Nebraska football’s biggest concern coming out of Week 6

Nebraska football found a way to beat Michigan State last Saturday, despite a lackluster effort from the offense, which accounted for less than 300 total yards.

Dylan Raiola threw a touchdown pass. He also had an interception. The five-star quarterback was also responsible for some of the five sacks taken.

It’s easy to point the finger at the offensive line. They have been part of the problem. However, the offensive tackles were much improved against Michigan State. Pro Football Focus, which should be taken with a grain of salt, graded Elijah Pritchett and Gunnar Gottula as the best players on the Nebraska football offense.

Dylan Raiola was graded as the worst. The second and third quarters were rough. Yet, when Nebraska was down 21-14, he completed a 45-yard pass to Jacory Barney, which set up the tying score. Special teams got the ball back, and soon after, Nebraska was back in the lead.

Raiola is not my concern. Anyone suggesting that TJ Lateef should be playing is off their rocker. Raiola needs to get rid of the ball quicker. The offensive line and the backs need to protect better. 

Pass protection is Nebraska’s No. 1 issue

However, pass protection is still the No. 1 concern coming out of the Michigan State game. Michigan had five sacks in three games before Nebraska, then had seven sacks. U-M had one last Saturday against Wisconsin, so in the four games not against Nebraska, Michigan has six sacks.

In the four games Michigan State has played against teams other than Nebraska, the Spartans had six sacks, a number they almost equaled with five last Saturday.

Maryland is among the top three in college football with 19 sacks. Nine of those sacks came during the first two Big Ten games, against Wisconsin and Washington.

A Wisconsin team that limited Michigan to one sack allowed five against Maryland. The pass rush is legit, and if the Huskers don’t address the pass protection issues, it could cause major problems, like it has the past two games.

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