Four Storylines to Watch as the Huskers Take On Oregon

The Nebraska Cornhuskers held a two-score lead over the reigning national champion Indiana Hoosiers with 12 minutes to go in the game. A landmark victory was within their grasps, but the Hoosiers stormed back and survived the trip to Lincoln with a 20-17 win.

Nebraska now heads out west to take on the Oregon Ducks (3-2), who are coming off a sloppy 17-15 loss to the UCLA Bruins.

Nebraska Could Face Former Husker Dylan Raiola

It was announced Wednesday that potential No. 1 quarterback in the NFL Draft pick Dante Moore will not play Saturday. That could enable former Husker Dylan Raiola to face off against his former team, but that is still up in the air.

Also pushing for the starting spot this weekend are senior Brock Thomas and sophomore Akili Smith Jr.

This will be the second straight game Moore has missed since suffering a concussion against the USC Trojans on Sept. 26. Raiola got the start for the Ducks last week against UCLA after a strong performance in relief against the Trojans, but it turned into a rough performance for the junior quarterback. Against UCLA, Raiola completed just 6 of 19 passes for 43 yards with two interceptions and lost a fumble.

Thomas came in for the former Nebraska quarterback, completing 11 of 15 passes for 154 yards and a touchdown, but the Ducks still fell short to the Bruins.

This week, Oregon head coach Dan Lanning said the quarterback competition would continue throughout this week.

Regardless of who starts, the Nebraska defense could be tested as all three have different skill sets, but Moore's absence could be an opportunity for the Huskers to take advantage of.

Despite Unknown at QB, Nebraska Defense Will Be Tested

Through six weeks, the Nebraska defense is one of the best in the country. The Huskers rank No. 16 in total defense at 276.2 yards per game and are the best in the country on third down, allowing conversions 19.7 percent of the time.

Last week, Nebraska held Indiana to 1/10 on third down and gve up just 41 yards to one of the best running back duos in the country.

However, Indiana junior receiver Nick Marsh gashed the Nebraska secondary, catching six passes for 187 yards, scoring both Hoosier touchdowns.

Against the Ducks, the Huskers' defense will be tested from the different styles of offense each quarterback could bring.

"At the core, they're (Oregon) going to be who they are," defensive coordinator Rob Aurich said Tuesday. "They're going to be 11 or 12 (personnel). They're going to run play-action off that. They're going to have a little bit of RPO free access."

He also said the Ducks will try to get the ball to their playmakers and could even show some wildcat formations.

Outside of the run game, the Ducks have a potentially explosive passing game with sophomore receiver Dakorian Moore and fifth-year receiver Evan Stewart. Something to watch is the status of Stewart, who was listed on Wednesday's availability report as questionable for Saturday.

Can Nebraska Get the Run Game Going?

Getting the running game going against Indiana was a challenge at times last week against Indiana, with true freshman Jamal Rule leading the way with 15 carries for only 53 yards. However, senior quarterback Anthony Colandrea has shown he can be a major part of the run game, picking up yardage when the Nebraska offense needs it the most.

Now, the Huskers will go up against one of the most talented defenses they will face all season.

Offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen said that he was encouraged by what he saw early on against the Hoosiers but the Ducks' defensive front will give the Huskers challenges.

"They have a lot of guys back from last year. That front four is as good a front four as I've ever seen," Holgorsen said Tuesday.

Oregon struggled at times to stop UCLA star running back Wayne Knight, who rushed for over 100 yards and a touchdown, but forced three turnovers.

It will be key for Nebraska to stay clean on offense, and that will go a long way to keeping the ball away from the Oregon offense.

Adjusting to a Late Kickoff

With the game scheduled to kick off at 10 p.m. CDT, there are concerns about whether Nebraska can adjust to the two-hour time difference on the West Coast.

Head coach Matt Rhule said during his Monday media availability that the Huskers have shiftedthings back two hours from when they normally do things during the week.

"We're going to finish this game at 2 a.m. our time," Rhule said. "We're trying our best to make 2 a.m. become 12 a.m. and 12 a.m. become 10 p.m... We'll adjust to it, we'll prepare for it, but its going to come down to blocking and tackling."

This will be one of the latest games (in CDT) the Huskers have ever played in the continental U.S. The latest when the Huskers took on the USC Trojans in 1970 at 10:05 p.m.

Stay up to date on all things Huskers by bookmarking Nebraska Cornhuskers On SI, following us on Twitter/X, and visiting HuskerMax.com daily.