Ty Robinson dominates in Nebraska’s win vs. Colorado

From those who witnessed Nebraska’s win over Colorado from inside Memorial Stadium to those who watched in bars, living rooms and basements, the emotion of the night was felt by all. A big win always feels good, but the electricity on the field in the immediate aftermath of NU’s win over Colorado was simply different.

Surrounded by fans as he chatted with an NBC reporter, head coach Matt Rhule soaked in the moment with a smile on his face. There was no opportunity for a quiet moment with his family like he’d had the week prior as music blasted, fans danced and Husker players wove their way through the chaos.

It was a moment that players and coaches alike had been working for — and no one could blame them for drinking it all in, wanting to savor the feeling of triumph. Let’s drop into coverage:

The first 30 minutes of football Nebraska played on Saturday was a showcase for just how far the Huskers have come.

Nebraska played complementary football, leaning on a defense that harassed Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders all game long while its offense did what it needed to get the job done.

For Nebraska, the dominance began on the game’s very first snap. Colorado attempted a quick pass to the sidelines but couldn’t stop defensive lineman Ty Robinson from sticking his hand into the throwing lane. Two plays later and Robinson was again in the Colorado backfield, sacking Sanders on third down.

That sack, which came roughly two seconds after Sanders snapped the ball, affected the Colorado quarterback’s timing in the pocket for the remainder of the half. Sanders rarely had time to go through his reads as Nebraska pressured him regardless of its defensive personnel.

His timing thrown off, Sanders’ first-half interception was the result of the Huskers’ consistently impactful pass rush.

With linebacker MJ Sherman closing down on him and Mikai Gbayor crashing the pocket up the middle, Sanders needed to get the ball out to avoid a safety. Wide receiver Drelon Miller even had 3 yards of separation from cornerback Tommi Hill when he released the pass.

But while Hill timed his break to the ball perfectly, Miller was caught flat-footed — and the result was a Nebraska touchdown in the blink of an eye. From then on, Colorado’s high-powered passing offense was never the same.

For as good as Nebraska’s first-half performance was, the Huskers may not have lived up to their standard in the second half. There was no shame in allowing just 10 points to the Buffs, keeping them at bay as the clock ticked down — but Rhule still wanted to see more from his group.

“We have to learn how to play with a lead,” Rhule said. “That game really wasn’t much of a contest in the second half, so you’re sitting there like, ‘Hey, let’s just not turn the ball over,’ but we need to find that middle place of aggression.”

The change in fortunes was most visible for the Nebraska offense, which went from averaging 6.3 yards per play to 3.9 yards in the second half. NU punted five times and didn’t score after halftime, struggling on its first two possessions before putting together a six-minute drive.

Colorado deserves credit for making defensive adjustments in how it covered the Huskers’ wide receivers and pressured quarterback Dylan Raiola.

“They were bringing a ton of heat, we were having a hard time picking it up; they were bringing everybody,” Rhule said.

Then there were the penalties. The officiating crew certainly had their favorites as holding calls, blocks in the back, pass interference and targeting were commonplace throughout the second half.

Some were clear-cut while others, like Gbayor’s ejection for targeting or holding calls that wiped out long runs, led to a chorus of boos ringing out from the Memorial Stadium crowd.

“I was pushing us on offense to be aggressive,” Rhule said. “If you take away some of those penalties, we were pretty aggressive.”

It’s fair to say Ty Robinson was hyped up and ready to go up against the Colorado Buffaloes.

A year prior, Robinson had to sit on the bench for the game’s first 30 minutes as a result of a targeting call against him during NU’s season opener. This time around, there was no waiting — and it showed when Robinson was all over the Colorado offensive line during the first half.

“I knew how I was going to be approaching this game,” Robinson said. “Last year, they didn’t get all 60 minutes, I knew this year I was going to make sure they knew who I was all 60 minutes.”

Colorado got to know more players than just Robinson. There were James Williams and Kai Wallin, the dynamic edge rushers who got in Sanders’ face without bringing him down. There was Cam Lenhardt, who burst through the interior of the offensive line on several occasions.

And then there were the Huskers who recorded a sack: Robinson, Nash Hutmacher, Jimari Butler, Willis McGahee IV, Princewill Umanmielen and MJ Sherman. Six of them in total added to Nebraska’s season tally of eight sacks, one that is now tied for eighth nationally.

“It was awesome just to go on the sideline and hype each other up, but our goal was to get one more, one more, one more every drive we went out there,” Robinson said.

Nebraska sure looks like it has found its lead running back for the season in sophomore Dante Dowdell.

Shaking off a Week 1 fumble that had cut into his playing time vs. UTEP, Dowdell again paced the Nebraska backfield as he totaled 74 yards while averaging 4.4 yards per carry. The success began early when Nebraska displayed impressive run-blocking on its first series, one that ended in a Dowdell touchdown run.

“I thought (Dante) Dowdell set the tone with his physicality in running the football,” Rhule said.

Dowdell ran behind right tackle Bryce Benhart two plays in a row, including the touchdown carry. Both Benhart and left tackle Turner Corcoran graded well as run-blockers according to ProFootballFocus, clearing the way for NU’s rushing success.

Dowdell’s impressive performance continued later in the first half when he hurdled a Colorado defender in the red zone, only for a holding call to wipe out the highlight play. The power back converted several short-yardage tries, keeping his legs churning on one and diving over the pile on another.

Dowdell should be pleased with the workload the Nebraska coaching staff has trusted him to take on. After all, Dowdell had just 17 carries last season at Oregon; he’s already up to 25 for the Huskers.

As a consequence of Dowdell’s strong showing, senior Rahmir Johnson was the only other Nebraska running back to feature heavily in the contest. Emmett Johnson and Gabe Ervin Jr. were limited to just three snaps apiece as Dowdell and Rahmir Johnson both played around 30 snaps.

“This was a game where across the board, we didn’t do a ton of rotating,” Rhule said. “… It’s no referendum on those other two; Gabe and Emmett will get to play a ton of football as we move forward. I thought Dante set the tone and Rahmir did some good things, so we stuck with them.”

It may take some time to know for sure, but Nebraska’s win over Colorado should be one of the program’s best in recent memory.

Of the standout wins in the 2000s, NU’s 40-31 triumph over the Buffaloes in 2008 stands out as an occasion that will be remembered for a long time.

So does Nebraska’s win over Miami in 2014 in front of an electric Memorial Stadium crowd and the Huskers’ last-second comeback to defeat a top-10 Michigan State team in 2015. A three-point win over Oregon in 2016 was highly memorable, as was Nebraska’s 9-6 victory over the Spartans on a snowy day dominated by field goals in 2018.

Where does the win over Colorado rank on that list? I’d give the edge to the 2015 Michigan State win and perhaps to the Miami game as well. The emotions of this Saturday, and the on-field scene that night, won’t be fading anytime soon.