Nebraska’s week started with a rough injury update and a familiar reminder that the Huskers may need to win with offense if they want to cleanly handle Rutgers.
Owen Chambliss and Andrew Marshall, Nebraska’s two best defenders, have already been ruled out for the game. Rutgers, meanwhile, will be missing KJ Duff, one of the Big Ten’s top wide receivers, and the Scarlet Knights are going back to backup quarterback AJ Surace.
That matchup matters because Rutgers has shown it can still put points on the board. The Scarlet Knights scored 21 against Michigan, making them the only team to top 20 against the Wolverines. Nebraska’s defense is already thin without Chambliss and Marshall, so the Huskers either need someone to step up on that side of the ball or they need the offense to get to 40 points, which should happen.
Rutgers has also had trouble keeping teams down at home. The Scarlet Knights have held only one opponent under 30 points in their own building this season, and that was Michigan, a team ranked 132nd in total offense out of 138 teams.
Elsewhere, Nebraska basketball put together a lopsided win behind a hot shooting night. The Huskers hit 11 3-pointers in a 94-60 victory, with Pryce Sandfort leading the way with 22 points and six made threes. Braden Frager added 14 points, and Damon Wilkinson gave Nebraska a major lift off the bench with 19 points in 18 minutes.
On the volleyball side, Nebraska has a chance to make another statement. The Huskers are going for a third straight outright Big Ten title and can get it with a win over No. 25 Illinois.
It will be Nebraska’s fourth straight match against a ranked opponent. The Huskers are hitting .346 as a team while holding opponents to .116, but Illinois brings a stronger attack at .270 on the season.
Paityn Chapman leads Nebraska with 320 kills and is hitting .235. Harper Murray has 272 kills and a .282 hitting percentage. Andi Jackson, who recently passed 1,000 career kills, has 210 kills and is hitting .464.
The match in Lincoln starts at 6 p.m. CST on BTN+ or Nebraska Public Media.
In Other News...
Fred Hoiberg Just Landed The Kind Of Recruit Nebraska Never Gets
Nebraska basketball has added a recruit it almost never gets, signing five-star forward Dawson Battie and giving Fred Hoiberg a centerpiece for the 2027 class. The 6-foot-8 forward from Texas is now the highest-rated prospect in program history by composite score, a notable milestone for a program that has spent years trying to climb into a different recruiting tier. He joins four-star wing Ty Schlagel in a class that already looks like a meaningful step forward for the Huskers.
Hoiberg has made a point of emphasizing fit as much as talent, and both Battie and Schlagel were described as players who match the system and the culture Nebraska is trying to build. Batties decision matters not just because of the ranking attached to him, but because he chose Nebraska over several top programs, the kind of competition the Huskers usually have trouble winning. For a program looking to turn recruiting momentum into something more lasting, this is the sort of signing that can change the conversation, even if the real payoff is still down the road. [Read more 🡒]
Boise State Brings A Dangerous Early Test For Nebraskas Defense
Nebraska heads to the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls on Friday with an early chance to find out how real its defensive edge is against a Boise State team that has looked every bit the part of a dangerous nonconference opponent. Both teams are 3-0, and the Cornhuskers bring a No. 25 AP ranking into a matchup that has the feel of a measuring-stick game before the schedule gets even busier.
Boise State has already made a habit of piling up points and sits atop the Pac-12 in several statistical categories, which is exactly the kind of profile that can stress a Nebraska defense still trying to establish its identity. The Cornhuskers also have South Dakota waiting next, so this stretch offers a quick read on where Nebraska stands and how much margin it has before the seasons first real tests start to stack up. [Read more 🡒]
Nebraska Wrestling Leaves Stillwater With One Troubling Question
Nebraskas trip to Stillwater on Nov. 13 turned into a rough measuring stick against one of the sports standard-bearers. No. 2 Oklahoma State handled the No. 3 Cornhuskers 27-6 in a dual that tilted early, leaving Nebraska with little margin to work with and not much time to regroup before another ranked test arrives.
Meyer Shapiro was one of the few bright spots for Nebraska, showing plenty of fight even in defeat, but the larger concern is how the Huskers respond after getting pushed around by the Cowboys. They get a quick chance to reset against No. 24 Penn on Nov. 21, with that dual set for ESPN+ and another opportunity to show whether Stillwater was a one-night setback or a warning sign. [Read more 🡒]