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Kirk Herbstreit Names Nebraska Football's James Williams a Top Performing Player

Husker defensive lineman James Williams earned a nod from ESPN and College GameDay analyst Kirk Herbstreit, receiving one of eight spots on the Ohio State alum's "Top Performing Player" list for week six.

Austin Jacobsen

Nebraska defensive lineman James Williams celebrates after a sack against Rutgers.
Nebraska defensive lineman James Williams celebrates after a sack against Rutgers. / Amarillo Mullen
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Kirk Herbstreit has been a fan of Nebraska football all season.

Not only has Herbstreit proclaimed the Huskers as a factor in the Big Ten Conference race, but he was also one of the many national pundits earlier this year to claim Nebraska could start 7-0. Even after the Huskers' 5-1 start to the season, the ESPN and College GameDay analyst remains high on the Big Red.

Leading into Saturday's conference matchup against Rutgers, Herbstreit added that the Huskers' defense was flying under the national radar.

“Nebraska hasn’t given up a rushing touchdown all year,” Herbstreit said. “You talk about the wins, you talk about the physicality, and (the game) is in Lincoln, I think that favors Nebraska personally. Their defense not being talked about a lot because it seems like everybody talks about [quarterback Dylan] Raiola. I think they’ll be locked in today in Lincoln.”

The Blackshirts backed up Herbstreit's praise, holding a powerful Scarlet Knights rushing attack to only 78 total yards on the ground and limiting quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis to a 19.3 quarterback rating, forcing two interceptions. Nebraska also generated four sacks from its defensive line, as Herbstreit took note of online.

On Monday, the Ohio State alum posted his "Top Performing Players of Week Six" in college football. Among the elite players from Saturday, Nebraska defensive lineman James Williams earned the fifth spot on the list.

Williams had a career day, matching his season high with two sacks, two tackles for loss, and finished with five total tackles. Williams is now tied for the team lead in sacks with four total on the year, matching senior Ty Robinson. The sophomore's presence helped the Blackshirts open up the interior defensive line for sacks by Robinson and Nash Hutmacher.

The Missouri native has received plenty of praise from local and national media after his performance Saturday. Pro Football Focus College on X posted that Williams graded out as one of the top performers in the Big Ten Conference in week six, joining Husker cornerback Ceyair Wright. The edge rusher was credited with three quarterback hits, eight quarterback pressures, and an 87.7 pass rush grade out of a possible 100 total score.

Herbstreit has put his money where his takes have been with Nebraska this season, supporting the Big Red in each of his weekly College GameDay picks.

The "Big Noon Kickoff" crew with FOX Sports will host the live game day atmosphere for Nebraska's next contest - a road test at No. 18 Indiana. Television coverage will be provided by FOX with kickoff at 11 a.m. CDT.

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Austin Jacobsen
AUSTIN JACOBSEN

Austin Jacobsen is a radio broadcaster and former Sports Director in Central Nebraska. He has seen the Cornhusker state from all corners; growing up in the Panhandle, completing his college degree in Kearney, working in the rural Sandhills, and now residing in Omaha. Austin is a statewide, regional, and national radio award winner and can usually be found at a high school football field on Friday nights and tuning in to the Huskers wherever they travel. If he is not on the road, Austin enjoys movie dates with his girlfriend and their dog, Ava.

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