Analytics Review: Nebraska Football vs Rutgers

Led by the Blackshirts, Nebraska is starting to win the games it had recently found ways to lose. It's the first step in rebuilding a powerful program.

Eric Hess | 13 Minutes Ago

Nebraska defensive back Isaac Giffford (2) brings down Rutgers running back Kyle Monangai (5). / Amarillo Mullen

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Nebraska Cornhuskers

The Huskers reached the halfway point of the season, one game away from their first bowl appearance since 2016. It was another ugly game for the Huskers, but ultimately, they found a way to win. As Matt Rhule tries to rebuild the winning culture at Nebraska, the final score is the most important thing. Dylan Raiola had the worst game of his career. The special teams unit hit a new low and then a new high. But the defense stepped up to get their most significant stop of the season, holding Rutgers to 0 yards on six plays from the two-yard line in a critical situation. Finding new ways to win each week is a massive improvement from losing in the same ways week after week.

Note: ESPN play-by-play is the source for my and Game On Paper’s play-level data. Unfortunately, ESPN doesn’t have play-by-play data for the Huskers vs Rutgers game, so the usual graphics and stats won’t appear in this article. Thanks to the great work of CollegeFootbalData.com, an alternative source of play-by-play data will be available in the future.

Through six games, Nebraska has a +100 scoring margin. It's only the third time since Bo Pelini was fired that the Huskers had a net scoring margin of at least 100 at the halfway point of the season (102 in 2016 and 101 in 2021). Nebraska is one of only 18 teams in the country to outscore their opponents by 100+ points this season.

Defensive Dominance

The Blackshirts defense was the story of this game. I thought Kyle Monangai could be worn down in this game between the heat and the stout defensive line of the Huskers. While Rutgers got out to a great start running the ball with 70 yards rushing in the first quarter, they'd manage just eight more yards on the ground the rest of the game. Rutgers was held to just one-third of their season average rushing yards heading into the game.

Raiola's Off Day

For the first time this season, Dylan Raiola played like a freshman. He didn't throw the ball to some open receivers and missed passes he would typically make. However, his stat line from this game still compares favorably to the passing efforts of the Husker's quarterbacks in 2023. Nebraska only had four games in 2023 where they completed more passes than Raiola did against Rutgers and only five where they threw for more yards. Even Raiola's floor gives the Huskers a chance to win. The bye week is a great time for the Huskers to get rested and improve for the tough back half of the schedule.

"I had to evaluate where Iowa was." The statement by Shawn Eichorst started a nearly dismal decade of Nebraska football. As we approach the tenth anniversary of that statement, Nebraska is doing what Iowa has done better than anyone else in the last nine seasons – winning football games in weird ways. This is just the floor of what Nebraska can be. With a generational talent at quarterback, the best fans in the nation, and a blue-blood history, Matt Rhule can build a powerhouse at Nebraska on a foundation of winning.