Nebraska's bowl hopes will fade without victory over Purdue

Updated Oct. 28, 2021 3:10 a.m. ET

Associated Press

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — For Nebraska, the final stretch of the season is all about gaining bowl eligibility.

Considering the Cornhuskers (3-5, 1-4 Big Ten) would need to go 3-1 against a difficult schedule, Saturday's game against Purdue is as close as it gets to a must win.

“We can’t afford to have any attention on anything else besides Purdue,” quarterback Adrian Martinez said. “We need this win and ultimately if we want to go to a bowl game we need to beat Purdue. It’s as simple as that for us.”

The Huskers are in their longest bowl drought since 1955-61 and in danger of not going to a postseason game for a fifth straight year. After Purdue, Nebraska plays fifth-ranked Ohio State at home, Wisconsin on the road and No. 9 Iowa at home.

The Huskers are 7 1/2-point favorites against Purdue,

“There are some areas we need to fix, but I think people are recognizing the type of team we have and the level we are playing at,” Frost said. "It’s up to us to make the plays when it counts to get over the hump.”

Purdue (4-3, 2-2) is in a position similar to Nebraska. The Boilermakers are tied with Wisconsin for second in the Big Ten West, one game behind Iowa and Minnesota, and would need help to win the division.

They also need two wins to avoid staying home during bowl season for a third straight year. They still have to play No. 8 Michigan State at home, on the road against Ohio State, Northwestern at home and at Indiana.

“It’s a one-game season, and this is an important game just like all of them,” said Purdue coach Jeff Brohm, whose team committed five turnovers in

MARTINEZ HEALTHY

Frost had said after

“He has been dealing with quite a bit of stuff and fighting through stuff, and he is a warrior for doing it. He will be a full go,” Frost said.

DEFENSIVE TURNAROUND

The Boilermakers have the Big Ten's top-rated pass defense and are fourth in total defense and scoring defense. But they gave up 331 yards rushing to Wisconsin. Expect Nebraska, averaging 211 rushing yards per game, to challenge Purdue on the ground.

“We’ve just got to tackle better when we’ve got people in space,” Brohm said. “We’ve got to get guys to the ground. Those guys played hard, and they’re giving us everything they have.”

PRODUCTIVE PASSES

Nebraska is averaging 9.47 yards per pass attempt to rank seventh in the nation. The Huskers are on pace to set a school record in that category.

ALLEN ALL RIGHT

Nebraska's Austin Allen leads Big Ten tight ends with six receptions of at least 20 yards, with five coming in the last two games. He ranks among the top three among Big Ten tight ends in receptions, receptions per game, yards per catch and total receiving yards.

CLAMPING DOWN ON BELL

Wisconsin held the Boilermakers to a season-low 219 yards through the air, and star receiver David Bell had just six catches for a season-low 33 yards. That freed up tight end Payne Durham to make a a career-best nine catches for 112 yards and a touchdown.

Brohm said future opponents might try to copy the Badgers' coverage against Bell.

“They dropped the safety down to his side, not real low, and kept him in a window where he could play the quarterback and be in that intermediate window where David has caught a lot of balls,” Brohm said. “They dropped eight (in coverage) quite a bit when we had to throw and they knew we weren’t going to run as much. It’s tough to get guys open when they’re doing that.”

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AP Sports Writer Michael Marot in Indiana contributed to this report.

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