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matchup preview: Purdue advantage? PURDUE PASSING GAME VS. Nebraska PASS DEFENSE This should be interesting. With a new quarterback under center and a tweaked offense, Purdue is excited about its potential to wing the ball all over the field. Nebraska's pass defense has struggled and has been prone to giving up big plays in bunches. Maybe the element of surprise helps Purdue some. vs. Nebraska player to watch advantage? Freshman Danny Etling showed a promising arm against Northern Illinois and gives Purdue more options in the passing game, but there will be mistakes. As he says, "Just don't make the same mistake twice." PURDUE running GAME VS. Nebraska rush DEFENSE Purdue needs to get something — anything — going on the ground, especially to ease pressure on a freshman quarterback. Darrell Hazell says it may go about the running game differently. We'll see. Nebraska is young on defense. Look for Purdue to do some different things with different people against Nebraska, but the old standby here is Akeem Hunt. But he needs movement up front. nebraska PASSING GAME VS. purdue PASS DEFENSE Tough to know what to expect from Nebraska considering its uncertain quarterback situation, but the Cornhuskers have some very dangerous receiving threats to go along with their outstanding running game. It'll be a challenge for Purdue to cover all its bases and an extreme challenge to pressure the QB. Junior Kenny Bell is one of the top receivers in the Big Ten and that says nothing of teammate Quincy Enunwa, who's scored six touchdowns already. nebraska running GAME VS. purdue rush DEFENSE Remember the Wisconsin game a few weeks ago? Nebraska isn't quite the same style of run game, but no less imposing. Purdue will need to have come a long way during the bye week to be up to the task. The Big Ten's second-leading rusher, Ameer Abdullah, just hung 225 yards and a pair of touchdowns on Illinois and must be eagerly awaiting a meeting with the league's 12th-ranked run D. special teams H PUS boilers 24 Nebraska's been rock solid on special teams in most phases. Purdue had been, too, prior to the Northern Illinois game, when a kickoff return touchdown to open the second half served as a crushing blow. With a new-look offense and multiple young players being broken in, Purdue needs every point it can get. Boilermaker kicker Paul Griggs has made five of his last six field goal attempts. prediction H PUS cornhuskers Purdue's going to look a lot different, we can promise you that, so this is a difficult call to make. Nebraska's defense would seem vulnerable, particularly with a young group playing on the road for the first time. If the Boilermakers can have some success early, it will be interesting to see how the Cornhuskers respond. But that's only half the equation. Purdue has to stop Nebraska, too. 38 GoldanDBlack express • volume 24, express 6 • 13