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Quarterback: C
Freshman Dylan Raiola looked like a freshman for the first time this season.
Raiola missed some wide-open throws in the game, finishing with only 134 yards while completing just 48% of his passes. On a few plays, he held the ball too long, resulting in four sacks. He also threw his first interception of the season that was entirely his fault, as he didn’t see senior cornerback Flip Dixon underneath on a slant route.
Raiola made a couple of great throws in the game, including a 31-yard NFL-level pass to senior wide receiver Jahmal Banks. However, this was a rough game for the freshman.
Running Backs: B+
The running game led the way for Nebraska in the win, as both of its touchdowns came on the ground.
It was a near-even split between sophomores Dante Dowdell and Emmett Johnson, as they both tallied 14 carries in the game. Dowdell was more efficient with his carries, recording 57 yards for an average of 4.1 yards a carry compared to Johnson’s 33 for an average of 2.4 yards. Dowdell also punched in the first sscore of the game from one yard out.
Senior Rahmir Johnson put in the best performance on the day, however. He made two great plays in the game on an 18-yard run and a 36-yard catch, the longest run and reception of the game for the Huskers.
It’s looking like this will continue to be a committee backfield, and head coach Matt Rhule is going to ride the hot hand heading into the second half of the season.
Receivers: B
The receivers’ stats took a hit with Raiola not playing up to his standards, but they still had a solid day.
The receivers made three big plays in the game, as freshman Jacory Barney Jr., sophomore Jaylen Lloyd and Banks had receptions of 28, 30 and 31 yards. Other than that, however, Raiola struggled to connect with the receivers downfield.
Banks was held to just the one catch while senior receiver Isaiah Neyor didn’t record a single reception. Junior tight end Thomas Fidone II brought in three catches, but they only went for 15 yards. There were a few times Raiola missed open receivers, so the passing game as a whole will look to bounce back out of the bye week.
Offensive Line: B+
The offensive line had its best game run blocking so far this season, as they were opening up holes for the running backs in the first half to help give Nebraska a 14-0 lead. The run game did slow down in the second half, but they helped set the tone early in the game.
The pass blocking wasn’t great on the day. Raiola was sacked four times, but it’s hard to pin that all on the offensive line when he was holding the ball a little too long on occasion. The biggest takeaway, however, was the offensive line only being flagged one time on a false start.
Overall, it was a solid day for the guys up front and they will look to keep building on this performance.
Defensive Line: A+
The defensive line continued its dominant performance from last week, having its best performance of the season since the Colorado game.
The Husker front completely shut down the inside run game. They held senior running back Kyle Monangai to just 78 yards on the ground for an average of just 4.1 yards a carry. He came into the game averaging 6.1 yards.
The defensive line also had constant pressure on senior quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis, recording four sacks on the day. Sophomore James Williams is starting to carve out a role on the defensive line, tallying two sacks for the second game in a row.
The defensive line has been a little inconsistent this season, but they have started conference play out strong.
Linebackers: A
The linebackers have been the most consistent position group so far this year, and they kept that going on Saturday.
The stats won’t jump out at you. Seniors John Bullock and MJ Sherman along with junior Mikai Gbayor all had four tackles in the game with no tackles for loss. However, they were constantly filling the holes in the run game and rallying to the football. They also didn’t have a lot of missed tackles, which is an improvement from last week.
The linebackers showed up and did their job. The defense has stepped up since the Illinois game, and this position group is a big reason for that.
Secondary: B+
The secondary made some big plays on the day, most notably picking off Kaliakmanis two times. However, this grade could have been a lot different.
Kaliakmanis struggled in the game, completing only 41% of his passes for 186 yards. While the secondary deserves credit for this, that was more indicative of the pressure the front seven was putting on Kaliakmanis.
It would have looked worse if freshman receiver Ben Black had reeled in what would have been a 40-yard touchdown reception that hit him right in the hands. Junior cornerback Marques Buford Jr. fell over while covering Black, leaving him wide open. That catch makes it a one-sscore game with 10 minutes left in the game. The secondary also struggled with some perimeter tackling in the first quarter, but they cleaned that up as the game went on.
The secondary still has work to do to step up to the level of the front seven, but they still played well despite senior cornerback Tommi Hill being hurt.
Special Teams: C-
Special teams once again were rough for Nebraska.
There were ups and downs for this unit, as they did stop Rutgers’ fake field goal attempt at the beginning of the game. Senior punter Brian Buschini also threw one of the better passes in the game on a fake punt in the third quarter. Buschini added two punts over 60 yards.
However, the two blocked punts hurt this grade. One of them gave the Scarlet Knights the ball at the two-yard line. While the defense didn’t allow Rutgers to score despite the amazing field position, those kinds of mistakes will cost the Huskers games at some point this season.
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