Nebraska hosts UCLA in Lincoln on Saturday. The Huskers are playing for bowl eligibility for the first time in nearly a decade. The Bruins, who just had a bye week, started with a very varied schedule including Indiana, LSU, Oregon and Penn State. They have had some success more recently, with a close loss to Minnesota followed by a win against Rutgers.

In the name of Common Fan Podcasthere are three keys to victory for the Huskers, and two keys to victory for every other common fan.

THE KEYS TO NEBRASKA’S VICTORY

Don’t lay an egg. I don’t know how else to say this. Nebraska must not choke on Saturday. The Huskers are 5-3, one win away from being bowl eligible for the first time since 2016. UCLA is 2-5. UCLA has a first-year head coach. Although they have shown improvement in recent games, UCLA is not the better team. Conversely, Nebraska is the team with the second-year head coach whose culture is firmly ingrained. Nebraska will play at home. Nebraska is favored (most betting lines currently have the Huskers favored by about seven points). THERE IS NO REASON FOR NEBRASKA TO LOSE THIS GAME. If we want to highlight the tough but competitive loss to Ohio State as a turning point, a moral victory, a valuable lesson, any of those things…they need to show the same effort at the championship level and take care of their cases against UCLA. .

And while I would have much preferred that Nebraska beat Illinois and/or Indiana and/or Ohio State, it would be pretty cool if the Big Red could get rid of the bowl monkey at Memorial Stadium in ‘a conference game in November, a month. it’s been a struggle over the last few years. The home crowd should be delighted on Saturday.

Stifle the Bruins. UCLA holds a distinction in this game. They’re actually the worst rushing team in the country, ranking dead last among all FBS teams from coast to coast. This translates to 134th nationally. The Bruins are averaging an anemic 2.54 yards per carry and have gained a total of 452 rushing yards so far this season. The next team on the list (you know, the 133rd ranked team) is better by over 150 yards! Somewhere, Johnathan Franklin is crying. Nebraska, meanwhile, is 12th nationally in run defense, having put on a clinic in stopping the run against one of the best teams in the country. I expect the Huskers to be able to completely shut down UCLA’s running game, making the Bruins one-dimensional and making it difficult to move the ball. It’s a clash that favors the blackshirts. If they show up like they did against Ohio State, they could flirt with a shutout.

More field goals please. You never really know what to expect from the Nebraska offense. While parts of the operation have shown promise this season, they have been very inconsistent. Which means it would really help if they could get three points when three points are up for grabs. It would be funny if this discussion was pointless because Nebraska was finishing drives and getting into the end zone, but that hasn’t been the case often enough this season. Enter John Hohl. He entered the year as a backup kicker and, after an injury to starter Tristan Alvano, went 1 for his first 5 attempts. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, he made all three of his attempts against Ohio State, drilling two of them from 45+ yards. Alleluia! Nebraska’s special teams play has been so inconsistent that it’s unclear if we can count on the field goal unit to reliably make kicks moving forward. But Coach Rhule had already said Hohl was kicking in practice, and he made his coach look good last Saturday. If Nebraska wants to win one or more of its final four games, making field goals has to be part of the equation.

COMMON FAN KEYS TO VICTORY

Back home. Nebraska will play at home for the first time since the game against Rutgers on October 5. I’m sure it’s a welcome sight for the boys in red, coming off back-to-back road losses to two of the best teams in the country in Ohio State and Indiana. This UCLA game is critical to the Huskers’ chances of making a bowl game and having a successful season. Memorial Stadium has been electric all season long and I expect it to be on fire Saturday afternoon. You’ve had a few weeks off, Common Fans. If yard work and home improvement projects aren’t finished by then, they’ll just have to wait. Let’s get to the old stadium early, bring your best tailgating game and get ready to make some noise.

Tailgate time. Speaking of tailgates, the Common Fan Podcast is hosting one on Saturday. If you’re a regular listener to the podcast, or a regular reader, or just a common fan obsessed with Husker football, stop by and say hello. We will be in Lot 10, on W Street between 14th and 16th. We would love to meet you and share in the Husker joy before the Big Red beats UCLA and we will dance in the streets to finally celebrate the back to bowling.

As always, GBR for LIFE.

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