Bold Predictions: Nebraska vs Colorado

It’s time for another round of Bold Predictions: Nebraska-Colorado edition!

Here’s how Inside Nebraska’s Zack Carpenter, Steve Marik, Greg Smith and Geoff Exstrom see some things shaking out on Saturday between the Huskers and Buffs:

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It’s all set up as a battle of starkly contrasting offensive styles with how these two want to get things done. Colorado runs a space-and-pace, veer-and-shoot offense. Nebraska wants to slow it down, huddle up and bleed that clock. At least, it will need to do that on Saturday.

On paper, the game script for a Nebraska upset win over No. 22 Colorado – which would end a skid of 21 straight losses to ranked teams – seems obvious. Control the tempo, control the clock, keep Shedeur Sanders and the Buffs’ array of dangerous, explosive skill players off the field.

We heard all offseason that the Husker defense was going to be fast, aggressive and, maybe above all, physical under Tony White and the new staff. That’s exactly what we saw against the Gophers in Week 1. On the other side, we heard all offseason that the Nebraska offense was going to rely on the run to ground-and-pound teams and that the Huskers wanted to use Gabe Ervin Jr. as a “battering ram” to put teams away in the fourth quarter. That didn’t happen in Game 1 against a really good defense with a strong foundational culture put in place by Gophers DC Joe Rossi.

Still, Ervin punished the Minnesota defense on the Huskers’ second-half field goal drive despite netting just three carries for 37 yards – highlighted by a 27-yarder that jump-started it all. After that, the Huskers didn’t really get him going the rest of the way as he tallied just two carries – each going for four yards a pop – over the final three drives. Ervin’s final statline leaves more to be desired, but his statline also suggests that he should have been given more opportunities. He tallied just seven rushing attempts for 55 yards on the night, but he did damage with almost every one of them, bruising his way to 7.9 yards per carry.

Matt Rhule, Marcus Satterfield and Co. will need to establish the roots that it talked about in the winter, spring and fall camp. Nebraska’s best path to a win seems so clear-cut that maybe we’re not seeing the forest through the trees: Play the similar style of Big Ten West football that Iowa, Wisconsin, Minnesota and others have used in the past against Nebraska. The O-line needs to use physicality and force to push back and push around a Buffs defense that just surrendered 262 yards rushing on 37 attempts (7.1 per carry) to TCU, and having two big-bodied guys leading the rushing charge is about as good of a strength that Nebraska could have in this Big Noon showdown.

Those two guys – Ervin and Jeff Sims – leading the way on the ground figures to make the Husker O the most dangerous against Buffs DC Charles Kelly.

If Sims has to run the ball 19 times again for 91 yards* or more in this game? Then so be it. If that’s what it takes to pull out a win during what will almost certainly be the biggest national spotlight, and most highly anticipated game, of the Huskers’ season? Then so be it.

*Sims was sacked three times, so his true rushing totals were 16 carries for 91 yards.

I think there will once again be an emphasis on using Sims as a primary rushing threat, but I think Ervin will be the primary benefactor of that two-headed tandem and will have a big afternoon. Spoiler alert for tomorrow’s score predictions: I’m predicting a Nebraska upset win. If Sims or Ervin (or, yes, Anthony Grant) don’t have a big game on the ground, I don’t see an avenue for it happening. But I believe it will.

Nebraska's offense needs to establish the run against a Colorado defense that surrendered 262 rushing yards and 7.1 yards per carry. Am I confident the run game can come from the running backs alone? Not entirely, even if the Buffaloes weren't good against TCU's traditional hand-off run game. I need to see it happen first to predict it will.

I'm expecting Sims to be as involved in the run game as he was at Minnesota. Designed runs, read runs and scrambles — all of it. There's no holding back now, not on this big stage. At least 19 carries for the 6-foot-4, 225-pounder is what I'm thinking. And I think Sims breaks a couple big runs against a defense that will be without starting nickel safety Myles Slusher, a transfer from Arkansas who was everywhere against TCU, due to injury.

Sims will be one of the best athletes on the field when the Husker offense is out there against the Buffs' defense. I'll say he eclipses 100 rushing yards.

I also think Sims is going to have a better day throwing the ball than he did in Minneapolis. Yes, losing Isaiah Garcia-Castaneda is a big blow to a receivers room that was already thin heading into the season. But I saw clear chemistry between Sims and Marcus Washington when Washington played the final two quarters of the season opener after being suspended for the first two.

I'm expecting Satterfield to call more plays where Sims isn't being asked to go through multiple progressions. Instead, I think Satterfield will call more passing plays that allow Sims to get the ball out of his hand quickly. More run-pass options, too, where he's reading one defender and making a decision.

I think someone — whether it's Washington, Billy Kemp, Alex Bullock, Rahmir Johnson, Nate Boerkircher or Thomas Fidone — will catch an underneath route and rattle off an explosive play on a blown coverage from Colorado. Let's go with over 150 passing yards for Sims.

The two-way sensation has been one of the talks of college football after week one. Based on his performance on offense and defense, Hunter is one of the very early front-runners for the Heisman Trophy right now.

Nebraska’s defense is not TCU’s.

While Hunter had 111 yards against the Horned Frogs, I see defensive back Quinton Newsome rising to the challenge of slowing him down on Saturday. This is a huge opportunity for Newsome to show he can compete against future pros. I hope we see that matchup early and often in Boulder.

I'm setting the over/under on the amount of times Deion Sanders' name is mentioned during the FOX Broadcast at 48.5.

I'm taking the over.

Coach Prime and his Buffaloes were the talk of the country after their upset of No. 17 TCU last week. It was a massive bet by Fox to cling onto the Deion train in hopes of bringing in the ratings. They were rewarded massively with over 7 million people tuning in — second only to the Florida State-LSU showdown on Sunday night.

After Saturday's contest between the Buffs and Horned Frogs, a news anchor and TCU alum calculated how many mentions of Sanders were made during the TV broadcast and came up with a tally of 56.

With the Deion hype in full force and the fact that he labeled this game against Nebraska as "personal," I'm taking the over. Gus Johnson and Joel Klatt can't help themselves.

On the field, I'm taking Colorado 31-24.

The elite athletes on the Buffs roster puts them over the top. But I'm a believer in Tony White, so I think they limit what Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter can do. The gameplay is pretty obvious from an offensive standpoint for Nebraska, so I expect a good day from the running backs, especially Ervin. While I'm not predicting a win, Saturday should be a step forward, especially on offense.

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NEBRASKA-COLORADO COVERAGE:

>>> Nebraska-Colorado HQ
>>> Key Matchup to Watch: Nebraska DBs vs. Colorado skill players
>>> Jeff Sims: Rhule, teammates expecting bounce back from their QB
>>> Discuss: Insider's Board