Nebraska @ Rutgers NCAA Football Lines Preview

The Nebraska Cornhuskers (4-6) are still in the race for a place in the bowl games, but will need to win this week’s game against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights to ensure that those dreams stay valid. The Knights (3-6), on the other hand, have been on the brutal end of blowout losses in their last three games, losing to Ohio State, Wisconsin and Michigan by a combined score of 146-33, so their first priority is to get back to winning ways, before harboring slim hopes of going bowling. Detailed below is brief preview of this clash, including college football betting lines and free Week 11 picks.

How To Bet the Cornhuskers @ Scarlet Knights NCAA Football Lines, TV & Game Info

Venue: High Point Solutions Stadium, Piscataway, NJ Date: Saturday, November 14, 2015 Time: 3:30 PM ET Network: BTN College Football Lines: Nebraska (-8.5) at Rutgers (+8.5), OVER/UNDER 64.5

Remember Nebraska-MSU’s wild, controversial finish? The Big Ten says the refs got it right: https://t.co/w1rCqJbVsC pic.twitter.com/9EmrHwDh4i

— ESPN (@espn) November 9, 2015

Betting on the Rutgers Scarlet Knights

The Scarlet Knights are fresh from losing to Michigan 16-49 on the road in a game that their hosts were all over them like a pack of hounds from the get go. By the end of the second quarter the Rutgers had given up and simple watched the game go by, as the offense did nothing to improve the score line, while the defense did everything to make it worse. To have a chance of bouncing back from that loss, an overall improvement is needed, especially in the offense. QB Chris Laviano, who is completing 61.9 percent of his passes for 1,633 yards, 12 touchdowns and nine interceptions, is the supposed leader of this offense, but he has no touchdown pass in the last three games. With talents like Leonte Carroo and Andre Patton (who have combined for 889 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns), and Carlton Agudosi (15 receptions) at his disposal in the aerial game, Laviano has no excuse but to improve his productivity. This should especially be possible, as they have a solid rushing game (averaging 167.7 yards per contest), with RB Robert Martin leading the Knighthood with 582 yards and four touchdowns. After all, Nebraska defense is allowing 29.1 points and 431 yards per game, giving them a fighting chance, but they must improve from their recent poor displays if they are to take advantage of the shakiness in the Cornhuskers’ D-line On the defense, the Knights are being shouldered by Steve Longa who has 102 tackles, Anthony Cioffi who has three interceptions, and Kemoko Turay who has two sacks. This defensive unit will be put to test by a Nebraska offense that is led by Tommy Armstrong Jr., who has 18 touchdowns and nine interceptions. So although the Armstrong-led offense is not as tough as the offenses the Knights have faced recently, any slacks in concentration could come with huge ramifications since the Huskers are an opportunistic team.

Betting on the Nebraska Cornhuskers

After a season full of disheartening disappointments, the Huskers finally got a breather, narrowly beating Michigan State 39-38 in their biggest win of the season. After that big win, against an unbeaten top-10 ranked team no less, you can be sure that Armstrong and his team will be very motivated for another big performance this week. On the season, the QB is completing 53.9 percent of his passes for 2,372 yards, and has six touchdown passes in his last three games. His receivers have been resourceful, led by Jordan Westerkamp and Brandon Reilly who have combined for 1,451 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns,  along with Alonzo Moore who has tallied 20 receptions. Like Rutgers, Nebraska has also had some solid production from their rushing offense that is averaging 170.3 yards per contest. Terrell Newby paces the runners here with 705 yards and five touchdowns. For Saturday’s game, they will be facing a Rutgers defense that is allowing 35.7 points and 458.3 yards per game. As long as they play like they did against Michigan State, they should surely have a chance of bagging another win. Defensively, Nate Gerry (64 tackles), Joshua Kalu (two interceptions) and Freedom Akinmoladun (4.5 sacks) are the main players to watch. Going against the Rutgers offense that has been struggling shouldn’t be much of a problem, but Nebraska will still need to avoid complacency or giving away cheap points, as was the case last week against Michigan State.

Rutgers vs Nebraska Key Betting Trends

•    Nebraska is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games •    Rutgers is 2-6 ATS in its last 8 games •    Nebraska is 10-3 ATS in its last 13 games on the road •    Nebraska is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games on the road •    Rutgers is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games •    The total has gone OVER in 4 of Nebraska’s last 5 games

Rutgers vs Nebraska Game Predictions

Even with Rutgers enjoying home support, Nebraska looks more talented and motivated, so expect the Cornhuskers to claim both the SU and ATS, though with both teams failing to put too many points on the board , thus leading to an UNDER total.