1-on-1 with DP – 93.7 The Ticket KNTK - Why is Penn State a Double Possession Favorite Over Nebraska?: November 19th, 12:00pm

Episode Date: November 19, 2025

Why is Penn State a Double Possession Favorite Over Nebraska?Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

It's time to go one-on-one with D.P. Coming at you live from the heart of Lincoln America, a 93-7-the-ticket and the Ticketfm.com. Here is your host, Derek Pearson, brought to by Canopy Street Market. Hour to, boom. Boom, I say. 12-03. 12 of 3 in Lincoln Nebraska

I appreciate y'all hanging out 44 degrees I have 50 cool I think it's snowing in staccom I think kickoff is supposed to be 42 degrees

6 o'clock 5 o'clock lot of that back concert you would please Amplify and elevate your voice, sir. Pay the bills. Pay the bills.

Tell them what they need to know, Bach. Yes, it is Noonar here at 93.7. The ticket that means it's lunchtime. And lunchtime is sponsored today by Mulberry's barbecue. Now with two locations at 11th in Cornhusker and at 61st in Applesway right off a highway two by Lowe's. Both locations are open Monday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. fry their burnt-in sandwich, a brisket burrito, barbecue nachos, a full slab of ribs,

a half-smoked chicken and much, much more, plus incredible sides. Get fueled for lunch today or make dinner plans at Mulberry Barbecue, located 11th in Cornhusker and at 61st in Apples Way. Just have a highway two by Lowe's. The word for you and them, sir? Excellent. Excellent, I say.

Well done. Bach, well done. And we keep petitioning for them to come in bringing us food. We will keep petitioning. um so i went i went i went to the back and i asked for football play hey farley he just looked at me cut me how he put his hand up box he goes 80 degrees oh i know i've talked to farley about 80 degrees uh i went to jake sorensen give me the dome give me the dome i understand like and there's some there's some authenticity and some wonderful uh

uniqueness to Memorial Stadium when it's cold. Right? That's a fair thing. There's certain buildings that are part of their persona is that they withstand terrible weather, right? And it still plays. I mean, again, I was telling the story yesterday. Seven years ago, my very first game at Memorial Stadium,

9-6 Michigan State stayed in the snow and walking, you know, the six blocks to the, the stadium, I didn't feel like it was out of the norm or with lack of preparedness. They were ready for it, and it moved fluidly and wonderful. As a matter of fact, it was a great selling point to that we sat in the snow and got covered in snow. We were covered in snow and still rather enjoyed ourselves. And we were impressed by the Husker fans who were still loud and proud, even in

cold, terrible weather and not exactly the most riveting up and down. football game. It was a nine-six game. So I understand it. But the text says this. If putting a dome over Memorial Stadium, Lincoln will be costly, but well worth it in the long run. He said let Bill Bush run the button where it determines what. You can have the retractable, which is always an idea. They had these discussions in Houston. about what was Minutemate Park and whether they wanted the retractable stadium. But then they literally,

they did the poll when it was 102 degrees with no roof. And everybody was like, no, no, we're good with air conditioning. That, yeah, go ahead. Paul Park in Texas, same thing. Do the pole at 104 degrees. And you'll get a different kind of respond to what it is.

Scott Minnesota says this, Bach. He says, domes are for hosting Final Four basketball, except for it's literally for Super Bowl. And often Final Four basketball is played in a football building, but done several times for that very reason, all of the controllables, all of the controllables and the welcoming invite

that warm weather and safety provides. That's literally what that is. Right? I agree, Texas says this. If we're hosting a playoff game, I want a team from down south. I definitely want, they definitely don't want to come to the cold. Yeah, except the advantage.

I get it. Like, except the event. That is a plus and an advantage. Still not ideal to the game. The game of football is played in a different way in bad weather. Whether that bad weather, weather is heat, extremely heat, thunderstorm, or rainstorm, you know, or rainstorm, you play the game differently. If you, if it's snow on the field and a deep amount of snow, you change the way the game is played.

Ice changes, one, it changes safety issue, right? Because wet fields and snowy fields, you're more prone to injury. Hey, to tell you. Hey, to tell you. But you're more, if the field is wet, people slip and slide, they lose traction. Throwing and catching a football in the rain, especially sideways rain, extremely difficult to do. Blocking, running, tackling. But I get it.

I get it. Coopers says I was also, I think, I'm in Michigan State. I thought the tickets I bought my buddies, had my back to the wind, but I ended up being directly. The wind being directly in our face. Most amazing experience, in my opinion, was able to watch winning kick go right through the uprights in front of us. Yep, I rather enjoyed it. I've often said that my favorite sports event to go to is Army Navy.

All the pageantry, all of the mystique, all of those things. But Bach, the reason why I don't go every year is because it is always the coldest football. game, I'm going to attend that year. Buy a lot. And you are miserable. One year was at FedEx Field, D.C. And Bach, let me tell you, I have never been colder. Oh, my goodness.

I hated everybody. Like, it was crazy. Wonderful. Wonderful. Want to don't put your helmet on. It's not enough. Aspart star. They'll tell you.

Yeah, Warren Buffett, Texas says this. Warren Buffett gave half his money to the Bill Gates Foundation, but can't put a dome on Memorial Stadium. I just know, okay. I know that you enjoy the weather of an open Memorial Stadium. But, Bach, if you had the ability to enjoy Husker football in a controlled climate, wouldn't you prefer that?

No. You would rather sit in and you would rather have Scott Frost's debut game get rained out than have that game played in the dump. Well, obviously I'd rather have a game play. I mean, you. But again, there's

also a difference and again, I understand I'm in the minority here. When you say 9 to 6 or 13 to 6 is ugly football, that's the football I like. I prefer that to 48, 45 shootout. You prefer rain, any day sloppy football. I didn't, well, I was talking about outside of weather.

I prefer defensive football. But yeah, I mean, with weather involved. That's not defensive football. That's sloppy football. Defenses that can hold offices. You can do that in the dome. You can do that in the dome. If you're a good defensive team,

you play better in control climate. But like, I mean, right. And so I'm saying outside of weather, but obviously weather generally. Can you kick better and bad weather? No. Do you catch better in bad weather? You don't do anything better in bad weather.

You don't. like you're just like oh my goodness oh my goodness and texture said yeah one thing about that that rain out one less loss jeez have we okay can I ask this question

without getting in trouble has Husker Nation recovered from that era have you have you recovered or do you still have some well trust me if they didn't make a bowl game or you know you haven't done the

what they've done the last couple of years you would say you haven't recovered from that era i don't think it helps that scott frost is more than willing to talk down about the era um you know as an active head coach so i don't think that helps have you gotten over the breakup has husker nation gotten over the breakup the fact that this was the dream wedding right yeah dream court courtship dream wedding this is your your childhood sweetheart, it should have been fantastic. It should have been, you know, the fairy tale. And then it turned into a horror story.

And then you have to recover from it. Has the recovery happened? Are you willing to get back in the dating pool, right? And do you trust Matt Rule to not be Scott Fraud? Right? Like, is that a fair statement? It's fair. You know, but I, and I think, again, I think it, you know,

enough time removed with some success here for Matt Rule. I think everybody's fully, I mean, I don't think there's a whole lot of thoughts or looking back at Scott Frost. No matter what way you painted, though, that was an unsuccessful error and it blew up in our face. We would have been a really tough on message wars if that would have worked out great, right? Because like you said, that's the ultimate, like Prince comes home and saves, you know, it was just, it was just, it often isn't set up that way. But yeah, I mean, I think most people are over the Scott Frost era, I guess, as much as you would be over the Mike Riley era. Yeah. Yeah. I didn't know if the recovery, we were talking to Adam yesterday, and we were talking about whether he thought, I asked the question of whether fans in the thirds expected this team to go 2 and 0, 1 and 1, or 0 and 2. And he goes, one and 1 because the pessimist, because again, that recovery, that the trust level that they're going to get it absolutely right is hindered by that era.

like that era that doubt is more about that era than it is about this team is that fair again i would say only to a degree and i wouldn't just focus on that error i think it's again you throw mike riley well you go back right right right the whole thing but the other thing is they are they're not going to be favored or at least we'll see what happens with i mean maybe they lose this week but right now it doesn't look like they're going to be favored in either do we agree with them not being favored at penn state i would agree with them not being favored i wouldn't necessarily agree with them. I think they should be favored.

I think they should be favored at Penn. I'm of the thinking. Okay. Which team has had the better season? Nebraska. Which team is playing better currently? Tough to say. No.

There's a team that actually has won two big ten games out of the last three. One just won their first big ten game. Well, if Nebraska played Penn State's schedule. July. They did. They beat Northwestern and UCLA teams that went to state college and beat Penn State. But that's a, I mean, I think that's a one, I would say a different Penn State. Maybe no, it's the same Penn State. It's the same. As a matter of fact, it's a lesser Penn State

because you lost your star quarterback. How were they better? We're having the Nebraska conversation. Is Nebraska better because they lost their star quarterback? they're different they're different but the same they what they do now is they focus different but it's the same team who's had the better who's season box room one Nebraska's season to date room two Penn State season today who's had the better season well take Penn State but again they they fought the number two team I wouldn't take Penn State well I mean they take Nebraska but but Penn State just fought Indiana down to a miracle drive that Indiana had to take back. Nebraska hasn't played Indiana. Well, right. And Nebraska hasn't played Indiana, Ohio

State or Oregon. And Penn State's played all three of them. But Nebraska has played on the road and lost to Iowa already. But they played Northwestern and UCLA and beat them both. Matter of fact, beat UCLA and Northwestern went to stay college and beat Penn State. What's more impressive? Winning against those two teams or losing against those two teams. Winning it. Yeah, so I don't, I'm not giving Penn State credit for anything I have done this year. I'm not giving them credit. I'm also not going to devalue what Nebraska's done this year.

Those two wins are impressive. Matter of fact, let's circle back to Cincinnati and that what we thought the win against Cincinnati was versus what it turns out it actually was, which was an impressive top-level win against Cincinnati. A really good Cincinnati team. Is Cincinnati, has Cincinnati had a better season of Penn State? Yeah. And Nebraska beat them. There we go.

I think it's a little bit about what have you done for me lately. Just one week? Well, they beat Michigan State in a better fashion than the Boston. They were winless in the Big Ten before they beat Michigan State. They were, oh, for the entire Big Ten season. That's the accumulation of a lot of things that don't work. You couldn't beat anybody in the Big Ten until last week. That means, you know what, it wasn't a situation, it wasn't a circumstance.

You know what? You suck at a whole lot of things that will require you to be good in Big Ten football. You lost to UCLA and Northwestern at home. That's why coaches get fired, bro. That's how bad that was. That's how bad it was. So the idea that their favor doesn't make sense to me. It's just what?

The number 72 defense in college football deserves to be favored in a football game against an eight-win Nebraska team. They took two of the top ten teams to the wire. And lost. I mean, you pick and choose, you can pick Nebraska. Didn't, I mean, you know, Nebraska's, again, you schedule who you schedule, but Nebraska beat a top 20 team in Cincinnati. They went down to the wire with Michigan, right? Fair.

Fair. Cincinnati's no longer a top 20 team. Well, but that's a ball team. That's a ball team. Yeah, that's a top. I mean, so I get it. I just don't want to devalue Nebraska and give credit to Penn State because they're Penn State. Because we are. No, you are a one-win Big Ten team.

That's what you, when they say we are, I'm like, one win in the big team. That's what I'm going to yell all weekend in state college. We are one and six in the Big Ten. I'm going to yell it. About to be, we are about to be one and seven in the Big Ten. I'm not, I just don't want to give them credit for that. That's just me. Well, the other thing I would point real quickly, too,

that Nebraska's maybe toughest road atmosphere so far this year's been Minnesota, not exactly the who's who of tough road in atmospheres, but they've lost, you know, that was embarrassing, obviously, 24 to 6 loss. So I think part of it is, too, Penn State being at home. If Nebraska at home, I do think they'd be favorite.

Or should be favorites. I don't know about the eight and a half points. Okay. So pull up Penn State schedule. Give me the favor. Pull that up. Can you do that for me? Yeah, I got it up.

Okay. Go through their first nine games. Beat Nevada, Handelie, beat FIU. Okay. Villanova. Okay. Oh, the first.

football factory down the road in Philadelphia. Yeah, that, that, that's it. Go ahead. Took Oregon to two overtimes, lost 30 to 24. Lost to Oregon. Okay. 42, 37 lost the UCLA in the Roseville. Okay. Lost at home to Northwestern. Okay. And then fit in the coffin there. Okay. For James Franklin. Uh-huh. Lost 25, 24 at Iowa. Okay. 3814 at Ohio State. Is that embarrassing? That's good for a half. a three-score losses is not embarrassing to Penn State. It is to Nebraska, but it's not to Penn State. Man, you were given.

It's not ideal, but considering their situation. Bach, you are giving all the Penn State biases. Well, listen, I'm trying to try to describe a little bit why Penn State might be favored by eight and a half. And just so folks, though, Bach knows that I'm sitting there. I'm just picking at him because I know that. Like, I like getting inside a box brain to figure out. and how it works and to make sense of it, right?

It's just, and I do understand that that bias exists because that's how national odds makers have made Penn State a nine and a half point favorite over a team that from a matchup standpoint, from a seasonal standpoint, the common things in the scheduling and the stats would lean clearly towards Nebraska. right and that a new film study with a mobile quarterback takes a bad defensive team

and makes it a more liable to be worse defensive team on Saturday night because what do they not do well they don't defend the run well they don't particularly defend intermediate passing game well and they don't defend mobile quarterbacks well they also don't tackle well all things that would vote oh my goodness Well done, Nebraska. We can, we can see a clear path to having offensive success. Nebraska has shut down really good passing games, right? USC is, yeah.

Right. So there's a way to it. So the path for Penn State is pretty limited. That they've got to run the ball, control the clock, and keep Nebraska's offense off the field. And they need to get six points off of those drives, not three. Otherwise, it's not the perfect scenario for Penn State to beat Nebraska. Penn State schemes are set up for Nebraska to run against. They like to have that fluid six in the box,

but Nebraska's done exceptionally well in the run game against the six front, with six in the box. And at seven in the box, Penn State doesn't have the secondary coverage to stop Nebraska's passing game. so they're under duress the whole time and oh by the way t j latif pulling the ball down getting into his dropback and then pulling ball down and running breaks down Penn State's defense and it has all season long but that's just me i understand the experts i'm not an expert when it comes to this um john and court says this uh the clothing he was talking about the clothing

and cold weather clothing is available to stay very comfortable for for that kind of day um ask a hunter oh dang i am a hunter yes there is. Yeah, but you're not cheering and clapping and making noise when you're hunting. You're there being stationary and being quiet. And the preference is, I would imagine that most hunters enjoy the early part of the part of the season where they do not have to bundle on. Right? Because if you're shooting, you want clear eyes and steady hands, right? You want rock solid blood flow. Cold weather actually slows down the blood flow, thickets it. It goes against the nature but go ahead hunter go on how about the chief's game that was so cold that people

ended up with frostbite yeah chief's game the ice bowl the ice bowl there people died there's there's a man that died because of because of the temperature died the stadium officials couldn't blow whistles whistles were stuck to their mouth It's fun in theory, unless you've got to get down and do that dang thing. Yeah, baseball is different, playing baseball and cold sucks. Football in the snow ice is awesome. Again, it is enjoyable. I enjoyed the games in which I played in which it's snow.

I enjoy the games where it was 75 degrees more. That's all I'm saying. Simple, simple, simple. Yeah, it's, it's. It's just that. And I think there's lots in play. A Husker piece says there's run defense is why we're not favored. Bach, do you happen to know the numbers between how Nebraska's run defense is rated versus Penn State?

Yeah, Nebraska's rushing defense is 91st in the nation, 161 yards giving up a game. Penn State is 70th, 148.4 points per game. And by the way, if you're looking at past defenses, that's the strength of both teams, too. Penn State's 12th in the nation and past defense, as we know Nebraska's been ranked high all years. It's third currently. So they're the same universe.

Nine and a half point difference? For a team that's won one game in the Big Ten country. Same universe. If you said it was Pickham, okay. If you said you were going to give Penn State the advantage, you give them a field goal at home because, you know, it's still state college. And then you, you, maybe you add a point because it's that night.

If you said two and a half to four and a half, okay, I still don't necessarily agree with. I think Nebraska's the better team, but I understand. There's no metric in my mind that sets, now again, they're the matrix. They know how this is going to play out and they're usually pretty right. So part of this is that I'm actually upset that somewhere in the matrix, the metric says Penn State is nine and a half to ten points better than Nebraska.

I don't want that to be true. I don't want the over under the match and for it to be a 27 to 17 Penn State win. I don't want to, I don't want that. But that's part of what, what it is. Yeah. Yeah, tell them. How many games, how many conference games is Penn State won? I mean, there's some stats that can go against Nebraska, too.

I mean, this would be the first back-to-back road victory since 2006. There you go. I literally said that a lot of Husker fandom is based on past history. This particular team, this team, the point spread is for this year's team against this year's Penn State. This year's team had a chance to win a back-to-back road game and lost 24 to 6 at Minnesota. Has Penn State had the same? is the same stat appropriate for Penn State? Again, they don't have to be able.

They haven't won a back-to-back Big Ten game this year. No. They haven't won back. Have they won? Really? They've won one of their last three games, right? Right. Okay. Stats mean whatever you want them to mean.

Penn State stats, there are terrible stats up and down their stat. Terrible stats. They're not, they were not a good football team. Now, they can play the game of their lives Saturday. They can play the game of their season Saturday. But so can Nebraska, just as easily, just as equally. Nine and a half point favorites. And again, I just, I don't know what the odds makers know.

They know something I don't know. Okay. I just don't agree with it. You think the Matt Rule factor is coming in at all as far as Penn State? I don't know what the, what the, what the Matrix people see. Right? I just, we're constantly fascinated by the fact that the odds makers always know some stupid thing we don't know, right?

And it ends up and you go, wait a minute, how does it come down to one play being whether this is a good pick or not or two plays? So they know what they know. I don't know it. So I can't speak to it. But if you're just asking me who I think the better team is, I would say based on this season and their current play, that it's Nebraska. That's just me.

I'm, I, everybody else do your thing. I'm still not going to predict. I think you all but predicted there. No, I, no, I would never say what the outcome was going to be. I just think Nebraska is currently the better team. That does not mean, from a matchup standpoint, they're going to win the game. Conditions matter, location matters, all of it. It all matters.

It just does. We'll go to break. More back and deep. We'll come back. Download our app by searching 93. point seven the ticket in your app store. You're listening to one-on-one with DP on 93-7 the the ticket and the ticket FM.com.