Following their 14-7 win over the Scarlet Knights, Nebraska heads into the bye week looking promising. Despite their 5-1 record, Nebraska has fluctuated in and out of the AP Top 25 but has consistently received votes. With the extra time off now coming to a close, changes have been made but it’s evident there is still work to be done on all sides of the ball.
Offense
The good: If you’re talking about the Huskers’ offense at all this season, you immediately think of Dylan Raiola. Raiola has been the focal point of Nebraska's offense, living up to the preseason hype. He’s got over 1,300 passing yards, nine touchdowns, and three interceptions to this point. Raiola’s top targets include Jahmal Banks and Jaylen Lloyd, who have both proven to be lethal threats in the early part of this season.
The bad: While the passing game shows promise, inconsistency has hindered progress. Although it wasn’t as noticeable against Purdue, it was evident in the Rutgers game where Raiola’s completion percentage dropped below 50. In the first few weeks, the ball security hasn’t been atrocious, but it needs to improve nevertheless.
The ugly: A glaring issue is the number of sacks. Raiola has been sacked 12 times in the past three games, tying him for fourth-most in the Big Ten. This is concerning, especially after being taken down six times by Illinois alone. As mentioned previously, ball security hasn’t been the worst but it is something that needs to be limited as the Huskers face their loaded second-half schedule.
Defense
The good: Defensively, it’s been a dream come true as the Blackshirts haven’t allowed a rushing touchdown on the season. Guys like John Bullock and Isaac Gifford have been lethal forces as Bullock leads the squad with 33 total tackles along with his two sacks (tied for third on the team) while Gifford is one tackle behind at 32. Pass defense is another factor that hasn’t been really bad just yet, but it’s getting there and may dip with the looming opponents. Against the Scarlet Knights, the Huskers put themselves back on the right track as Rutgers senior quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis only completed 15 of his 37 pass attempts. Overall, this Nebraska defense is playing very well at this moment which doesn’t leave too much room to complain. They’ve got the experience and are ranking within the top 10 and top 15 in so many different defensive metrics.
The bad: It’s clear the run defense has been incredible, and while the pass coverage might be one of the smaller things that needs to be tweaked, the only major outlier at the moment for Nebraska's defense is their tackling. Missed tackles are a huge thing in college football, but when you are playing as good as Nebraska right now, you can’t miss those tackles that allow five-plus extra yards. The biggest example would be during the Illinois game near the seven-minute mark of the third quarter where Illini junior Hank Beatty was able to return a punt just past the Illinois 40 from his own six-yard line. There were three Huskers within the vicinity near the 25-30 who weren’t in the best position to make the tackle. Although Beatty was taken down shortly after, the Illini drove down the field with little resistance. Aside from missed tackles, the pass coverage was poor, especially on the then-game-tying Tanner Arkin touchdown where he was left wide open in the corner. When you take a look at how this Nebraska defense has played over their past couple of games, the only two negative things you can really point out would be the execution, maybe not being up to par, and a few missed tackles.
The ugly: Not much to say here. So far, Nebraska’s defense has avoided major issues, but tougher opponents lie ahead.
Special Teams
The good: There’s always positives to take away even though they seem few and far between for Nebraska’s special teams. With Tristan Alvano hopefully being back within the coming weeks, both the punt and the return have also been steadily improving. In Alvano’s limited action so far, he’s sitting at 75% for field goals (out of four attempted) and has yet to miss an extra point. There’s not much to add to it because we haven’t seen a massive jump or dip in production. It’s been steady enough.
The bad: The only slightly bad outlier we’ve seen so far is somewhat leaky punt return coverage as mentioned above from the Illinois game. Missed tackles are the main problem, the coverage hasn’t been bad.
The ugly: Many fans are rightfully upset with kicking over the past couple of seasons, and after Alvano’s groin injury just before facing Illinois, the field goals have been hanging in the balance of freshman John Hohl. Hohl currently is one-for-five in his attempts with three misses coming against Purdue, while he went one-for-two against Illinois. It hasn’t been pretty, and fans have good reason to be upset.
As Nebraska enjoys the extra couch time this week, the Cornhuskers have much to celebrate but still areas that need polishing. Sitting at 5-1 and on the cusp of the top 25, they’ve shown flashes of brilliance but have also revealed some weaknesses that could become more evident, especially with their next couple of road opponents that include faces like Indiana and Ohio State. With a strong defense anchoring the team, led by playmakers like Bullock and Gifford, the potential is there for a successful second half of the season. However, protecting Raiola and shoring up special teams play will be crucial if the Huskers hope to make a serious push in the Big Ten. There’s no doubt the pieces are there—now it’s a matter of putting it all together.
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