Kansas State vs Nebraska College Football Lines
November 18, 2009
If you’re interesting in betting college football, Bookmaker has a 20% Signup BONUS going on right now. The Big 12 North will be decided this Saturday when the Wildcats (6-5) travel to play against the Huskers in Lincoln. Nebraska (7-3) controls their own destiny after beating Kansas handily last week on the road 31-17. If they win out they’ll finish conference play at 6-2 and be facing what looks to be Texas for the Big 12 championship game. The Big Red is the 16.5 point favorites according to the college football spreads, and the total is set at 43. Dan Snyder will no doubt have his boys ready to play for the same stakes after the beat down they took last week from Missouri at home, 38-12.
The Cornhuskers have had a bit of an up and down season offensively. While Zac Lee has started the majority of the games, he was replaced by Cody Green the last two before facing the JayHawks. However, it seems that Lee has regained the starting job after a solid showing in which he went 13-21 for 196 yards. While he didn’t throw a td, he has passed for 11 on the year to 6 int’s, and the offense has found some life behind Roy Helu and the rushing game. On the year they’re averaging over 150 ypg, and Helu has accumulated 962 yards and 9 scores. Niles Paul leads all receivers with 29 receptions for 567 yards and 3 scores.
The Nebraska defense has been a major reason for their success this year, excelling in points scored by holding opponents to 11 ppg. The 17 allowed to Kansas last week was the 2nd highest of any team, and two weeks ago they limited a vaunted Oklahoma attack to 3! Enough can’t be said about DT Ndamukong Suh, who’s been a monster with 5 sacks, 13 tfl’s, 3 blocked kicks and an int. Jared Crick joins him on the line and has been impressive garnering 9 sacks and 14 TFL’s as well. The pressure by the front four helped the secondary hold QB Todd Reesing to 19-41 passes and only 1 td last week. For the year they’re giving up under 100 ypg on the ground and 280 ypg against some tough competition. For more expert football picks or game breakdowns, check out your friends at Betfirms.
In their last regular season game of the year, Dan Snyder and company need a win to become bowl eligible. The offense it pitting their strength against that of Nebraska’s, their run game. This year they’ve done a better job on the ground than in the air, averaging 13 more yards in that category. QB Grant Gregory threw for a surprising 239 yards against Missouri, well over his average of 97. He had no td’s and 1 int, and has only 4 passing scores on the year. The team has seven passing td’s to 7 interceptions, so typically the points come from the run. Daniel Thomas is having a great year for the Wildcats, rushing for 1166 yards and 11 td’s.
The defense of Kansas State has been inconsistent to say the least. They’ve given up anywhere from 17 to 66 points in their 5 losses, and have allowed a total of 33 td’s. Their biggest gain from 2008 has been the rush defense. Last year they were allowing 222 yards compared to the 106 ypg they’ve given up thus far in 2009. They’ll need to be good against both attacks as Nebraska has been showing more balance as of late.
After the humbling defeat last week, Kansas State needs to regroup and have an early start to gain some momentum. They’re playing on the road in a hostile environment against one of the toughest defenses in the nation, which is a big reason they’re the heavy underdogs. I can see Nebraska effectively shutting down the ground game and not allowing more than 14 points in a lopsided win. Be sure to check the NCAA football picks from all of our top handicappers this week.
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