3 things we learned in Nebraska’s win over Michigan State

There are some Nebraska football fans with conflicted feelings following the Huskers’ 38-27 win over Michigan State on Saturday.

The Huskers could have played better, especially on offense. There were too many wasted opportunities. Nebraska allowed too many sacks and shouldn’t have allowed Michigan State to hang around as it did.

I’ll be honest, when Carter Nelson scored on that blocked punt return for a touchdown, it felt like there was no way Nebraska football could lose. Yet, the Huskers found themselves trailing 21-14 in the third quarter.

It was gut-check time. The entire season could have collapsed right then and there. A loss to Michigan State would have been disastrous, as bad for the psyche as the Big Ten standings.

Yet, instead of losing the game, Nebraska got in scoring range thanks to Dylan Raiola. Emmett Johnson did the rest. Mike Ekeler’s special team unit recovered a fumble on the kickoff, and soon enough, Nebraska was in the lead.

They stomped on Michigan State’s throat, too. A 59-yard touchdown pass from Raiola to Nyziah Hunter on a screen pass, with a whale of a block from Justin Evans, pushed the lead to 10 before Johnson found the end zone for a third time to deliver a final dagger.

It was his third touchdown run. Nebraska scored 24 unanswered points. It wasn’t the perfect win or “pretty.” But who cares? Matt Rhule isn’t paid for style points. He’s paid to win games, and so far this season, his team is 4-1. 

Are there things that need to improve? Yes.

Is this team perfect? No.

Is every goal still on the table? Yes.

With that in mind, here are three things we learned from Nebraska’s 11-point win over Michigan State.

The D-line has improved

For the first time this season, the defensive line controlled the line of scrimmage. The Huskers sacked Aidan Chiles four times. The mobile quarterback did have two touchdown runs but managed just 23 yards on 13 attempts.

Chiles was being talked about as a potential first-round pick. Yet, against the Blackshirts, he completed just 9 of 23 passes for 85 yards.

The pass rush was a huge part of that. Williams Nwaneri notched 1.5 sacks and looked like the five-star recruit that he was. He’s also a redshirt freshman, and his play on Saturday should have fans through the roof excited.

Cameron Lenhardt showed up. So did Dasan McCullough, despite losing containment on a Chiles’ TD run. Michigan State isn’t a great rushing team. Still, the Huskers held them to 84 yards on 37 attempts. Makhi Frazier averaged just 3.2 yards per attempt.

That’s a huge improvement. The defensive line will need to continue to grow and improve, but that was a good sign coming out of the bye week.

The pass defense truly is elite

It’s time to stop putting qualifiers when we talk about Nebraska football’s pass defense. The Huskers are elite. Bryce Underwood threw for 270 yards against Wisconsin. He only passed for 105 against the Huskers. Yes, the rushing yards of Michigan helped, but this secondary is legit.

Chiles had passed for at least 212 yards in each of his last three games. He threw for 85 yards on Saturday, after completing just 39 percent of his passes.

The wind was a factor. Yet, the trio of Ceyair Wright, Donovan Jones, and Andrew Marshall is as good as the Huskers have had since Bo Pelini left. Exciting things are happening at safety, too. DeShon Singleton had a hell of a day against Michigan State. Rex Guthrie is a baller, too.

Fans want to hate on John Buter, but it’s time to tip your cap to what has been an elite pass defense.

Pass protection is still a problem

It wasn’t all on the offensive line. Dylan Raiola needs to make quicker decisions. Throwing the ball away could have saved yards and points in a few instances.

The offensive line struggled with stunts and pressures. Emmett Johnson was left one-on-one with one pass rusher, and that’s a tough matchup. Another sack came when a stunt created a free rusher.

So part of it is the offensive line. Part of it’s the quarterback. The coaching staff needs to look at the protection issues, too. It’s disappointing to come out of the bye week and give up five sacks to a team that had six in four games.

Michigan State’s pass rush isn’t elite either. It’s a problem that needs to be addressed, though. Allowing 12 sacks in two games is ridiculous, and it will cost Nebraska football another game, just like it did against Michigan.

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