Nebraska takes on the Idaho State Bengals Saturday at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln. The game will be televised on the Big Ten Network with kickoff set for 2:35 p.m.
Idaho State, coached by Dan Kramer is 1-1 on the season. The Bengals play in front of crowds that average 6,000 people at home. Members of the Football Championship Subdivision (formerly 1-AA) they beat the juggernaut of Black Hill State (South Dakota) last week 38-5.They lost at Air Force in their season opener.
Idaho State will pass the ball all over the place. They average over 60 passes a game and 443 yards through the air each week. Quarterback Kevin Yost (6-foot-1, 195 Pounds, Senior) is 81 of 109 (74.3 percent) passing for 809 yards with four touchdowns and an interception. He is not a threat running ball at all.
The Bengals are undersized compared to Nebraska at every spot on both offense and defense. The most talented group are the receivers for Idaho State. Derek Graves (6-0, 175, Sr.) has an unbelievable 30 catches in two games. He averages only nine yards per reception as part of the Bengals quick short passing game. Josh Hill (6-5, 229, Sr.) leads the team with two touchdown catches from his tight end spot. The other main weapon is Cam Richmond (6-2, 195, Jr.) with 20 grabs in 2012.The receivers are good, but the depth and talent of the Husker secondary will keep the Bengals under control.
Idaho State does not run the ball a lot, mostly using screen passes as an extension of their running game. Freshman Xavier Finney (5-11, 205) is the man man carrying the ball with 49 yards per game and three touchdowns on the season.
The offensive line is truly the smallest Nebraska has faced in many years. From tackle to tackle the Bengals average just over 6-3 and only 276 pounds per man. Right guard Mark Clampitt (6-2, 283, Sr.) is the leader of a unit that Nebraska has a major advantage over in this game. The Huskers third team defensive lineman and below should see some significant playing time in this game.
Defensively, Idaho State lines up in a 3-4 defensive look. As a team the Bengals give up over 292 yards rushing per game and just 121 yards through the air. Mitch Beckstead (6-0, 227, So.) leads the team with 19 tackles as a weakside linebacker. Nose tackle Austin Graves (6-2, 245, So.) has 2.5 sacks and linebacker Demetrious Allen (5-11, 217, So) also has two sacks this season. The defense will be chasing the Big Red offense all afternoon on Saturday.
On special teams, Idaho State does not really stand out. Punter C. J. Reyes (5-7, 190, So.) averages over 45 yards per punt. Kicker Brendon Garcia (5-11, 150, Jr.) has not been impressive early in the 2012 season. Idaho State has not shown much big play ability in the return game this season as well.
Simply Nebraska is a better football team than Idaho State. The Huskers are more talented at every position on the field than the Bengals. The Huskers will be able to stop Idaho State with ease and score at will. This is a game where the Nebraska reserves will see almost all the action in the second half. Look for Nebraska to dominate all parts of the game in a 59-20 win over Idaho State.
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