NU FOOTBALL - Happy/Sad, Baylor

Baylor @ Nebraska, 11:30 a.m., 10/25/08

YOU'LL BE HAPPY IF ...
- THE FRONT SEVEN STAYS DISCIPLINED: Baylor's freshman phenom QB Robert Griffin is the fastest quarterback in the country. It will be critical for the we-can't-call-them-Blackshirts-yet to maintain their positioning and not get greedy in a pass rush. Griffin's ability to gouge the 'Huskers increases exponentially if NU defenders bunch up and give him large areas of the field to roam.
- WATSON STAYS BALANCED: Offensive coordinator Shawn Watson had an effective run/pass attempt balance against Iowa State, which led in large part to Nebraska's success. Watson needs to use the same mentality against a legitimate Baylor defense to create good field position and rhythm on offense.
- BOTH HANDS ARE ON THE BALL: NU had a disturbing number of fumbles against an agressive Iowa State defense. Baylor is just as aggressive, and probably needs NU turnovers to compensate for a lack of athletic talent. If Nebraska doesn't give the ball away, they should be able to overwhelm the Bears.

YOU'LL BE SAD IF ...
- THE YELLOW COMES OUT: Nebraska cut way back on their penalties against Iowa State in a dominating performance. But if Nebraska gets back to its' undisciplined ways and gives Baylor field position and momentum via the penalty, the Bears are good enough to make NU pay.
- THERE IS ANOTHER HALFTIME HANGOVER: The third quarter has not been kind to NU in the last few games. It will be important for Nebraska to seize control of the momentum in the third quarter, either to maintain a lead or to recover from a first half surprise.
- NEBRASKA BELIEVES THEY "ARE BACK": For the second week in a row, I am concerned about NU not taking an opponent seriously. Much was said about the Iowa State game being a throwback to the "old" Nebraska that could roll out the helmets and clobber teams like Baylor. This year's Nebraska squad cannot do that to this year's Baylor squad. The Bears are a team on the come, and if NU doesn't play with the same focus and intensity that they did against Texas Tech and Iowa State, then we could be back to fretting about bowl eligibility.

FEARLESS PREDICTION: Nebraska 41, Baylor 17

GBR, baby.