Nebraska football completed a tough test on Saturday.
As the dust settles on Nebraska football’s 37-27 victory over Purdue, there were several good things to take away from Saturday’s game. One of them that really stood out to me was how the Nebraska football defense contained Purdue star wide receiver Rondale Moore.
Moore certainly get his touches in the game, but he didn’t make as big an impact as I thought he might. He ended up recording 13 catches for 78 yards, recording six yards per reception. A 19-yard grab was his longest of the afternoon. He carried the ball once for seven yards.
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Measuring in at five-foot-nine, 180 pounds, Moore is characterized as a shifty and fast wide receiver. He is an extremely talented player, having recorded 1, 258 receiving yards in 2018. He is an explosive player in every sense of the word. However, Nebraska football was able to contain him rather well.
I loved what I saw and energy they brought when tackling him specifically. They wrapped up quickly, and did not allow him to get to the second level very often. The Nebraska defenders did a nice job of keeping more in front of them, and not allowing him to use his speed to get extra yards. in addition, they also took good angles to Moore when he had the football. Pursuit angles have been a problem for Nebraska as well this year, but they cleaned that up on Saturday.
Out of all the Purdue players, Moore was the one I was specifically worried about. David Bell did have a nice game, catching 10 passes for 132 yards and a touchdown. However, in this situation, it was a little bit of give and take. Moore had an opportunity to make some plays early in the game on Saturday, as Purdue elected to give him the ball early. Nevertheless, Nebraska did a good job of not allowing him to have a big game.
For that, the defense has to be applauded. In what was a good game for the entire program, Nebraska football did a good job of keeping one of Purdue’s best players at bay. The defense has struggled at times this season. Nevertheless, they came up big on Saturday. This unit has done a good job of playing together, and we have seen them really grow over the course of the season. it all came together on Saturday, and it was nice to see.