How Every Nebraska Player on Offense vs. Maryland Graded Out on PFF

Outside of the first quarter of play, Dana Holgorsen's offense was highly productive in Week 5.

Nebraska, while cruising to a 25-point win against the Terrapins, totaled just 38 yards of offense through the first 15 minutes. It then turned on the jets, totaling at least 157 yards in each of the remaining three quarters.

The Huskers finished with 447 yards of offense Saturday afternoon, while scoring 41 points (offensively). In total, 31 players saw the field against the Terps. Here are their final snap counts and grades, courtesy of Pro Football Focus. (Go here for the defensive grades.)

Player	Class	Snaps	Pass	Run	Overall
Colandrea	4th	79	49	4	79.0
Lateef	2nd	4	1	0	-

Quarterback

It was far from Anthony Colandrea's most efficient game, but boy, did he become productive by its conclusion. On 79 offensive snaps, the fourth-year signal-caller totaled 346 all-purpose yards and three total touchdowns while helping the Huskers outlast Maryland at home.

At times, Colandrea looked like the most athletic player on the field. Even so, other moments left fans scratching their heads. There is a give-and-take to having him as Nebraska's starting quarterback, yet it's hard to say the Huskers would be 5-0 without him.

For the second straight week, Colandrea led Nebraska in both rushing and passing production. He's put a lot on his shoulders through the first two games of Big Ten play, and he deserves credit for what he's produced. NU has now outscored its conference opponents 79-36, with Colandrea accounting for 42 of those points himself. Though he missed some open throws, it's hard to complain about a quarterback who has been this productive through five weeks.

Player	Class	Snaps	Run	Pass	Overall
Nelson	3rd	39	16	17	64.4
Mozee	2nd	34	9	21	69.7
Genatone	5th	3	1	1	-
Booth	2nd	3	1	1	-
Ives	4th	2	2	-	-

Running Back

It was sophomore running back Isaiah Mozee who earned the start Saturday. To his credit, he performed at a relatively high level in the win. Mozee saw action on 34 offensive snaps, totaling 76 all-purpose yards.

Even so, it was Mekhi Nelson who stole the show. After being listed on the Huskers' final availability chart as a game-time decision, Nelson added just 53 all-purpose yards to his season total but ran for two touchdowns. He's now accounted for 386 all-purpose yards and five touchdowns this fall.

Fifth-year senior Vincent Genatone, who began his career at linebacker, has now scored a rushing touchdown in each of NU's first two Big Ten games. With Jamal Rule absent for much of the last two weeks, the North Platte, Nebraska, native has been a welcome addition to the Huskers' offense. Even with Rule's potential return set for Week 6, don't be surprised if Genatone has done enough to continue seeing regular snaps.

Player	Class	Snaps	Targets	Catches	Drops	Run Block	Overall
Gilmer	3rd	72	17	11	1	73.3	71.6
Hunter	4th	55	4	2	1	61.3	52.7
Barney	3rd	40	3	2	-	62.1	53.0
Clark	3rd	40	2	0	-	33.3	52.2
Bell	4th	13	-	-	-	54.9	53.7
Mills	2nd	4	-	-	-	-	-
Smith	3rd	4	-	-	-	-	-

Wide Receiver

UCLA transfer wide receiver Kwazi Gilmer has officially become the Big Red's WR1. He was targeted a career-high 17 times against Maryland, connecting with Colandrea on 11 of those plays for 147 yards and two scores. The junior pass-catcher accounted for nearly 62% of Nebraska's receiving production while seeing nearly 55% of the team's targets come his way.

Jacory Barney was listed as questionable on Wednesday's availability report but still managed to see the field for 40 offensive snaps. He caught two passes for 11 yards after catching one for 12 yards the week before.

Gilmer has become the first Husker wideout with back-to-back 100-yard receiving games since Samori Toure in 2021. Toure, now a member of the Philadelphia Eagles, did so against Fordham and Buffalo, while Gilmer accomplished the feat against two Big Ten opponents.

Player	Class	Snaps	Targets	Catches	Drops	Run Block	Overall
Lindenmeyer	5th	75	4	3	-	53.0	57.8
Bonner	5th	17	1	1	-	46.5	48.5
Hammerbeck	2nd	6	-	-	-	60.8	58.7
Ingwerson	3rd	3	-	-	-	-	-
Jones	5th	2	-	-	-	-	-
Whittington	3rd	2	-	-	-	-	-

Tight End/Fullback

Luke Lindenmeyer caught three passes for 20 yards and a touchdown in NU's 25-point win. The first touchdown of his 2026 campaign came on a play-action rollout near the goal line. Holgorsen's offensive playcalling was on full display, as the Huskers had been using their jumbo package with defensive linemen Anthony Jones and Jahsear Whittington in short-yardage situations. However, instead of handing the ball off to the running back as usual, the ball went to Lindenmeyer, who slipped past several defenders and found himself wide open for a score.

While Lindenmeyer didn't necessarily light up the stat sheet, all three of his receptions either resulted in a first down or touchdown. He now has 12 receptions for 116 yards and one score through five games.

On another note, offensive lineman Shawn Hammerbeck saw snaps as an eligible receiver downfield. Though he wasn't targeted, the second-year player showed another dimension to his role. With the highest run-blocking grade of any tight end or fullback Nebraska sent onto the field, he could see his role in run-blocking situations increase.

Player	Class	Snaps	Sacks	QB Hits	Hurries	Penalties	Run Block	Pass Block	Overall
Black	4th	79	-	-	-	-	60.4	87.7	66.0
Evans	5th	79	-	-	-	-	58.6	85.1	65.7
Pritchett	5th	79	-	-	-	1	50.9	75.1	55.7
Babalade	4th	69	-	-	-	-	68.6	82.9	75.1
Gottula	4th	64	-	-	3	-	54.4	61.8	57.6
Mubenga	4th	25	-	-	2	-	52.9		35.9
Knaak	5th	6	-	-	-	-	59.1	73.4	59.9
Ainsworth	1st	4	-	-	-	1	-	-	-
Taumua	3rd	4	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Pyle	3rd	4	-	-	-	1	-	-	-
Sledge	4th	4	-	-	-	-	-	-	-

Offensive Line

Nebraska struggled in the first half to generate consistent yardage on the ground, averaging just 3.9 yards per carry. Then, whether it was a halftime ripping from the coaching staff or simply the result of wearing down the Terrapins, the Huskers found much more success. Their average yardage per rush increased to 7.0 yards in the second half.

In passing situations, the Big Red's protection unit went without being charged with a sack for the second straight week. That never occurred while Donovan Raiola was leading NU's offensive line. Though the group was charged with three penalties and three hurries against Maryland, it performed well enough to help NU average 5.4 yards per play and pile up nearly 450 yards.

On another note, Tree Babalade is making a case for stepping up into a starting role. The South Carolina transfer played 69 snaps, while Gunnar Gottula took over at left guard. Gottula and LSU transfer Paul Mubenga interchanged roles at times, yet judging by snap counts, it appears Gottula will remain at that spot against the Hoosiers this week.

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