Nebraska took care of business Saturday night against the South Alabama Jaguars, overwhelming them physically on their way to a convincing 48-9 victory. This victory helped ease the sting of last weeks heartbreaking loss to BYU and made Husker fans feel better about their upcoming showdown with the Miami Hurricanes. Here are the final grades for the game as well as some thoughts about the Husker team after two games.
FINAL GRADES
Quarterback: A
Tommy Armstrong was everything that Nebraska could have hoped for, as the junior looked calm and confident the entire game, completing 21 of 30 passes for 270 yards and 2 touchdowns with no interceptions. Ryker Fyfe had a bad interception on his second drive that led to South Alabama’s only touchdown, but he rebounded with a nice final drive where he completed 4 of his last 5 passes.
Running Back: A
One of Husker Nation’s biggest concerns after last weekend was Nebraska’s lack of a #1 guy to carry the ball. Mike Riley and Danny Langsdorf must have been listening, as they gave Terrell Newby the ball early and often against the Jaguars. The junior responded with his best game as a Husker, carrying the ball 28 times for 198 yards and 2 touchdowns while also catching 2 passes for 38 yards and another touchdown. Newby showed impressive burst and open field agility tonight, something he didn’t display against BYU. Imani Cross and Mikale Wilbon didn’t get nearly as many opportunities to run the ball against the Jaguars, but both were solid when called upon, combining for 4 carries for 30 yards and a touchdown.
Tight Ends: B
The Tight Ends only accounted for 1 catch tonight, as former UNK Quarterback Luke Mcnitt caught one pass for 6 yards. But the Tight Ends were solid in the run game, as they were used as seal blockers on most of Newby’s runs and did a good job. Sam Cotton in particular stood out, as the junior did a great job in the run game.
Wide Receivers: B+
Nebraska saw two receivers emerge this Saturday, as junior Lane Hovey and true freshman Stanley Morgan Jr. had solid games against the Jaguars. Lane Hovey, Alonzo Moore and Brandon Reilly led the Huskers with 5 catches each, as Tommy Armstrong did a great job of spreading the ball around. This game showed that Nebraska had options besides Jordan Westerkamp, who was targeted only 4 times tonight, catching 3 passes for 31 yards and a touchdown.
Offensive Line: A+
What more can you ask from an Offensive Line? The Husker offensive line didn’t allow a sack the entire game and paved the way for the Huskers to run for 7 yards a carry. Dylan Utter in particular stood out, as the junior guard dominated the man across from him for most of the night.
Defensive Line: B+
The Blackshirts defensive line stuffed the Jaguars rushing attack, allowing only 19 yards on 24 touchdowns. Maliek Collins in particular was dominant, as he was immovable against the run and hurried the quarterback several times. The Huskers again struggled to get consistent pass rush against the Jaguars, though Kevin Maurice and Mick Stoltenberg were able to notch sacks late in the game.
Linebackers: B
Saturday night saw the triumphant return of Michael Rose-Ivey, as the junior looked solid in his first game back after missing 2014 with injury and the season opener with suspension. His return helped Nebraska cope with Josh Banderas and Dedrick Young missing the game with minor injuries. Marcus Newby and Chris Weber looked solid when pressed into action, as both sophomores made some solid plays tonight.
Secondary: C
This is a tough one to grade. If I were grading Nate Gerry, Byerson Cockrell, and Josh Kalu, this would’ve been an A grade. But Daniel Davie was a part of this Husker secondary, and he was exposed tonight. The senior cornerback was picked on by South Alabama the entire game and couldn’t make them pay for it, as Josh Magee abused him the entire game for 6 catches for 147 yards. This is the only position that concerned the Husker fans tonight, because if Davie cant cover South Alabama receivers, what will happen to him against Miami receivers.
Special Teams: A
Drew Brown rebounded from a rough season opener, going 2 for 2 on field goals and 6 for 6 on extra points. Tyson Broekemeier was solid in his first start as Nebraska’s punter, averaging 35 yards per punt and downing one punt inside the 20. The return game wasn’t overly dynamic, but they avoided making any major mistakes.
Final Grade: A-
This wasn’t a game where we would learn much about Nebraska from a schematic standpoint. Nebraska had a clear size and speed advantage and didn’t mess around, jumping out to 31-0 lead and coasting to an easy victory. Both Lines played well for the Huskers, and Newby’s emergence as the undisputed back was great to see. The only concerning factor about tonight’s game was Daniel Davie’s struggles, he needs to fix his issues quick if he wants to stay on top of the depth chart at the Huskers deep cornerback position.
LAST THOUGHTS
Tommy Looked Terrific
Danny Langsdorf is living up to his reputation as the “quarterback whisperer”, as Tommy Armstrong put together his second solid performance of the season. Armstrong was calm and poised in the pocket, completing 70% of his passes and never looking uncomfortable in the pocket. Through two games Armstrong has completed 63.3% of his passes for 589 yards, 5 touchdowns and just one interception. Armstrong looks like a completely new quarterback in 2015, and he gives Nebraska an offensive star to build around for the remainder of the season.
Freedom emerges
Starting Defensive End and walk on success story Jack Gangwish went down with an elbow injury late in the BYU game last Saturday, and many wondered how the Huskers would cope without the high energy fan favorite. Redshirt freshman Freedom Akinmoladun, a converted Tight End, moved into the starting role against the Jaguars and excelled, holding up extremely well against the run and being one of the most consistent sources of pressure for the Blackshirts. His impressive play raises questions a to whether Gangwish will reclaim his starting job after missing three weeks. If Akinmoladun keeps improving, I don’t see how the Husker coaches can take him out of the starting spot.
What happened to Daniel Davie?
Daniel Davie was a solid cornerback last season for the Huskers, starting all 13 games and accumulating 41 tackles, 5 pass breakups, and two interceptions. Davie was supposed to emerge as Nebraska’s senior leader in the secondary, mentoring the talented young cornerbacks and excelling on Saturdays. Well we are two weeks into the season and the excelling on the field part of things hasn’t happened. Davie was picked on constantly by South Alabama, as Josh Magee torched him constantly on deep fades on his way to catching 6 passes for 147 yards and a touchdown. Davie struggled so badly that he was yanked from the game midway through the third quarter and sat for the rest of the game. Nebraska has plenty of talented options behind Davie, as Jonathan Rose, Aaron Williams, Chris Jones, and Trai Mosley have all seen time early this season, so Davie will need to get back into form quickly or risk losing his blackshirt.
What Running Back Rotation?
Husker Nation grumbled about the Husker’s running back rotation for 6 days, and the Nebraska coaches listened. Terrell Newby saw almost every rep at Running Back for the Huskers until midway through the 4th quarter, totaling 28 carries for 198 yards and two touchdowns. The increased workload seemed to agree with Newby, as the junior showed burst and agility that he had never showed as a rotational back. His emergence answers one of the main questions Husker fans had about the 2015 Nebraska team following the BYU game.
