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Nebraska takes to the road for the first time in Big Ten Conference play, traveling to East Lansing, Mich., to battle defending Big Ten champion Michigan State. The Huskers enter the Big Ten showdown with a 5-0 record, following a 45-14 victory over Illinois in the conference opener. Nebraska's 5-0 start is its first since 2010, and the Huskers will be looking to advance to 6-0 for the first time since 2001.
Nebraska brings one of the nation's most explosive offenses into the contest, averaging 354.8 rushing yards per game, 572.6 total yards and 45.4 points per game, all figures that rank in the top 10 in the nation. The victory helped Nebraska move up two spots to No. 19 in the Associated Press poll, while the Huskers are 17th in the USA Today Coaches Poll.
Michigan State will be the Huskers' first ranked opponent of the 2014 season. With a 3-1 mark on the season, MSU is ranked 10th in both major national polls this week. The Spartans suffered their only loss of the season on Sept. 6 at second-ranked Oregon, in a game MSU led midway through the third quarter. The Spartans have won 10 straight games against Big Ten opponents dating back to 2012, including all eight regular-season games in 2013, as well as the Big Ten title game against Ohio State.
For more on this matchup, check out Brian's Q&A and Husker Mike's review.
Date/Time: October 4, 2014, 7:00 p.m. CDT
Location: Spartan Stadium, East Lansing, MI Capacity: 75,005
Surface: Natural Grass
Series Record: Nebraska holds a 7-1 edge in the all-time series between the schools, including wins in both meetings in East Lansing, most recently a 28-24 win in 2012. Michigan State won for the first time in the series with a victory at
Memorial Stadium last season.
TV: ABC. Chris Fowler, Play-by-Play; Kirk Herbstreit, Analyst; Heather Cox, Sidelines
Radio: Huskers sports radio network with Greg Sharpe, Play-by-Play, Matt Davison, Analyst, Lane Grindle, Sidelines.
Weather: Cold and rainy. East Lansing is expected to get rain starting Thursday night. Forecasters are predicting a kickoff temperature of 45 degrees with a 50% chance of rain and wind at 10 mph.
Odds: Spartans are favored by 7 points