Nebraska vs. Penn State: Cornhuskers' Ground Attack Will Expose Nittany Lions

The Penn State Nittany Lions are the 12th-ranked college football team in the nation, for anyone who cares.

Despite an ongoing criminal investigation on the campus of the prestigious university that has already resulted in the loss of the school's most beloved figure and its president, Penn State has won seven consecutive football games dating back to mid-September.

The Nittany Lions are a perfect 5-0 in the Big Ten conference and are two wins away from playing in the first ever Big Ten Championship Game. Again, for anyone who cares.

The current scandal, which has rocked the school to its very core, has not only swallowed up the lives of many innocent children and the legacy of one the game's greatest coaches, but the efforts of the 2011 Nittany Lions football team.

Their success through the season's first two and half months has been overshadowed by something far greater and more serious than the game of football.

It's impossible to turn on a television, radio or fire up a web browser without watching, hearing or reading about the current troubles facing Penn State and those closest to the institution.

The latest waves were made Wednesday night when the university decided to part ways with 84-year-old coaching legend Joe Paterno, who was worshiped by players, students and alumni alike.

Former defensive coordinator Tom Bradley will take over head coaching duties for Paterno this Saturday afternoon at Beaver Stadium against the No. 19 Nebraska Cornhuskers, who are coming off a home loss to Northwestern, a team Penn State beat by 10 points on the road the week before.

Penn State is two games up on Wisconsin and Ohio State for the Big Ten Leaders Division lead, and a win this weekend would put it on the verge of a potential Rose Bowl playoff with the winner of the Big Ten Legends Division.

Still, before we write a Hollywood script on how the timely success of a football team helped heal a campus and a community, let's first make it clear why Penn State will not win on Saturday.

Distractions

If dealing with the program's first coaching change in 46 years isn't enough to blindside the players just days before their biggest matchup of the season, then student riots might.

Either way, the hostile and emotionally charged crowd in attendance on Saturday should provide plenty of buzz to help take the players' minds off their inevitable thoughts.

Lack of offense and Cornhuskers' ground attack

The Nittany Lions lack explosion on offense outside of running back Silas Redd and rank 100th in the nation in scoring offense, averaging under 22 points per game.

Sure, they're 88th-ranked passing attack looks decent compared to the pass-challenged offense of Nebraska, but their running game has been missing all season, the same of which can't be said for the Cornhuskers.

Nebraska averages nearly 238 rushing yards per game in 2011, which ranks 13th in the country. Penn State's third-ranked scoring defense will make things tough, but it has yet to beat a ranked team this season, falling short against Alabama at home in Week 2.

The Tide rushed for 197 yards on Penn State in that game—Trent Richardson went for 111 yards and two touchdowns by himself. Look for more of the same from Nebraska this weekend.

Leadership

This point goes hand in hand with all the distractions facing the team this weekend. Who or what will motivate the players to perform against an angry top-ranked opponent on Saturday?

This isn't the NFL, these aren't the New Orleans Saints after Hurricane Katrina. This is a program and university that is being slowly torn apart.

An interim leader cannot fix that.