Nebraska’s defense leads the way in the Huskers 14-7 win over previously unbeaten Rutgers

Nebraska’s defense shut down Rutgers offense and the Huskers offense did just enough to pull out a 14-7 win to hand the Scarlet Knights their first loss of the season. Huskers improve to 5-1 behind a dominant defensive performance, with plenty to improve in the other two phases of the game

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Dylan Raiola had his first real freshman mistake in the second quarter, throwing an interception in Rutgers territory on an RPO in which he never saw the underneath defender. He seemed out of sync practically all day, though he did have a few impressive throws throughout the night but ultimately, it was the worst day of his young career. He finished the day below 50% completion percentage with just 134 passing yards and no touchdowns.

Nebraska got the backs involved early on the ground and through the air, with the Huskers’ top three backs getting serious work in the first half. Dante Dowdell and Rahmir Johnson led the way in the first half with 20 combined touches. The push wasn’t as consistent in the second half and the Huskers finished the day with just 97 rushing yards on the ground, but some critical touches from Dowdell, Johnson and Johnson helped the Huskers win on Saturday.

Raiola’s relatively quiet day meant a quiet day from the pass-catchers but to their credit, when they were called upon, they made plays. Jahmal Banks had a big 31-yard gain to get Nebraska in scoring position. Jaylen Lloyd had two key grabs, including one on a fake punt to keep the chains moving. Permiter blocking from the unit overall looked improved, tight ends included. Uncharacteristic day from Raiola hurt the pass-catchers’ productivity but they did their part.

Nebraska’s offensive line kept the chains moving and led the way for some critical conversations on third and fourth downs. The push was somewhat inconsistent, especially in the run game, which is somewhat disappointing against a Rutgers front that was suspect in that department, but the unit came up big when it mattered. Raiola was sacked four times but largely because of his own decision to hold on to the football rather than protection lapses from Nebraska’s front.

Nebraska rotated a lot of defensive linemen throughout in the game to combat the heat and they all had an opportunity to get hom. The Huskers got after Athan Kaliakmanis, sacking him four times, pressuring him seven more times and forcing two interceptions, keeping the Scarlet Knights off the board until late in the fourth quarter. Going up against a Rutgers offensive line that had graded out as one of the best units in the country, Ty Robinson, Nash Hutmacher and James WIlliams made life uncomfortable for Kaliakmanis and Kyle Monangai. The most impressive moment from the unit came on the goal-line stuff, where the defense faced six plays inside their own five yard line and not only kept Rutgers from the end zone, they kept them from scoring any points.

After some early gashing runs from Kyle Monangai, John Bullock, Mikai Gbayor and Vincent Shavers, now wearing #1, held the senior back in check. After rushing for 70 yards in the first quarter, Rutgers was limited to just five rushing yards over the final three quarters. Statement game from Tony White’s defense and the veteran linebackers played as big of a role in that as anybody.

Marques Buford and Ceyair Wright came down with interceptions in the first half to cap off a strong performance early from the secondary. Rutgers was forced to throw it in the second half and the unit held their own, limiting Kaliakmanis to 186 yards and under 50% completion percentage. Isaac Gifford and DeShon Singleton had some key stops in space, Gifford led the team in tackles with eight, had a 1.5 tackles for loss, a pressure on the quarterback.

Brian Buschini deserves an A for his performance, getting punts off amidst the pressure, playing through injury, executing a perfect fake punt in the fourth quarter, and a field-flipping punt late that sealed the game for the Huskers. That game could have gone a completely different way if not for his performance. As for the rest of the unit, they get an F for the failure to execute on punt protection, snap issues and failing to adjust on issues that have plagued the unit all season. Buschini’s effort is applauded and recognized but the rest of the unit has some serious work to do over the bye week.