At the very least, USA has the ability to keep pressing.

Why Nebraska Will Win

How did Gardner-Webb keep it so close with the Jaguars? Turnovers. USA gave it up three times and made way too many mistakes overall. The defense did fine against the FCSer, and the offense was okay, but it was a rough outing. The offense couldn’t stay on the field, keeping the ball for just over 21 minutes. Nebraska should be able to grind this out with the running game and let the offensive line do all the work.

Player Who Matters

So how did Tommy Armstrong do in the new offense? More than fine. Could Nebraska turn into more of a passing team while still keeping the same sort of rushing pop from time to time? Armstrong was a bit erratic, but he threw for 319 yards and three touchdowns against BYU. What he didn’t do, though, was run, coming up with just two yards on nine carries. Expect that to change this week.

What’s Going To Happen?

Nebraska will come out fine. South Alabama will be outclassed from the start as the Huskers take out their frustrations after a rough week. The defense will shut down the Jaguars cold for long stretches.

Nebraska vs. South Alabama Score Prediction

Without further ado, the Nebraska vs. South Alabama prediction is …

Final Score: Nebraska 44, South Alabama 10

Must See Rating: 5: Ferrell Takes the Field – 1: A Walk in The Woods … 2

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