Nebraska Cornhuskers at Washington Huskies, Husky Stadium, Seattle, WA
Saturday, September 18, 2010, 3:30 pm EST, TV: ABC, ESPN2, or ESPN Gameplan (check local listings)
Opening Line: Nebraska -3 1/2
Current Line: Nebraska -3
Opening Total: 54
Current Total: 52
Money Line: Nebraska -155 / Washington +135
Betting Lines Taken from the Online Sportsbook Bookmaker
Coach Bo Pelini takes his Nebraska Cornhuskers to Seattle to take on Steve Sarkisian’s Washington Huskies. Nebraska is 2-0 but hasn’t played anybody yet. Washington is 1-1. Nebraska has outscored Western Kentucky and Idaho by a combined score of 87-17 in their first two games. The Cornhuskers are averaging 325 yards a game on the ground which is third best in the country. Dual-threat quarterback Taylor Martinez leads the team in rushing and passing, but is way more effective with his legs. He has rushed for 284 yards and 5 touchdowns, while passing for only 242 yards and no touchdowns, with a pick. The game agaisnt Idaho was sloppy on both sides. The Vandals turned the ball over 6 times including 5 interceptions. The Cornhuskers had 4 turnovers of their own. The Cornhuskers defense held Idaho to 279 total yards, and only 60 of that was on the ground. The Cornhuskers rushing attack ground out 360 yards led by Martinez with 157 yards and 2 touchdowns. This will be Nebraska’s firtst real test of the season and their first road game as well. The Husker’s defense has been dominant so far but must contain Washington quarterback Jake Locker if they want to win.
The Huskies started off sluggishly against Syracuse last week. They were only up 13-10 at halftime before breaking the game open in the second half to win 41-20. Locker torched the Orange for 289 yards and 4 touchdowns. The running game was also pretty effective grinding out 175 yards led by Chris Polk with 117 yards and a touchdown. Jermaine Kearse was Locker’s top target with 9 catches for 179 yards and 3 touchdowns. On defense the Huskies gave up 336 yards including 224 yards through the air. The Orange rushed for 112 yards. The Huskies can’t afford to get behind early against Nebraska like they did against Syracuse. The Huskies were down 10-0 before scoring 27 unanswered points to put the game away and cover the college football odds in the process.
Nebraska is usually pretty good on the road. They are 5-2 against the spread in their last 7 road games. The Huskies haven’t had much success against teams from the Big 12 recently. They are 2-9 straight up against Big 12 teams recently. For Washington to win, Jake Locker must be his normal brilliant self and perhaps even better. Locker certainly has the talent, and I don’t know if even a defense as dominant as Nebraska can completely shut down Locker. On defense I don’t know if the Huskies can stop Nebraska’s running game. The Cornhuskers will control the clock and try to keep Locker off the field. The Huskies are still a young team, and it was only a couple of seasons ago that the Huskies finished 0-12. Sarkisian is rebuilding the team and the line shows the respect they are getting. Nebraska is #8 in the country and would have been a double digit favorite in this game a year ago. The fact that Nebraska was only favored by 3 or 3 1/2. speaks volumes to the expectations for the Huskies.
This is a tough game to call, the line looks a little low in my opinion but the situation really favors Washington. This game is probably best left alone and focus on another game that looks to be profitable from a betting perspective. The goods news is we have found 7 college football picks against the spread we love on Saturday including our 20 unit non conference game of the year which figures to be an easy winner. Dont miss the chance to stuff your wallet on Saturday and profit with the Maddux Sports handicappers.
