Nebraska football took another step in the right direction this past weekend, improving to 4-0 for the first time since 2016. The Huskers won their Big Ten opener over Michigan State 31-13 on the road and have an opportunity to improve to 5-0 with Maryland on deck.
However, despite the 31-13 win for the Huskers, it wasn’t pretty. At multiple points in the game, Michigan State had the opportunity to win. Whether it was the offense hitting a brick wall, the defense allowing drives, or special teams escaping disaster. Safe to say, there's a lot to unpack here.
Here is the report card from Nebraska’s ugly win over Michigan State.
Quarterback: B-
Anthony Colandrea faced adversity on Saturday with Michigan State’s defense. The Spartans managed to flush him out of the
pocket, force the ball out and make sure he couldn’t find his target in time.
This led to Colandrea going 15-of-27 in the air and even fumbling once. But that was for about half of the game. In the other half of the game, Colandrea produced over 200 passing yards, two passing touchdowns and even 66 rushing yards.
That’s a good sign for a Nebraska quarterback. Colandrea stayed calm and produced key plays when the Huskers needed them. Also, Michigan State’s defense, despite its flaws, has frustrated quarterbacks at times this season. So, this was a good test for Colandrea.
However, he still needs to correct a few off-target throws that either just missed a receiver or disrupted what would have been catches in stride. Colandrea’s run-pass decisions also were back-and-forth at times with the opposite decision looking better in hindsight. All in all, a solid performance against a solid team, but the competition will get tougher.
Running Backs: B
For the first time this season, the run game faced a fierce defense, making Colandrea Nebraska's top runner. Much of that was because Michigan State cranked up the pressure. Yet, despite struggling at times and even Jamal Rule getting injured, the group still put together a solid outing.
Rule left early after the Spartans zeroed in on him whenever he was on the field, and he finished with just four yards on four carries. Mekhi Nelson took the bulk of the load, instead, earning 61 yards on 15 carries, broke out a few big gains, and even fought for a touchdown. Isaiah Mozee also picked up 23 yards on seven carries.
Vincent Genatone stepped up for the Huskers, however, scoring twice, marking his first two touchdowns in his career. Genatone first scored on a 13-yard reception in the second quarter, then punched in a game-sealing touchdown from one yard out in the fourth.
This group will continue to face more pressure-heavy defenses and will need to keep bringing grit on every carry. They may have to make things happen from the second the ball enters their hands. But at full strength, Nebraska's running backs can be dangerous.
Wide Receivers: B-
Kwazi Gilmer totaled only four receptions, but three were beyond 15 yards. Those catches came at three key moments for Nebraska. Gilmer snatched an early 17-yard pass to get the offense going, before capping off the drive with a massive 44-yard touchdown grab. Then he caught a big 38-yard pass on third down in the fourth.
Luke Lindenmeyer also finished with four catches for 25 yards. One reception came just before halftime and set up Genatone for a score. Quinn Clark secured a couple of key receptions, including a 25-yard snatch in the red zone.
The group didn’t end the night clean, however. Gilmer got flagged for a holding penalty. Lindenmeyer was tagged for illegal formation, and Jacory Barney Jr. fumbled on his only reception of the game.
Michigan State was down bad in the secondary as well, which should've led to a more lights-out performance from the receiving corps. Though the Spartans fought on all fronts, an alright showcase against non-starters does not paint a smooth road for Nebraska.
Offensive Line: C+
The pipeline faced its toughest opponent yet this season and overall won half of its battles. The Spartans finished with three tackles for loss and swallowed up the run half the time.
However, Colandrea wasn’t sacked once again, and Michigan State sent defensive backs in to blow up runs. Plus, the line found its footing as the game went on, allowing the Huskers to pull away and get key scores. Yet the issues remained through the final drive.
Nebraska failed on a fourth-and-short with a 24-13 lead, giving Michigan State the window to come back. Fortunately, the Spartans came up empty-handed, and Nebraska scored on a goal-line run on the preceding drive. Pair that with the line’s early woes and two false-start penalties, and plenty of wrinkles remain to iron out.
Defensive Line: B-
Nebraska finished with six sacks and 10 tackles for loss. That kind of success doesn’t just happen, especially when both stats are season highs. The Huskers were a nightmare for the Spartans at times, disrupting promising drives and giving their offense a chance to rebound.
Williams Nwaneri headed the line, getting two sacks on the night. Jahsear Whittington also got one sack, helping the group earn a hat trick. Riley Van Poppel also breached the backfield, earning a tackle for loss.
But while the line did tremendous, one key factor was missing. Cam Edwards and a few other plays went down for Michigan State’s offense, which kept what could’ve been a more aggressive or controlling Spartan attack in check.
The defense got flustered at times too, including when Nwaneri was penalized for an illegal substitution. Van Poppel also got a personal foul that was enforced on the kickoff, which could be a crucial moment in future games if Nebraska needs a special teams play.
Linebackers: B-
Nebraska’s linebackers also made a big impact, allowing only one runner to get past 10 yards. But arguably its play of the game was Owen Chambliss, who picked off Cam Fancher in the second quarter. Chambliss also led the team with eight tackles. Dawson Meritt, meanwhile, got to the quarterback for the group’s only sack of the day.
Those were the highlights of the game for the second level. However, its aerial defense wasn’t flawless. Chambliss pick overshadowed some short throws that turned into double-digit gains for the Spartans, allowing for drives to continue and even leading to scores. Vincent Shavers Jr. also got a holding penalty that restarted a drive for Michigan State, leading to a field goal.
Though the Spartans couldn’t fully exploit such mistakes, other teams like Iowa, Oregon and Indiana can, without a doubt. For now, this was an alright night for the group. But they need to keep making big plays if they want to negate offenses moving the ball.
Defensive Backs: B-
Michigan State’s secondary wasn’t the only one that invaded the backfield. The Huskers totaled two sacks and three other tackles for loss, along with one interception. Those are big plays for Nebraska. But, the night was anything but perfect.
Milivojevic still finished 18-of-26 for 208 yards, but his final string of throws was critical. He completed five straight throws that delivered Michigan State from its own eight to the Nebraska 18. Though Andrew Marshall shut the drive down with an interception shortly after, allowing the Spartans to get down there in the first place is problematic.
Drives like that can be turned into topple plays like Jamir Conn getting a sack while in pursuit, or Donovan Jones shooting out of a cannon the second he locked onto Alessio Milivojevic, stripping him of the ball and recovering it. Those plays ended potential scoring drives for the Spartans, but they could be in vain if Michigan State managed to put together two more drives.
That’s not to say those big plays by the Huskers should be tossed aside, because they shouldn’t. Delivering sacks, securing interceptions and even zeroing in on receivers once the ball hits them are all much needed aspects for this secondary. Next, they need to keep plays downfield from happening and keep ball carriers in front of defenders.
Special Teams: B-
Barney and Nyziah Hunter each only had one return on the day. Barney took a punt 12 yards. Hunter returned a kickoff for 18. Wilson once again delivered three punts, all of them for over 40 yards and one pinning Michigan State inside its own 20.
Kyle Cunanan also kicked a chip-shot field goal for the Huskers at a point in the game that made it a three-score game. Nwaneri was even credited for the blocked field goal.
But the only big special-teams play of the day was fortunately negated. Archie Wilson’s second punt of the game was blocked. But a holding penalty turned it into a fresh set of downs for Nebraska, and its eventual 44-yard touchdown.
That alone is problematic, considering how special teams mishaps have doomed Nebraska in the past. Hopefully that's the only mishap for the Huskers this season. But it can’t be ignored, especially when Nebraska did make a few plays.
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This article originally appeared on Cornhuskers Wire: Report card from Nebraska's ugly 31-13 win over Michigan State
