Wyoming @ Nebraska preview

Last Meeting ( Aug 31, 2013 ) Wyoming 34, Nebraska 37

Nebraska returned to its roots in its season-opening rout of Fresno State last weekend, relying heavily on a punishing ground attack. The Cornhuskers will attempt to repeat that same formula for success against a familiar face Saturday when they host Wyoming - led by former Nebraska player and assistant Craig Bohl - in search of their 31st consecutive victory over a Mountain West opponent.

The Cornhuskers outscored the Bulldogs 29-0 en route to a 33-point win last Saturday - running for 292 yards on 51 carries while attempting only 13 passes - during an emotional night in Lincoln that saw Nebraska pay homage to punter Sam Foltz, who died in a July car accident. "It was an incredible feeling, knowing how much (Foltz) meant to the team and the community and all the fans out there," quarterback Tommy Armstrong Jr. told reporters regarding his reaction to Nebraska lining up with only 10 players and no punter on its first fourth-down play of the game. While the Cornhuskers cruised in their opener, the Cowboys outlasted Northern Illinois 40-34 in three overtimes in a game that started nearly two hours late due to a thunderstorm delay. Bohl - a defensive back for the Cornhuskers from 1977-79 and a Nebraska assistant from 1995-2002 - would love nothing more than to give Wyoming its first win in this series (0-7), although the Cowboys nearly pulled the upset the last time these schools met in 2013.
TV: Noon ET, ESPN2. LINE: Nebraska -24.5.

ABOUT WYOMING (1-0): After sporting the nation's 114th-ranked run defense (225.2 yards) a season ago en route to a 2-10 campaign, the Cowboys allowed 133 rushing yards to Northern Illinois - including only 94 in regulation. Bohl told the Omaha World-Herald earlier in the week he sees "a bright future" for sophomore safety Andrew Wingard and suggested his 2015 second-team All-MWC performer will need to follow up his 12-tackle performance in the opener if Wyoming hopes to win this weekend. Junior running back Brian Hill, who finished eighth in the country last year with 1,631 yards rushing, ran for 125 yards last weekend and has rushed for at least 100 yards in 12 of 18 games since taking over the full-time job midway through his freshman season.
ABOUT NEBRASKA (1-0): Despite playing turnover-free football and rushing for nearly 300 yards, Nebraska coach Mike Riley stated, " We have to be better than that," during a postgame interview, likely most frustrated with his team's seven penalties for 80 yards and a blocked punt that led to Fresno State's only touchdown. Sophomore running back Devine Ozigbo (103 yards rushing) and senior receiver Alonzo Moore (92 yards receiving, 34 yards rushing) each set career-high yardage marks across the board while combining for three scores. Armstrong Jr. attempted only 10 passes and ran 11 times, but his 150 yards of total offense versus the Bulldogs allowed him to join Taylor Martinez as the only quarterbacks in school history to surpass 8,000 yards of total offense in their careers.

EXTRA POINTS
1. The win over Fresno State marked only the fourth time since the start of the 2014 season that Nebraska did not commit a turnover. In those games, the Cornhuskers' average margin of victory is 31.3 points.
2. Bohl will become only the third former Nebraska player since 1950 to serve as a head coach in a matchup against the Cornhuskers, joining Turner Gill and Warren Powers.
3. Including its Foster Farms Bowl win over UCLA last season, Nebraska has attempted 113 runs versus 32 passes over its last two contests.

PREDICTION: Nebraska 38, Wyoming 17