Bruce Thorson-US PRESSWIRE
The Nebraska Cornhuskers have already been on a roller coaster ride this year. They followed a nice win with a big loss, only to then come out with a dominating performance last week.
This week, there should not be any down performance when the Idaho State Bengals of Division 1-AA (now Football Championship Series) comes to town.
The Bengals were absolutely terrible last season, finishing 2-9 with their only wins against two Division 2 teams.
The Bengals rely on quarterback Kevin Yost to lead them, and so far this year, he has led them well. Last week versus Air Force, he completed 41 of 52 passes for 355 yards and two touchdowns.
The Bengals have been without their leading receiver so far this year, Rodrick Rumble. Even with Rumble in the lineup, however, the Bengals have a difficult task against the Cornhuskers.
For Husker fans, they will get to see how the pass defense holds up. The Bengals are one very one-dimensional offensively, so expect a lot of players to see time in the secondary.
With just a week and a half until the conference opener, Nebraska needs to figure out some secondary issues.
Offensively, the Cornhuskers should have their way. The Bengals gave up 626 yards to the Falcons, including a ridiculous 9.1 yards per play.
Nebraska gets Rex Burkhead back, who should put in some moderate time to get back into playing shape now that he has returned from injury. Expect to see a lot of Braylon Heard and Imani Cross in the backfield after the Huskers get up big.
Ron Kellog III could see some time at quarterback and so could Brion Carnes. The Huskers will be in trouble if Taylor Martinez goes down with an injury, so having these guys get some game experience will be a key for the Big Red.
Expect a tune-up for the Huskers this week as fans look forward to their opponent the next week, Wisconsin.
However, the Huskers have to focus first on the Bengals. If they come out flat, fans, media, and the coaches are going to be less than pleased.
Paul Troupe is the lead writer for the Nebraska Cornhuskers and San Antonio Spurs, while covering many major sports for RantSports. You can follow him on Twitter @gamin4HIM
