Nebraska @ Northwestern preview

Last Meeting ( Oct 24, 2015 ) Northwestern 30, Nebraska 28

Following a year in which it seemingly couldn’t catch a break in close games, Nebraska proved it may be ready to turn over a new leaf this season. If their recent history with Northwestern is any indication, their experience dealing with adversity could come in handy as the 20th-ranked Cornhuskers travel to Evanston to face the Wildcats in the Big Ten opener for both teams.

Nebraska lost six of its seven games in 2015 by eight points or fewer - several in excruciating fashion - as it struggled under first-year coach Mike Riley, but the Cornhuskers proved to be quite resilient in their 35-32 victory last week over Oregon, rallying from a 13-point first-half deficit and getting a key defensive stop late in the game. "What it means … is a lot; we're 3-0 going into the Big Ten. What this team is doing, I love the fight, just the fact we kept our poise so well to come back and make the plays to win," Riley told reporters. Such fortitude figures to be a necessary ingredient versus Northwestern, which rebounded from disappointing home losses to Western Michigan and FCS foe Illinois State by a combined three points to down Duke 24-13 last weekend. Four of the five meetings between the Wildcats and Cornhuskers since 2011 - when Nebraska joined the Big Ten - have been decided by three points or fewer.

TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, Big Ten Network. LINE: Nebraska -7.

ABOUT NEBRASKA (3-0, 0-0 Big Ten): Senior quarterback Tommy Armstrong Jr. embodied the resolve of the team last weekend, scoring the game-winning 34-yard touchdown with 2 1/2 minutes remaining despite fighting through severe leg cramps for most of the second half. Jordan Westerkamp, whose 47-yard Hail Mary catch as time expired in 2013 gave the Cornhuskers a 27-24 win over Northwestern, is coming off the first two multiple-touchdown games of his career and ranks third in school history with a catch in 29 consecutive games. Nebraska has yielded only two TD passes through three games after surrendering 25 in 13 contests a season ago and ended the Ducks' FBS record-setting streak of 82 straight games with at least one passing score.

ABOUT NORTHWESTERN (1-2, 0-0): Sophomore quarterback Clayton Thorson, who ran for a personal-best 126 yards in last year's 30-28 victory, erupted for a career-high 320 passing yards against Duke and ranks second in the Big Ten in passing yards (707) but is completing only 49 percent of his passes. Although junior running back Justin Jackson is tied for second in the conference with 260 yards on the ground, five other Wildcats have combined to run for only 35, leading to a conference-worst 98.3-yard average. Given those struggles, the Cornhuskers' primary focus on defense figures to be senior receiver Austin Carr, who leads the Big Ten with 283 yards receiving and is tied for first with 18 catches.

EXTRA POINTS

1. Armstrong can tie Nebraska legend David Humm (26; 1972-74) for sixth place on the school's all-time list for wins by a quarterback Saturday.

2. After tallying only 12 pass plays of at least 25 yards as a freshman, Thorson already has connected on nine such plays this season, including six against Duke.

3. Dating back to a 2011 loss to Northwestern, Nebraska has won 17 consecutive games in which it has boasted a positive turnover margin.

PREDICTION: Nebraska 31, Northwestern 17