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Five burning questions heading into Michigan State week

1. Can NU keep the good times rolling?

Even if Nebraska can win out and get to 5-7, its chances of making a bowl game are minuscule given that there might not be any sub-.500 team that goes to a bowl, and even if there are, its APR isn’t strong enough to be at the top of that 5-7 list.

But where they have a postseason or not, the Huskers can still build up some important confidence and momentum for 2019 by finishing out these final two games with victories.

After an awful 0-6 start, Nebraska has now won three of its past four games, with the one loss coming in a near miss at No. 10 Ohio State. Had NU been able to hold off Northwestern for one more drive, it could have easily won four of its past five.

For the Huskers to potentially end the year with five wins, including one over division rival Iowa to close out the season, it would create nearly as many positive vibes heading into the offseason that a low-end bowl game would provide.

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2. Will Ozigbo hit 1,000?

With 11 carries for 162 yards against Illinois, Devine Ozigbo took another huge step towards becoming Nebraska’s first 1,000-yard rusher since 2014.

He’s now at 958 rushing yards on the year with two games remaining, including his final home game as a Husker on Saturday.

Though he’s only 42 yards shy of hitting the milestone, getting there will be easier said than done against Michigan State’s defense on Saturday. The Spartans boast the nation’s top run defense at just 76.5 yards allowed per game, nearly 20 yards fewer than any other Big Ten team.

The Spartans have held their opponent to under 100 yards rushing seven times this season, and they’ve also only given up 22 rushes of 10-plus yards, the second-lowest total in the country.

3. How far will Morgan, Spielman climb up the record books?

Ozigbo isn’t the only Husker looking to hit some impressive individual milestones over the next two weeks, as receivers Stanley Morgan Jr. and JD Spielman are also on the brink of some school records.

Morgan went off for eight catches, 131 yards, and two touchdowns against Illinois, leaving him just 90 shy of matching Kenny Bell’s career receiving record (2,689), 130 away from reaching his own single-season school record (986), and 144 from becoming the Huskers’ first-ever 1,000-yard receiver.

Spielman was right behind him with seven catches for 71 yards vs. the Illini. That boosted his season receptions total to 66, which rank second on NU’s single-season chart behind only Marlon Lucky’s 75 in 2007. He’s also now 182 yards from reaching the 1,000-yard mark.

But unlike like Ozigbo, the two wideouts will face a bit of an easier challenge on Saturday. As good as Michigan State has been against the run, it ranks 11th in the Big Ten in pass defense at 250.8 yards allowed per game, which is just ahead of Nebraska (255.4).

4. Can the Blackshirts continue the takeaways?

Nebraska is now fifth in the Big Ten with 18 forced turnovers on the season, but 11 of those have come in just the past three games.

That takeaway explosion has been a big part of the Huskers’ recent turnaround. The Blackshirts are still giving up yards and points, but the game-changing turnovers are now coming at a rapid rate.

Michigan State has been adequate when it comes to ball security this season, losing seven fumbles and throwing 10 interceptions on the year.

But with an offense that ranks only ahead of Rutgers with 21.7 points per game, any takeaway NU can get could be a deciding factor on Saturday.

5. Will the seniors get a proper sendoff?

This hasn’t at all been what Nebraska’s 19 seniors had hoped for their final season as Huskers, but the impact they’ve made this year is undeniable.

Senior leaders like Morgan, Ozigbo, Mick Stoltenberg, Luke Gifford, Jerald Foster, Tanner Farmer, Freedom Akinmoladun, Aaron Williams, and Dedrick Young helped establish the foundation of what head coach Scott Frost and his staff wanted to build when they arrived in Lincoln 11 months ago.

They’ll now take the field on Saturday for their final game at Memorial Stadium and, barring a wild turn of events, their second-to-last games as college football players.

Building up momentum for 2019 is obviously a major focus for these last two games, but for the players and coaches in NU’s locker room, so is sending the seniors out on a high note.

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