Tad Stryker: Ground Game Grit

With a resurgent defense leading the way, Nebraska's rushing game finishes strong at Purdue.

Sep 28, 2024; West Lafayette, Indiana, USA; Nebraska's Emmett Johnson gains some tough yards during the second half against Purdue. / Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images

Midway through the third quarter of the ugliest Big Ten football game of the season, the Nebraska football team was exactly where it didn’t want to be.

The Cornhuskers had no quarrel with being in West Lafayette, Indiana, almost within shouting distance of the East Tennessee devastation wrought by remnants of Hurricane Helene. They were much more concerned about their own self-destructive behavior, the re-emergence of a lingering hangover from the Scott Frost years.

In a first half that screamed of inconsistency, untimely penalties ruined three Cornhusker drives, including a debatable offensive pass interference call that ripped a Rahmir Johnson touchdown off the scoreboard. The Huskers’ running game was flat, their third-down performance miserable, their kicking game suicidal and the entire football program was filled with self-doubt.

Coming off a gut-punch overtime loss in the Big Ten opener, the last thing Nebraska wanted to do was to start slow against Purdue, one of the conference’s most beatable teams, but that’s precisely what happened, and the Boilermakers were glad to take advantage. When Purdue started the second half with an eight-minute field goal drive to take a 3-0 lead, Nebraska’s season seemed to be unraveling.

Sep 28, 2024; West Lafayette, Indiana, USA; Purdue Boilermakers running back Devin Mockobee (45) is tackled by Nebraska Cornhuskers defensive back Malcolm Hartzog Jr. (7) during the second half at Ross-Ade Stadium. / Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images

The Huskers were the opposite of loose and confident. Their inability to run the ball (NU had 49 yards on 13 carries at halftime against one of the conference’s worst rushing defenses) was maddening and inexcusable. Only a solid rebound effort by the Blackshirts, plus Purdue’s own excessive sloppiness (the Boilers finished with 165 yards in penalties), was keeping Nebraska in the game.

Then a remarkable thing happened. The Big Red doubled down, leaned more heavily on its running game, and started finishing drives. And the game turned, just like that. The Huskers defeated Purdue 28-10 to keep themselves on pace for a winning season largely because they refused to let old habits define them, and just as importantly, they finally started to get some decent, penalty-free run blocking.

Freshman quarterback Dylan Raiola is a formidable weapon indeed, if he has at least the threat of a running game to back him up. To his credit, throughout the early going, Raiola stayed positive while everything was trending downhill. He moved the team well between the 20s throughout the game, but he couldn’t finish drives by himself. Once his teammates on the offensive side of the ball decided they could play loose and free, like their leader, things started looking up.

Aided by a couple of Boilermaker penalties, Raiola ended a nine-play, 70-yard drive with a 6-yard touchdown pass to Jahmal Banks in the back of the end zone to finally get NU on the board. And then the running game took the Huskers home. For the first time this season, the Huskers finished strong, mainly because they ran the ball well. In the fourth quarter, Nebraska rushed the ball 11 times for 77 yards and two touchdowns. For his part, Raiola distributed the ball well as usual, completing 16 of 26 passes for 244 yards, a touchdown and no interceptions.

A mix of Dante Dowdell and Emmett Johnson at running back and a couple of big plays from freshman wide receiver Jacory Barney provided the second-half offensive spark the Huskers needed as they seized momentum and scored 21 points in the fourth quarter. Meanwhile, a delighted Greg Sharpe, fighting pancreatic cancer, was witty and animated in the Husker Sports Network radio booth and happy Husker fans took over Ross-Ade Stadium.

Sep 28, 2024; West Lafayette, Indiana, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers running back Dante Dowdell (23) runs the ball against Purdue Boilermakers linebacker Winston Berglund (20) and defensive back Markevious Brown (1) during the second half at Ross-Ade Stadium. / Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images

Matt Rhule may have helped his team relax by himself letting loose. In his halftime radio show, he bluntly criticized the call that robbed Rahmir Johnson of a touchdown, and nearly an hour later, was flagged for arguing with an official. The yellow flag seemed to be a good investment. It inspired his team, which overcame the 15-yard penalty to score on the drive, extending its 14-3 lead to 21-3.

After a disappointing effort against Illinois, the Blackshirts stabilized, allowing a decent Purdue offense just 224 total yards and a late touchdown. They held Purdue to 50 rushing yards, had five sacks (two by sophomore James Williams) and nine tackles for loss. Thanks to a good effort from Southern Cal transfer Ceyair Wright (five solo tackles and two pass breakups), they got through game without testing Tommi Hill’s sore foot at all. Linebacker Javin Wright returned from a fall camp health problem and made three tackles. Linebacker John Bullock had four tackles and a pick-six. The defense bailed out a miserable effort by the kicking game, which included two bad snaps on a pair of blocked field goals, and a third miss from 42 yards by backup kicker John Hohl.

More defensive performances like that, combined with a midlevel running game (the Huskers finished with 161 rushing yards) will lead to at least a respectable season in Lincoln if the kicking game can at least reach the mediocre level. The tests become harder, starting next week against 4-0 Rutgers, and after an Oct. 12 open date comes another road trip to Indiana to play the Hoosiers, also unbeaten at this point.

Did the Huskers (4-1 overall, 1-1 Big Ten) gain any ground Saturday in West Lafayette? I think so, mainly because they finished strong in the sort of grinding Big Ten slog that has bedeviled them for so many years, and ran the ball well in the fourth quarter to remove all doubt, something they’ve had a lot of trouble with over the past seven years. The importance of avoiding back-to-back losses in the first half of this season cannot be overemphasized.

Now can the Huskers stack some wins at midseason?

Even with an increasingly remarkable Raiola at quarterback, Nebraska will struggle to qualify for a bowl with the running game it trotted out for the first half in West Lafayette. But if the Huskers average a pedestrian 150 to 175 rushing yards a game down the stretch, they could be 9-3 at season’s end. It’s pretty much that simple. With an offensive line that returns more than 100 starts from past seasons, this is not an unreasonable expectation. Even without Teddy Prochazka. Even without Micah Mazzccua. The Huskers have scored nine rushing touchdowns and nine through the air. A ground-heavier attack would be healthier, both for the team and their young quarterback, but if they at least stay balanced, they have a chance.

Sep 28, 2024; West Lafayette, Indiana, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers tight end Thomas Fidone II (24) is pushed out of bounds by Purdue Boilermakers defensive back Dillon Thieneman (31) during the second quarter at Ross-Ade Stadium. / Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images

---

MORE: I-80 Club After Dark: Nebraska is 4-1 After a 28-10 Win Over Purdue

MORE: The Turning Point: Nebraska at Purdue

MORE: Adam Carriker Gut Reaction: Nebraska Football's Ugly, Bounce-Back Win Over Purdue

MORE: WATCH: Nebraska Football Coach Matt Rhule Postgame; Cornhuskers Top Boilermakers

MORE: Big Ten Football Week 5 Capsules

---

Stay up to date on all things Huskers by bookmarking Nebraska Cornhuskers On SI, subscribing to HuskerMax on YouTube, and visiting HuskerMax.com daily.