Husker Report Card: Grading Nebraska's performance against North Dakota

LINCOLN — After each game this season, The World-Herald's Sam McKewon will hand out his Husker Report Card, assessing Nebraska's performance in several areas. Here are the grades coming out of the North Dakota game.

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RUN OFFENSE

Despite facing six-man boxes from North Dakota’s defense, Nebraska had limited interest in running the ball until the second quarter when Anthony Grant — who’d already scored a first quarter touchdown — got several carries in a row. And Grant looked sweet navigating traffic with jump cuts and spin moves. He made another terrific run in the third quarter, reversing field to find open air. And then, the big one, a 46-yard score, bouncing the play to the edge and easily outrunning North Dakota to the end zone. Grant’s the guy for Nebraska, and freshman Ajay Allen is a pretty good complement. Good thing, too: The offensive line struggled for three quarters. GRADE: C

PASS OFFENSE

A turnover on a pass play — which a sack/fumble represents — is an immediate full downgrade. So, too, is an interception that sets up a touchdown. When Casey Thompson got the ball out of his hands — and didn’t get sacked — the picture looked pretty good, as NU’s receivers consistently ran open and blocked well on screens. But there’s a difference between a pass game that moves the ball and one that has a rhythm and identity to it. Everything with NU’s pass game — from Thompson’s delivery to the tendency toward immediate aggression — feels rushed. GRADE: D

RUN DEFENSE

Drip, drip, drip. North Dakota knows how to hold on to the ball and leak out first downs. Until a 63-yard blast by Isaiah Smith in the third quarter, Nebraska didn’t allow many explosive plays, but it couldn’t consistently get UND off the field, either. NU’s interior defensive line penetration? Pretty good at times. But the back end tackling — be it from backup inside linebackers or safeties — wasn’t very good, and Nebraska was never able to successfully dissuade North Dakota from running the ball. When a FCS team can possess the ball for 20 minutes of the first half against a Power Five defense, serious questions emerge about that defense’s ability to slow down, well, anyone. GRADE: F

PASS DEFENSE

Garrett Nelson’s sack-and-strip of North Dakota quarterback Tommy Schuster was the first sack of the season — and directly led to a field goal. Nebraska got lucky on North Dakota’s opening drive when UND quarterback Tommy Schuster overthrew an open receiver, and generally struggled to reach Schuster, who threw the ball quickly and consistently remained on the move. The Fighting Hawks’ modest passing plan — a lot of throws to the flat, quick slants, screens — required Nebraska to cover and tackle, which, for the most part, it did. GRADE: C

SPECIAL TEAMS

Punter Brian Buschini kept his routine rolling, and Nebraska nickel Javin Wright partially blocked a punt, which was one of the better plays made by a NU return unit in recent years. But Husker kicker Timmy Bleekrode missed his first field goal with the Huskers, pulling the ball to the left. He was recruited to specifically make those kicks. He later made a 46-yarder with the north wind. A miscommunication led to a seven-yard kickoff return. Nebraska’s special teams remains middling. GRADE: C-

PLAY-CALLING/GAME MANAGEMENT

Nebraska got aggressive — maybe greedy — on its second drive of the game, dialing up two straight deep throws. The first one made sense. The second? Not as much. Offensive coordinator Mark Whipple can draw up good pass plays, but Nebraska’s run game depends on Grant making something out of nothing. On defense, coordinator Erik Chinander clearly lacks the horses to make game-changing plays. They play hard, they’re generally assignment-sound, but they lack a certain edge that comes with athleticism and top-shelf violence. The squib kick wasn’t a bad risk, given NU kicked off from the 50, but it didn’t work. A three-man pressure from Chinander backfired too. GRADE: C

OVERALL

Nebraska’s in some trouble. Its defense lacks the horses to dominate a slow poke FCS offense and its offense, while plenty explosive, can hurt itself as easily as hurts an opposing defense. With a new coaching staff on that side of the ball, growing pains were expected. Remember the first month of Zac Taylor’s quarterbacking career at Nebraska? But the Huskers expected their defense to be the kind of unit that gave NU’s offense time and chances to grow. And if North Dakota can legitimately take Nebraska deep into the fourth quarter, it’s fair to wonder: How far can these Huskers get? GRADE: C-