After losing six straight games leading up to Week 12, the Penn State Nittany Lions were able to win their first game since Sept. 13 against the Michigan State Spartans last Saturday.

Penn State Roundtable Podcast, Ep. 3: James Franklin Takes Virginia Tech Job Charlie Baduini and I of Roundtable Penn State met for our third podcast episode of the year, perhaps the biggest one of the year, after James Franklin decided to take the Virginia Tech job.

The win now puts the Nittany Lions back in the running for a potential bowl game, which is a drastically different outcome from the preseason expectations. But if Penn State wants to reach a bowl game this year, the program must find a way to defeat the Nebraska Cornhuskers at home on Saturday night.

Here are three keys for the Nittany Lions as they prepare to take on the Cornhuskers.

Establish The Run Game Early

Saturday night’s matchup against the Cornhuskers gives the Nittany Lions a favorable matchup on the ground.

This year, Nebraska’s defense has done an adequate job of limiting teams through the air, holding teams to an average of 134.6 passing yards per game. However, the same can’t be said for the run defense, which has been gashed all season by opposing offenses. The Cornhuskers allowed an average of 161.1 rushing yards per game, which is the fifth-most in the Big 10 Conference.

In order to find success on offense, it’s clear that Penn State must heavily rely on the run game. Luckily for interim head coach Terry Smith, senior running back Kaytron Allen is coming off an impressive 181-yard, two-touchdown performance against the Michigan State Spartans.

Apply Pressure To QB TJ Lateef

Similar to the Nittany Lions, the Cornhuskers’ star quarterback, Dylan Raiola, suffered a season-ending injury earlier in the season.

With their former five-star quarterback out for the rest of the season, Nebraska has turned to freshman TJ Lateef to lead the offense. The former four-star prospect has shown promise in his first three-and-a-half games this year, throwing for 466 yards and four touchdowns while notching 81 rushing yards and two touchdowns on the ground.

While Lateef has flashed signs of greatness, this will be the first real test for the true freshman, as he has yet to face a stout defense. Penn State must force the young quarterback to make mistakes through the air, while also containing him on the ground.

Get WR Devonte Ross Involved

Over the course of the last three games, Nittany Lions quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer has made incredible strides under center.

During this stretch, Grunkemeyer has thrown for 491 yards and three touchdowns against the top two teams in the nation. Despite not being asked to do much in last week’s victory over Michigan State, Penn State needs to ride the hot hand of senior wide receiver Devonta Ross against Nebraska to unlock the passing game.

Ross finished the team’s Week 12 contest with just two receptions; however, both catches would result in a touchdown. Ross offers a big-play ability on offense that the Nittany Lions will need to help Grunkemeyer.