While the loss to Maryland was heartbreaking for the Nebraska Football team, there were some guys that stood out for their positive performances.
There has obviously been two things talked about more than anything else after that game. There was the third down and goal call by Marcus Satterfield. There was also the absolutely awful play by the Huskers’ quarterbacks.
But today, for now, let’s talk about the good things. Let’s talk about the good plays and the good players from Saturday. There were some.
There were actually quite a few. And some of them were even on the offensive side of the ball. That’s the part that’s most frustrating.
The Cornhuskers didn’t play anything close to a perfect game. But they didn’t play all that poorly from the opening kick to the final whistle. They played well enough to win.
Suppose they’d had better quarterback play. And if they’d had a little more help from the Nebraska Football coaching staff.
Top-graded Nebraska Football offensive players from loss to Maryland
The Nebraska Football team saw some offensive players stand out on Saturday. It’s interesting that two of the top four graded players by PFF were guys that didn’t have a ton of snaps. They certainly made the most of them.
It’s also interesting that offensive linemen make up half the top graded players on this list.
Luke Lindenmeyer
Luke Lindenmeyer got the most playing time he’s seen all season for the Cornhuskers and he rewarded his coaches with his best performance of the year.
He saw 28 snaps, most of those as a run blocker. He ended up with a grade of 90.8 thanks and will almost certainly get more playing time in the team’s last two games of the regular season.
Nouredin Nouili
The offensive lineman has returned from injury and struggled a little bit since being back. However, his performance against Maryland could be a good sign for the stretch run.
Against the Terps, Nouili earned a season-best grade of 79.7 which was highlighted by an 87.3 pass block grade.
Janiran Bonner
It’s likely that Cornhuskers fans thought Bonner would figure into the offense more than he has after his Spring Game performance, but he had a big impact on Saturday. In fact, his carry for a touchdown was the Huskers’ only TD of the day.
Bonner finished with a total 77.5 grade on Saturday.
Bryce Benhart
The second Nebraska Football offensive lineman on this list, Benhart has been playing pretty well in the second half of the season, Michigan State notwithstanding.
On Saturday he earned a 67.9 grade thanks in large part to his pass blocking.
Top-graded Nebraska Football defensive players from loss to Maryland
The Nebraska Football defense had the better day on Saturday by a wide margin. There was really only one play that could be marked down as “bad” and that was a 53 yard pass that set up Maryland’s only touchdown.
A couple of guys stood out the most in that performance.
Omar Brown
The Huskers defensive back was not only the top graded defensive player but the top rated player overall. Brown had seven tackles, 2 pass breakups and a big forced fumble that stopped a Maryland drive in its tracks. All of that earned him a 90.1 overall grade.
Ty Robinson
The defensive lineman had 6 total tackles but one of those was bigger than others as it stopped another Terp drive cold. He also had a couple of passes batted down, as well as a quarterback hurry for a defense that didn’t put a ton of pressure on the QB yesterday. He ended the day with a total grade of 78.5 on Saturday.
Nash Hutmacher
The man affectionately known as The Polar Bear had himself yet another good game in what has been a great season under Tony White. He earned a 75.8 grade thanks to four tackles, a quarterback hurry and 3 “stops” as defined by PFF, which means he stopped runners short of gaining a first down.
Javin Wright
Wright might not have gotten the top grade but he might have had the best game statwise of anyone on the Nebraska Football defense. He logged seven tackles, his first career interception, a forced fumble and earned a 70.7 grade.