After last season’s disappointing 56-7 loss to the Nebraska Cornhuskers, Fitz and co. look to Dublin, Ireland for a chance to redeem some of that which was lost last year. Both the ‘Cats and the Huskers played frustrating 3-9 seasons in 2021, and both programs are looking to fix that this year.

That 3-9 season for Nebraska was a bit of a college football anomaly. The Huskers put up substantial fights against every opponent they faced in 2021, where their most significant loss was a mere nine points to Ohio State. That’s pretty impressive if you ask me (unless you are Oregon or Michigan, of course). The ‘Cats will have to step up if they want to put up a good fight.

Fitz vs. the state of Nebraska

Saturday will mark Fitz’s 200th game as head coach of the ‘Cats. He has a positive record at 109-90, and he leads Northwestern outside of the United States for the first time in program history. Named as possibly one of the best coaches in college football by Bleacher Report, despite the ups-and-downs throughout the last four-to-five years, his relative success (i.e. two B1G West Championships in the last four years) with the program has not gone unnoticed. Here’s to hoping he can secure a win in his 200th appearance as HC on the sidelines and avenge last season’s beatdown in the process.

Nebraska passing attack vs. Northwestern secondary

During the offseason, Nebraska landed University of Texas transfer Casey Thompson and new pass-happy offensive coordinator Mark Whipple. This year’s offense will differ from the Huskers in the past because Thompson has not shown to be the runner that Adrian Martinez, last season’s Nebraska quarterback, was. Martinez led the team in rushing yards in the 2021 season. Cam Mitchell and AJ Hampton’s secondary will be tested, and this Saturday gives them a chance to prove themselves worthy of the Sky Team title.

Nebraska interior offensive linemen vs. Northwestern defensive line

It wasn’t just the passing game that was revamped for the Huskers. Not only did they get a new quarterback and offensive coordinator, but they also lost three interior offensive linemen. They did receive a transfer from LSU to fill one of those three spots, so they have to pull up players from the bench in order to fill up the offensive line. Frankly, no one really knows what to expect from this new Nebraska offense so it will be the thing everyone is paying attention to. Let's just hope the ‘Cats can think on their feet and adapt to the unknown, especially Adetomiwa Adebawore and the rest of his line.