Nebraska made things much more interesting than they needed to, but managed to make plays when they needed to in order to hold off the Southern Miss Golden Eagles 36-28 and improve to 2-2 on the season. Tommy Armstrong continued his stellar start to the season, accounting for 431 yards of offense and three touchdowns. Here are the final grades for Nebraska’s performance as well as some thoughts about the team as they head into Big 10 play.
Nebraska Vs. Southern Miss Recap
FINAL GRADES
Quarterback: A-
Armstrong’s interception early in the second half prevents him from getting a perfect grade, but the junior from Cibolo, Texas quietly threw for 368 yards while also rushing for 63 yards and a touchdown on just seven carries. The junior from Cibolo, Texas leads the Big 10 and is eighth in the nation in passing yards with 1,266 yards through four games,
Running Backs: B-
Junior Terrel Newby got off to a tremendous start on Saturday, gaining 48 yards on seven carries in the first quarter, but was a non-factor the remainder of the game, finishing with just 76 yards on 18 carries. Luckily for NU, senior Andy Janovich picked up the slack, as the fullback rushed for 68 yards on five carries while also catching a 53 yard pass. Nebraska rushed for over 200 yards of offense, but was not able to consistently get positive yardage in the red zone. This forced Nebraska to settle for seven field goals attempts and allowed Southern Miss to stay in the game.
Tight Ends: D
Sam Cotton had some good moments on Saturday, as he sprung Tommy Armstrong for a couple big gains in the run game and had a nice 13 yard catch for a first down. While Cotton played well, junior Cethan Carter struggled mightily, as he caught just 1 pass for -1 yards despite being targeted five times. In a season where Tommy Armstrong has been able to find chemistry with several receivers, he has failed to establish a connection with Cethan Carter four games into the season.
Wide Receivers: A-
Jordan Westerkamp continued his impressive start to the season, catching 11 passes for 118 yards and a touchdown on Saturday. The junior is now third in the Big 10 in receiving yards with 351 yards. Fellow junior Brandon Reilly continued his breakout season, catching three passes for 112 yards, including a 41 yard catch on a broken play to keep Nebraska’s final drive alive. Nebraska is currently on pace to have two 1,000 yard receivers this season after having none during their entire history. Senior Taariq Allen also had a nice moment on Saturday, catching a 10 yard touchdown, the senior has been through a ton of adversity over his career, so it was great to see him rewarded.
Offensive Line: B-
It was a weird day for the Nebraska offensive line, as they paved the way for 242 yards rushing and allowed just one sack on the day. But Nebraska failed to establish an inside running presence which came back to haunt them in the red zone, forcing the Huskers to settle for seven field goal attempts. The Nebraska offensive line’s pass protection also suffered in the second half, as Armstrong was forced to scramble far too often in the fourth quarter.
Defensive Line: B
Southern Miss ran for a grand total of 11 yards on 23 attempts Saturday, as the Huskers stopped their run game cold for the entire game. Junior Maliek Collins had his best game of the season, disrupting the run game and absorbing double teams that allowed Freedom Akinmoladun to take advantage of one-on-one matchups. Speaking of Akinmoladun, the redshirt freshman finished with two sacks, including an impressive game ending sack that stopped a driving Southern Miss offense.
Linebackers: D
Nebraska came into the game thin at linebacker and got even thinner when Marcus Newby exited the game with a pulled groin. Junior walk on Chris Weber lead the team in tackles with 12, but whiffed on a tackle in the hole that allowed Ito Smith to run for a 17 yard touchdown. Freshman Dedrick Young was solid against the run, but was exposed in the pass game as Southern Miss forced him to cover running backs in space, where the young man struggled.
Secondary: F-
Nebraska’s main scapegoat in this young season, Senior Daniel Davie, did not play Saturday. Despite his absence, Nebraska still struggled mightily against the Golden Eagles pass offense, allowing 447 passing yards and once again allowing far to many 20+ yard pass plays. Jonathan Rose struggled in his first start and sophomore Joshua Kalu was torched in the fourth quarter. Junior Nate Gerry also had his worst game of the season, missing three tackles and being a non-factor against the pass.
Special Teams: B+
Sophomore Drew Brown tied an NCAA record by making five field goals in the first half of Saturday’s game. The young man struggled late, barely missing a 51 yard field goal and having a game clinching 29 yard field goal partially blocked, but the day has to be considered a success. Sam Foltz was good in limited action, with one punt travelling 44 yards. Westerkamp continued to provide a spark in the punt return game, with a nifty 17 yard return in the second half.
Final Grade: C+
Nebraska is a weird team right now. The Huskers completely controlled the majority of this game, leading 22-0 at the Half and 29-7 at the end of the third quarter, but were unable to land the knockout punch and allowed the Golden Eagles to stay within striking distance. Nebraska’s offense looks Big 10 ready, as they accounted for over 600 yards of offense and scoring on eight of their 13 possessions. Nebraska’s defense is another story, as the secondary has continued to underachieve and allow opponents to gain big chunks of yardage seemingly at will. Nebraska will need to get their secondary fixed by next Saturday when they travel to Illinois to take on the high powered Illini offense led by Wes Lunt and Geronimo Allison.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Freedom Continues his rise
You could make the argument that Freedom Akinmoladun, a redshirt freshman and converted tight end, has been Nebraska’s best defensive lineman four games into the season. The Grandview, Missouri Native leads Nebraska with four sacks and has improved every game against the run. His emergence raises an interesting question for when senior Jack Gangwish returns from the elbow injury he suffered against BYU. The senior is a fan favorite and team captain, but he doesn’t have the natural pass rushing skills that Akinmoladun possesses, so he may struggle to reclaim his starting job.
Janovich For Heisman
Senior Fullback Andy Janovich has waited patiently for his opportunity to be Nebraska’s featured Fullback, and the Gretna native is not disappointing in his final season. The former Walk on accounted for 68 yards on five carries Saturday, giving Nebraska an inside running presence that it had been missing three games into the season. Janovich also electrified the Lincoln crowd with a 53 yard catch in the second quarter. Janovich’s emergence gives Nebraska a versatile weapon that can be used in similar ways to Northwestern super back Dan Vitale, and has helped Nebraska’s offense continue to thrive despite a disappointing season from the Huskers tight ends.
