What does Nebraska’s football team need to do to beat Colorado on Saturday? While there are many possible strategies, game plans, and areas of focus, I believe there are four keys that will lead Nebraska to victory.

Dominate both attack lines

This should and will be a top priority for the Huskers. If Nebraska can establish its running game, that should create opportunities for Dylan Raiola in the passing game. Plus, it can keep Colorado’s offense, which is frustrated by a lack of opportunities, in check. If Nebraska can’t run — or worse, protect Raiola — it could be a long night.

On defense, controlling the offensive line is perhaps even more important. If the Blackshirts can shut down Colorado’s running game, it makes the Buffs one-dimensional. That allows the defensive line to attack Shedeur Sanders and create havoc in Colorado’s passing game. I believe Nebraska’s Tony White trusts his defense against Colorado’s passing game. But it gets more difficult when they have to defend the running and passing game.

Win the scramble games

There will likely be moments when Nebraska’s pass rush comes through and forces Shedeur Sanders out of the pocket. Sanders isn’t typically a quarterback who does everything at once. Instead, he prefers to extend the play and wait for one of his talented receivers to get free.

Every time the pocket collapses and Sanders starts to sweat, it’s a chance for Nebraska to change the momentum.

In these chaotic scramble games, three things can happen:

1. The defense makes a big play (sack or interception)
2. Sanders’ passport is incomplete (thrown away or for other reasons)
3. Sanders finds a receiver for a big gain.

The latter is a worst-case scenario for NU. If Sanders goes into scramble mode, NU needs to be able to finish the play. Colorado will get its yards through the air, but Nebraska can’t afford to make bone-crushing plays where they’re a fingertip away from a sack before scoring a long touchdown.

Win the sales battle

A year ago, Nebraska lost the ball four times (three fumbles and one interception) but only took it away once. It’s hard enough to win a game with minus-3 turnovers, but here’s what gets worse: In a game Colorado won by 22 points, the Buffaloes scored 16 points on turnovers. In other words, without the numerous free kicks, it would have been a one-point game.

Turnovers have been a major issue this offseason, both offensively and defensively. If the Huskers can play evenly – or even be ahead like they were in Week 1 against UTEP – they’ll have a good chance. If Nebraska is down, the road to victory becomes more difficult.

Don’t let the moment get too big

There was a lot of excitement for this game. The rivalry between Nebraska and Colorado. Deion Sanders vs. Matt Rhule. Shedeur Sanders vs. Dylan Raiola. Revenge for an embarrassing loss a year ago.

This is a game the fans are dying to see. I expect Memorial Stadium to be louder and wilder than it has been in a decade…maybe ever.

But the Huskers can’t let the situation — and their emotions — get to them. They can’t fall apart when Colorado runs a 55-yard play. The Huskers can’t panic and try to answer every big play with one of their own. Slow and steady can win this race. Most importantly, they can’t say, “Here we go again” when a mistake happens, as has happened so many times in recent years.

One of my fears is that the excitement leading up to CU-NU will be like the excitement leading up to the “Red Out Around the World” game against Texas in 2010. Nebraska had suffered a heartbreaking loss to Texas in the 2009 Big XII Championship, but the Longhorns came to Lincoln.

Nebraska released a hype video… in July. They created a special website, printed t-shirts and more. This was supposed to be the moment when Charlie Brown – No. 5 in the country – finally kicked the football.

But that wasn’t it. The Huskers crumbled under the pressure and lost by seven points to the unranked Longhorns, making numerous mental errors in the process. The moment was too big.

In 2024, Nebraska’s team is working to keep the moment in focus. On Thursday, Matt Rhule said the team watched a video of the 2023 Bud Crawford-Errol Spence boxing match. In that highly anticipated fight, the Nebraska-born champion systematically knocked down his opponent and won by a ninth-round TKO.

As Rhule said, “If we play differently because of the opponents we play against, we are not who we say we are.”

I like this approach. A lot.

But it’s one thing to say it. It’s quite another to do it in front of a screaming crowd while NBC airs it in prime time.

It’s time to prove it.

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