Coming off of a disappointing loss versus North Texas, Louisiana Tech (2-2) will close out non-conference play on the road at Nebraska (1-2).
Game Time | Saturday @ 2:30 PM
TV/Radio | Big Ten Network/KXKZ 107.5 FM
Louisiana Tech HC | Sonny Cumbie (5-11 overall record in 2nd season)
Louisiana Tech OC | Jake Brown & Scott Parr (31.0 points per game in 2nd season)
Louisiana Tech DC | Scott Power (29.0 points allowed per game in 2nd season)
Nebraska HC | Matt Rhule (1-2 record in 1st season at Nebraska)
Nebraska OC | Marcus Satterfield (19.7 points per game in 1st season at Nebraska)
Nebraska DC | Tony White (20.0 points allowed per game in 1st season at Nebraska)
Bulldogs Projected Starters
*Offense
QB | RS Senior #19 Hank Bachmeier (6’1 221/73.1 PFF Grade) OR RS Sophomore #10 Jack Turner (6’5 230/60.0 PFF Grade)
RB | RS Junior #4 Tyre Shelton (5’11 190/87.5 PFF Grade)
RB | RS Junior #23 Keldric Moody (5’9 195/60.1 PFF Grade)
WR | RS Junior #16 Tru Edwards (6’3 200/46.0 PFF Grade) OR RS Junior #9 Kyle Maxwell (6’3 200/69.5 PFF Grade)
WR | RS Senior #6 Smoke Harris (5’7 183/73.7 PFF Grade)
WR | Sophomore #1 Cyrus Allen (6’0 177/70.9 PFF Grade)
TE | RS Senior #34 Ryan Rivera (6’3 234/54.9 PFF Grade)
LT | Junior #68 Dakota White (6’4 305/55.1 PFF Grade)
LG | Junior #79 Bert Hale (6’5 331/60.8 PFF Grade)
C | Graduate Student #62 Abe Delphin (6’1 310/48.5 PFF Grade)
RG | Junior #75 Jerren Gilbert (6’3 295/63.0 PFF Grade)
RT | RS Sophomore #65 Carson Bruno (6’4 312/58.8 PFF Grade)
*Defense
LDE | RS Sophomore #20 J’Dan Burnett (6’1 246/81.8 PFF Grade)
DT | Senior #93 Rason Williams II (6’4 280/55.5 PFF Grade) DT | Senior #5 Deshon Hall Jr. (6’3 264/71.5 PFF Grade)
RDE | RS Junior #88 Mykol Clark (6’4 260/69.3 PFF Grade)
MLB | RS Senior #6 Brevin Randle (6’0 232/58.9 PFF Grade)
MLB | RS Senior #3 Jeslord Boateng (6’2 228/67.3 PFF Grade)
NK | Freshman #13 Michael Richard (5’11 180/75.8 PFF Grade) OR Senior #8 Demarcus Griffin-Taylor (5’9 175/65.3 PFF Grade)
CB | Senior #1 Willie Roberts (5’11 190/81.1 PFF Grade)
FS | RS Senior #2 Cecil Singleton Jr. (6’2 210/69.7 PFF Grade)
SS | RS Senior #0 Myles Heard (5’11 201/61.5 PFF Grade)
CB | RS Junior #11 Cedric Woods (5’11 184/68.8 PFF Grade) OR RS Senior #24 Keyshawn Paul (6’0 195/56.7 PFF Grade)
*Special Teams
K | RS Junior #35 Jacob Barnes (5’9 183/72.5 PFF Grade) OR Sophomore #15 Buck Buchanan (5’11 190/60.0 PFF Grade)
P | RS Senior #31 Blake Ochsendorf (6’6 220/66.5 PFF Grade)
KR | RS Senior #6 Smoke Harris (5’7 183/62.4 PFF Grade)
PR | RS Senior #6 Smoke Harris (5’7 183/66.5 PFF Grade
Cornhuskers Scouting Report
*Offense
QB | Junior #7 Jeff Sims (6’4 220/46.7 PFF Grade) OR Sophomore #10 QB Heinrich Haarberg (6’5 215/76.3 PFF Grade)
RB | Senior #23 Anthony Grant (5’11 205/61.0 PFF Grade)
RB | RS Freshman #21 Emmett Johnson (5’11 190/N/A PFF N/A PFF Grade)
FB | RS Freshman #16 Janiran Bonner (6’2 220/53.3 PFF Grade)
WR | Sophomore #84 Alex Bullock (6’2 205/59.7 PFF Grade) WR | Senior #1 Billy Kemp IV (5’9 180/53.8 PFF Grade)
WR | Senior #13 Marcus Washington (6’2 190/64.3 PFF Grade)
TE | Sophomore #24 Thomas Fidone (6’6 205/60.0 PFF Grade) OR Sophomore #87 Nate Boerkircher (6’5 245/65.6 PFF Grade)
LT | Junior #69 Turner Corcoran (6’6 310/55.0 PFF Grade)
LG | Junior #57 Ethan Piper (6’3 305/61.6 PFF Grade)
C | Junior #66 Ben Scott (6’5 305/49.5 PFF Grade)
RG | Senior #63 Nouredin Nouili (6’4 315/66.3 PFF Grade0
RT | Junior #54 Bryce Benhart (6’9 315/73.6 PFF)
*Defense
LDE | Junior #9 Ty Robinson (6’6 310/38.7 PFF Grade)
DT | Junior #0 Nash Hutmacher (6’4 330/71.0 PFF Grade)
RDE | Freshman #11 Cameron Lenhardt (6’3 250/45.2 PFF Grade) OR Sophomore #97 Blaise Gunnerson (6’6 265/49.4 PFF Grade)
LB | Senior #4 Luke Reimer (6’1 225/60.7 PFF Grade)
LB | Junior #5 John Bullock (6’0 220/63.1 PFF Grade) OR Junior #3 Nick Henrich (6’3 235/46.8 PFF Grade)
JACK | Sophomore #42 Mikai Gbayor (6’2 230/67.9 PFF Grade) OR Sophomore #14 Chief Borders (6’4 245/46.8 PFF Grade) OR Junior #48 MJ Sherman (6’3 250/62.8 PFF Grade)
CB | Senior #6 Quinton Newsome (6’1 185/72.3 PFF Grade)
ROV | Junior #2 Isaac Gifford (6’1 205/67.1 PFF Grade)
FS | Junior #8 DeShon Singleton (6’3 205/71.8 PFF Grade)
SS | Senior #12 Omar Brown (6’1 200/71.5 PFF Grade)
CB | Sophomore #13 Malcolm Hartzog (5’9 175/62.3 PFF Grade)
*Special Teams
K | Freshman #30 Tristan Alvano (6’1 200/67.9 PFF Grade)
P | Junior #18 Brian Buschini (6’1 225/60.2 PFF Grade)
KR | RS Freshman #21 Emmett Johnson (5’11 190/59.4 PFF Grade)
PR | Senior #1 Billy Kemp IV (5’9 180/66.5 PFF Grade)
Scouting the Bulldogs
After Hank Bachmeier went down with an injury in the second half in Louisiana Tech’s 40-37 loss to North Texas, backup quarterback Jack Turner entered the game and provided a spark on offense in a near-comeback effort. This week, the former Navarro Junior College athlete will make his debut as the starter for the Bulldogs against Nebraska.
Injuries in the running back and wide receiver rooms have plagued the offense in the early stages of the 2023 season. Key skill position players who have already missed time due to injury include Tru Edwards, Kyle Maxwell, Cyrus Allen, Matthew McCallister, Keith Willis, Marquis Crosby, Charvis Thornton, and Tyre Shelton. The injuries mixed with a healthy diet of questionable play calling have resulted in the inconsistency that has appeared on the field this season. Finding an identity on offense has been a concern of mine since Week 0, and the issues that follow not maintaining a clear identity have followed Tech week to week.
Louisiana Tech was able to find a star in the transfer portal in Tyre Shelton, who in just two games has rushed for 214 yards and 2 touchdowns while averaging an impressive 10.2 yards per carry. Smoke Harris and Cyrus Allen reminded everyone once again what they could do with the ball in their hands late in the 4th quarter of the North Texas game. Getting the ball into the hands of Shelton, Harris, and Allen is a must for Tech to thrive on offense. The offensive line for Louisiana Tech has had an up-and-down year to this point and will have their hands full on Saturday with a fierce Nebraska pass rush.
If the Bulldogs turn in the same performance on defense that they did a week ago, the Cornhuskers could potentially provide a 2022 North Texas-type performance. The defense had shown signs of progression under second-year defensive coordinator Scott Power, but last week’s game was very reminiscent of last season. Nebraska is a straightforward, one-dimensional team on offense, and is going to attempt to run all over Louisiana Tech before and especially after watching the film. Brevin Randle and Jeslord Boateng have to maintain better gap discipline on run plays and the defensive line might have to look up rotating different lineups to provide more size. Lacking a true nose tackle on the team has been a problem for the Bulldogs and has made it difficult for Tech to win the line of scrimmage on a down-to-down basis. Look for Power to heavily stack the box against Nebraska and force Sims or Haarberg to beat the Bulldogs with their arms.
Scouting the Cornhuskers
After Jeff Sims’ disastrous first two games of the 2023 season, backup quarterback Heinrich Haarberg provided a steady hand for the offense in Nebraska’s 35-11 victory over Northern Illinois. With Sims returning from a minor injury, there is a good chance that both quarterbacks will take the field on Saturday versus Louisiana Tech. In his two games as the starter, Sims has passed for 200 yards, 1 touchdown, 4 interceptions, completed 58.8% of his passes, and has rushed 29 times for 158 yards, 1 touchdown, and 4 fumbles. Meanwhile, in Haarberg’s one start, he passed for 171 yards, 3 touchdowns, 0 interceptions, completed 53.3% of his passes, and rushed 21 times for 98 yards, 1 touchdown, and 1 fumble.
Throughout the first three games of the 2023 season, Nebraska has thrown the ball 65 times compared to running the ball 122 times, rounding to a 65 to 35 ratio of rushing to passing. While the Northern Illinois game was the first win of the season for the Cornhuskers, they also suffered key losses in the running back room. Starting running back Gabe Ervin Jr. and second-string running back Rahmir Johnson both suffered season-ending injuries, resulting in Anthony Grant returning to the top of the depth chart. Despite being the team’s leading rusher in 2022, Grant was not an opening-day starter this season and was buried on the depth chart after a crucial late-game fumble versus Minnesota.
There has yet to be a Cornhuskers receiver to reach 90 yards this season, with Alex Bullock leading the team with 4 receptions for 89 yards and 1 touchdown. Nebraska likes to utilize plenty of two-tight end sets with 6’5 Nate Boerkircher and 6’6 Thomas Fidone II. Slot receiver Billy Kemp IV leads the team with 8 total catches for 70 yards and 1 touchdown through three games. Heavily reliant on their offensive line, the Cornhuskers average 310 pounds across their starting unit, compared to the Bulldogs’ starting defensive line which averages 262 pounds. Scoring on offense has been an obvious struggle, as Nebraska scored just 10 points against Minnesota, and 14 points against Colorado, before scoring 35 points against a struggling Northern Illinois team.
Nebraska’s defense is a completely different story, as the Cornhuskers rank second in the nation against the run. The Cornhuskers limited Minnesota to just 55 yards rushing, Colorado to 58 yards rushing, and Northern Illinois to 26 yards rushing. According to Pro Football Focus, Nebraska has eight players with a grade of 70.0 or higher defensively. Nebraska has taken advantage of weaker offensive lines, highlighted by a ten-sack day versus Colorado. Rotating heavily, the defense has 20 different players that play at least 15 snaps per game so far this season in defensive coordinator Tony White’s 3-3-5 defensive scheme. Watch for the Cornhuskers to pressure inexperienced quarterback Jack Turner all day on Saturday.
Special Teams Duel
K Tristan Alvano (Nebraska): 8/8 on extra points, 1/2 on field goals, long of 27
P Brain Buschini (Nebraska): 13 punts, 41.5 yards per attempt, long of 60
K Jacob Barnes (LA Tech): 12/12 on extra points, 7/9 on field goals, long of 46
P Blake Ochsendorf (LA Tech): 16 punts, 42.1 yards per attempt, long of 57
Matchups to Watch
1) Jeslord Boateng vs Anthony Grant
2) Dakota White vs Cameron Lenhardt
3) Cyrus Allen vs Malcolm Hartzog
4) Deshon Hall vs Noure Nouili
5) Tyre Shelton vs Luke Reimer
Prediction
Nebraska is far from an elite team, but there are several factors working against Louisiana Tech on Saturday. To start, the letdown of a crucial loss at home in an emotional game, not having a veteran leader and starting quarterback, and massive size disadvantages. Tech’s weaknesses on defense perfectly coincide with Nebraska’s strength on offense. The Bulldogs’ pass defense has been quite impressive this year led by Willie Roberts and Michael Richard, but the defense versus the run has still left much to be desired. If Tech’s offense proved that they could put up points and take advantage of their opportunities, I might think harder about the outcome due to Nebraska’s scoring struggles on offense. However, the Bulldogs staff still has a lot to prove and I do not trust them to scheme a game-winning game plan in a hostile environment. Lastly, the size advantage for Nebraska on the lines is way too hard to ignore, and I think the Cornhuskers take advantage of their favorable matchups.
Final Score: Cornhuskers 30. Bulldogs 13.
ESPN FPI
Louisiana Tech #115
Nebraska #68
University Comparison
Louisiana Tech | Location: Ruston, Louisiana | Conference: CUSA | Enrollment:11,037
Nebraska | Location: Lincoln, Nebraska | Conference: Big 10 | Enrollment:23,805
Stadium History
Memorial Stadium
Opened in 1923
Capacity of 90,000
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