Nebraska controlled the outcome in its 14-7 win over Rutgers. The Huskers finally get a Big Ten one-score victory over a good opponent.
Blackshirts dominate
What a performance. This defensive unit arguably played its best overall game of the season. They had 70 rush yards given up at the end of the first quarter. At the end of the game, Rutgers only had 78 total yards on the ground.
“I thought it was as great of a defensive performance I’ve been around,” Matt Rhule said postgame. “Six plays inside the two, just as maybe two weeks ago against Illinois we were looking at the clock worried if we’re going to win. I thought this game and this day the guys just wanted to go out there and keep playing.”
The pass rush was a nightmare for the Scarlet Knights to contain. Sophomore defensive end James Williams shined, he had the highest Pro Football Focus (PFF) grade amongst the defensive line at 90.2, which is an elite performance. He led the Huskers with two sacks on the day. The Blackshirts finished with four total sacks and were in the backfield causing havoc the entire ballgame.
“When we play like that as a defense, even more as a d-line, we know nobody can stop us, we’re a dangerous group,” Williams said postgame. “I firmly believe, I said it earlier, we’re the best group in the country.”
Credit Nebraska’s secondary as well. Junior cornerbacks Marques Buford Jr. and Ceyair Wright helped lock down Rutgers through the air, only allowing 186 yards. Both Buford Jr. and Wright got pivotal interceptions to keep the momentum swinging the Huskers’ way.
“It speaks about every guy on our team, not just the defense,” Buford Jr. said postgame. “This is a very resilient group of people I’m around, and seeing how nobody on our team backs down from anything.”
Raiola struggled
Star freshman quarterback Dylan Raiola had his worst outing of his young career. His stats were ugly, he only completed 48 percent of his passes and had an 11.3 quarterback rating (QBR), but Raiola never put Nebraska in a situation to lose the game.
Yes, he threw his first legitimate interception of the year on the RPO, but the entire offensive unit did not play well. The Huskers had over 200 total yards in the first half and only finished with 261 total yards. Raiola took a lot of the blame for the lack of execution in the second half. He praised the Blackshirts for their dominant performance.
“I think just execution and I’ll take that one,” Raiola said postgame. “I missed some throws that could’ve kept us on the field; it’s all about learning. If we didn’t have that defense we might be in a different point of view right now.”
Brian Buschini cooked
Senior punter Brian Buschini was a good MVP candidate for the Huskers on Saturday. Buschini had two punts blocked, the first block dinged him up mightily and he still toughed it out. Raiola recognized how impactful Buschini was.
“Buschini is a true representation of our program,” Raiola on Buschini postgame.
Special teams coordinator Ed Foley had drawn up the fake punt pass earlier this week. Buschini was pretty fired up about his 30-yard throw to sophomore receiver Jaylen Lloyd but was still the most pleased with his 69-yard punt late in the fourth quarter.
“The 69-yard punt, just because of the situation,” Bushini said postgame. “Now if Jaylen would’ve scored, probably the pass, he told me he was going to score, but we will have to get him to work on it,” Buschini added humorously.
My overall take
Nebraska will now have a much-needed bye week before they enter the second half of the regular season. Players like Buschini, senior defensive back Tommi Hill and more will have the opportunity to get healthy.
The Huskers have a lot to clean up, special teams being number one. It will continue to look ugly if they can’t figure out what is going on at long snapper and punt protection. The Blackshirts won’t be able to stop opponents in the red zone every single time, after blocked punts or other special teams mistakes.
The offensive rushing attack is another. Even though the running back room is deep and talented, Nebraska still hasn’t found the guy they can rely on to get close to 100 yards on the ground every game. Not counting Raiola’s sack loss yardage, they only had 135 rushing yards on 34 carries, which equates to almost four yards a touch. The best push Nebraska was getting was when they would bring in senior guard Micah Mazzccua for a Jumbo package. Rutgers allowed six yards per carry going into Saturday, this will need to be fixed over the bye week.
The Huskers are finding different ways to win football games, this is what good teams do. This will send significant momentum for the second half of Big Red’s season. And most importantly, Nebraska is one win away from bowl eligibility.