Nebraska Cornhuskers vs. Michigan State Spartans Complete Game Preview

Nebraska heads to East Lansing for what could be a defining matchup of the Huskers' 2014 season. Bo Pelini and his team are looking to extend their record to 6-0, but that requires defeating Michigan State on the road.

The Huskers hold the edge in the all-time series with the Spartans at 7-1. However, that one loss came last season at home when the Spartans won 41-28. One year later, Nebraska is looking to get redemption.

What people will be pointing to is that this is a matchup of Nebraska's stellar offense vs. Michigan State's powerful defense. As of now, the Spartans are only allowing 78.3 rushing yards per game, which should challenge I-back Ameer Abdullah. Pelini doesn't think that'll be an issue, though.

"We've run the football on them for three years," Pelini said, per the Detroit Free Press. "They're a quality football team, but we've run the football on them before, and we'll run it on them again."

While Nebraska may run the ball on Michigan State, Pelini has never gone 6-0 to start a season in his time with the Huskers. Will this be the year?

Where: Spartan Stadium, East Lansing, Mich.

When: Saturday, October 4, at 8 p.m. ET

Watch: ABC

Listen: Husker Sports Network or Sirius Channel 91, XM 91

Betting Line via Odds Shark: Nebraska (+8)

Nebraska's Keys to Victory

Nati Harnik/Associated Press

1. Limit Turnovers

Nebraska needs to limit turnovers to win. That's been the case for years under head coach Bo Pelini. However, against Michigan State, the Huskers may just need to eliminate turnovers completely to guarantee a victory.

Against Illinois, the Huskers did make some mistakes. While the team was able to overcome them against Illinois, Michigan State will be an entirely different story. The Spartans will absolutely take advantage of turnovers if given the chance.

The focus will be primarily on quarterback Tommy Armstrong. The sophomore only has three interceptions this season, but he had eight in 2013. One of those interceptions came against Michigan State.

The Huskers know they need to keep turnovers at a minimum. Actually doing so will give Nebraska the greatest chance at defeating a favored Michigan State team.

2. Let Ameer Abdullah Run

This seems to be the game plan every week, but why not? Ameer Abdullah knows how to run on any defense, and this matchup with Michigan State should be no exception.

Against Illinois, Abdullah rushed for an impressive 208 yards. Adding that into his season total, the I-back has 833 yards on the ground. He's already halfway to the total rushing yards he had in 2013, and it's only been five games.

Michigan State will focus on Abdullah, which is to be expected. However, Nebraska excels when it sticks to the running game. Might as well keeping running with it (pun intended).

3. Defend the Pass

There is one thing the Blackshirts can count on, and that is that MSU's Connor Cook will throw the football. Beyond just that, Cook is good at throwing the football, which is something Bo Pelini acknowledged, per Huskers.com:

"

He’s a really good player. He’s very decisive and gets the ball out in a hurry. Strong arm. Pretty accurate thrower. I think they do a good job. I think he really understands what they’re trying to do offensively. He makes good decisions. He has a quick release. I think he’s a tremendous player.

"

Randy Gregory can help by putting pressure on Cook right away. From there, it's going to be on the secondary to really step up. Junior cornerback Daniel Davie knows his unit will have to be ready.

"You have to be prepared for [Cook]," Davie said, per Huskers.com. "We have to make plays on the ball. It’s about us like I said. We have to be sound in our technique."

Michigan State's Keys to Victory

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1. Stop Ameer Abdullah

Stopping Ameer Abdullah is easier said than done. However, the Spartans have the tools to make it happen.

For instance, according to Huskers.com, Michigan State is ranked fourth nationally in rushing defense. The defense is only allowing 78.3 rushing yards per game, which is a definite concern for someone like Abdullah.

However, Abdullah is a workhorse. As a result, no defense can take him lightly. Coming off back-to-back 200-yard-rushing games, Abdullah will challenge the Spartans. If Michigan State wants to win, Abdullah will have to be a focus.

MSU head coach Mark Dantonio recognizes that. "When you're playing a great running back, it's about pursuit, it's about leverage on the football, it's about the ability to tackle in space," he said, via the Detroit Free Press. "He's very difficult in all those areas."

That's exactly why he needs to be a focus for Michigan State's defense.

2. Throw the Ball

Michigan State might as well put the ball in the air. At this point, it's clear the Huskers are weaker at the linebacker and safety positions. Plus, MSU quarterback Connor Cook is impressive.

As of now, he is third nationally in passing efficiency, per Lee Barfknecht of the Omaha World-Herald. Throwing the ball to wide receiver Tony Lippett has been successful for Cook too. So, why fix what isn't broken?

Nebraska does have cornerback Daniel Davie, who left a huge impression after snagging two interceptions against Illinois. He recognizes the challenge Nebraska is up against, per Huskers.com:

"

We just have to be prepared. It’s about us and what we do and how we prepare. So I feel like if we’re sound in our technique, if we’re communicating and all of us are on the same page we’ll be able to handle them.

"

Cook can throw, though. Expect him to challenge Nebraska in the air.

3. Force Turnovers

If Michigan State puts enough pressure on quarterback Tommy Armstrong, turnovers seem likely. It's those turnovers that could kill Nebraska's chances at winning too.

When asked, Armstrong said he doesn't think Michigan State will target him, per Huskers.com:

"

Honestly I think they’re going to run what they’ve been running all season. It worked for them last year. They won the Big Ten by just playing their basic defense. They don’t change for anybody. But at the same time we just have to realize that we have to succeed and make sure that we run our stuff and make sure that we get yards. At the end of the day it’s all about our offense and what we do and how we achieve it.

"

Armstrong will still be a target, whether he believes so or not. While the sophomore has matured since facing Michigan State last season, the Spartans will still try to put him in high-pressure situations. By doing so, MSU has a chance to force Armstrong back into old habits.

Nebraska Players to Watch

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Ameer Abdullah (RB, Sr.)

Ameer Abdullah has once again been named the Big Ten's Offensive Player of the Week. As a result, he is also being named one of Nebraska's players to watch again.

At this point, it's hard not to pay attention to the record-breaking I-back. Head coach Bo Pelini has nothing but good things to say about Abdullah whenever asked, as he showed in his weekly press conference, per Huskers.com:

"

He wants to win. That’s all Ameer has on his mind. I mean Ameer has high standards for himself, but at the end of the day he wants to win football games. That’s why he came back. That’s who he is. If he ran for 20 yards and we won a football game, he wouldn’t blink an eye. Obviously he might be mad at himself if he didn’t play well. He’s a team guy. That’s what makes him who he is.

"

Everything Pelini said is exactly why all eyes should stay on Abdullah.

Tommy Armstrong (QB, Soph.)

Turnovers will be a point of concern for the Huskers. Quarterback Tommy Armstrong will be a big part in limiting them from happening.

It's all going to come down to the big plays too. When Armstrong is forced to make the big throws, what does he do? In 2013, there were far too many moments where Armstrong lost his composure and threw the ball straight to a defense.

In 2014, Armstrong looks to be maturing. He still has three interceptions so far, but his decision-making is improving. Against Michigan State, he'll prove whether he truly is growing and settling into his role as the leader of the team.

Michigan State Players to Watch

Al Goldis/Associated Press

Connor Cook (QB, Jr.)

Connor Cook knows how to keep plays alive. Bo Pelini knows that too.

"When you have a quarterback who can throw the ball into some tight windows like he can, I think his receivers do a nice job of staying alive," Pelini said, per Huskers.com. "You see it happen on multiple occasions."

Cook's numbers are solid as well. He currently has completed 54 passes on 78 attempts for a 69.2 completion percentage, per ESPN.com. He's also thrown nine touchdowns.

There's little doubt that Cook isn't the player to watch from Michigan State. "He has a great arm," Nebraska junior cornerback Daniel Davie said, per Huskers.com. "He fits balls in very tight windows. He gives his receivers a chance to make plays on the ball even if they’re not wide open."

Jeremy Langford (RB, Sr.)

While Ameer Abdullah may be the more popular running back in this matchup, people can't forget about Jeremy Langford. Against Wyoming, the senior rushed 16 times for 137 yards and a touchdown, per the Detroit Free Press.

In 2013, Langford rushed for 1,422 yards and 18 touchdowns on 292 attempts, per ESPN.com. That's worth paying attention to.

Also, the Detroit Free Press compared Langford's performance against the Huskers in 2013, especially in response to Abdullah. While Nebraska's star I-back rushed for 123 yards on 22 carries, Langford had 151 yards on 32 carries.

Keep an eye on Langford. People will be talking about Abdullah, but the MSU running back could make a statement too.

What They're Saying

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Head Coach Bo Pelini

On the importance of being 6-0 for the first time since 2001:

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Not very important. Not historically. It’s important because I want to go 6-0. Historically it doesn’t really mean that much to me. This is about this team and what we’re trying to accomplish. Obviously it’s extremely important, but every game we play is going to be. I’m not going to make any more of it than what it is.

"

On past success by the Husker offense vs. Michigan State:

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We’ve had some success, but they’ve had some success, too. I mean it’s all about who executes on any given day. They’re very well-coached. I don’t worry a lot about what’s happened in the past or anything like that. It’s about what’s going to happen Saturday night and how two football teams are going to play that Saturday night.

"

On the status of I-back Ameer Abdullah:

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Ameer is fine. He could have played. He could have finished the game. He went back in the game. He’s fine. We just thought it was the right time to give him a rest.

"

On what he thought of the offensive line after reviewing film:

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I thought it was very good. I thought it was outstanding actually. I thought we brought movement well. I thought we did a lot of good things. They threw a lot at us. They had close to 50 pressures in the game. I mean that’s a lot. Obviously we ran a lot of plays, but over 50 percent of the time we got something. I think they started out trying to play some base early and didn’t have a lot of success with it. We decided that the way to go was to try to run a lot of movement. Our guys, we’ve seen a lot of it. I think we’ve gotten better over the last few weeks of blocking movement. Hats on hats. Giving our backs room to run. If you cover people up, our backs are pretty good. The game that we didn’t play very well up front was the McNeese State game. Like I said, they had a lot of free hitters. We didn’t react very well to their movement. And I think that for now, it’s a weekly thing. You’ve got to do it every week. But I think we’ve gotten better. I think that game made us better up front.

"

Quarterback Tommy Armstrong

On how hungry he is to come back and face Michigan State again:

"

We’re always hungry. We’re going to treat it like it’s a normal week. We just want to take care of the football. We take care of the football, offense rolls. Coach (Tim) Beck told us this past week when we played Illinois that every time we actually didn’t score was when we turned the ball over. That shows a lot about our offense. When we take care of the football we can do anything. So we’re just going to go into this week and just make sure that we take care of the football. What we’ve be learning this whole season is to make sure that we prepare the right way. As far as last year and the turnover margin, looking back at that, we just have to make sure we take care of the football and everything else will fall into place.

"

On if he thinks Michigan State will him beat them with his arm:

"

No not really. Honestly I think they’re going to run what they’ve been running all season. It worked for them last year. They won the Big Ten by just playing their basic defense. They don’t change for anybody. But at the same time we just have to realize that we have to succeed and make sure that we run our stuff and make sure that we get yards. At the end of the day it’s all about our offense and what we do and how we achieve it.

"

On his main takeaway from last year's matchup with Michigan State:

"

Just take care of the football. Honestly we did a great job at running our offense. It starts off immediately, we just have to take care of the football. Turnovers, I think they had zero turnovers, they ended up beating us by I think it was 41-28 something like that. We turned the ball over three or four times inside the 20 and we can’t let that happen. Our defense played lights out. But when you’re put into situations like that it’s nothing you can really do about it. It all starts off us. As being quarterbacks, as long as we take care of the football and put our offense in the right situation then you know we can do exactly what we did last year which is move the chains. Make sure that we’re doing the right thing.

"

All quotes obtained from Nebraska's Monday press conference via Huskers.com unless otherwise noted.

Prediction

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Did you know that Nebraska hasn't gone 6-0 to start a season since 2001? What makes that even more interesting is that 2001 was also the last time a Husker won the Heisman.

That statistic might not mean much, but it's hard to ignore. With I-back Ameer Abdullah's Heisman campaign gaining momentum every week, it makes for a fun comparison. If the Huskers defeat Michigan State and wind up 6-0, the odds get better for Abdullah.

However, it's not going to be an easy victory for Nebraska. Instead, this should be a classic dogfight between the two programs.

Looking solely at history, it seems unlikely the Huskers will defeat the No. 10 Spartans. After all, the Huskers are only 9-14 against ranked teams under Pelini, per Huskers.com. Even more worrisome is that Nebraska is also only 2-8 against top-10 opponents.

So the odds aren't exactly stacked in Nebraska's favor. However, that's sometimes exactly what a team needs to finally get the much-needed win.

Call it a hunch or call it whatever you please, but the Huskers will find a way to escape East Lansing with the win. Does that mean it will be pretty? No, it likely will be an ugly victory.

Regardless, expect the Huskers to finally be 6-0 for the first time in 13 years. And as a direct result, prepare for Abdullah's Heisman stock to shoot through the roof.

Prediction: Nebraska 27, Michigan State 24

For complete team coverage and everything Huskers, you can follow Erin on Twitter @erinsorensen.