Once Mike Riley was hired as the Nebraska Cornhuskers head coach, there was every indication that the offensive philosophy would change drastically. Historically, the Huskers have been one of the most run dominant teams in college football. However, with Riley in the fold, the Huskers are expected to showcase a prolific passing attack. Despite recent setbacks, studies show the offense isn’t far off.
According to Pro Football Focus, the Huskers have the No.4 ranked WR unit in college football. Entering the 2015 season, the Huskers had a talented, yet unproven group of wide receivers. However, there was a lot of anticipation of what was to come with this group. With Jordan Westerkamp back for his junior season, the Huskers already had a steady go-to guy, but they had a dynamic player ready to breakout out. Unfortunately, things didn’t go as planned early on.
De’Mornay Pierson-El broke his foot during camp in August. The setback caused DPE to miss the entire non-conference portion of the schedule. However, his absence caused a few players to step up as play makers for the Nebraska Cornhuskers. While most WR corps in the Top 5 have stars, the Huskers have quality depth across the board.
Read More: Tommy Armstrong helped by Nebraska play calling
Here is the breakdown of the Huskers’ WR unit by PFF–
4. Nebraska Cornhuskers
Cumulative Grade: 11.5
Average Grade: 2.30
“Nebraska’s WR corps ranks fourth on our list, with four of their five eligible receivers having earned a positive overall grade through 6 weeks. What carried this unit into the top 5, however, was the performances of Brandon Reilly (+4.6), Alonzo Moore (+4.3) and Jordan Westerkamp (+4.2), with each ranking in the top 50 receivers in the nation. Though they’ve struggled recently, posting their first negative games of the season in Weeks 5 and 6, both Moore and Reilly had fantastic starts to the year and each ranked in the top 15 overall amongst receivers through the first 4 weeks. While Moore hasn’t put up significant yardage numbers, he has provided his QB with a reliable and productive option, posting a WR Rating of 126.0 and hauling in 4 touchdown passes. Westerkamp has presented the biggest threat from the slot for Nebraska, ranking 20th in the nation with 329 receiving yards when lined up as a slot receiver. The Cornhuskers have a well-rounded group of receivers that have provided consistent production through much of the season, earning them a spot in the top five WR units in the country.”
Interestingly enough, Alonzo Moore (+4.6) and Brandon Reilly (+4.3) grade out as the highest wide receivers on the team. Meanwhile, Westerkamp has a (+4.2), giving the Huskers three receivers in the top 50. Still, these numbers were calculated before their win over Minnesota.
Jordan Westerkamp
Currently, Westerkamp leads the Huskers with 35 catches for 443 yards, and four touchdowns. He averages 12.7 yards per catch this season. Like the entire offense, Westerkamp had a two game slump to start the Big Ten conference season, but seemed to break out of it against Minnesota.
Brandon Reilly is second on the team with 20 receptions. As a deep threat, he leads the receiving corps with 19.6 yards per catch. However, Reilly only has one touchdown this season. Once he starts turning those big plays into touchdowns, Reilly can take this offense to a new level.
Alonzo Moore has the highest ranking on the team, but he’s third on the team with 16 catches. Still, he leads the Huskers with five touchdown catches. Moore and quarterback Tommy Armstrong have really found a connection, and they should continue to progress for the rest of the season.
Freshman Stanley Morgan Jr. is fourth on the team with 13 catches, but his opportunities are likely to be cut in the next few weeks. Still, it doesn’t mean he’s unable to make big plays within the offense. There’s a chance Morgan will have to come up with critical plays late in the season.
Next: Big Ten Rankings: Huskers move on up
Now that Pierson-El is back in the lineup, the WR corps can take another step forward. Although he hasn’t played enough to register in the rankings, DPE did score his first touchdown last week. If he can provide big plays for the rest of the season, the entire group of wide receivers can progress as a whole.