WNUR Sports Online Content Director Cameron Songer (@CameronSonger) uses NCAA Football 14 to predict the winner of Northwestern-Nebraska.

As they head to Lincoln in week 10, the Wildcats really, really need a win. As the calendar flips over to November, the weather gets colder and home field advantage gets more important. The Nebraska Cornhuskers are ranked #11 in the simulated season, thanks to their one-loss record and the stellar play of their star quarterback, Taylor Martinez.

Key Players on Northwestern
SS Ibraheim Campbell (JR): 91 Overall, 88 speed
QB Kain Colter (SR): 91 Overall, 86 agility
K Jeff Budzien (SR): 88 Overall, 92 kick power

Key players on Nebraska
QB Taylor Martinez (SR): 91 Overall, 97 acceleration
RG Spencer Long (SR): 90 Overall, 89 strength
CB Ciante Evans (SR): 88 Overall, 91 awareness

Matchup:
Northwestern: Overall: B, Offense: B, Defense: B
Nebraska: Overall: B+, Offense: B+, Defense: B

Northwestern Game Recap
Without Venric Mark (again), Mike Trumpy got the start at tailback. He carried the ball well, for three carries. On the fifth play of the game, he was injured. Cue Treyvon Green. Undaunted by the changes at running back, Northwestern marched 77 yards on 13 plays for a touchdown on the game’s first possession. Northwestern’s defense held on Nebraska’s first drive, and the ‘Cats offense got back to work, using the read-option with Kain Colter and Green and going no-huddle. Northwestern converted all three third-and-short situations they faced on their second possession, ending with a short Treyvon Green rushing touchdown.

The second quarter started with a 14-0 Wildcats lead on the scoreboard. A motivated Nebraska offense didn’t face a third down until they were in the red zone, but the Wildcats’ defense held and the ensuing field goal missed. Northwestern’s next drive ended on a fumble near midfield, and this time the Huskers capitalized, with Taylor Martinez completing a short TD pass to cut the lead to 14-7. Northwestern then ran the two-minute drill to perfection, getting inside the Nebraska 10 before finishing the drive with a Tryvon Green run on a speed option for six.

Northwestern led 21-7 at halftime thanks to Treyvon Green. He had 13 touches for 75 yards and 2 TDs. On defense, Northwestern held Nebraska to 60 yards on the ground and 117 passing yards.

The first play of the second half saw Ibraheim Campbell intercept a Martinez pass and return it to the 7. The next play was a TD pass to Dan Vitale, and lead ballooned to 28-7. After exchanging punts, Nebraska put together a scoring drive that ended with a short TD pass. The teams exchanged a few more punts and Northwestern started the 4th quarter with the ball and a 28-14 lead.

A promising drive ended with a fumble by Treyvon Green on his 18th carry of the game. Nebraska took over at their own 26, couldn’t move the ball, and the ensuing punt was blocked by Northwestern. 6 plays later, Colter hit Christian Jones for a touchdown to seal the deal. Northwestern led 35-14 at that point. Nebraska scored with about a minute left, but failed to recover the onside kick. Since Nebraska had all 3 timeouts left, Northwestern had to run the ball to gain a first down. On one of those runs, Kain Colter broke away for a touchdown (hahahahahahahaha). Final score: Northwestern 42, Nebraska 21.

Final Thoughts
Treyvon Green is rated as an 80 overall in NCAA Football 14, but he dominated against Nebraska. He had 23 carries for 97 yards and 2 TDs, plus 17 yards receiving.

Kain Colter threw 3 touchdown passes, completing about 70% of his passes. Northwestern’s senior QB also rushed for 55 yards and a score. Paul Jorgensen recorded 12 pancake blocks, because the game keeps track of that stat. When everything is working like that on offense, it barely matters what happened on the other side of the ball. As kids say, “Northwestern just scored 42 points on the road,” or something like that.

Big Games This Week
Georgia 30, Florida 26
Miami 41, Florida State 17
Auburn 26, Arkansas 13
Tennessee 26, Missouri 16
South Carolina 34, Mississippi State 27

Around the Big Ten
Ohio State 44, Purdue 31
Michigan State 17, Michigan 14
Illinois 31, Penn State 10
Indiana 37, Minnesota 20
Wisconsin 45, Iowa 34

Heisman Top 5
Taylor Martinez, QB, Nebraska
Teddy Bridgewater, QB, Louisville
Braxton Miller, QB, Ohio State
Johnny Manziel, QB, Texas A&M
AJ McCarron, QB, Alabama