Yesterday’s game vs Akron was a game Nebraska desperately needed. I’m not just talking about the team but everyone around Husker football: the fans, the players, the whole state of Nebraska. For many fans, that was the most significant blowout they’ve ever been a part of; a type of dominance that we haven’t seen for a long time. So with that, let’s break down the game and give some grades.
Offense: A-
You might be wondering how you don’t get an A+ grade when you scored 68 points, but there are a couple of things that stood out during the game that hold Nebraska back from getting that +. The first is that we lost the ball; it’s as simple as that. You don’t turn over the ball, especially inside the red zone. The second thing that unfortunately stood out was our lack of push on the line of scrimmage around the goal line. It’s fourth down at the one-yard line, and you can’t overpower Akron? Even the Husker All-Time Great I sat next to during the game wasn’t impressed. Nebraska will need to improve significantly on that as the season progresses, because if you can’t push Akron, you certainly won’t be able to push Michigan or Penn State.
These are my two main criticisms of the offense from the whole game. Besides a couple of minor things that happened randomly, but I understand it’s the second game of the year, and things will not be perfect. As a whole, the offense looked synced and played very well. The wideouts and running backs stole the show, and the young guys at those positions give Husker fans a lot to be excited for over the next couple of years. According to PFF, Nebraska graded out with an overall score of 86.2 on offense, the highest since its last game against UTEP. Overall, the offense showed that it will be a strength of this team going forward and has the ability to light up scoreboards.
Defense: A-
Again, you might be wondering, you shut out an opponent for the first time since 2009, how do you not give them an A+? It’s our lack of sacks and turnovers. I only recall one sack, but I see it recorded down as two (1 solo and two 0.5 sacks). Regardless, only getting two sacks against a very weak Akron o-line is not acceptable. Nebraska should have had at least four sacks against an opponent of their level. Nebraska recorded zero sacks last week and struggled this week; something will really need to change once Nebraska hits B1G play. The only other criticism I feel you can level at the Blackshirts is that they forced zero turnovers.
Turnovers are game-changers in football, and when you can’t force any turnovers, things usually don’t end well in the long run. However, the Blackshirts held Akron to a 0% success rate on 3rd and 4th down for the entire game, which is the perfect substitute for not getting any turnovers. Overall, the defense played lights out, our young guys again looked great, and the Blackshirts finished with an overall grade of 77.1 per PFF.
Special Teams: A
A football field is 160 feet wide; there should be no reason that you kick a ball out of bounds on a kickoff. It’s now two games in a row that Nebraska has done that, and it’s something that needs to be addressed. Besides that, the special teams looked special. Nebraska made all of its extra point and field goal attempts; we didn’t have to punt (Maybe in two weeks, Archie), and we had more punt return yards last night than we did all of last year combined. Nebraska also blocked a field goal. So, somebody start the fundraiser for the statue of Coach Ekeler, because that man has performed miracles in the short amount of time since he got here.
Other: A+
After the game, tight end Luke Lindermeyer proposed to his girlfriend, Kailyn. Luke also scored his first career touchdown earlier in the game. You couldn’t write a better ending.