Nebraska vs. Penn State: 5 Halftime Adjustments the Nittany Lions Must Make

There is a lot more at stake today than a simple football game. We all know what went down at Penn State over the past week, and that makes this game a little different. Still, when it comes down to it, one of these Top 20 teams has to win, and the other will lose. 

I don't expect it to be necessarily a high-scoring affair, since neither offense is explosive, but both teams are very well-rounded and it will be a fun back-and-forth to watch.

For the Nittany Lions, Matt McGloin is going to need step up and have a huge game. And Nebraska's Taylor Martinez needs to play consistently and avoid mistakes. How will Penn St. fare without Joe Paterno manning the helm for the first time in a million years?

Here are five big halftime adjustments the Nittany Lions must make.

1. Get to Martinez

Apparently, the Nebraska coaching staff is going away from the norm and allowing QB Taylor Martinez to throw the ball today. A lot. And I don't know if you've noticed, but his arm is pretty bad.

Martinez is the starting quarterback because he is a dual-threat who is great with his legs. So, I don't know why they continue to throw the ball, but until that strategy changes, the Penn State defense really needs to put pressure on Martinez. In the pocket when he's gotten pressured, he hasn't broken for a scramble—he's gotten nervous and made a bad pass. 

2. Watch the Run

With Martinez and star RB Rex Burkhead, this Husker rushing attack can be pretty ferocious. Devon Still and the rest of the front seven need to be disciplined and keep an eye on all the options coming out of the backfield. 

Clearly, Martinez is not going to beat this secondary with his arm. He can hardly get the ball to his receivers, let alone well enough to put points up. So, the Nittany Lions D really needs to key in on the rushing attack and find a way to bottle it up.

3. Avoid Mistakes

QB Matt McGloin looks okay today so far, but there have been a couple of close calls where Nebraska defenders have dropped a potential interception. And State missed a field goal in the first quarter that might come back to haunt them. Nebraska is ranked seven spots below Penn State at No. 19, but they are very dangerous.

They beat up on Washington, Ohio State and Michigan State this season and have the potential to go on a couple drives in a row that just absolutely wipe out the other team. They score sporadically in bunches and in a variety of ways, so turning the ball over and sparking the offense is the last thing Penn State wants to do.

4. Get a Turnover

One way to fight the aforementioned mistakes is creating a turnover themselves. If Martinez is going to continue to drop back and throw in the second half, the secondary should be licking their chops. At the very worst, when keying on the run, they can try to force a fumble.

I think the biggest possibility for a takeaway is sitting back on Martinez's passing attempts, because when he has been on target, it's been a shaky, wobbly throw. Find a way to make a big hit, get a big interception or force a fumble, and you're looking at a whole new game.

5. Keep the Crowd in it

This shouldn't be too difficult. Today's game, again, is more than football for this fanbase. Their legend, JoePa, was unceremoniously canned earlier this week, and the entire scandal that has rocked their football program is a shot to the heart for the family that is Penn State.

As long as they are playing pretty well and keeping it close, you can expect the crowd to be loud and raucous as ever. That's going to be huge in a game that looks like it will come down to the wire and depend on a last-minute play to determine a winner.